After being suckered into watching RAW while on call because it looked promising I saw two of the most baffling debuts and re-debutes I’ve ever seen
So it got me thinking - there are a lot of bad ideas in wrestling. What which ones are worse if events that are comparable. I tried to match up events that are similar here. I picked current issues with some historical comparisons. Feel free to add
Which is worse?
1. Worse debut
Karion Kross losing to Hardy
Keith Lee coming back to be jobbed out
0voters
2. Worst Faction
Nightmare Collective
Retribution
Oddities
0voters
3. Worst Manager Choice on Debut
Vickie with Andrade
Dibiassi with Austin
Undertaker with Brother Love
0voters
4. Worst cheapening of a title
Charlotte winning a bunch of short useless reigns
24/7 Nonesense
David Arquette becoming Champion
Finger poke of Doom
Goldberg beating Fiend
0voters
5. Worst momentum killing squash
Goldberg beats Fiend
Kofi loses to Brock
Kofi loses to Lashley
Cena loses to Brock
Roman stacks Bryan/Edge
Riccochet vs Brock
0voters
6. Worst challenger with no hope of winning title on PPV
Fun idea. No way does the Gooker lose out on being the worst surprise debut. Like comparing apples and tennis balls in that category.
Poll #9 reminded me that Becky Lynch was supposed to be a heel when she turned on Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam '18 (I think?). She did one heel promo the following Smackdown and they pretty much abandoned the idea of this character being heel because she was getting ridiculous, Austin-level cheers.
I’m shocked that Arquette is so far up on this list.
The Finger Poke of Doom represents so much worse than anything Arquette did.
The optics of Arquette are silly, but the damage had already been done.
Finger Poke of Doom was basically culminating 12.5 months of bad choices by WCW. Starting with the botched Starrcade 97 finish - to ending Goldberg’s streak a year later to sealing the deal with the finger Poke angle.