Better Debut: Kane or Chris Jericho

[klunderbunker]

Both are pretty famous, but for those unfamiliar here's a recap of both.

For months Paul Bearer had spoken of Undertaker's brother Kane, saying that he was still alive. This was more or less brushed off since Taker insisted he died in a fire. After many months we got to Bad Blood and the first Hell in a Cell match with Shawn vs. Undertaker. Taker dominated for the most part and called for the tombstone when the lights went out. Organ music began to play and red light covered everything. A man as big as Taker came out and tombstoned him, allowing Shawn to win. This was of course Kane.

About two years later, there was a clock that said Countdown to the Millennium, which wound up going off in the middle of August rather than at the end of the year. The Rock was in the ring when the clock came down and the lights went out. Pyro went off and a video of what looked like New York City popped up. As the music shouted BREAK THE WALLS DOWN, the name JERICHO popped up on screen to a huge ovation. A war of words ensued between two of the greatest talkers in wrestling history.

So in short, which was better? Remember to give a reason for your pick.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I'm going to pick Jericho. While Kane's debut was well built up and we were intrigued to see where the mystery took us next, I feel it lacked something that Jericho already had; name power.

Jericho was a well established mid-carder who had been in 'the other company' (WCW) and many thought had been underused so when these vignettes for began to air for 'the Millennium', we expected something big and what we got was the debut of Chris Jericho. Jericho had been built up and was already know through his work back in WCW so when he interrupted the Rock, Jericho was instantly recognised by a large portion of the audience. Jericho cut a promo that fitted his persona to a T. He was a classic, arrogant heel and it fitted him perfectly. The audience ate it up and he gained credibility by sharing the stage with a superstar like the Rock.

 

[Hardys4Life247]

I'm going to have to go with Jericho. Jericho had a bigger pop from the fans. It seemed like the fans were waiting for the Millennium because they know something big was going to happen. Jericho's work was already know around the world as wel, which made him better know to the fans. I have to say both debuts and build ups to the debuts were great, but Jericho was in the spotlight with The Rock, something most wrestlers wanted to have.

Credit to indestructable-desire.com for the signature

 

[Miss Flawless]

Jericho. He debuted with a 'war of words' with The Rock. That's the best it can get. An entertaining debut.

Kane's was built up was good, and that's about it.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

There's no way I can say Jericho, with a Jericho icon, without looking like a complete mark for the guy, but whatever.

I gotta go with Jericho, seeing as people already knew who he was, whereas with Kane, they didn't really know what to expect. Jericho had his amazing countdown promos that made everyone pee their pants with all kinds of excitement and curiosity, whereas, Kane could have just been another Shockmaster. On the flip side, the people who knew it was Jericho before he even debuted, they knew exactly what to expect, and they knew it was going to be entertaining.

Jericho had an all around better pop, and was immediately great on the mic. But with Kane, you just got Paul Bearer on the mic, and nothing too new in terms of wrestling ability.

 

[Jimmy King]

Hmm, when I first read the title I immediately thought, "uh, duh, Jericho!" However, it's not that simple.

Kane's debut was built up phenomenally. The WWE(F) built up his arrival tremendously. The last time someone was built up so heavily, it ended up being a bust with the "debut" of the Gobbledygooker (sp?) However, this guy (Kane) was billed as a monster- a legitimate threat to the Undertaker. Not only that, but Kane helped put over a lot of stars such as RVD and X-Pac. Also, Kane brought a lot to the tag division, even outside of the Brothers of Destruction. (I absolutely loved Kane in the TLC (2 or 3, the one on Raw.) For a guy of his size, especially being slimmer then, he has done a great job.

On the other hand,

Jericho's debut was the first time any person with name value had really jumped ship FROM WCW. The countdown gimmick was perfectly executed, especially with tying it into the whole Y2K ordeal. Thus, plain ol' "Lionheart" Chris Jericho became "Y2J." Even past the rockstar gimmick, this monicker has stuck. Obviously, since then, Jericho has been a multiple world champion, first undisputed champion, yadda yadda yadda. Jericho even had a show stealing match against Michaels at Wrestlemania 19. Along the way, Jericho has helped especially put over younger, fresh talent. His evolution has also raised the bar on a great wrestler in the company, whether face or heel.

