Sometimes a WWE Superstar just has ‘it’ and even a bad first impression can’t hold them back. From AJ Styles to a John Cena, let’s take a look at five such Superstars who didn’t impress Vince McMahon at first but went on to become megastars in WWE.

#5 AJ Styles

AJ Styles made his long-awaited WWE debut during the 2016 Royal Rumble match. Despite the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the WWE fans, one person who wasn’t particularly impressed with AJ Styles’ debut was Vince McMahon himself.

While discussing his debut on his Twitch stream, AJ said that Vince McMahon thought the reaction he got from the WWE Universe was a fluke:

A post shared by AJ Styles (@ajstylesp1) on Feb 13, 2020 at 7:04pm PST

AJ Styles revealed that he wasn’t initially booked for RAW the following night but Vince was convinced to change his mind on that. Styles added that Vince McMahon was not impressed with his in-ring work and told him that he already had Superstars who could do what he saw from Styles. It was only after a conversation with Vince McMahon did AJ Styles learn what exactly the WWE CEO wanted from him:

A post shared by AJ Styles (@ajstylesp1) on Jan 28, 2020 at 6:50pm PST

After his conversation with Vince McMahon, AJ Styles quickly changed his mind and since then, has gone on to become one of WWE’s biggest stars right now, winning the WWE Championship twice.

#4 Mick Foley

In an interview with Inside The Ropes, WWE legend Mick Foley revealed how Vince McMahon was not a fan of his initially and didn’t even want to bring him to WWE. Mick Foley credited Jim Ross as the person who wore Vince McMahon down and brought Foley into the WWE in late 1995 under a mask:

Despite Vince McMahon’s reservations, Mick Foley went on to become a megastar in WWE and a fan favorite. It was Mick Foley in the Mankind persona winning the WWE Championship that finally turned the ratings tide in the Monday Night Wars for good, with a little thanks from Tony Schiavone.

#3 The Undertaker

The Undertaker is a pro wrestling icon. One of the most recognizable WWE Superstars of all time, the Deadman has been an integral cog in the WWE machine for well over a quarter of a century.

On a recent episode of his podcast, WWE executive Bruce Prichard revealed that Vince McMahon wasn’t impressed with The Undertaker initially and compared a young Mark Calaway to a just another basketball player:

Prichard went on to reveal how he had to literally beg Vince McMahon to meet with The Undertaker. Thankfully, Bruce Prichard changed Vince McMahon’s mind because the last three decades of WWE could have been vastly different if he hadn’t. The Undertaker went on to one of the biggest stars in WWE’s history and was integral to their success over WCW during the Monday Night Wars, not to mention his legendary winning streak at WrestleMania.

The Undertaker went on to win the WWE Championship seven times as well as a cabinet full of other titles.

#2 John Cena

Another legendary WWE Superstar who didn’t create a good first impression on Vince McMahon is the ‘Face That Runs The Place’ himself, John Cena. As told to WWE.com, John Cena said that he first met Vince McMahon right after his match against Kurt Angle on WWE SmackDown. Cena revealed that Vince McMahon had not been impressed by what he saw in John Cena that day and one of the first things he said was that he wanted Cena to get a haircut:

John Cena’s career turned around after Stephanie McMahon heard him rapping at the back of the tour bus. Cena has gone on to not only be one of the faces of WWE over the last 15 years, but also tied Ric Flair’s 16 world titles. Vince McMahon and John Cena have come a long way from that first meeting and are close personal friends now.

#1 Randy Orton

We finish off this list with Randy Orton. Jim Ross revealed on an episode of his podcast last year that Vince McMahon didn’t initially want to give Randy Orton a chance in WWE because of his dishonorable discharge from the Marines.

Thankfully, Jim Ross managed to change Vince McMahon’s mind and WWE didn’t pass on Randy Orton. Here’s what JR had to say:

Randy Orton has gone on to repay the faith Vince McMahon put in him. Orton has been one of the top Superstars in WWE for the past decade and is a 13-time world champion.

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