5 best-ever WWE debuts from the last decade

The Nexus demolish John Cena

#2. The Nexus - Monday Night RAW (June 7th, 2010)

This debut is one that truly shocked me at the time. I can still remember how speechless I was, watching it unfold in front of me. It was all those years ago when several of NXT's 'rookies' decimated John Cena and destroyed the arena.

It was unexpected, brutal and brilliant. John Cena was wrestling CM Punk (with Luke Gallows at ringside) when Wade Barrett walked out on stage. Suddenly the rest of the Season One NXT rookies appeared (Daniel Bryan, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Darren Young, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and David Otunga)

The group attacked Gallows and Punk, who Cena had thrown out of the ring. They then surrounded Cena in the ring and proceeded to beat him down. Suddenly they were attacking everyone and everything - Matt Striker, Jerry Lawler and Josh Matthews on commentary, destroying the ringside area, and even the ring itself. The crowd switching between angry booing and stunned silence.

What's left is an image of destruction rarely seen in WWE - the ring has been gutted, the ropes removed, people are laid out everywhere and no one quite knows how to react or what actually just happened.

That group would later be called 'The Nexus' and, led by Wade Barrett, they went on to conduct one of the greatest reigns of terror the WWE has ever seen. They cemented themselves as one of the best factions ever to exist in the company, but nothing they did would eclipse that amazing debut.

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#1. The Shield - Survivor Series (November 18th, 2012)

The Shield make their mark

Finally, we move on to another faction appearing in a shocking manner, another major call-up for a group of NXT Superstars, and yet another fantastic WWE debut. I am, of course, talking about the first time we ever saw Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield.

CM Punk was defending his WWE Title against John Cena and a white-hot babyface Ryback at Survivor Series 2012, and looked set to lose his belt after Ryback hit John Cena with his Shell Shock finisher. Then... something shocking happened.

Ambrose, Rollins and Reign,s wearing all black, emerged from the crowd and attacked Ryback. They would then debut their now iconic Triple Powerbomb, putting Ryback through tan announce table. This distraction allowed CM Punk to pin Cena in the ring to retain his title.

The members of the Shield would go on to become three of the biggest stars in the company.

What are some of your favorite recent debuts in WWE? Share your memories in the comments below.