10 Best WWE Main Roster Debuts Of Former NXT Wrestlers
4. Paige
Paige was on top of the world in April 2014. As the first NXT Women’s Champion, her reign had long surpassed the 250-day mark, and she was handily defeating all who stood before her. From Natalya to Emma, nobody could wrest the Women’s Title from Paige’s clutches, and she was soon emulating that success on the main roster.
Few wrestlers reach the top of their division on their first night in a company, but that’s exactly what Paige did. It was the night after WrestleMania XXX, and Divas Champion AJ Lee was celebrating her successful title defence at the event. Much to everyone’s surprise, Paige’s NXT theme hit, and the 21-year-old strode down the ramp to congratulate AJ on her success.
AJ didn’t take too kindly to the interruption, and after slapping Paige across the face, the champion challenged her to an impromptu title match. Minutes later, Paige had defeated AJ to become the youngest Divas Champion in WWE history, and cement her status as the division’s alpha female.
Paige remains the only women to simultaneously hold the NXT Women’s Title and a main roster belt, and her NXT title record was only recently broken by Asuka. She might be on the sidelines at the moment, but Paige was hotter than the sun when she debuted, and no woman has ever matched her initial impact.