10 Best Rookie Years In WWE History

9. Charlotte

Kurt Angle Intercontinental Champion
WWE.com

One brief appearance in 2014 aside, Charlotte made her full-time main roster debut alongside fellow NXT cohorts Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks on the July 13th, 2015 episode of Raw. Just as she’d done in developmental, Charlotte quickly became a cornerstone of WWE’s Women’s Division and a key part of the ill-fated “Divas’ Revolution”.

It didn’t take her long to establish herself in the title scene, and Charlotte ended Nikki Bella’s record-breaking 301-day reign as Divas Champion little over two months after debuting. Rebranded as the “Women’s Championship” at this year’s WrestleMania, Charlotte would hold off a challenge from Lynch and Banks that very evening, and her combined reign with both belts currently sits at an impressive 298 days.

Her creative direction hasn’t always been perfect. From Becky and Sasha to her father Ric Flair, Charlotte has seen a number of allies come and go since jumping to the big stage, and currently finds herself aligned with Dana Brooke. With her father as an exception, WWE have never given any of these relationships a chance to grow organically before pulling the rug away, but there’s no doubt she’s played an incredibly prominent role over the last 12 months.

With 12 straight WWE PPV appearances under her belt (the most of any female wrestler in WWE history) and a long-awaited showdown with Banks seemingly on the cards, Charlotte looks a dead cert to build on her rookie year and become one of the all-time greats of the women's division.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.