10 Underwhelming WWE Debuts For Great Wrestlers

From the ECW debut of future WWE champion Kofi Kingston to Batista's bizarre introduction as Deacon Batista on SmackDown, these are 10 Underwhelming WWE Debuts For Great Wrestlers.
JOIN US and hit SUBSCRIBE!
Support Cultaholic on Patreon: / cultaholic
Website: cultaholic.com/
Twitch: / cultaholic
Twitter: / cultaholic
Facebook: / cultaholic
Instagram: / cultaholicwrestling
Discord: www.cultaholic.com/discord
Cultaholic provides video coverage of professional wrestling - including WWE (including WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live), AEW, IMPACT Wrestling (formerly TNA), NJPW, ROH, and more with daily news updates, reviews, lists, highlights, predictions, reactions, podcasts and much, much more.

[@donnapritchard2584]

Man Kurt angle managed to somehow be ahead of his time, in the wrong era, and in the perfect place all at the same time.

[@joshuaottley7902]

Kurt Angle is timeless.

[@_Wade_]

Perc aka kurt is the goat

[@yvngdragon2563]

A true legend

[@Dwainecurtis2001]

Making a heel who thinks he’s a face in genius

[@CryingLord]

Personally I think it was the right era at the right time. If it was any earlier or any later it wouldn’t have hit

[@adammckay3299]

Kind of nuts that Steve Austin debuted against Matt Hardy.

[@aaronhurst4379]

Yeah, I always forget how young Matt and Jeff were when they started in the company

[@calvuswom8603]

@matt yeah Jeff was 16 at the time so Matt might be 19 or 18

[@MBM1117727]

Actually his first match was on Superstars against Scott Taylor (Scotty Too Hotty)

[@kingsofwrestlingpicfed]

sorta messes with your sense of time

[@mikeg7430]

That just Fuckd me up Bro!

[@dankicks]

“YOU DO NOT BOO AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST!” 🤣

[@bradcarver8127]

You rhythmically tell him he sucks

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Almost a year later, it feels great to say Kofi held the WWE Championship.

[@xXgoldfistXx]

The Hound 3:16 what about some love for woods?

[@PaddyFlatts]

@KingsHeathDon91 Booker T, Farooq, Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin. There are plenty of black wrestlers who are better than Bobby Lashley that should have been WWE Champion.

[@c_f0rce]

@KingsHeathDon91 Rocky was the first black WWE champion. Even Kofi said we should recognize Rocky as the first

[@hartlyreaper6849]

Over a year ago, and no No one deserved it more than Ron Simmons or Brick House Brown.

[@TheRav3n]

Dexx Baker yeah even though they made him drop the title in shit fashion it’s all good

[@logankerr8090]

do 10 Great debuts by mediocre wrestlers next

[@RK-ig8gc]

Anybody you have in mind?

[@RK-ig8gc]

I got santino Marella and David otunga

[@kerijervis1]

The fiend.

[@RK-ig8gc]

Defunct Derrick I think he’s a more storyline based performer instead of a athlete kind performer but ok

[@FrankieboyJr]

Ray santino is goated

[@slashandbones13]

In WWE, most debuts are just squash matches against "local athlete".

[@youngdolo8]

"Buck Zumhofe, I man I would implore you NOT to research if you don't want to have nightmares." "Ah it can't be that bad, can it, he was prob- OH JESUS!!"

[@lukeayer1352]

Best WWE debuts Y2J Kane Undertaker AJ Styles Rey Mysterio John Cena

[@aS-df8zj]

Finlay

[@thebombspayloadisexposed]

Mantaur

[@goober5713]

AJ's was ruined cause of the cameras all being forced on Roman.

[@raelindzey4272]

John cena

[@lukeayer1352]

@@thetribalist6923 for a faction shield and Nexus but for singles stars no

[@TheRav3n]

Aye call me a moron of a child at the time but I liked Reverend D-Von 😂

[@rogregg29445]

Reverend D-Von was fun gimmick

[@terrymasters1176]

TESTIFY!

[@DeanL6_]

Let’s not forget that they played mvps monitors instead of Kofis in his debut

[@TrashPanda57]

Steve Austin's first match in WWF was against Matt Hardy! Learn something new everyday.

[@mitchellima4736]

The hardy's were jobbers during the mid to late 90s. They were actually feature a good amount.

[@mitchellima4736]

@matt very true

[@albertogarcia2317]

How about 10 Great WWE Debuts For Underwhelming Wrestlers?

