Ranking What Was Really The Best Wrestling Debut Every Year 1990-2021

12. 2010 - The Nexus

Nexus WWE Invasion
wwe.com

A mind-blowing scene in its chaos, menace and shocking narrative continuity, this was as brilliant a make-good as it was a debut.

As NXT "rookies", the condescending and counterproductive designation was just the start of an asinine development. Wade Barrett et al. were presented as total f*cking dopes, the biggest geeks of all-time, but, in a masterstroke, they knew this.

It drove them to form as one, encroach the ring in a really well-paced scene, and destroy everything in it and the ring itself. WWE made a superstar faction on the night. Beyond Bryan, there wasn't a single superstar in the group. The obit was misguided. But Christ alive was this special.

It was clearly too intense; Daniel Bryan was (briefly) let go for breaking company protocol, and Heath Slater narrowly avoided the same fate as a result of John Cena's intervention.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!