Who You Didn't Think Would Be A Big Deal, But Was

[BringThePain834]

Now at some point in your life, you may come across someone and think to yourself

And then you find yourself spitting out your cereal, milk, water, etc. as the person is married to some supermodel and living in some huge mansion in Malibu or something.

Now let's think of that scenario wrestling wise. A newcomer comes along and makes his/her debut and you're already like "Oh boy, this person is nothing! Total waste of oxygen and space on the roster! They'll never amount to anything!" Then the person becomes huge. But, what made you change your mind about them? Was there ever a moment when your opinion of a certain Superstar altered because it turns out the person you thought would be stuck in developmental and indie territories with his biggest achievement in the business is setting up the ring and taking it down as he jerks the curtain, actually, for better or worse, began to headline main events at PPV's and won championships.

Hopefully this isn't a too complicated subject and I look forward to feedback.

 

[rawforreal22]

Bray Wyatt/ Husky Harris. Now personally, when he debuted in the new nexus, I liked his ring skill, but didn't think mych of him. Now as Bray Wyatt, he is by far the most exciting gimmick character that we seen in quite some time and I definitely looking forward to him, well more of him and the family in the years to come.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Jeff Jarrett. However, as you will soon notice, I never changed my mind about him. Everyone else was wrong.

I never, ever understood how this guy got to be as big as he was. I first saw him back in the old AWA and then the USWA, and thought he was pretty much a skinny runt and overall generic pretty boy. At the time, he was probably 200 lbs soaking wet, and looked small compared to even the USWA guys, who were by no means giants.

Eventually Jarrett made it into the WWF, where his gimmick was as a country western singer who spelled out his name, and wore one of the worst outfits I had ever seen, a purple and yellow monstrosity with about 6 straps that went up around his neck. It was truly the dumbest ring attire I had seen. Still waited to see what talent everyone else saw in him.

Cut to the WCW, where now he's done away with the crazy colors, but still somehow thought the straps and the necklace look worked for him. I suppose the country western gimmick would work better in Atlanta than the WWF, but to my mind, guys trading on their southern-ness in WCW were about a dime a dozen.

Somehow he managed to keep staying relevant and bounced back and forth between the WCW and WWF again, and finally won the WCW World Title under circumstances that basically boil down to "He was the last remaining halfway credible heel in the federation".

Jeff Jarrett -- a testament to how dedication to being incredibly mediocre in the ring, having a promoter dad, and just sticking around long enough could net you multiple world titles (of course it was WCW in the waning days, so does that even really count?)

Bonus: He shares his lame-ass finishing move with an equally lame, overrated wrestler: The Miz!

Runner-Up: Diamond Dallas Page -- again, old school AWA was when I first saw him. I never, ever, ever in a million years thought Page would rise above the lower mid-card in WCW, but holy shit, the man could work. And he did it in his late 30s, early 40s! Completely won me to his side over time.

 

[Slash-LN]

Sheamus.
I would have never guessed that he would have reached the level of popularity that he did. I figured he was going to be one of those "tough guys" who beat people up and won some matches and then when he got beat he'd be a mid carder for life.

And as a kid I really never expected Shawn Michaels to end up having the career he had. I liked him and all but I didn't understand pushes and stuff like that at the time. I just knew this guy was obnoxious and that I liked watching him wrestle but most people didn't like him.

For a tag team I'm going with the Hardy Boyz. I remember when they wore that plaid attire with Matt with "Faith" on the leg and Jeff with "Hope" on the leg. I thought they were a joke. I expected them to lose a bunch and then leave. Then they suddenly changed their attire and took on Michael Hayes as a manager and just got bigger and bigger.

 

[ABMorales787]

Jeff Hardy. For the life of me, I did not picture him as the merch-driving machine he would be in 2008. I always saw him as a fun midcard act after splitting from Matt Hardy. Despite the fanfare, I just did not picture him becoming WWE Champion. Much less a 6 time World Champion.

That just says that you shouldn't judge by looks, character or lack of skills. They may just find a way to make up for it.

 

[Reflection]

Daniel Bryan. Has to be Daniel Bryan. I used to make fun of his fans when he was in NXT and then came to the main roster; I thought he was an indie nerd that was never gonna make it in the big league. He didn't have the look, the size, the mic skills, the interesting character, a merchandise line, or a gone entrance theme.
Well his fans (the type that still called him Bryan Danielson) kind of deserved to be made fun of, because they maintained that he didn't require any of the above to be a big star in the WWE... which he did.
But man! He proved all the doubters wrong... In only a couple years time, he had everything that was missing, filled all the gaps that were holding him back and scaled new heights to reach the top.
Daniel Bryan is an inspiration for everyone that thinks they can never make it big, because they don't have this or that or whatever.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The Miz is an example of someone who I thought wouldn't amount to much in wrestling but has surprised me with how far he has gone, while still being terrible.