[@Ken9284]

Glacier, Brodus Clay (the dancing dinosaur),

[@MrMario-tc8sl]

Kofi Kingston is absolutely 100% a certified Hall of Fame wrestler after the career he's had but he will not be recognized as such until one year when WWE has absolutely nobody to go into the Hall of Fame so they just decide "hey let's stick Kofi in there." The new day will be inducted before Kofi, way before.

[@TheMuldoonFella]

I hope thats not the case, he wint be the headliner but he'll be a close second, looking over his career he deserves way more than a "oh yeah, kofi"

[@MrMario-tc8sl]

@@TheMuldoonFella absolutely agree

[@willyschitumba5914]

He's still in his 30s. There's enough time for him to become a 1st ballot HOFmer.

[@tankkilla7488]

The wwe hall of fame is a joke. If you think otherwise I have two words for you... drew carey

[@michaelroberts4435]

@@tankkilla7488 dude, Whose line is it anyway was great haha

[@jackwhiteford6842]

As a fan of newLegacyInc, calling Reverend D-Von forgettable is literally blasphemy!!

[@thedominator409]

Oh! Brother!

[@bigkiwiNick]

Testify

[@user-or1km8yx9l]

Oh my Brother! We’re gonna make him a building!

[@krystallovesclassics508]

Lord Give Me Eyes Of Righteousness.

[@alexstockford4387]

Cultaholic needs to donate to his fund!

[@AndrewHarrington218]

THE YETAY!!!

[@lesgraham6602]

Awesome video, extremely well researched and presented.

[@scaparapadoobedoooo3170]

My debut at work was incredible. I showed up naked with spiders crawling out of my anus and my hair on fire.

[@_.El._]

I agree that these debuts where lackluster but of course they would be none of these guys where household names that they became. In contrast see Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Shinsuke, Goldberg, Jericho debuts.

[@Fitfoodgeezer]

Totally looked up Buck Zumhofe and wish I listened to you!

[@antfrancis9941]

When Kofi used to be Jamaican.😏

[@UnaiGarciarena]

"How about a 20 minutes promo to kick off the show hey trips?" got my like

[@zanethind]

Wow I just noticed that Kofi's 14 year anniversary since his WWE TV debut passed. Also his Jamaican gimmick got him over and made him many titles but it was his New Day persona that just did wonders for him

[@ladorablemonsieurolivierur9224]

8:29 A wild Adam "Hangman" Page appearing

[@prathamyadav2508]

So Triple H never had a debut match according to WWE, right?

[@lopezg8475]

The match, or at least part of it, is on their youtube channel

[@prathamyadav2508]

@@lopezg8475 If they have that guy's match on their KZbin channel,why are they erasing out Benoit?Benoit was actually suffering from mental problems,Zumhofe just sounds like an asshole

[@MBM1117727]

@@prathamyadav2508 So mental problems excuse murdering ones family? Ok...

[@kuroinamida4630]

@@MBM1117727 no but wwe is at fault for those. He had the mind of an 80 year old after taking countless Chairshots to the head over the years that caused countless Concussions that weren't treated right. Now guess why they dont allow Chairshots to the Head anymore. Also Benoit was one of the best they've ever had in their roster and deserves to be credited. Unlike some Bleach Blonde Idiot who was thrown out/banished after Racist Comments but was welcomed back with open arms a year or so later.

[@MBM1117727]

@@kuroinamida4630 All this talk about the state of his mind yet he was till able to go on the road 300 days a year and all that comes along with it. I think it's BS

[@russellmeauxrussellmania8806]

Adam: Don't research Buck Zomhofe Me: *Googles Buck Zomhofe* Also me: Da Hell did I just read???

[@dangerousdavescott]

In the 1980s, it was pretty typical for top incoming talents to make their televised in-ring debut in an enhancement match on Superstars or Wrestling Challenge, just like the Ultimate Warrior. Lackluster debuts were the norm. Vignettes and an interview or two were awarded to the favored few. Even Ric Flair debuted in an enhancement match. Granted, it was against Jim Powers, a big name enhancement guy who still occasionally used entrance music from his glory days. It wasn't until Earthquake sat on the Warrior as Dino Bravo's audience volunteer plant in 1989 did anyone make a truly impactful debut. The Undertaker's debut at the 1990 Survivor Series was the first impactful in-ring debut, only because Bad News Brown's surprise departure shortly before the card's announcement created a hole in the line-up, but these impactful debuts were still not the norm for quite a while.

[@gavin7772]

Kurt angle was the post 9/11 babyface we needed

[@musakivines7721]

I feel like Adam sounds differently now

[@nickrosser7421]

I noticed that when cultaholic started. He used to be more nasal. Its like he's had his nose fixed.

