5 Superstars Whose WrestleMania Debut Deserves a Do-Over

By Justin Hofstetter
Modified Apr 02, 2018 04:15 IST
Besides being two of the most iconic performers WWE has ever seen, both of these men probably wish they could take a second swing at their debut at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Besides being two of the most iconic performers WWE has ever seen, both of these men probably wish they could take a second swing at their debut at the Showcase of the Immortals.

#4 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

The Ringmaster looks like he'd much rather be doing a commercial for Alpha Brain right now.
The Ringmaster looks like he'd much rather be doing a commercial for Alpha Brain right now

Before he was "Stone Cold," (or Ice Dagger, Fang McFrost, Baron Von Ruthless, or Chilly McFreeze, or any of the other ridiculous monikers suggested at the creative table), Steve Austin also made his WrestleMania debut at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA, against Puerto Rican sensation Savio Vega.

At the time, Austin was the defending Million Dollar Champion; under the name "The Ringmaster," the innovator of the wrestling podcast wore the diamond belt and rarely approached the microphone, letting his famous manager with the evil, greedy laugh do all the talking.

Austin and Vega didn't put on a bad match, but what they did put on was largely forgettable; nothing about it had the feel of a WrestleMania contest, and their Caribbean Strap Match at an In Your House pay-per-view later that spring would outdo this match in both action and story.

Had Austin been allowed to be the brash, cocky, foulmouthed Austin we grew to love that fall, this could have been much better.

Austin's success in WWE was, by and large, due to massive coincidences; he'd be the first to admit he was brought in just to be a good worker but was never envisioned to be
Austin's success in WWE was, by and large, due to massive coincidences; he'd be the first to admit he was brought in just to be a good worker but was never envisioned to be "the guy"

He'd Get It Right When:

Anyone reading about professional wrestling right now is, in some form, doing it because of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, whose career-defining performances at five of the next seven Wrestlemanias (WrestleManias 13, XIV, XV, X-Seven, and XIX) breathed new life into what many considered to be a dying business.