5 WWE Superstar Debuts That Were Hyped Like Crazy But Went Downhill Very Fast

Big names. Big build-ups. But when the bell rang, it all fell apart. Here’s what happened.

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DDP’s Creepy WWE Gimmick Ruined a Genuine Wrestling Icon

Diamond Dallas Page didn’t wait for his WCW contract to run out. He wanted to wrestle, and be famous. WWE gave him that shot… as a stalker. Debuting in 2001, Page was revealed as the man harassing The Undertaker’s wife, Sara.

It was a terrible creative call. Fans were left confused. DDP, a beloved WCW babyface, was now playing a bizarre peeping-tom villain. He got injured just weeks in and never recovered momentum. A legend's first WWE run ended in a whisper, without a bang.

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Ultimo Dragon’s Dream WWE Run Fell Apart Fast

When WWE revived its Cruiserweight division, Ultimo Dragon seemed like the perfect signing. A WCW and Japanese wrestling legend, Dragon joined SmackDown in 2003 and finally got to live his dream, wrestling at Madison Square Garden.

But injuries had already taken a toll. He couldn’t keep up with his old style, and WWE booking didn’t help. He was gone in a year after refusing to be unmasked. Fans remember him fondly, but not for his WWE work.

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Sin Cara’s WWE Career Crashed Before It Even Started

Sin Cara’s WWE launch in 2011 had all the noise with press conferences, dramatic lighting, and even a trampoline entrance. But then he botched that very entrance.

The wrestler behind the mask, Mistico, was a superstar in Mexico. But WWE never adjusted to his lucha libre style. Confusing storylines, in-ring struggles, and even an imposter angle followed. He was gone by 2014, and the hype had long since faded.

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Scott Steiner’s Big Return Ended in a Bigger Mess

Scott Steiner’s WWE return in 2002 had huge hype. “Big Poppa Pump” came in loud, jacked, and full of catchphrases. His MSG arrival turned attention. Fans were into it, at first.

But things fell apart fast. WWE rushed him into a feud with Triple H, and it bombed. Their matches were awkward, the storyline was flat, and the crowd turned quickly. By 2004, Steiner was out of WWE again.

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Hideo Itami Never Escaped NXT’s Injury Curse

KENTA made his name in Japan. He influenced a generation of stars and helped define NOAH. When WWE signed him in 2014 as Hideo Itami, fans were hyped that this was going to be big.

But Itami’s NXT run was cursed. A string of injuries kept him away. Whenever he gained momentum, it stopped right after. WWE never got to show the version of him that lit up Japan. He later called it the most frustrating period of his life.