The Greatest Rookie Phenom

[klunderbunker]

In wrestling, it's very rare that a man comes along and completely takes wrestling by storm. However, it's happened twice in my mind, and today I started thinking about how similar yet at the same time different these two were. Let's compare.

Both men debuted as monsters.

Both men won the first Royal Rumble they were in, last eliminating former world champions to do it.

Both men wrestled for the world title at their first Wrestlemanias, with both men winning their Mania debuts.

Both men were only in the limelight for about two years.

Both men were the top heels in the company soon after their debuts.

Both men flat out dominated Hulk Hogan and crushed him into disappearing.

Both men had gimmicks of having success in wrestling before coming to the WWF.

Both men won their first world title withing seven months of debuting.

Now, in case you can't tell who I mean, I'm referring to Brock Lesnar and Yokozuna. Both of these men burst onto the scene and took the company completely by storm. They were as dominant as rookies as anyone you could imagine, even moreso than Kurt Angle. Angle started off as a midcard guy for a long time and his first world title reign could almost be called a fluke as his later reigns are far more memorable than his first. Lesnar and Yoko took over the company very fast and were both unstoppable. Hogan cheated to be Yoko for the title, only to get destoryed soon thereafter, much like Big Show taking out Lesnar due to Heyman's turn. What I want to know is this: who made more of an impact on the company, and who was a more dominant wrestler.

 

[NSL]

In the big scheme of things, they really are on equal ground. Lesnar wasn't around long, but Yoko's time of real relevance as a singles wrestler was short as well.

As far as having a bigger impact, I'd go with Yokozuna, but not because he's better remembered, or because he did anything more special. He's had a bigger impact because Vince McMahon has allowed it. Brock Lesnar left such a bad taste in Vince's mouth, that he's all but wiped from the record books. Yokozuna main evented a long list of PPVs, and then went on to have a semi-successful tag career. Brock Lesnar main evented the PPVs, and then jumped ship for a failed NFL career.

As far as dominance, it has to be Brock. Yoko was dominant until Luger slammed him, and then he became just like every other guy on the roster. Lesnar was unstoppable until he decided to bore everyone to tears against Goldberg. It's that simple in my eyes.

 

[PEP3]

You're not counting Yoko's run in AWA and the south as Kokina Maximus, right? I'm not trying to nit-pick, but Yokozuna wasn't a rookie when he came to WWF.

 

[JETER123]

I think Kane was the greatest rookie phenom ever. The night he debuted, not only was he a monster, but most people thought he was invincible. He won the WWF title in his first year. He scared the shit out of every wrestler. His popularity soared higher than Lesnar's and Yoko's.

Kane was INSTANT main event status.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I think Lesnar made a bigger impact than Yoko (although not much bigger).

If I had to give someone the moniker of the Greatest Rookie Phenom though, I would have to give it to, well the Phenom The Undertaker. This guy didn't lose a single match for over 1 year (and this was back when wrestlers wrestled for 300 days a year), and was WWE champ before anyone ever defeated him. During this time he beat every big name wrestler up to Hogan, then he beat Hogan on his 1 year anniversary.

Yoko and Lesnar did beat hogan within their first year, but it was during the decline of Hogans popularity (when Yoko beat him for the title in '93 Hogan was leaving the WWE, so he had to lose to someone (and although I would of liked it to be Bret, it makes more sense having a heel beat him), and when Lesnar beat Hogan, he was over 50 at the time, surely Hogans not going to lose to someone half his age, especially when they got pushed like Lesnar).

Not only did Taker beat Hogan as a rookie, he did it when Hulkamania was a lot more popular, and he also did it back when there were a lot more stars in the locker room, and he beat them all (except for Warrior, but what can you say, the guy got fired before their program together). Not only that, Taker was much more impactful than Lesnar and Yoko as a rookie.

I love Lesnar and Yoko, but neither guy did more in his 1st year than Taker did (and to be fair, none of the 3 were actually rookies in their first WWE year, Lesnar was wrestling on Velocity and in Developmental's at least a year before his actual debut, I remember watching him long before his actual debut).

 

[INDYjon22]

You guys are focusing to much on the wwe and forgetting THE greatest rookie phenom ever in one GOLDBERG!!!! The man went on a huge ass winning streak and became the hottest thing in the world of wrestling during the hottest period for wrestling in the hottest company in wrestling.....whew that was a lot of hottests........anyways the man won every major title in wcw withing the first year of being there. And unlike Lesnar, Kane or Yoko the man had no previous experience in the ring. He hardly had any time at the power plant while Lesnar went through developmental on top of his amateur wrestling and Yoko and Kane had already wrestled all over the world. Besides that Kane wasnt a rookie when he debuted in wwf he had already gone through his Isaac Yankem gimmick. So in conclusion the greatest rookie phenom ever is hands down Bill Goldberg.

 

[PEP3]

So far the only guy mentioned who was actually a "rookie" during his first year of national prominence was, in fact, Goldberg. Almost by default the guy becomes "The Greatest Rookie Phenomenon of All Time."