Pretty much, I don't think a debut is just the first 20 minutes they're on screen. It's all about what you do after your debut that counts. It's about staying relevant, winning championships and retaining your "it" factor. Unfortunately, Kane has struggled with this throughout his career in oddly random stages. So, I have to give the better debut to Jericho. But definitely a close decision.

 

[theViper]

I just skipped past everything this thread said, and looked at both debuts to see which one still gave me chills even to this day. All I have to say is that Jericho's debut made my nipples hard... Yes.

 

[KoC417]

I just skipped past everything this thread said, and looked at both debuts to see which one still gave me chills even to this day. All I have to say is that Jericho's debut made my nipples hard... Yes.

I'm glad someone else said this before me

Kane's debut was incredible don't get me wrong. Was well thought out, well built up, and very well done.

But just listen to Jericho's ovation and the way he and the Rock went at it with each other. It was amazing. You could just tell right then and there that a Jericho/Rock feud would be something legendary and indeed it was!

JERICHO FTW!!

 

[frankiep]

one of my fondest memories from when i was a child in the attitude era was the debut of Chris Jericho...the CROWD goes absolutely bananas when JERICHO appears across the titantron. The Rock was a perfect complement to Jericho as these two are two of the best ever on the mic.

 

[SpoodBeest]

I'm going to actually go on the record and defend Kane's debut as the more epic one. For weeks leading up to Badd Blood 97 Paul Bearer was telling The Undertaker that Kane was alive and that he was seeking his vengeance on the Deadman. So Badd Blood comes and HBK and Taker have their classic Hell In A Cell encounter and as it seems like Taker is going to pull of the victory and win the WWF title the arena goes dark and red lights engulf the arena, Kane's music hits and we see this huge masked figure with Paul Bearer at his side come strolling towards the ring as a fire pyro goes off in the background.

Kane walked eerily closer to the Cell and then ripped the door off it's hinges. Kane entered the ring and looked Taker dead in the eyes before Kane's vintage fire pyro set off in the four ring corners which distracted Taker long enough for Kane to pick him up and tombstone him right there on the spot. Kane and Paul Bearer left as HBK was able to crawl atop of Taker to get the victory in the first ever Hell In A Cell match. It was a creepy, dominant and awesome debut. One of the most memorable of all time in my books.

 

[Ferbian]

Without discrediting Kane's debut, which was pretty decent. I have to follow a lot of people in here, and say Chris Jericho. Mostly because I didn't see the big deal in the Kane debut, it was decent and a "cool" moment. However Chris Jericho is a talent I've always loved, always loved his promos. So it was a big deal for me that he debuted against Mr. Trash-talk in a war on words.

Chris' debut was well handled, and it made an impact. Sure Kane's debut made an impact as well, however Chris was probably thrown against the bigger star, and I think that has a big point in the whole deal, as opposed to Kane who were thrown against Undertaker. Sure Undertaker is a big star, but he wasn't like The Rock was back then.

So Jericho's debut it is for me.

 

[Big Sexy]

Chris' debut was well handled, and it made an impact. Sure Kane's debut made an impact as well, however Chris was probably thrown against the bigger star, and I think that has a big point in the whole deal, as opposed to Kane who were thrown against Undertaker. Sure Undertaker is a big star, but he wasn't like The Rock was back then.

So Jericho's debut it is for me.

Jericho definitely made an impact but not nearly as big a one as you're giving him credit for. He came out, exchanged words with the Rock, and that was it. Very solid debut opposing a huge star but nothing spectacular.

Kane debuted in the main event of a WWF title match on ppv. This wasn't just any match either. It was the first ever HIAC match between two of the companies biggest stars. He made a huge impact changing the outcome of the match and starting what was a very good feud. Great buildup, huge impact, and definitely a better debut then Jericho's.

 

[Ming]

Well I was a kid at the time and Kane's debut was just spine chilling, Jericho's debut to me back then was just an annoyance because he was interrupting The Great One. Looking back on it now though I do see why Jericho's debut was pretty good.

