10 Best Debuts In WWE History
5. Finn Balor
Finn Balor is the most decorated wrestler in NXT history. Debuting in May 2014, he quickly ascended to a position of prominence within WWE’s celebrated developmental brand, and left Full Sail University with a recording-breaking 292-day NXT Title reign and a collection of outstanding matches with the likes of Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
His main roster debut had been a long-time coming, and when Balor was picked fifth overall in the 2016 WWE Draft, it was clear the company had huge plans for The Demon. Nobody could have predicted the impact he’d make on this week’s Monday Night Raw, however.
At the top of the show, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and GM Mick Foley picked eight wrestlers who’d compete in two separate Fatal Four-Way matches, with the winners going-on to fight for contendership for the debuting WWE Universal Championship. Balor pinned Rusev, and in the night’s main event, he soundly defeated former golden child Roman Reigns. Balor will now go on to face Seth Rollins for said championship at SummerSlam next month, and has a real chance to cement his position in WWE history within a month of joining the main roster.
While many speculated that Balor would likely debut as part of The Club with his former New Japan buddies Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, it appears WWE are set on positioning him as Raw’s next top babyface. With little competition outside of Sami Zayn, Balor is well on his way to achieving that goal.