[@thebombspayloadisexposed]

That's because his mouth also got jacked when he became the muscle man known as Alan Panini.

[@aS-df8zj]

@@thebombspayloadisexposed Duuuuuude.....

[@seanm2600]

What are Kofi's favorite things to wear on his feet? New Day Socks New Day Socks

[@taleentooreal]

The Joker YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY YOUR CRAZY

[@faridrodriguez5878]

I remember koffy showed better who he was when he wrestle in we heat. Remember watching him before live shows and everyone was so pumped about him

[@ryanleaf386]

Sheamus also debuted on ECW

[@crusadercrazy2010]

I was there for Kofi. The reaction was very half and half until he won them the crowd was behind him. It was in Reading PA

[@sethfrego1808]

I saw kofi a couple times before he got called up to raw! He was doing house shows and was sold as a big star! Saw him in Jonesboro Arkansas and Memphis Tennessee and at both shows people were talking about him 4-5 matches later!

[@fraserwilson4366]

Already know this video is gonna be great😁

[@edwardwebber9156]

Can we do 10 jobbers that became superstars ???

[@MrMario-tc8sl]

Reverend Devon is far from forgotten. The gimmick will live on in the hearts of many.

[@thebombspayloadisexposed]

He and Deacon Batista were absolute heroes

[@bmoresfinest1982]

Yup.... totally shouldn't have Google'd that Buck guy......sheesh😳

[@chrisakane9840]

I feel like all the greats come from ECW.

[@ricoboi6009]

It's always an amazing day when cultaholic uploads a video. 2 tho I'm on top of the flipping world

[@Aj____]

Honestly as a born Jamaican, when I found out Kofi wasn't actually from Jamaican I stopped liking him. I was upset over it

[@jeromelancashire3278]

Where is Dwayne The Rock Johnson?

[@zanethind]

Reverand D-Von still works today since he does the testify thing till this lol.

[@sergiodbd]

“Forgettable” Reverend D’Von? Oh no my brother… I will never forget that 😂😂

[@TheOtaku031284]

When I first saw Batista I thought nothing of him, I thought he was another generic big-guy who'd after his bodyguard gimmick would spend a few solo months squashing jobbers and cruiserweights to hide his shortcomings. I thought he'd be gone in a year.

[@missmoanypants]

If I had seen Deacon Batista I’d have thought the same thing.

[@zackstuart4401]

Can someone tell me what comes up when you search up buck zumhof or whatever his name was

[@mittalvinayak12]

Well the debuts will be underwhelming because most of past wrestlers actually started from the bottom in the WWE and were not big names coming from other promotions

[@FMecha]

Deacon Bautista was actually his call name in Shut Your Mouth for CAWs.

[@peopleareshit123]

D'ya know what else is Luke Warm? Titus O Neill's lips

[@rickisgrate]

Can't way to see Simon Miller's wwe debut, road warrior pop incomong

[@jameskessler6328]

This is 2nd ever video I have watched from this channel. I subscribed the day the channel started. Then Adam got fired and I was out

[@BibahMax]

soooo what happened with Triple H's debut opponent?

[@capngeeoff]

I don't think Angle belongs on this list. His debut match was bad but his debut window was one of the best ever. Won the championship in his 1st year

[@z3ro47]

Ultimate warrior’s debut was underwhelming sounds wrong

[@michaelphillips5708]

Definitely should have listened to Adam about not looking up Buck Zumhofe

[@Russ_1911]

Should’ve showed a picture of Diamond Dallas Page @ 42 seconds

[@colel1605]

How about amazing debuts for underwhelming wrestlers?

[@goober5713]

Kurt Angle won a gold medal? I didn't know that....

[@wolvie667]

I would have put also The ROck in with his debut at Survivor Series. And Randy Orton

[@richardkelly7320]

I'd like to see the best/worst vinyets like they have made some good ones and some laughable ones

[@JagerLange]

>Great wrestlers >Ultimate Warrior Yes.

[@lilpoetat]

thanks!

[@GinkgoPete]

Daily reminder that they took the title off Kofi for a shitty squash match

[@jerransperarman9411]

good video

[@rizzcs6018]

7:15 with a broken freaking neck tyvm.

[@bluhmer1990]

The Ultimate Warrior is a great wrestler? Must be doing heavier drugs than he was.

