What Happened To The Shockmaster After His Infamous WCW Debut?
Daniel Cobb 
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When it comes to major botches in professional wrestling, there may be no more infamous than the WCW debut of The Shockmaster. Clad in a sparkly and glittery stormtrooper helmet, a weird coat, and jeans (which may lead some fans to wonder why what exactly WCW were even going for when it came to his gimmick)b The Shockmaster emerged and became an instant replayable moment as he messed up his debut in a major way. Many fans will be aware of this moment, with it heading up highlight reels over the years, though some may not know how his career turned out following this shockingly bad introduction. He did continue wrestling in WCW, though it likely wasn’t the career that those in power had envisioned prior to the debut of this gimmick.
The Shockmaster’s Reveal Was An All-Time Awful Moment
The Shockmaster originally competed in WWE under the names of Tugboat and Typhoon, being mostly known initially for his babyface run, and then as a part of the Natural Disasters tag team alongside Earthquake. He spent four years in WWE before making the switch to WCW, becoming one of the many over the years who crossed the divide between the two companies. Ahead of the 1993 Fall Brawl event, the babyface team of Sting, Davey Boy Smith, and Dusty Rhodes needed one more man for their team to take on Sid Vicious, Vader, and Harlem Heat.
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It was revealed to be The Shockmaster, who came crashing through a wall, but ultimately fell over, losing his helmet and tumbling in a farcical moment. He attempted to shrug it off and get to his feet, standing menacingly, though the others in the room mostly broke character, with even Ole Anderson, who provided the voice for The Shockmaster which was played out of speakers, heard laughing before delivering his lines. It was a complete mess, and it ensured that The Shockmaster’s momentum in WCW was destroyed almost instantaneously. The debut was notorious though, with even both WCW and WWE making light of it.
The Shockmaster Continued To Wrestle In WCW After His Debut
WCW decided that there was no way that this catastrophic debut could be rectified, so they changed up his gimmick to be one where he was clumsy, with events such as his debut happening elsewhere. It was perhaps the best of a bad situation, but the crowd wasn’t really buying it. His attire was changed up to be very generic and random, wearing a white top, jeans, and a builder’s helmet, but despite his poor start, WCW tried to push him as the star in the match. He won a very plodding encounter and won with perhaps the most uninspiring finish in War Games - gaining victory with a bear hug.
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From there, The Shockmaster actually gained a little bit of steam, and was featured consistently on TV and PPVs, winning several matches along the way. However, it was all too little too late, as his WCW career came to an end before the close of 1994. He would then return to WWE for a brief stint, once again taking up the character of Typhoon, though he failed to do anything really of note during his time back in the company. Just a few months later, and he was out the door once again.
After Leaving WCW, The Shockmaster’s Career Declined
The Shockmaster managed to find himself some spots on the independent scene over the next few years, though his appearances were fairly sporadic. As the years went by, his appearances wound down, eventually announcing his retirement coming after an appearance in the WrestleMania 17 gimmick battle royale, where he competed alongside other notable old timers such as Iron Sheik, The Bushwackers, Brother Love, The Gobbledy Gooker, and several more, though he competed in this match as Tugboat. He had an eight-year hiatus, returning for two matches in 2009, but has not wrestled since.
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Thankfully for him, the infamy behind his WCW debut has led to him managing to get appearances, signings, and other things over the course of his retirement, even if at the time it was a complete failure and disaster. There was a small silver lining in the end, and he looks back in humor at the moment, much like the rest of the fans, which is certainly nice to see. WCW did try to overcome his poor debut with a character change and a small push throughout the end of 1993 into the beginning of 1994, but due to the debut taking place on a live version of Clash of the Champions, there was no escaping what had happened. He carried around the reputation of having the worst debut of all time for the rest of his career, although, this wouldn’t be overly catastrophic for his post-wrestling life, as mentioned.
