Part 3 - 15 Best WWE Debuts of All Time (5 - 1)

Summerslam season is fast approaching, and we all know what this means - the time for main roster debuts of several NXT superstars in coming. It takes a lot of efforts and dedication to have a successful main roster debut, and only a few superstars manage to have a successful one upon arriving in WWE.

First Impression says a lot in the professional wrestling industry. It is how a performer acts or performs on his first night that gets the fans to either cheer for them or just boo them straight into the abyss. Professional wrestling fans, like me, are maniacs when it comes to the response that we give to the performers in the ring, and it makes a lot of difference in the lives and career of the wrestlers as well.

In this third, and final, part of this series of 15 best WWE debut of all time, we will take a look at the arrival of those 5 WWE superstars whose debuts left a long-term impact on the minds, and hearts, of WWE fans. Be sure to check out the first and second part of this series, which features the likes of Ronda Rousey, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and others.

A Very Special Mention - Eric Bischoff (2002)

In between all these memorable mentions of the debuts of the superstars, it became impossible to recall inarguably the most memorable non-wrestler debut in the history of WWE - the one from former WCW Boss Eric Bischoff.

Bischoff and McMahon had been each other's sworn enemies, as the boss of WCW and WWF respectively, since the mid-90s, with both of them making serious remarks against each other during Attitude Era. Hence, it was deemed next to impossible to see them side by side for years and years to come.

However, everything changed on that one fateful night of Raw. Booker T was being interviewed by The Coach backstage and was cutting one of his signature promos. Right at the end of his promo, Booker T lost his senses when a familiar face, Eric Bischoff, emerged from the Edge of the Camera to the surprise of Booker, Coach and probably everyone else.

Taking the matters to a whole new level of surprise, Bischoff was welcomed by McMahon onto the stage, the two shared a hug and Bischoff was announced as the new General Manager of Raw. Bischoff tenure as GM, which lasted for almost 3 years, is often termed as the best reign by any authority figure in WWE.

#5 AJ Styles (2016)

Few in-ring performers in today's Wrestling World have the right to call them the best in the World, and AJ Styles, without any doubt, belongs near the top of that list. And it only took one appearance in WWE to solidify his stance as the Greatest active superstar in the world.

Long regarded as the de-facto face of TNA and independent circuit, AJ Styles made a name for himself with his jaw-dropping work inside the ring. Even though he had already wrestled for WWE in a dark match back in 2002, he had not appeared on WWE's TV programming.

By early 2016, Styles was a bigger superstar than he ever was following his stint in NJPW, and it was about time that he would make his way to the WWE, and he eventually did at the Royal Rumble. Surprising every wrestling in the whole world, Styles entered the Rumble match as the 3rd participant to a unanimously positive response from the crowd.

Starting his WWE career opposite Roman Reigns, Styles had an impressive showing in the match and lasted for almost 29 minutes. Since then, Styles has defeated John Cena, wrestled show-stopping matches, and has held WWE Title for more than a year. Phew, Talk about taking full advantage of a sensational debut.

#4 Sting (2014)

If AJ Styles spent his peak wrestling years by working for all the promotions but WWE, Sting spent almost the entirety of his career by working for wrestling promotions not named WWE. It was every fan's desire to watch Sting on Vince McMahon's turf, but Sting had, for long, restrained himself from working for WWE due to his own insecurities.

The Face of WCW waited for nearly 14 years after the death of the promotion to appear for WWE, and, in that period, worked for probably every other wrestling promotion in the whole world while increasing the curiosity of fans who wanted to see him work for McMahon's company.

And then, the day finally arrived, in the fall of 2014. With Triple H using his power to force the referee to count the pinfall after his illegal interference in the all-important Authority vs WWE match, a cawing of the crow interrupted the count as the fans went into a state of frenzy. A few minutes later, Stinger was finally standing in Vince McMahon's yard, in front of his own son-in-law.

Not only did Sting start a feud with Authority that night by knocking HHH down and costing Authority the match, his actions brought a temporary end to the reign of Authority. Even though Sting only wrestled two high profile matches for WWE in the coming 12 months before his retirement, his debut was one of those surreal moments where one traveled back to the time when he was the Icon in WCW.

#3 The Nexus (2010)

Has there ever been a more dominating and violent debut by a group of Rookies in the history of WWE? Making a debut as a team is never an easy task, especially when there are 8 superstars who are looking to make a strong first impact collectively, and this is what made the Debut of The Nexus a memorable one.

Having been on WWE's NXT show for almost 15 weeks, these up-and-coming superstars had been fighting each other and doing various tasks in order to earn the opportunity to be a part of WWE's main roster. However, not only did all of them appear on the main roster together, the way they did leave all the fans in the audience in a state of shock.

Attacking CM Punk and John Cena, two of the biggest WWE superstars at that time, during the main event of Raw, the 8 rookies went on a rampage as they literally destroyed everything - From the ring to the ringside area, From the commentators to the announcers - in a way that had not been seen on WWE in a long time.

Not only this, they disrupted the main events of WWE's next two pay per view main events, they even attacked Vince McMahon on an episode of Raw. Even though the duo had a horrendous next few months, thanks to that defeat in the main event of Summerslam, this debut moment was enough to leave a permanent memory in the minds of the fans.

#2 Kane (1997)

The decision to chose the best among this entry and the entry that follows this was probably the hardest decision to make. Kane is easily one of the most underrated superstars in the history of WWE, and it was 20 years ago, in October 1997, when the Devil's Favorite Demon first appeared in WWE, and boy, What a spine-chilling moment it was.

The unpleasant breakup of Undertaker and Paul Bearer, and their subsequent feud revitalized the career of both performers in WWE. In the months leading to this debut, Bearer told the entire WWE Universe that 'Taker had a younger brother, whose face was scarred by a fire caused by the Undertaker, and he was coming to take revenge from him.

Who would have thought at that time that this baby brother of WWEs Phenom would eventually carve his own legacy. With Taker wrestling Shawn Michaels in the first ever Hell in a Cell match, the lights of the arena went out. Walking along side Paul Bearer, Kane made his way to the ring, ripped the Cell's door and hit his own brother with a Tombstone Piledriver.

What followed was a year long feud between the two warring brothers, and, even though Kane always ended up being on the losing side, it was exactly what the character needed at that time. Kane won the WWE Championship in June 2018, and what followed was 20 memorable years as one of WWEs regular main event superstars.

#1 Chris Jericho (1999)

Has there ever been a more versatile wrestler in the history of WWE than Chris Jericho? Even the ardent critics of this guy won't hesitate while accepting the fact that this guy knows every aspect of professional wrestling, and he excels in each and every one of them. And it all began on that one famous night in the summer of 1999.

Before he was constantly reinventing himself with a new persona every second year and main eventing dozens of WWE pay per views, Y2J wrestled all across the globe and surprised a lot of fans with his in-ring work and his promo skills. Leaving WCW in 1998, Jericho was expected to arrive in WWE in the subsequent months, and he arrived in the best way possible.

Just watch the video above and you will realize how big of a moment it was for both Jericho and WWE. The pop that the crowd gave when the name Jericho appeared on the titantron was probably one of the biggest of that year. Jericho was already a big name in WCW, and this is what made his arrival a special one for the fans.

Add to that the fact that it was the Rock, WWE's biggest star at that time, against whom he made his first foray into Vince McMahon's yard, and you got the recipe of a perfect debut. 6 World Titles, 9 Intercontinental Titles, Memorable Heel and Face runs and 19 years later, Chris Jericho is easily one of the biggest wrestling stars in the whole world

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