The 12 WWE Wrestlers Who Debuted In 2017 - Ranked

NXT call-ups make an impact in WWE, but who made the biggest splash in 2017?

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WWE.com

In an era where WWE has its own well-publicized and popular developmental system, it has become the norm to see fully formed wrestlers spring forth onto our television at various times throughout the year.

Whether intentional or not, debuting wrestlers have become the lifeblood of the company, providing a shot in the arm to Raw and SmackDown with fresh faces and new matchups. And since WWE is once again operating a brand split with hours of TV to fill each week, there is a definite need for more superstars to join the two brands.

This past year saw a good number of wrestlers debut on the main roster, to varying degrees of success. None of the newcomers managed to capture gold during their freshman campaign, but some definitely made a bigger impact than others. And for some, it’s too early to issue a full report card.

But it’s worth taking a look at these debuting superstars and seeing how they’ve fared on the main roster so far, with an outlook for 2018 for them. Could there be bigger things on the horizon for some of these new superstars?

Nearly all of these wrestlers came up through NXT, so WWE has no one to blame but themselves if they weren’t ready or weren’t booked well. Let’s get to it…

12. Mike Kanellis

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WWE.com

WWE Debut: Money in the Bank PPV, June 18

The only wrestler to skip over NXT and come straight to the main roster, the former Mike Bennett joined SmackDown alongside his wife, former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis.

While it looked like he would be a solid addition to the midcard, Kanellis didn’t even fare that well. Despite being a 15-year veteran who has done well for himself in other promotions, Kanellis was quickly shuttled down the card, to the point where he was jobbing for Bobby Roode in less than two minutes in October.

It certainly didn’t help his cause that Maria became pregnant shortly after their return/debut, which derailed their “True Love” gimmick, but it’s incredible how invisible he’s been on SmackDown. Short of being released, things hopefully can only get better for the couple.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.