5 WWE stars who made their debuts as teenagers

It usually takes wrestlers a number of years to work their way up to signing with WWE. This comes through hard work and perseverance, but while there are several stars who have to work for years to get their big breaks, there are others who made their debuts when they were still teenagers.

These WWE stars are able to make records when it comes to the youngest Championship reigns and are also able to walk away from the company when they are still in their prime.

There aren't many WWE stars who have been able to make their debuts at such an early age, but here are just five that were able to debut in the biggest wrestling company in the world when they were still in their teens.

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#5. JoJo Offerman signed with WWE as a teenager

JoJo Offerman is the daughter of baseball star Jose Offerman and made her debut in WWE back in 2013 after she and Eva Marie were named as the winners of the 2013 online Diva Search.

Offerman's competition win meant that alongside Marie she was given the chance to be part of Season 1 of Total Divas. Offerman also began appearing on Monday Night RAW alongside the likes of Natalya, Naomi, Cameron, Nikki and Brie Bella, who were also stars of Total Divas.

JoJo made her main roster debut on an episode of Monday Night RAW when she was just 19 years old. She served as a guest ring announcer and appeared at ringside to support her fellow Total Divas, before being booked into her first match in October. Offerman's team won the match even though she was never tagged in.

After leaving Total Divas following the first season, JoJo began ring announcing in NXT and was then promoted to announcing the main roster in April 2015.

#4. Tyler Bate made his WWE debut at a young age

WWE announced their first-ever United Kingdom Championship Tournament in the fall of 2016. The event then took place in January 2017 from Blackpool, England and included some of the best wrestlers that the UK had to offer.

Among these stars were Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, who have since gone on to become part of the company in the years that have followed. Tyler Bate went on to win the tournament and become the first-ever United Kingdom Champion at just 19 years old.

This made Bate the youngest singles Champion in the history of WWE, and the company allowed him to hold the title until NXT TakeOver: Chicago in May 2017, when Pete Dunne was able to lift the Championship for the first time.

Tyler Bate has since made numerous appearances on NXT and become a huge part of WWE's NXT UK brand which was founded back in 2018. Bate also made an appearance on 205 Live back in 2017 when he took on then-Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore in a losing effort.

#3. Jeff Hardy was young when he signed with WWE

Jeff Hardy currently performs on WWE's SmackDown brand, after returning to the company back at WrestleMania 33. Hardy and his brother Matt became the stars of the Tag Team Division back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but even though Hardy has been with the company for a number of years, many fans are not aware that he was just a teenager when he made his debut.

Hardy made his WWE debut as a jobber in a match against Razor Ramon in Youngstown, Ohio back in May 1994. Hardy was just 16 years old at the time. Hardy's name that night was Keith Davis and he was used when the scheduled star dropped out. The former World Champion was only given the spot because he lied and claimed he was 18, which he wasn't.

Hardy later wrestled under his real name in a match against the 1-2-3 Kid which aired on Superstars. The younger of the Hardy brothers then went on to work as a jobber for WWE throughout 1997 before signing his official contract alongside his brother in 1998.

#2. Kenny Dykstra was younger than most WWE Superstars when he was released

Kenny Dykstra will be best remembered in the WWE for his role in The Spirit Squad, who were a group of male cheerleaders who supported Vince McMahon in his feud with Shawn Michaels throughout 2006.

Whilst Dykstra wasn't the only member of the group who was kept on WWE TV following their demise, it was Dolph Ziggler who became the most successful former member.

Dykstra made his wrestling debut at the age of 15 but didn't debut on WWE TV until two years later on an episode of RAW in 2003. Dykstra was called Ken Phoenix and along with Mike Phoenix, he was a participant in Rodney Mack's ongoing challenge. Mack defeated both men in under two minutes.

Dykstra then went on to make his official debut with The Spirit Squad in January 2006 when he was just 19 years old. Dykstra went on to work with The Spirit Squad for just under a year and was then seen as a singles star until he was released from his WWE contract in 2008 when he was just 22 years old.

#1. Kelly Kelly was once the youngest WWE Diva

Kelly Kelly was recruited to WWE by John Laurinaitis back in 2006 when she was working as a model. The former Divas Champion attended a tryout the same year and was signed to the company despite having no prior wrestling experience.

Kelly Kelly went on to be featured on the ECW brand where she hosted Kelly's Extreme Expose before she was joined by Layla and Brooke. Kelly made her debut in June 2006 when she was 19 years old, becoming the youngest Diva in WWE at the time.

Kelly went on to become a popular star in ECW before she then moved to the main roster and was able to win the Divas Championship. Kelly was released from WWE in 2012 when she was just 25.

Kelly has since returned to the company numerous times to be part of the Women's Revolution. During the RAW Reunion show back in the summer of 2019 Kelly made history once again when she became the first female to lift the 24/7 Championship after pinning WWE legend Gerald Briscoe.