[@jasonoverman9679]

I wouldn't call Kurt Angles debut underwhelming, sure the fans boo'd him and chanted boring at the guy that was supposed to be a new baby face but once Vince called an audible and had the ref tell Kurt to roll with it as a heel instead it was the birth of a character the fans would love to hate for years and years to come

[@haz0077]

To think the rattlesnake was yanwed at

[@evanwoehlke5336]

Number one should've been the rock.

[@nathanhill4245]

Man, if you think we shouldn’t google someone just don’t mention it.

[@kennyking9347]

Hopefully Keith Lee can be great

[@saint-g7449]

😂😂

[@djmarcotte7898]

That new gear is 🔥🔥🔥

[@musakivines7721]

Don’t you forget about Keith Lee

[@kennyking9347]

@@saint-g7449 welp that Aged horribly🤦🏾

[@saint-g7449]

@@kennyking9347 yup.

[@DenOfVipers]

Kurt Angle's debut is fucking brilliant.

[@emilylemk2466]

I made the mistake of googling Buck Zumhofe

[@b1g.pr3tz]

Aye ur not the only one 😂

[@caveman555555]

At least you can say you never met the guy. I went to a few shows ran by him and General Adnan way before his offences were revealed, and the guy booked himself like he was fucking Hogan

[@motofact4233]

3:47 ohhhh boy🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@jeffreymark475]

Should do underwhelming WWE returns. Christian would have to be top or close to top of the list

[@MattitudePlays]

I weirdly remember Sheamus' debut on ECW in 2010 or whenever it was... Then all of a sudden 3 months later he was WWE Champion. Despite how much crap Wrestling was in 09/10 that was always a shock win nobody saw coming. We all thought "Here's more Cena fodder"

[@DBoy38]

He debuted in 2009, also he was not supposed to win the title that time, apparently the finish was for both Cena and Sheamus to go trough the table at same time, ending the match in a draw.

[@pnshadow4549]

Wait… How is The Rock not on this list?

[@k1productions87]

oh my... how the ending of this video did not age well T~T

[@sp0nge1337]

1:59 That's actually incorrect. Nobody was wondering when they would get to see The Godwinns, they all went to the toilet during their matches.

[@gunkain]

What about Randy Orton? Or Hardy Boys?

[@phsycosisphreak1824]

People really shit on Deacon Batista for noooo reason, it was very entertaining to me... especially when some tied to steal the collection box

[@grimreaper1542]

Literally every NXT call up (down)

[@musakivines7721]

Wrong channel bro😂

[@Inconvenientx]

Really annoying to hear someone do a bad impression of Adam from WhatCulture

[@lesgraham6602]

Ross, with the lockdowns in place will you be having your 50th Birthday online?

[@cowboi5457]

Yes

[@XVX..]

I agree with every point made in this video, especially the one not to look up Buck Zumhofe. What a terrible piece of s***.

[@TenthLetterWhoBetter]

Do “10 worst name changes in wwe”

[@DBoy38]

1. Walter to Gunther -Stark- 2. Chad Gable to Shorty G 3. Pete Dunn to Butch

[@jordananderson1765]

Keith should be number 1

[@crimealleysoutlaw1103]

Kofi Kingstaaaann from Jamaica 😂

[@jabarijivens763]

Heeeyyy that rev Dvon gimmick wasnt that bad.. lol

[@traviskoontz4796]

It's not the first impression you make it's how you do after the first impression

[@danger2bananas]

What about Mick Foley

[@joeholtster1891]

Kofi & Great Don’t compute

[@WhipLashJimmyFrank]

IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW YOU START.

[@Oleksandr.Derkach]

Oh come on! Kurt's debut was good

[@jeremyfincham1422]

She's debut was...Terraryzing

[@drewnelson6280]

I remember watching Brock Lesnar debut. Went to the toilet and back and he had finished.

[@matthewbehling5031]

Missed Edge. Since he knocked his opponent out by accident

[@DBoy38]

Wrong. Actually, ironically enough, he broke his opponent's neck.

[@ParamoreFAV3]

Prime angle now with AEW? Mannnnnnnn

[@capngeeoff]

I'm surprised The Rock isn't on this list. His debut character was horrible and in his debut match he looked at the wrong camera

[@MBM1117727]

Actually Ringmasters first televised match was against Scott Taylor on Superstars a little before the Rumble

[@MrMario-tc8sl]

WWE isn't wrestling though, it's *Sports Entertainment* as Vince has consistently repeated.

[@MrMario-tc8sl]

@matt when your sarcasm is so strong that a random simpleton gets angry about something that doesn't even involve him. 🤣 🎵 He's a smart guy, yea yea.