 

[2rowdy4u]

this is a tuff one to call taker,goldberg,lesnar,angle and yoko all had impressive rookie yrs but i would have to give it to lesnar.
lesnar cause he was part of the end of the attitude era and with wcw out of the pic there was no other wrestling company to compete with cause tna had jst started. also lesnar beat wwe best at the time for the tittle. the rock

 

[fwill3]

TO START OFF THE UNDERTAKER START IN MEMPHIS AND TEXAS WHICH HE WAS A ROOKIE NOT IN THE WWE AND KANE STARTED IN SMOKEY MOUNTAIN WRESTLING. THE BEST ROOKIE WAS GOLDBERG HE RAN THRU WCW HE IS TRUELY AN INSTANT CLASSIC.

 

[Southwind]

I think your forgetting about Kurt Angle he may not have won the RR but he did win the WWE championship as a rookie which is very impressive.

I liked Lesnar far more than Yokozuna I still remember Lesnar's "next big thing" promos with Heyman and was psyched to see him. I never really cared for Goldberg I think he is and was plain awful, so I'm not even considering him.

 

[Derekjt]

Seriously, if there was ever a rookie phenom it was Goldberg! No one has touched his undefeated streak, and probably never will. In terms of Lesnar and Yoko I guess I would take Lesnar. Although neither one had as much of an impact as Goldberg.

 

[markmeout]

Susprised no one mentioned this true rookie, Paul Wright (the giant). In his rookie year he had an epic fued with hogan that spawned the forever remebered monster truck battle on the roof. He won the championship in his first in ring wcw match. He won it for a second time within his first year. He was seen as the major oposition for newely formed factions like NWO. He made a instant jump to the main event. Unlike others such as Goldberg, he was able to have a sucessfull rookie year that didn't consist of beating jobbers and not having a match longer then 3 minuites. As much as this pains me the most sucessfull debut has to be paul wright.

 

[Heater41]

Being an older forum reader and having seen many matches I would have to say that Larry Zybysko was the one "Phenom" I can remember. Brought in as Bruno Sammartino's protege he was being promoted as the next great thing. During his heel turn he was the most hated wrestler in ages. I know it is a "what have you done lately" perspective but those who witnessed this live were in "Shock and Awe" of Larry.

 

[TheLittleOne]

if it a true rookie to the business.. then goldberg.
but 4 better convo's i say a workers WWE rookie year.. Undertaker wins.. defeated hulk for the strap one year anniversary at SurvSer.91 if u were watching it back then..then u recall how big of a deal it was.. the only other time we saw hulk lose his belt was a screw job with Million$MAN andre and the twin hebners refs...

go back to that first post.. all those things that guy wrote.. Does anyone else fit them instead of YOKO and LESNAR.... minus one q i found 2 that do : BATISTA and CENA at their second mania they both won world titles..at their first cena "hulk slam heard round the worlded" big show, and batista spine bustered the movie star out of his calf cut out boots!!
i know there were years of developmental and some bad gimmicks before FALL 2004 but well i miss macho and Hulk or HBK and BRET or ROCK and AUSTIN face it CENA AND BATISTA

 

[CH David]

I think your forgetting about Kurt Angle he may not have won the RR but he did win the WWE championship as a rookie which is very impressive.

I liked Lesnar far more than Yokozuna I still remember Lesnar's "next big thing" promos with Heyman and was psyched to see him. I never really cared for Goldberg I think he is and was plain awful, so I'm not even considering him.

Now, in case you can't tell who I mean, I'm referring to Brock Lesnar and Yokozuna. Both of these men burst onto the scene and took the company completely by storm. They were as dominant as rookies as anyone you could imagine, even moreso than Kurt Angle. Angle started off as a midcard guy for a long time and his first world title reign could almost be called a fluke as his later reigns are far more memorable than his first. Lesnar and Yoko took over the company very fast and were both unstoppable. Hogan cheated to be Yoko for the title, only to get destoryed soon thereafter, much like Big Show taking out Lesnar due to Heyman's turn. What I want to know is this: who made more of an impact on the company, and who was a more dominant wrestler.

There is your answer Southwind.

Now onto the topic, I would agree with that assessment. Both Lesnar and Yoko were freaking monstrous. Although Yoko was around before I really paid attention to wrestling, I still looked up some of his stuff. Lesnar was around in my time, pretty much my peak/prime of wrestling fandom. He was monstrous and did it all from crushing the Hardys, to beating the Rock for the title, I think in 4 or 5 months. I think the longer lasting impact on the company is Lesnar. He could probably do a crossover with WWE, and people would tune in for sure. He is a huge name that people want to see, whether they want him to dish it out, or see him get beat.

Who was more dominant? Well again, I'm going with Lesnar. He took the WWE by storm and completely steamrolled everybody. Even if he got beat, there was that factor that he would get angry and kick their ass. He never lost momentum until Wrestlemania 18, when everyone knew he was leaving.