I'm going to say Kane had a better debut just because the first time I saw the two debuts Kane's had a bigger impact on me, I mean when he ripped of the cell door I feared for every man in the ring wheras Jericho at the time just annoyed me but it was good seeing The Rock belittle him.

 

[klunderbunker]

Jericho definitely made an impact but not nearly as big a one as you're giving him credit for. He came out, exchanged words with the Rock, and that was it. Very solid debut opposing a huge star but nothing spectacular.

Kane debuted in the main event of a WWF title match on ppv. This wasn't just any match either. It was the first ever HIAC match between two of the companies biggest stars. He made a huge impact changing the outcome of the match and starting what was a very good feud. Great buildup, huge impact, and definitely a better debut then Jericho's.

Quick clarification: it wasn't a world title match. The winner fought Bret at Survivor Series.

Anyway, I'd go with Kane also. Jericho is a smark god so he's bound to get more for doing relatively little. Kane had been built up for MONTHS as someone that could stand toe to toe with Undertaker but no one really thought he was around. Keeping in mind the times, how many giants got the better of Taker around this time? Not that many, but Kane did. Jericho moved on to feud with Road Dogg while Kane was in the semi-main event at Mania 14 a few months later in his first very big match. Jericho cut a funny promo, but that's par for the course for him and always had been. It's Kane.

 

[Ferbian]

Jericho definitely made an impact but not nearly as big a one as you're giving him credit for. He came out, exchanged words with the Rock, and that was it. Very solid debut opposing a huge star but nothing spectacular.

Kane debuted in the main event of a WWF title match on ppv. This wasn't just any match either. It was the first ever HIAC match between two of the companies biggest stars. He made a huge impact changing the outcome of the match and starting what was a very good feud. Great buildup, huge impact, and definitely a better debut then Jericho's.

I know that perfectly well. But Chris Jericho was thrown right into a smack talk battle with The Rock. A smack-talk feud that practically continued for the complete time they encountered each other here and there. As opposed to what has now become a lackluster of a feud in Kane vs Undertaker (3).

I'm not saying Kane's debut wasn't anything big, but I sure as hell enjoyed Jericho's debut much more. I thought better of it, and it was hyped very well. Kane's debut did very little for me, and only do I accept it because it made sense for a Kane debut, as well as to give Shawn the victory in the match.

 

[Big Sexy]

Quick clarification: it wasn't a world title match. The winner fought Bret at Survivor Series.

That's my bad you're right. Still a huge main event between two big stars.

I know that perfectly well. But Chris Jericho was thrown right into a smack talk battle with The Rock. A smack-talk feud that practically continued for the complete time they encountered each other here and there. As opposed to what has now become a lackluster of a feud in Kane vs Undertaker (3).

I'm not saying Kane's debut wasn't anything big, but I sure as hell enjoyed Jericho's debut much more. I thought better of it, and it was hyped very well. Kane's debut did very little for me, and only do I accept it because it made sense for a Kane debut, as well as to give Shawn the victory in the match.

Jericho and the Rock never even fought during that time period so I would hardly call it a feud. That was honestly one of their only interactions period during that time period. It was just used as a way to make Jericho seem somewhat legitimate.

Kane's debut led right into a great feud. The fact that they have had other feuds in recent years is irrelevant to his debut. Again Kane debuted on a bigger venue and made a much bigger impact. He is the obvious choice to me.

 

[Ferbian]

Jericho and the Rock never even fought during that time period so I would hardly call it a feud. That was honestly one of their only interactions period during that time period. It was just used as a way to make Jericho seem somewhat legitimate.

Look no further than the sentence "Smack-talk feud". I know very well they didn't face during that period of time, until later. However they continued to have some kind of trash talking from time to time.

Also I'd say it's a fairly well handled debut considering the fact that while some might consider he was run over by The Rock in terms of promo skills, I'd say Jericho did just fine.

Kane's debut led right into a great feud. The fact that they have had other feuds in recent years is irrelevant to his debut. Again Kane debuted on a bigger venue and made a much bigger impact. He is the obvious choice to me.

Yes, obvious choice for you. Not for me however. Like I've already said, I preferred the Jericho debut much more. Because the Kane feud did very little to me.

