A debut is a wrestler's first chance at making an impression, but the best wrestlers in the world don't always get it right on the first try. Sometimes the gimmick they wrestle in needs to be changed, sometimes the wrestler was nervous, or they hadn't gotten enough training or experience.
Basically, there are a few reasons why debuts aren't all winners. While some, like John Cena, have had impressive matches from the get-go that establish themselves as major stars, most wrestlers get further chances to establish themselves are the real deal.
10 Dolph Ziggler
After a brief run as Kerwin White's caddy, Nick Nemeth, Dolph Ziggler would return as a part of the Spirit Squad stable. In his debut, Dolph would team with Johnny, Kenny, and Mikey against Shawn Michaels on an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2006.
The Spirit Squad disbanded in 2007 and would be sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling. In 2012, Ziggler would win the Money in the Bank before defeating Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Champion. Not bad for a wrestler who got his start as a caddy and male cheerleader.
9 Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura was a star in Japan before signing for WWE and appearing in NXT. While wrestling in NXT, Nakamura ended Samoa Joe's title reign becoming the ninth wrestler to hold the title.
Nakamura would move to the main roster in 2017 after losing the NXT title to Bobby Roode in 2017. After several house show appearances and dark matches, Nakamura had his WWE in-ring debut against Dolph Ziggler at Backlash.
8 Sin Cara
When the original Sin Cara signed for WWE in 2011, they held a press conference to announce it. Many fans believed that Sin Cara could be the next Rey Mysterio. Sin Cara would make appearances on episodes of Raw and SmackDown helping Daniel Bryan and attacking Jack Swagger before his in-ring debut against Primo.
Despite the hype, Sin Cara failed to make the impact that the promotion hoped for and he was released soon after. Sin Cara continues to wrestle in Mexico for promotions like AAA and CMLL.
7 Batista
Before Batista signed for WWE, he was reportedly rejected by WCW and their Powerplant training facility. The year after his rejection, he was signed by WWE and sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling. After wrestling as Leviathan in Ohio Valley Wrestling but before becoming "The Animal" Batista, he briefly wrestled alongside Reverend D-Von.
Wrestling as The Deacon Batista, he made his main roster debut in 2002 in a tag match against Farooq and Randy Orton. Batista and D-Von would pick up the win but the Deacon gimmick didn't last long as he partnered up with Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton in Evolution.
6 Kofi Kingston
When he debuted, Kofi Kingston was a Jamaican accented wrestler on WWE's version of ECW. Kingston would begin wrestling for WWE in 2006 and 2007.
Kingston's debut would come in 2008 against David Owen. Kingston won the match but looked nothing like the Tag Team and WWE Champion he would later become.
5 Trish Stratus
When Trish Stratus was picked up by WWE, the fitness model was originally meant to be a manager. Stratus was originally seen scouting talent during an episode of Sunday Night Heat. Stratus would pick Test and Albert as her wards, and the two would be accompanied by Stratus to the ring for their matches.
Stratus would make her own in-ring debut alongside Test and Albert during their feud with the Team Extreme. In June 2000, Trish, Test, and Albert, would take on Lita, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Hardy. Stratus would have her first singles match a few weeks later against Lita on an episode of Raw. Stratus would go on to have seven reigns with the Women's title and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
4 Mark Henry
Before becoming a Pro-Wrestler, Mark Henry was a Powerlifter with several professional records. The World's Strongest man would then sign with WWE in 1996 at the age of 24. Henry's WWE debut came at In Your House 10 against Jerry Lawler.
Henry would defeat the Memphis wrestling legend in a shortmatch, winning with a Powerslam. Henry would be an enforcer in the Nation of Domination before eventually becoming a legitimate main eventer and world champion in 2005.
3 The Rock
The Rock made his WWF debut at Survivor Series 1996 as a part of a team with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero, and The Stalker. The Rock made it to the last two where he eliminated Crush and Goldust in 30 seconds to win the match as the sole survivor.
Rocky Maivia appeared a few more times and won the Intercontinental Title but the crowd turned on him. He would evolve into The Rock as a part of the Nation of Domination stable and would never look back.
2 Steve Austin
Before becoming Stone Cold, Steve Austin originally made his WWF debut as The Ringmaster Steve Austin. Austin was introduced to WWF by Ted DiBiase and given the Million Dollar title by DiBiase. Austin's debut came against a 21-year-old Matt Hardy.
Those watching the match would have had no idea that they were watching two future Hall of Famers in action.
1 Triple H
Before making a name for himself as The Game, Triple H, he wrestled in WCW as Terra Ryzing and Jean-Paul Levesque. When Triple H crossed over to WWE in 1995 he used essentially the same character as Jean-Paul Levesque but was renamed Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
Wrestling as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the future world champion had his debut match against Sonny Rogers on an episode of Superstars. He won after hitting a cutter, as this was before he adopted the Pedigree as his finisher.