The fact Miz not only headlined WrestleMania, but WON in the main event is astonishing to me, and having held the WWE title, Intercontinental, US and Tag Team belts, and starred in WWE movies, it's fair to say he's had a great career for someone without "the look" of a typical wrestler.

He's still fucking shit though. I can't stand The Miz

 

[Mustang Sally]

The Miz is an example of someone who I thought wouldn't amount to much in wrestling but has surprised me with how far he has gone, while still being terrible.

The Miz is my pick, too. When he first arrived and was installed as the "host" of Smackdown, I figured him to be the second coming of Muffy, the fitness expert who looked is if she would be a featured non-wrestling personality, only to disappear a week later. Yes, Mike Mizanin can talk, but unless he's a motivational speaker with an assigned mission (think: Zeb Colter or Paul Heyman), I couldn't imagine him becoming an important in-ring performer, much less a world champion given the "honor" of beating guys like John Cena.

Well, I'll say this for Miz: his schtick is his own. He's hardly the first bad guy who cheats to win, yet the company allows him to utilize his obnoxious personality to deliver the goods in a manner that's unique to himself.

For all of it, though, I never would have believed he'd achieve the degree of success he's enjoyed.....and if Sunday's battle royal is any indication, he's in for even more.

 

[RKOrob]

Oh, definitely The Miz. I remember him making his debut as a host/interviewer on Smackdown in the mid 2000s and thinking he was a joke. I thought he'd last a couple of months in a non-wrestling role before moving on to become some sort of host on an MTV reality program or something else non-wrestling related. However, he has well and truly won me over.

His wrestling has improved a lot over the years (although there are certainly more than a dozen better wrestlers on the roster better than him), but his annoying persona more than makes up for that. People genuinely hate him which in my opinion means he's one of the best heels around right now. At 33 he may still have another WWE title reign in him. Brilliant career for someone who was initially written off by everyone

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Daniel Bryan. Has to be Daniel Bryan. I used to make fun of his fans when he was in NXT and then came to the main roster; I thought he was an indie nerd that was never gonna make it in the big league. He didn't have the look, the size, the mic skills, the interesting character, a merchandise line, or a gone entrance theme.
Well his fans (the type that still called him Bryan Danielson) kind of deserved to be made fun of, because they maintained that he didn't require any of the above to be a big star in the WWE... which he did.
But man! He proved all the doubters wrong... In only a couple years time, he had everything that was missing, filled all the gaps that were holding him back and scaled new heights to reach the top.
Daniel Bryan is an inspiration for everyone that thinks they can never make it big, because they don't have this or that or whatever.

I can honestly say that I completely understand where you're coming from, I just can't say I agree. I HONESTLY thought that there was something to the guy, even in NXT. I don't know what it was at the time, I couldn't put my finger on it, but I genuinely thought that if they truly gave him a chance to prove himself, to show that he had a lot more going for him than what the sum of his parts would indicate, he could be a star in WWE. I don't know if it was the fact that he seemed so "normal" compared to a lot of the other guys on NXT or on the main roster, which ultimately helped with the underdog aspect.

If I had to pinpoint something specific that showed me that he ultimately did have the capability, it was the promo he cut on the week after he'd been "eliminated" from the NXT competition. This was back in 2010 when Michael Cole was in full blown heel mode and was blowing Miz whenever the opportunity arose. Bryan cut a passionate, intense promo and addressed Cole about not having the slightest idea of what a real wrestler was and that he would always be a "poor man's excuse for Jim Ross" before smacking Cole's headphones off. I knew the guy could wrestle, I knew he could wrestle damn well because I'd seen various videos from matches of him on YouTube, I just didn't know if he had the ability to make that all important connection with fans. That particular promo showed some of the fire and intensity that'd be necessary and, what's more, the fans in attendance responded strongly to his promo.

Some people do have that x-factor, that certain something that people can't really describe but know it's there. With some people, it's more evident. Also, let's face it, we rely more on our sight than any of our other senses and we use it to help make up our minds or to assess what we're seeing. The Rock is someone that has the physical size and the look, which made were just big bonuses when we found out that he was loaded with charisma. We tend to associate what we're able to see and decide whether or not it's great. Daniel Bryan is 5'10" about 210 pounds, isn't an over the top, outrageous kinda guy, therefore his personality isn't something that's overtly just there to see like with The Rock. But, as we've seen, that doesn't mean he doesn't have that x-factor, because we've seen that he's got it. It might not be what we're traditionally used to, but he's got it all the same.