 

[Lee]

I know that perfectly well. But Chris Jericho was thrown right into a smack talk battle with The Rock. A smack-talk feud that practically continued for the complete time they encountered each other here and there. As opposed to what has now become a lackluster of a feud in Kane vs Undertaker (3).

I'm not saying Kane's debut wasn't anything big, but I sure as hell enjoyed Jericho's debut much more. I thought better of it, and it was hyped very well. Kane's debut did very little for me, and only do I accept it because it made sense for a Kane debut, as well as to give Shawn the victory in the match.

To be fair it's quite hard for you to comment on this topic as you've just watched them on youtube.

On topic now, Kane. Easily Kane, WCW was barely on in the UK and I for one didn't have a clue who Chris Jericho was, so why should I have been excited about this random dude rocking up and interrupting the great one.

Kane on the other hand was built up amazingly well as has previously been mentioned, just the aura and emotion as the arena went black and red as the door came off. The look of FEAR on the Undertaker. Honest to God, that's a way to get someone over make the undertaker look scared.

 

[mrbrightside]

I am a Chris Jericho fan and have been for a while, but I have to go with Kane. Does anyone remember when The Undertaker debuted? It was creepy as hell. That same feeling came when Kane debuted with Paul Bearer. Yes, the Y2J thing was big, but once I found out it was Y2J, the only I thought of was his feud with Finlay for a lower title in WCW (TV I think). Kane stood toe to toe with Undertaker physically while Jericho only did so with words.

I'd go with Kane.

 

[Big Sexy]

Look no further than the sentence "Smack-talk feud". I know very well they didn't face during that period of time, until later. However they continued to have some kind of trash talking from time to time.

Actually like I said they didn't even really have that. Outside of his initial debut they had almost no interaction with each other for a while. It was a one time thing and then Jericho moved on to interrupt other stars before starting a feud with Road Dogg.

 

[Ferbian]

Actually like I said they didn't even really have that. Outside of his initial debut they had almost no interaction with each other for a while. It was a one time thing and then Jericho moved on to interrupt other stars before starting a feud with Road Dogg.

True that. However the debut laid the ground basic for something to be build in the future, did it not? Did we not in fact see in the future that Jericho and The Rock had their share of promo wars?

The Kane debut did spark a better feud, I get that. It made sense and all that, but I just didn't like it. Thought it was decent, but I would've most likely gotten a bigger mark out moment for Jericho back then, than I would have for Kane back then.

 

[Lee]

Actually like I said they didn't even really have that. Outside of his initial debut they had almost no interaction with each other for a while. It was a one time thing and then Jericho moved on to interrupt other stars before starting a feud with Road Dogg.

^^

This. Jericho feuded with Road Dogg, then X Pac, then Shamrock, then Chyna and Stevie Richards. It took until the April the year after to get a major feud and that was with HHH.

Kane was thrown straight into the main event feuding with Undertaker, Mankind and even Austin in his first few months.

Jericho had loads of midcard short term feuds, Kane had long term uppercard feuds. Jericho did not have the better debut as it achieved nothing long term, Kanes did. The Jericho/Rock smack talk feuds happened almost after 2 years of his debut and had nothing to do with his original debut.

Suckah.

 

[CarlSinclair]

Jericho.

I loved Jericho in WCW.. I didn't even know he had left. I remember sitting there during that RAW and the clock went down.. when JERICHO popped up on the Tron I actually real life popped in my own living room... 20odd minutes later RAW was indeed Jericho.

Kane's debut was good, but it wasn't as big to me as Jericho jumping.

 

[The Holy One]

The answer has to be Kane. Here's a man who manhandled the Undertaker in his debut and cost him a chance at the WWF title. He also debut at the first HIAC match at a PPV which was a way bigger environment then Jericho on a normal Raw. Kane also was immediately thrust into a high profile fued while Jericho dwelled around the mid-card after his debut. A great promo by Jericho/Rock sure but no way does it beat Kane tearing the door of the Cell and tombstoning the Undertaker.

 

[cwill18]

Jericho had a great debut that everyone saw. Kane had a better debut that only a small fraction of the audience saw live. It just seems like Jericho's was better because you have the fond memories of seeing it live, and now that the Kane storyline is over Jericho's has more entertainment value when watching it later.