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

5. Sasha Banks

NXT Roster 2012
AEW

Perhaps the best women's wrestler in North American history, Sasha Banks left WWE in 2022 with the matches, the moments and the objective measures to make a very good case for it.

Having spent just shy of 10 full years in the system, she was somebody that bought into the company's methods knowing that she could ensure the feeling would be mutual. Some seminal performances in NXT in 2014 and 2015 earnestly spearheaded a revolution even if WWE's monetising of it made it look stage-managed. A TakeOver: Brooklym match with career rival/partner and real life best friend Bayley was perhaps the company's best of the entire 2010s, and without doubt ground zero for everything about to happen for women across the rosters at that time. 

Having stood up for her character when exiting in 2022, a 2023 sojourn to NJPW and Stardom paved the way for an AEW debut in 2024. 'The Boss' is now 'The CEO', and though she's already openly discussed another WWE run down the line, it stands to be exhilarating seeing her coming in at the very top rather than having to trudge through a broken organisation's sludge. 

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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