10 Greatest Debut Years In WWE History
1. Paige
A rise to the top so dramatic they made a major motion picture about it. By the time Paige stepped into a Raw ring, she had already gained the NXT Women’s Title and been tapped up by The Rock to be the subject of a movie she was producing. By the time credits rolled, she was the youngest ever Diva’s Champion, among other records.
Paige’s first year wasn’t so much an ascendancy as the emergence of a ready-made star. She was totally different to anyone else in the company, pale, relatable, sporting a thick Norwich accent.
The women’s division was no great shakes then, but Paige did everything she could, working with good-to-great talent like the Bellas, Emma, Naomi, and AJ Lee to keep up the momentum that had been developed over in NXT. For a long while, Paige basically was the division, the one fans wanted to see; she took that on her young shoulders and ran with it.
Her first year culminates at a WrestleMania 31 match alongside her first opponent, Lee, facing off against the Bellas. As a match, it’s fine, but as a sign of things to come, it’s truly important. In one year, Paige helped kickstart a revolution, and she still doesn’t get enough credit for it.