As for me, I'd probably have to go with The Miz as well. He started off in WWE doing some sort of segment in which he was out among the fans and gradually got into wrestling matches. To ultimately look at where he started in WWE and look at the success he's achieved in the years since, it's genuinely pretty amazing. I didn't expect him to become nearly as big of a star in WWE as he has, I'd say most within WWE itself didn't expect it.

 

[BringThePain834]

Edge: I never thought he would get to HOF status, even when he was obviously being groomed for main event with WWE throwing titles at him and being a KOTR. He just seemed too awkward looking, gangly and a bit of a dork.

John Cena: He first appeared as somewhat of a jobber looking guy and I assumed he would have been gone within a year. To my surprise a year later he came back as in that rapper gimmick. Again, I had assumed he won't last the full year. Next thing I know he's winning the U.S title. Then he just kept growing from there

Triple H: Who would have thought that some guy who used to bow and pose to classical music would become one of the faces of the attitude era? I couldn't take him seriously when he was in WCW and when he first started in WWE, I guess it goes to show you....Give the ball to someone and they may run with it....and hook up with the bosses daughter.

JBL: Since he came in with Ron Simmons and seeing how long they were together, I strictly saw him as a tag team specialist and midcard act at best. I was genuinely shocked to see him win the WWE title when he did and how long he held it.

Booker T: I never bought him as a top guy in WCW, thought he was token black kind of guy tbh. He had a bit of a clumsy wrestling style too, so I thought he would be eaten alive in WWE. To my surprise, he held his own with The Rock, was in a great tag team with Goldust, had solid midcard matches with Benoit, and is in the top 10 King of the Ring winners imo

Batista: He came in as a generic henchmen for D Von, then after a while they place him with Triple H and Ric Flair. Never did I think that he would be going anywhere as a singles competitor before he first won the Rumble and after turning on Evolution. He wasn't very good in the ring then and he isn't any better today. I was very surprised that he got put over by Trips at WM 21.

 

[Slash-LN]

Edge: I never thought he would get to HOF status, even when he was obviously being groomed for main event with WWE throwing titles at him and being a KOTR. He just seemed too awkward looking, gangly and a bit of a dork.

John Cena: He first appeared as somewhat of a jobber looking guy and I assumed he would have been gone within a year. To my surprise a year later he came back as in that rapper gimmick. Again, I had assumed he won't last the full year. Next thing I know he's winning the U.S title. Then he just kept growing from there

Triple H: Who would have thought that some guy who used to bow and pose to classical music would become one of the faces of the attitude era? I couldn't take him seriously when he was in WCW and when he first started in WWE, I guess it goes to show you....Give the ball to someone and they may run with it....and hook up with the bosses daughter.

JBL: Since he came in with Ron Simmons and seeing how long they were together, I strictly saw him as a tag team specialist and midcard act at best. I was genuinely shocked to see him win the WWE title when he did and how long he held it.

Booker T: I never bought him as a top guy in WCW, thought he was token black kind of guy tbh. He had a bit of a clumsy wrestling style too, so I thought he would be eaten alive in WWE. To my surprise, he held his own with The Rock, was in a great tag team with Goldust, had solid midcard matches with Benoit, and is in the top 10 King of the Ring winners imo

Batista: He came in as a generic henchmen for D Von, then after a while they place him with Triple H and Ric Flair. Never did I think that he would be going anywhere as a singles competitor before he first won the Rumble and after turning on Evolution. He wasn't very good in the ring then and he isn't any better today. I was very surprised that he got put over by Trips at WM 21.

He didn't come in with Ron Simmons. He got repackaged and put into a team with Ron. Before that he was Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw and was just a generic cowboy. If I remember right I believe he would "brand" his opponents after the match.

The he teamed with Barry Windham as the New Blackjacks. He was Blackjack Bradshaw.

I agree with you though. Never saw him to have world champion potential or really much potential at all. Then when he hooked up with Ron Simmons and formed the Acolytes he became somewhat relevant. Then when they became the APA he became pretty interesting. Then it seemed like out of nowhere he became JBL and went on to be pretty successful.

Triple H is one that I was going to mention in my original post but honestly just didn't want to take the time to type out my reasoning.
He made a decent Intercontinental champion as the snob but I never really saw him going past that. Once he did though he kinda just flew into the main event scene.

