10 Forgotten Moments From 10 Years Of Roman Reigns In WWE

9. The NXT TV Debut

Roman Reigns CJ Parker NXT
WWE.com

WWE rethought their developmental strategy in August 2012, cast FCW out and replaced it with NXT. Since then, the brand has gone from strength-to-strength and now sits proudly alongside Raw on the USA Network. Things weren't quite so big time back when Reigns made his televised debut on the show.

His first gig was a short win over CJ Parker on the 31 October episode.

This is another that many fans will have forgotten about. A lot has happened since a trunks-wearing Roman slapped the future Juice Robinson around like some WWF Metal jobber, after all. Parker has gone on to become a New Japan stalwart, and Reigns has risen up the ranks to become one of WWE's biggest stars.

Nobody could've foreseen that when the pair were trading basic holds and working rudimentary sequences in front of a lifeless crowd eight years ago. Don't expect this to make any 'Best Of' collections for either man.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.