10 Ups And Downs For WWE In 2014 4

4. Poor Debuts And Reintroductions

When a new superstar or Diva debuts on Raw, the old adage that you never get a second chance to make a first impression often applies. Look at how the Shield debuted in 2012, interfering in a PPV main event title match, then going the better part of a year being unbeatable as a team. The Wyatt Family’s vignettes in 2013 garnered a tremendous amount of interest before they ever debuted.

But in 2014, wrestler debuts and reintroductions were mishandled several times, stunting performers’ growth and killing any momentum they might have had. Paige came into WWE the night after WrestleMania XXX as the reigning NXT Women’s Champion in front of a super-smarky crowd – and she won the Divas Championship that night. She then had a heatless reign, turned heel and now is shunted down behind the Bella Twins in the title scene.

Bo Dallas’ push was jettisoned early. Adam Rose’s entourage was way too tiny for a WWE arena, a problem anyone who was thinking for 10 seconds would have discovered, thus negating his character’s impact. Emma got partnered with Santino Marella in a “comedy” team that went nowhere and has left her flying solo largely as a joke. Fandango’s “new and improved” character took away the only thing that was appealing – his sing-along entrance music – and just gave us a guy in black coming out to silence.

And it looks like the New Day trio of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods is not off to a great start, already being relegated to pre-PPV status. 2014 definitely won’t be known for its stellar debuts.