 

[The Brain]

I'm going to have to go with Lesnar. I love Yoko, but I think Lesnar was more dominant. Yoko certainly made an impact when he beat Hogan, but it was a controversial victory. Although Yoko kept his title at SummerSlam, he did loose to Lex Luger by countout. And while he did beat Undertaker at the Royal Rumble, he needed ten other guys to help him. Yoko also showed fear against Taker whereas Lesnar went right at him. Lesnar beat Hogan, The Rock, Taker, and Angle convincingly. I enjoyed Yoko’s nine month title reign (the longest heel reign since Superstar Billy Graham), but I think Lesnar had the more dominant rookie year.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Lesnar was much more dominant. Yoko DID beat Hulkamania closer to its peak than Lesnar did, but Lesnar had the privilege of having a brilliant mind as a manager and just being a flat out freak body wise. He threw around a 400 lb. Rikishi like a rag doll, thumped BOTH of the Hardy Boyz, and also beat a phenomenal athlete for his first title reign in The Rock.

Lesnar simply beat bigger and better opponents. Taker and Angle are no slouches. Yoko lost to a count out to Lex Luger. That's all that really needs to be said. Yoko also needed to cheat to win against Bret Hart, a much better wrestler. Lesnar never really needed to be underhanded as much as he needed to be dangerous. So Lesnar is the greatest rookie phenom.

 

[JBK2008]

Lesnar by far. He took the WWE by storm and became the Undisputed Champion in just months, defeating of all the superstars, The Rock. It's a real shame he was in the company for only a few years, as he'd for sure be an even bigger name than a lot of top guys in the company by now. He had the look and skill and just put fear into even the bigger wrestlers.

 

[BryanDeth]

I have, I believe the fancy internet term is "trolled", around these forums for a few years now. I have been coming to wrestlezone.com back when it had its VERY old lay out with the blue in the background back in the early portion of this decade. I would see some forum threads that met my fancy, but I never really posted for no real reason. Even now as it stands, I don't really watch wrestling anymore. I watch my 'Rise and Fall of ECW', nWo, Monday Night Wars, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, and Steve Austin WWF (I refuse to acknowledge the 'E') DVDs, and I check this site. That is about as involved as I am in wrestling anymore.

But in reading this particular thread, I had to finally post something. While I remember hating Yokozuna as a child for beating up my favorite wrestlers I can look back now and appreciate his graceful movements in the ring despite his size.

But I wouldn't consider him a "rookie" when he went into the WWF because he'd already been around for a while.

Brock Lesnar was a rookie, yes, and while he did great things I do not believe that he made as much of an impact as the person that is on my mind.

Goldberg would not even remotely come on my list of high impact rookies. A poster previously stated (and I agree with it very much) that their biggest gripe against Goldberg and his "streak" is the fact that he was spoon fed jobbers for the most, and no match could last longer than 3 minutes or so. There have been guys with better builds and stronger than Goldberg that didn't get the chance that he did. Not because Goldberg had charisma, or anything that made him "It". Its just because Eric Bischoff needed someone to captialize off of Steve Austin. I have never respected Goldberg as a performer, but I do respect him as a self promoter. He, like Kimbo Slice struck while the iron was hot on their popularity.

I still say that The Giant aka Paul Wight was a TRUE rookie phenom. The guy was a true rookie as a previous poster stated and he went out there and he did wonderful. His matches were decent despite being green, and he was in fantastic shape, and just...wow. The guy was a freak of nature, and he still is to this day.

So my best rookie phenom is The Giant plain and simple.

 

[Freddy4190]

Lesnar vs Yokozuna? I remember watching Lesnar's debut, I was a little kid then. But damn, he fucking destroyed everyone in the ring. Yokozuna may have beat Hogan, but Lesnar destroyed Hogan, annihilated his ass. Undertaker too. The man was so quick, so hard-hitting, so strong. It was scary. He was freakishly strong, plus he had the greatest mind to ever grace wrestling by his side. He won the rumble, won the WWE Championship, feuded with everyone on the roster pretty much. Plus he was solid on the mic too, total package.

 

[TheBestThereEverWillBe]

I think Kane was the greatest rookie phenom ever. The night he debuted, not only was he a monster, but most people thought he was invincible. He won the WWF title in his first year. He scared the shit out of every wrestler. His popularity soared higher than Lesnar's and Yoko's.

Kane was INSTANT main event status.

Good call that Kane was much bigger than Brock and Yoko were. Instant main event status and instant legenday feud. also, he's still stuck with it. However, this wasnt Kane's first stint in WWE so i guess u cant even compare him.

Back to subject...even though Brock's presence in the WWE was absolutely dominating, his career is often looked at as a negative impact on WWE due to his terrible finish w/ Goldberg and his decision to jump ship to NFL/UFC. I doubt WWE would even acknowledge him much if he were to die(knock on wood). Had he stayed a year or so longer and/or stayed under the radar after his WWE stint, he might be a little more acknowledged in WWE.
Yoko on the other hand, like said before, went on to dominate a good portion of the roster and for a solid amount of time. taking on HOFer's such as Hart, Macho Man(i know he's not a HOFer but he deserves more than most), Taker, Hogan and many more. AND, he handled business in the Tag division with Owen after his 2 WWE champ stints were done.
Soooooooooo....my vote goes to Yoko.