 

[BringThePain834]

It might be different to those who didn't see Roman Reigns until he debuted at Survivor Series 2012, but after watching Leakee in FCW, and Roman Reign's one month run in NXT before the call up, it was hard to see him being in the position he is today especially as an over babyface. He was generic, boring and didn't seem to have much charisma imo.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think one that has to be mentioned is Mankind. He's the perfect example in this.

Mick Foley was a low-key arrival in WWE without much fanfare, but some fans knew about his brutal hardcore matches in Japan and his exploits in ECW and WCW earlier in his career. Out of shape, with half his head shaved and in a strange masked gimmick, no-one could have imagined that Foley would go on to be arguably the most loved wrestler in the company not named Steve Austin, become a 3-time WWF Champion, part of a much-love tag team with The Rock, headline multiple PPVs and end up a Hall-of-Famer.

Foley is the example that should be held up when people are told not to follow their dreams, and that they aren't good enough, haven't got the look and don't "look like a star". If WWE followed this example more often and gave the performers more creative freedom, listening to the fans (as they seemed to do with Daniel Bryan), we'd see a much better product.

 

[harrythem]

There are two guys for me:

Firstly there's Steve Austin...Not when he was stunning steve in WCW, he was a great mid-card act there...I'm talking "The Ringmaster" when he arrived in WWF....he seemed to have had all his WCW charisma sucked out of him and I couldn't see him getting any higher than his feud with Savio Vega...kinda wrong there

And then there's another 1996 WWF debut, of a certain Rocky Miavia....they hyped him as the next big star but, until about September 97, there wasn't really any sign of it...he just came across as generic good-looking babyface with a good body, an awesome armdrag and no other talent in the ring....When they crowd turned on him as a face I thought it seemed like everyone was finally agreeing with what I'd thought since I first saw him....

Yeah, I don't think I'd ever make a good wrestling talent agent

 

[wrestler36]

I remember seeing Terra Ryzing in WCW become Hunter Hearst Helmsley, pretty much the same gimmick in WWF. I didn't see much in him until his real personality started to show in DX. Then I know he would be the real deal eventually when he won the IC title. I didn't think he'd win the world title that quickly.

When I first saw Lionheart Chris Jericho in WCW, I thought he was very generic and forced. I didn't know anything about his Japan/Mexico/ECW history. I didn't think much of him until he turned heel. Then he was awesome

I didn't think Eddie Guerrero would be more than a midcarder when I saw his WCW worldwide matches. He had the mullet, the red white and blue garb and a less than stellar figure even though he was an awesome wrestler. I'm glad he proved me wrong

I could tell people would like Daniel Bryan because he's a natural underdog. I did not think he would get this huge though, that's for sure. Seems like he got hurt at the worst possible time

 

[WRESTLING_GENIUS]

My pick is Rey Mysterio theres no way in hell you can go back to when I was 9 yrs old(18yrs ago jeese I cant believe that) watching him in the cruiserweight division on WCW Monday Nitro and tell me hey in 9 yrs this guy is gonna be the World Heavyweight champion I would've laughed in your face and put you in a sharpshooter but man did REY MYSTERIO prove me wrong. Ive always been a fan of his and even when he first went to WWE I was excited to see him there and being in the cruiserweight division but when EDDIE died and he won the RUmble and went to Wrestlemainia and won the World Heavyweight championsip and now being a 3 time World Champion never would've guessed that in a million years.

 

[Notorious718]

I would probably pick both Sheamus and the former Husky Harris. With Sheamus, he just struck me as this pasty albino with an Irish accent. While I wasn't resentful of the fact that I felt like he was getting pushed to the moon too fast at the time, it's pretty crazy how my perception has changed since. Whether you agree with it or not, his early title win against John Cena pretty much set the stage for the rest of his career and in even today in 2014, he could compete for the world title and it would be much more believable now than it was back then. His Irish guy that loves to fight gimmick works pretty well for him. Reminds me of Finlay.

Honestly, I didn't have a very high opinion of many of the NXT Season Two rookies outside of Kaval and Alex Riley. While I liked Husky Harris's in-ring work (he kinda reminded me of Samoa Joe), I didn't care much for his personality and how he came off on television. Fast forward about four years later and my oh my how times have changed. Kaval isn't in the WWE anymore despite having won NXT, Riley is doing commentary, and Harris became Bray Wyatt and had a match with John Cena at Wrestlemania and achieving the most success out of everyone in that season of NXT. I did not see this coming at all. I don't think many people (if any) did.