10 Pictures Of WWE Legends Looking Like Jobbers
The WWE has been around for almost seven decades and has produced numerous superstars who would reach legendary status throughout the years. They set a high benchmark for professional wrestling and were one of the main reasons behind the sport becoming the global sensation it is today. But every legendary superstar we know today had to start somewhere at the beginning of their careers with little knowledge that they would attain superstardom.
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Most of them came from humble beginnings and worked their way to reach the place they're in today. With that said, here are ten pictures of WWE legends looking like jobbers at the early stages of their careers.
10 Mick Foley
The Hardcore Legend Mick Foley had a decorated in-ring career that lasted almost three decades until his final retirement in 2012. He has won championships across various promotions, which also includes three reigns as the WWE Champion. He took his well-deserved place in the WWE Hall of Fame in the class of 2013.
He started his career in 1983 and wrestled as Jack Foley and Nick Foley. He trained in Dominic DeNucci's wrestling school, and he, along with several students, worked as jobbers in various WWE events like Superstars of Wrestling and Wrestling Challenge.
9 Edge
The Rated R Superstar Edge started his pro-wrestling career in 1993 when he competed under the names Adam Copland and Adam Impact in the Fighting Arts Mat Enterprises events. He had his first WWE match as Sexton Hardcastle against Bob Holly at a house show in 1996.
Following his training with Bret Hart in Calgary, Edge signed a developmental deal with WWE in 1997. Despite having success as a tag team and mid-card competitor, it took Edge until 2005 to break out as a main event singles performer.
Edge went on to become an 11-time world champion for WWE, and his road to becoming a top star for the promotion from humble beginnings has always been a source of inspiration for many inspiring pro-wrestlers.
8 Randy Orton
The Legend Killer Randy Orton might be a third-generation WWE Superstar and had the business running in his veins, but that doesn't mean he took the easy way to get to where he is today. Like every WWE superstar, he had to work his way to the top, and he's remained loyal to WWE for almost two decades with the promotion.
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He started his career when he was 20 years old and had the looks of a cocky kid who had a chip on his shoulders. Soon that character would evolve into a diabolical and egotistical villain who ran through his competition to become a 14-time world champion in WWE.
7 John Cena
John Cena might be a 16-time world champion and an established Hollywood star today, but he wouldn't have even dreamed of enjoying the level of success he's having when he started his career as a pro-wrestler back in 1999.
Cena had his first match in November 1999 at an Ultimate Pro Wrestling event, competing as The Prototype. He had his first WWE outing in a dark match against Mikey Henderson in an episode of Heat.
He then got assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he groomed his talents along with future world champions like Randy Orton, Batista, and Brock Lesnar. He made his iconic main roster debut on the July 27, 2002, episode of SmackDown, and the rest they say is history.
6 Triple H
Triple H evolved from being a player of the game to becoming the game himself, and it wasn't an easy road for him as everyone would think. He started his training in early 1990 at Killer Kowalski's school in Malden, and had his first match as Terra Ryzing in an IWF/All-Star Wrestling event in May 1993 by defeating Tony Ulysses.
He then made his way to WCW where he dyed his hair blonde and looked like a bootleg Ric Flair. His WWE career began in 1995, and since then, Triple H became a mainstay for the promotion and even marrying the owner's daughter. He became a 14-time world champion, and after a decorated in-ring career, he is now an influential backstage executive for WWE.
5 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michael began his pro-wrestling career way back in 1984, with his debut match coming against Art Crews at a Mid-South Wrestling event in October 1984. He made his WWE debut with Marty Janetty as The Rockers in 1988 and has been a mainstay with the company ever since.
From the new guy, he transitioned into the Heart Break Kid and went on to become one of the decorated superstars in WWE history. Despite all the controversial moments, he did gain everyone's respect and has taken his place in the Hall of Fame.
4 The Rock
Before he would become the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, The Rock had to start with humble beginnings despite being the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson and WWE's first third-generation wrestler. He received multiple tryouts for WWE in 1996 and competed under his real name and as Flex Kavana. He signed his first WWE contract in the summer of 1996 and made his debut as Rocky Maivia.
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He got renamed as The Rock after his first heel turn in August 1997, and that's the name that catapulted him into superstardom. Coupled with his in-ring talent and incredible mic skills, The Rock went on to become one of the most accomplished stars in WWE before taking his talents to Hollywood.
3 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin tried his luck with multiple characters before he would reach the height of his career with the Stone Cold Steve Austin gimmick. He wrestled as Steve Williams in various USWA events at the start of his career from 1989. He then joined WCW, where he became Stunning Steve Austin, a character to which he confessed he couldn't fully commit to. He joined ECW after getting fired from WCW in 1995 and eventually ended up in WWE.
He debuted as The Ringmaster but soon reinvented himself as Stone Cold Steve Austin and went on to become one of the faces of WWE that helped then defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars.
2 Ric Flair
While independent wrestlers like Paul Lee are making a career out of impersonating Ric Flair, there was a time when The Nature Boy himself looked like a Ric Flair impersonator.
Flair started his career in 1972, competing in various AWA events, and being slightly overweight, he didn't look anything like the Nature Boy the fans loved to see. However, that didn't stop him from continuing in the pro-wrestling business, and he eventually got himself fit and embraced the iconic character, and went on to become the 16-time world champion we all know today.
1 The Undertaker
Before he would become the iconic Undertaker, Mark Calaway had to experiment with multiple characters that didn't really suit him well. He made his debut as a masked character under the name Texas Red, and continued to perform under different names like The Master of Pain, The Punisher, Mean Mark Callous, and Dice Morgan before he debuted as The Undertaker in WWE at Survivor Series 1990.
Since then, he would go on to become one of the faces of WWE and develop an iconic WrestleMania winning streak, and win multiple championships to cement his place as arguably the greatest superstar in WWE history.
