But he certainly met his match in West Indies batting supremo Chris Gayle during the first test in Antigua last month.
"When I came out to bat at nightwatchman ... I felt a man breathing down my neck and it was Chris Gayle giving me a couple of words," Wagner said.
There had been some heated exchanges between Wagner and one or two of the batsmen in the warm-up match and Gayle had taken it upon himself to organise a welcoming party for the newcomer.
"To be honest, I was quite shocked because he seems so quiet ... but he had plenty to say.
"He tried to make me uncomfortable and I just thought, 'that's Chris Gayle abusing me and I'm loving it'."
While Gayle's mood may have taken Wagner by surprise, the big man's batting certainly did not.
The belligerent left-hander whacked 150 and combined in a 254-run opening stand with Kieran Powell.
The partnership laid the foundation for the West Indies' nine-wicket win and Wagner discovered just how thin the margin of error at international level can be. The South African-born left-armer took one for 112 in the first innings.
"I tried to get him out with my first couple of balls and he swung at everything and came hard at every ball. I did create a couple of chances but I went for 12 runs in that over and he came down the wicket to tell me, 'That's 12 runs, mate'.
"We had some heated battles and conversations in the middle and I was happy when I got him out in the second test. I didn't give him a massive send-off but had a mild celebration. I was very relieved to get his wicket, to be honest, because he is a hell of a player."
The Black Caps lost the series 2-0 and Wagner's return of four wickets at 52.25 represents a tough introduction to test cricket.
Despite the modest return, Wagner retained his place and leaves for the tour of India on Friday.
Conditions in the Caribbean were not particularly helpful.
The pitches were abrasive and offered precious little assistance for the seamers, and the wind made swinging the ball difficult.
Wagner's main weapon is reverse swing and he could not get it going during the series.
There will not be much relief in India. The home side has an impressive batting line-up which includes the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
And the expected slow, flat wickets will hardly aid the task of taking 20 wickets.
"To play against players of their class in their backyard is going to be hard work and a huge challenge, but it is exciting as well.
"We've got nothing to lose. Our backs are against the wall and we can only go out and play positive cricket."
The two test series gets under way next week and is followed by two twenty/20 games.
It will be former Otago and Kenya coach Mike Hesson's first series in charge of the national side.
