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If there's one thing you can say about the Chairman of WWE, it's that Vince McMahon knows a star when he sees one. Vince McMahon and co are responsible for some of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the sport, and that's largely in part due to Vince's eye for talent.
Throughout WWE history, Vince McMahon has noticed a younger, freshly signed talent and decided to hand them the ball and demand they run with it. More often than not, it ends with a new top star that WWE can rely on for years to come. Other times...well, we'll leave that list for another day.
Now, it's important to clarify what we're doing here. Just because someone on this list may have had a career before WWE, we didn't see their success on a grand stage like WCW. So for many fans, the first time they'd seen these Superstars was when they debuted under the WWE banner.
So considering that, no Ric Flair, no Undertaker, etcetera.
With that out of the way, let's kick things off with the Chief Hurt Officer himself.
#5 Bobby Lashley wins WWE US title in his first year
While we will look 2020 back on as one of the worst years in recent memory, it's hard to deny the incredible run that Bobby Lashley had.
After joining forces with MVP, Lashley quickly rose to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. He'd go on to win the United States Championship, as well as become the CHO of The Hurt Business.
Not bad for someone who was, just 10 months ago, involved in a love triangle with Lana and Rusev. However, Vince McMahon always knew that Bobby Lashley had serious potential. Go back and look at his first run with WWE to see that.
After some training in OVW, Lashley made his debut for WWE on SmackDown in 2005. On September 23, he began a strong winning streak and was well on his way to becoming a top star for the Blue Brand. He even made it to Survivor Series 2005, joining Team SmackDown.
Though he was the first man eliminated, they were sure to give him a ton of time to shine as he dominated Team RAW and could only be beaten thanks to the combined forces of the Red Brand.
By May of 2006, Lashley captured his first championship, knocking off WWE 2020 Hall of Fame Inductee JBL to win the United States title for the first time.
Over the next few years, he'd become a major player and even face Umaga at WrestleMania 23 to see if Vinny Mac or Donald Trump would walk away with a shaved head.
16 years later, Bobby Lashley is on top once again and is consistently one of the best parts of WWE weekly television.
Considering his career, deciding to push Bobby Lashley right out of the gate seems like a no-brainer in hindsight.
#4 Ronda Rousey dominates and captures WWE Women's title in her second match
There is no one, and I mean not a single woman in WWE history, who had the kind of rookie year that Ronda Rousey had. From the moment she set foot in the ring, Rousey was destined to be a major player.
For God's sake, her first match was a tag contest with Kurt Angle (remember that name) against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. That, by many, is considered the best rookie match of all time.
That alone qualifies her for an honorary mentions spot at least, but she didn't stop there. In her second match, she challenged for the WWE RAW Women's Championship and would have won it had Alexa Bliss not cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase.
At SummerSlam, though, Rousey utterly demolished Little Miss Bliss, winning the RAW Women's title and going on a tear through the RAW women's division that wouldn't end until WrestleMania 35.
Look at the list of names that fell to The Baddest Woman On The Planet. In one year, Mania to Mania, her record was 30-2. Mickie James, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Natalya, Nia Jax, Nikki Bella, and more.
She demolished everyone she faced and only lost in a triple threat with Becky Lynch by barely getting her shoulders on the mat for three seconds.
To do this list and not have Ronda Rousey's name on it would be sacriligous. Vince McMahon and WWE pushed her to the moon the second she signed a contract, and it's obvious why.
#3 The Rock becomes WWE's greatest Superstar
Though the former WWE Champion may be off in Hollywood making blockbuster movie after blockbuster movie, true fans of Dwayne Johnson will always remember him for his time as The Rock and his iconic feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
WWE may never have a star as big as The Rock ever again. Belonging to one of many major wrestling families, Dwayne Johnson was destined for greatness in this sport. After his football career, Johnson decided to join the family business, professional wrestling.
In his first year, known as Rocky Maivia, he captured the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Triple H four months into his WWE run. However, he wasn't well-received, as the infamous "Die Rocky, Die" chants kicked off. Shortly after, The Nation of Domination formed, with Maivia, now "The Rock" becoming their cocky, arrogant blue-chipper. Through this heel turn, Rocky became incredibly popular, and it was here that The Rock truly realized his potential.
The rest is history, really. After The Nation split, The Rock became a babyface and was possibly the greatest babyface in pro-wrestling history.
#2 Brock Lesnar - WWE's Next Big Thing
Yeah, you knew Brock Lesnar was going to be on this list, didn't you? Lesnar had, depending on who you ask, the greatest rookie year of any WWE Superstar in the company's history.
Though his first stint only lasted two years, his legacy and UFC career led to another run in WWE where he captured the WWE and Universal Championships multiple times. Not only that, but he was also the one to break The Undertaker's streak.
Men like Brock Lesnar come around once in a lifetime, and WWE and Vince McMahon knew precisely the kind of Superstar they had when he walked through their doors.
The "Next Big Thing" was pushed to the moon upon his debut, winning the King of the Ring Tournament by defeating Bubba Ray Dudley, Booker T, Test, and Rob Van Dam.
That's an incredible list of names to have knocked off in your first year, let alone in a tournament of the best Superstars that WWE has to offer.
Lesnar took this win to SummerSlam, where he defeated, of all people, The Rock to win his first WWE Championship, the WWE Undisputed Championship.
Considering he debuted on the main roster in March, that's only the first five months of his rookie year.
He faced off against The Undertaker in one of the more brutal rivalries that The Deadman had during that time. He then went on to have his epic feud with Kurt Angle, leading to their WrestleMania XIX match that still leaves fans speechless.
After two years with WWE, he left a multi-time world champion with victories over Angle, Rock, Taker, Hulk Hogan, and more.
Speaking of Kurt Angle...
#1 Kurt Angle dominates WWE in his rookie year
That's right. It's the Olympic Hero himself, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. If you weren't watching when Angle debuted in WWE, you missed what many, myself included, believe to be the greatest rookie run of all time.
Debuting with the company in 1998, Kurt Angle had minimal experience as a professional wrestler but was a world-class amateur wrestler and Olympic Gold Medalist.
Angle's background served to push him to heights nobody expected, as he would go on to have a run as the third and final WWF Eurocontinental Champion.
Later that year, he defeated The Rock to become WWF Champion. With that, he became the only competitor ever to win an Olympic Gold Medal and a WWE/WWF World Championship.
As stated in the previous slide, Angle would have some memorable feuds with guys like Brock Lesnar alongside Triple H, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and more.
Like Angle, Lesnar won his first world title by defeating The Rock, but the former held wins over a more diverse and deep roster.
Angle's early years saw him defeat the Attitude Era's stars and followed that up by dominating the Ruthless Aggression Era as well.
Because Angle at one point considered professional wrestling "beneath him," to see him change that opinion, train with Dory Funk Jr., and become one of the business's top stars in two years is simply astounding.
When looking at Superstars that Vince McMahon pushed as a rookie, this whole list can be moved around. There could even be certain Superstars swapped out for others depending on your preference. However, Kurt Angle will always be at the top spot.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
