10 Greatest Debuts In Modern Wrestling History

10. Ricky Saints

Despite his obvious charisma, good looks, and an 'Absolute' pose that's fun for anyone to hit, Ricky Starks always felt like he was destined for more than AEW was prepared to give to him. When he cooked MJF on the mic during the first week of Max's AEW World Title reign and had the crowd fully behind him in their match shortly thereafter, it felt like the company was sure to run with Ricky in a major way.

In truth, they never really did. He made the best of his time in Team Taz, but his only taste of real gold - bar the FTW Title - came in a forgettable AEW Tag Team Championship reign with Big Bill. As it was well-known that Starks is good friends with Cody Rhodes, and with Ricky's presence at Cody's coronation at WrestleMania 40 seen by the whole of the internet, his arrival in WWE felt like a case of not if but when.

Ricky Starks would have to wait almost a full calendar year following his final AEW appearance on Collision in March 2024, before making his NXT debut in February 2025. Appearing from the crowd with a mic and no fanfare, Starks made his declaration that he was the future of NXT, with his change being completed the following week as he was rebranded as Ricky Saints.