10 Greatest Debuts In WWE NXT History

1. Samoa Joe

Following a near-decade long stint in TNA, Samoa Joe departed the company when his contract expired in February 2015. While it was sad to see him go, he was hungry for new challenges and there wasn't anything left for him to accomplish in the Nashville-based promotion. Fans tossed around the idea of Joe potentially heading to WWE but knew it was a long-shot considering WWE's track record with signing former TNA stars (see: Braden Walker and Vance Archer). Needless to say, that was what made his NXT debut all the more shocking. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fought over the NXT Championship in the main event of May's NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable special, but for the second straight time, their match went to a non-finish. Owens battered his former friend with a steel chair, but before he could inflict any more damage, an unfamiliar song hit the Full Sail arena. Based off the intro, it sounded like it could have been Uhaa Nation, WWE's latest signee. But alas, it was Samoa Joe. To say the crowd came unglued would be an understatement. He appeared to be in the best shape he had been in years, going face-to-face with Owens as the audience chanted "Joe is gonna kill you!" For years, the idea of Samoa Joe in WWE was more of a "what could have been" situation than the question of "what if?" After ten years, that dream became a reality. It wasn't just a flash in the pan, either. Joe remained unbeaten for months on end, defeated Baron Corbin in Brooklyn, won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and challenged Finn Balor for the NXT Championship in London. Although he was originally brought in to add to NXT's momentum, it looks like he could be main roster bound before long. For the Samoan Submission Machine, along with the rest of the aforementioned stars, the future is bright. Which other NXT debuts belong on this list? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.