Ranking WWE's First Ever NXT Class - From Worst To Best

23. Summer Rae

NXT Roster 2012
WWE

Considering the era and the relatively low bar set for women at the time, Summer Rae over-achieved within WWE.

Never a standout amongst some of the other women known for stronger matches, she got over by force of a magnetic personality, and maximised her minutes on both NXT and the main roster. A popular babyface and easy-to-hate heel, Rae was best remembered for her roles in the BFFs alongside Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair on the black-and-gold brand, and then again alongside Rusev opposite Dolph Ziggler and Lana in that ill-fated love square.

A hit on Total Divas - itself a massive hit in its original run - Rae even created enough lore with Natalya on the show that her Royal Rumble 2022 cameo was one of the lone highlights of the match. She stormed the ring with something to prove, fighting with the Hart Dungeon graduate with so much vigour that you were left wondering which one actually had the Calgary pedigree. 

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett