Ever been embarrassed by video footages from past?It may not sound as a big case to many, but if you are a WWE superstar who has garnered million of fans around the world, it could indeed be a great headache. These revelations might be putting a light on the struggle these superstars have gone through, but they are actually kind of ironic.WWE has seen arrays of wrestlers graze their squared circle over the course of history and while some made it big, others had to settle as jobbers. However, a plethora of names from the former category were jobbers as well, and here is a look at some of those appearances from WWE superstars before they made it big in the business.
#10 Scotty 2 Hotty
Scotty 2 Hotty’s Worm would most probably be one of the coolest moves that we’ve seen in the Attitude Era. The hip hop dancing gimmick was actually Scotty’s second one after the young Scott Taylor run, but his debut came way before all this.
He debuted on a 1993 episode of Monday Night Raw and was squashed immediately by Big Bam Bigelow. This run of being a jobber continued for the next four years as Scotty went on to face the likes of Papa Shango, Crush and Yokozuna.
However, Scotty’s luck turned pretty when the WWE introduced their light weight division. He immediately formed the tag team with Jerry Lawler’s son Brian Christopher and the rest was history.
#9 Mr. Kennedy
Kennedy had it all. He had the microphone skills, the in ring charisma and also the looks that were needed to become a big shot in the business. WWE’s faith in Kennedy was underlined when they gave him wins over almost all the former World Champions in the roster.
His run came crashing down after a spat with Randy Orton during one of the matches but that was not really the first run of Kennedy in WWE.
The debut came back in 2001 where Anderson was a jobber to 3 Minute Warning. He later had matches against La Resistance and William Regal before being sent to the developmental circuit where he made a name for himself among his peers.
#8 Tajiri
The fans of ECW will know that Tajiri’s introduction into the North American wrestling business came because of Paul Heyman’s Extreme promotion. However, this is only half true.
Though it was ECW that made Tajiri an icon in the States, it was WWE that gave him the first chance. The Japanese superstar came into America with a trim haircut and blue trunks that made no sense. WWE soon snatched him up for their Light weight division and made him debut in 1996.
Tajiri turned out to be a failure in the WWE run and soon he was packed to ECW. The rabid fan base of ECW accepted Tajiri with warm hands and transformed him into a mainstay in their mid-card scene.
#7 Hardcore Holly
You might not have a lot to remember about Hardcore Holly, but he was indeed a big presence in the WWE mid-card scene. He has had some great matches during his stay in the WWE, but many wouldn’t know that he actually made his debut way back in 1991.
His first match was a tag team encounter where he faced the Bushwhackers alongside Mike Samples. Holly ended up losing the match as you would’ve already guessed, but he then went on to take up the race driver gimmick which was an improvement.
Holly’s career was cut short due because of the injury he suffered at the hands of Brock Lesnar in 2001. But he still has some space in our minds as one of the best glorified midcarders in WWE’s history.
#6 Zack Ryder
Ryder might not be as successful as some of the other names in this list, but one cannot deny how good he is if given the right push. His wrestling career started off in the independent scene where he teamed up with another underrated talent Curt Hawkins.
The duo made it to WWE and went on to become Tag Team Champions as part of Edge’s La familia. However, the WWE debut of Ryder came in 2005 where he wrestled as Bret Matthews.
He faced Matt Morgan (remember him?) in a typical squash match. Morgan’s WWE career went downhill from there while the jobber went on to become a United states champion and a highly recognized jobber.
#5 Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose is someone who could give Mick Foley a run for his hardcore legend tag. Ambrose’s work in the independent circuit is proof for this and it’s the same reputation that got Ambrose a spot in the WWE roster.
He was given a tryout by WWE in January 20, 2006 as Jon Moxley, which was his Indy name. Moxley partnered with Brad Attitude in a tag team match against MNM and lost out big time. He donned a ridiculous looking pink hair that made him look like a punk who was high on rock music.
However, that work impressed the people backstage and after another five-year stay in the independent scene, Ambrose was given a developmental deal with the WWE. He is the current IC Champion and is surely one for the future.
#4 Mick Foley
It’s not a secret that Mick Foley’s career took off in WCW before he reached WWE. However, before the WCW run, Foley had his chance to get in the WWE ring as well.
Foley was having a run in Dominic DeNucci’s wrestling school those days, and Dominic’s contacts landed Foley a match in WWE Superstars. The hardcore legend teamed up with Les Thornton and faced the legendary British Bulldogs.
Foley ended up injuring his jaw, thanks to a clothesline from the Dynamite Kid, but he managed to come back for some more matches in the company. But, it was only after his spell in WCW, Foley got the respect he deserved.
#3 Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boys managed to be one of the legendary tag teams in WWE history thanks to their work in the Attitude Era. The brothers have managed to make a separate identity, mainly because of these matches, but these weren’t their first run in the company.
The Hardys were the mainstay jobbers in the WWE programming over the mid-nineties and the low frequency of their matches made sure that no one noticed them.
These matches came against the likes of Owen Hart, Razor Ramon and even the Undertaker. The duo lost out each and every match they contested, but all these were just stepping stones to the success that they were eventually going to achieve.
Fast forward to 2017, and the Hardys are back in the WWE!
#2 CM Punk
Punk may be carving out a career in UFC but before all that, he was a young and hungry talent who wanted to make it big in the professional wrestling scene.
His ventures saw him build up a mighty reputation in the independent scene and that soon attracted attention from WWE. Punk got his WWE tryout back in 2005 where he was billed as Chad Collyer. His debut was a tag team match with Chad Russell Simpson and faced Maven and Simon Dean.
Punk’s second match during that run came against Val Venis and he impressed everyone who came to watch, which in turn landed him a contract.
#1 Daniel Bryan
The fans who tune into independent wrestling would’ve recognized Daniel Bryan as the American Dragon when he set foot into WWE, but for others, he was just an NXT rookie who had some fans in the internet.
First season of NXT was clearly the big hurray for Bryan, but he had already made his WWE debut before that. He made his debut in WWE television under his real name Bryan Danielson back in 2001 when he faced Jamie Noble.
His second match came against Rico a month later while his third and last match in that spell were against an unknown young man who was named John Cena. If you are curious about the result of that match, Cena won (obviously).
