10 WWE PPV Debuts That Flopped
Andrew Patterson When a WWE wrestler makes their first appearance on television, it takes a lot for audiences to be captivated on the arrival of a new wrestler. A very important part in the introduction of a new wrestler, is for them to impress on WWE PPVs. RELATED: 8 Wrestling Legends Who Had Terrible PPV Debuts
Sometimes a wrestler can have a good WWE PPV debut, which leads to a great career for years to come. However, the first match on the big stage can also go south, and it deprived wrestlers from achieving any success with WWE, while others still had legendary careers that would be impossible to forget.
10 Muhammad Hassan: New Year's Revolution 2005
Muhammad Hassan is one of the most controversial gimmicks in WWE history, as he portrayed an Arab-American wanting relief from the discrimination against Arabs after 9/11. The gimmick easily drew heat, but it only lasted for half a year because of a terribly timed segment with The Undertaker in July 2005.
Hassan's WWE PPV debut came against Jerry Lawler at New Year's Revolution 2005, with Lawler having Jim Ross in his corner. The match had no commentary whatsoever, which gave it no chance of being enjoyable. The work in the ring was terrible, as Hassan's offense was too generic and the crowd couldn't get into it.
9 Luther Reigns: Great American Bash 2004
Luther Reigns had a forgettable run on SmackDown in 2004, as fans just weren't invested in him and he spent most of his time being Kurt Angle's lackey. He made his WWE PPV debut at Great American Bash 2004 against Charlie Haas, in a match that failed to set the world on fire.
RELATED: 8 Wrestlers You Didn't Realize Wrestled For WWE In 2004
2004 was a rough year for the SmackDown brand, as its star power wasn't strong and most of the PPVs were extremely difficult to sit through. With wrestlers like Luther Reigns, Kenzo Suzuki, Mordecai and Rene Dupree taking up valuable PPV time, it's no surprise that these shows aren't well remembered today.
8 Ludvig Borga: SummerSlam 1993
When Ludvig Borga made his WWE debut in 1993, the company had big plans for him, but they failed to materialize. He was given an early strong push, with his PPV debut coming at SummerSlam 1993, in which Borga defeated Jannetty in an uninspiring squash match, which was one of the worst matches on the show.
After SummerSlam, Borga entered into a feud with Lex Luger, with WWE following the typical "America against the world" formula. Borga ended Tatanka's undefeated streak, which made it clear that WWE were ready to push him to the moon. After suffering an ankle injury in January 1994, Ludvig Borga would part ways with WWE.
7 Mideon: In Your House St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Throughout the mid to late 1990s, Mideon portrayed various gimmicks, including Phinneas O. Godwinn, Dennis Knight and Naked Mideon. After The Undertaker formed the Ministry of Darkness, Mideon joined the group and became one if its main members.
RELATED: 10 Members Of WWE's Ministry Of Darkness Stable: Where Are They Now?
With his new gimmick, Mideon made his WWE PPV debut against the Big Boss Man at In Your House: St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Both competitors were heels, and the match was truly a disaster, with fans not holding back how they felt, as they started chanting "boring".
6 Jesús: Armageddon 2004
As John Cena needed time off to film The Marine, WWE decided to have Cena written off TV, by being stabbed by Jesús, Carlito's bodyguard, in a Boston nightclub. Throughout the next few weeks, Jesús attacked Cena multiple times in the kidney (where Cena was stabbed).
After coming back, Cena set his sights on Jesús and the two were scheduled for a street fight at Armageddon 2004. It was a one-handed beatdown by Cena, as he showed no mercy towards the man who stabbed him. Jesús got no offense whatsoever, and he was written off television shortly afterwards, eventually being released in April 2005.
5 Sin Cara: Over The Limit 2011
There was a lot of hype surrounding Sin Cara's WWE debut in 2011, as WWE wanted him to become the new Rey Mysterio and the new face of the wrestling Hispanic market. WWE booked him quite strongly during his first few months in the company, and his PPV debut match came against Chavo Guerrero at Over The Limit 2011.
RELATED: The Confusing History Of The Sin Cara WWE Character, Explained
WWE had blue and orange lights for Sin Cara's matches, which was an unnecessary change. The fans weren't into the match very much, and a filler match in the middle of the show wasn't going to get fans excited about a new wrestler.
4 Kenzo Suzuki: Great American Bash 2004
Kenzo Suzuki was another wrestler WWE had high hopes for in 2004, but he failed to succeed in the company, as his run only lasted for less than a year. After spending a few months in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Suzuki made his main roster debut in June 2004 and began a short rivalry with Billy Gunn.
Suzuki made his PPV debut against Billy Gunn at Great American Bash 2004, with the crowd showing minimal interest in the encounter. Suzuki's offense was extremely boring and nothing about him could make fans care.
3 Mark Henry: In Your House Mind Games 1996
After a very impressive powerlifting career, Mark Henry made his way to the WWE in the summer of 1996. At SummerSlam 1996, Henry came to the aid of Jake Roberts who was suffering an onslaught at the hands of Jerry Lawler. Prior to his match against Jerry Lawler at In Your House: Mind Games, Henry's lack of wrestling training was acknowledged, and it was clear the match would have its fair share of shenanigans.
RELATED: 10 Things Mark Henry Never Accomplished In Wrestling
The match was just an exhibition, as Henry was still too green. Lawler's heat getting skills made this match somewhat passable, but it was too early for Henry to be in a WWE match, let alone a PPV one. After the match, Henry went on a one year hiatus from television for more much needed training.
2 Mordecai: Judgment Day 2004
After weeks of vignettes and anticipation, Mordecai made his WWE debut at Judgment Day 2004 in a match against Scotty 2 Hotty. Mordecai portrayed a religious character, who would be set on depriving the world from sin. He was projected to feud with The Undertaker, but that obviously never happened.
Mordecai had an Undertaker type entrance, as he sported a white robe and a huge sword that he would carry to the ring. He also had demonic theme song, which just made fans feel like Mordecai was an Undertaker ripoff. The match was a 1990s type squash, with Mordecai making quick work of Scotty 2 Hotty.
1 Steve Austin: Royal Rumble 1996
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest stars in the history of wrestling, but his WWE debut wasn't all sunshine and roses. After getting fired from WCW, Austin made his WWE debut as "The Ringmaster" with Ted DiBiase as his manager, just because Austin was a good in-ring worker.
Austin made his WWE PPV debut during the 1996 Royal Rumble match, and according to him, he was supposed to be one of the final 4 competitors in the match. Unfortunately for him, Austin got eliminated earlier than he was supposed to, as he failed to hold on to the ropes properly. Luckily for Austin, this didn't deprive him from having a legendary career.