10 Greatest Debuts In Modern Wrestling History
These are the modern debuts that shook buildings and created pops heard around the world.
There's nothing quite like your first time. The thrills and spills of weekly wrestling programming and the monthly PPVs that we live for are a constant avalanche of great in-ring action and mic-based excitement, but there really is nothing like a superstar turning up in a new promotion for the first time. Just listen to those thunderous reactions for confirmation.
Sure, the daily doses of wrestling news can give us all an idea of what is going on behind the scenes, with never-ending chatter about contract negotiations and speculation about which promotion would best suit our favorite superstars, but when the moment arrives, the entrance music hits, and the pop goes nuclear, there really is nothing like it.
Since the emergence of AEW, the wrestling wars are well and truly back. Tribalism is at an all-time high, and a wrestler changing one place of work for another comes with a tsunami of emotion and moments that stay with us forever. Over the course of the past few years, these are the superstar arrivals that have made the planet lose its mind in the most spectacular of fashions.
Get over 70% off and three months for free when you sign up to NordVPN here: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=704&aff_id=3013&source=WCWREweb
10. Ricky Saints
Despite his obvious charisma, good looks, and an 'Absolute' pose that's fun for anyone to hit, Ricky Starks always felt like he was destined for more than AEW was prepared to give to him. When he cooked MJF on the mic during the first week of Max's AEW World Title reign and had the crowd fully behind him in their match shortly thereafter, it felt like the company was sure to run with Ricky in a major way.
In truth, they never really did. He made the best of his time in Team Taz, but his only taste of real gold - bar the FTW Title - came in a forgettable AEW Tag Team Championship reign with Big Bill. As it was well-known that Starks is good friends with Cody Rhodes, and with Ricky's presence at Cody's coronation at WrestleMania 40 seen by the whole of the internet, his arrival in WWE felt like a case of not if but when.
Ricky Starks would have to wait almost a full calendar year following his final AEW appearance on Collision in March 2024, before making his NXT debut in February 2025. Appearing from the crowd with a mic and no fanfare, Starks made his declaration that he was the future of NXT, with his change being completed the following week as he was rebranded as Ricky Saints.