Originally functioning as WWE’s developmental promotion that introduces the most promising talent from the company’s performance center, NXT has grown into a full-fledged third brand for WWE. NXT now has stars of its own who define the brand, many of whom came from various North American independent promotions as well as Japan.
NXT freshens up its roster on a regular basis because plenty of their top stars eventually make it on the main roster of Raw or SmackDown. This demand for a turnaround of talent calls for excellent debuts both on the regular NXT television show as well as their special TakeOver PPV style events.
10 TakeOver: Asuka (10/7/2015)
The joshi sensation Asuka first showed up on NXT television, but fought her first match at NXT’s very first TakeOver outside of Full Sail University, TakeOver: Brooklyn, where she took on Dana Brooke in a singles match. It was an incredibly auspicious debut for Asuka, as fans quickly found out just how awesome she really is. Asuka would gain the victory, kicking off an undefeated streak so long that it overshadowed Goldberg’s.
9 TV: Tyler Breeze (7/24/2013)
Formerly pre-NXT developmental mainstay Mike Dalton, the FCW star made a few appearances in early episodes of Full Sail NXT before being taken off TV and repackaged much later as the Zoolander-esque Tyler Breeze. One of the first “gimmick” characters of the brand, he quickly became a fan favorite despite being a heel. His debut was great, too, as his entrance alone got a “That was awesome” chant from the Full Sail crowd.
8 TakeOver: Adam Cole (8/19/2017)
NXT had come a long way from its humble days as an under-the-radar developmental program on Hulu by the time Adam Cole debuted. He made his shocking first appearance at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, attacking Drew McIntyre and establishing himself as a new major threat alongside Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, who’d soon become known as The Undisputed Era.
NXT had eased up on its tendency to rename indie stars to maintain trademarks, so Cole’s debut got the full effect: this was former Ring of Honor World Champion Adam Cole, not “Austin Adam” or whatever.
7 TV: Sami Zayn (5/22/2013)
Sami Zayn did not have the luxury of keeping his old gimmick, but built something new in the ashes of El Generico. Debuting as a fresh new babyface on the show, Sami Zayn put away main roster talent Curt Hawkins before also challenging Cesaro and scoring a surprise victory. That victory would result in a feud between the two that would not only spawn some classic matches, but also establish NXT as the WWE brand to watch great wrestling matches.
6 TakeOver: Shinsuke Nakamura (4/1/2016)
The end of Sami Zayn’s NXT run was the beginning of Shinsuke Nakamura’s. A fan favorite from New Japan Pro Wrestling, there was some trepidation from fans as to how WWE was going to handle the international star. But his debut was easily one of the strongest in NXT history, from his breathtaking entrance, awesome music, all the way to the epic match he had with Zayn. Nakamura's debut at NXT TakeOver: Dallas immediately made him a top star of the brand.
5 TV: Finn Balor (11/6/2014)
Finn Balor has one of the stranger debuts in NXT history, performing a run-in, backing up the recently debuted Hideo Itami in his feud with The Ascension. Soon enough, Balor would surpass his tag team partner, becoming the top guy on NXT. Once he debuted his Demon persona -- on a TakeOver -- he officially became a phenomenon on the brand and eventually one of the longest reigning NXT Champions.
4 TakeOver: Kevin Owens (12/11/2014)
Kevin Owens, the man Finn Balor defeated for his first NXT Championship, made his debut at TakeOver: R Evolution, defeating CJ Parker in a singles match. Despite the name change, it was still a big debut, as Kevin Steen was a major talent on the indies, particularly Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Later in the evening, Owens also debuted his true colors by turning on his lifelong friend Sami Zayn (again) as soon as Zayn had won the NXT Championship. It’s a hard debut to top.
3 TV: Karrion Kross (5/6/2020)
Karrion Kross hadn’t been around long before he shot to the top of NXT cards, defeating Keith Lee for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver XXX. With his incredibly cinematic entrance accompanied by the equally theatrical Scarlett, Kross made such a strong impression that it would have been criminal for NXT not to make him a top star. All he needed to do first was wreck Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: In Your House to establish dominance.
2 TakeOver: Samoa Joe (5/20/2015)
In 2015, NXT found itself in a unique position as their top babyface, Sami Zayn, got an injury that would take him out for months while in the middle of a title feud with Kevin Owens in the wake of the TakeOver: R Evolution betrayal. Owens would beat Zayn again in their rematch at TakeOver: Unstoppable, but in the post-match beatdown former ROH and TNA star Samoa Joe would make his debut running in to save Zayn. Fan excitement for Joe covered up for disappointment in Zayn’s loss, and Samoa Joe would soon become a star in NXT himself.
1 TV: Charlotte Flair (6/20/2013)
Aside from Asuka, few members of NXT’s women’s division have big hype-worthy debuts, especially back in the pre-WWE Network days. Charlotte Flair -- then known as simply “Charlotte” -- debuted on NXT television in 2013, defeating future fellow Horsewoman Bayley. Despite the lack of her iconic last name, NXT was wise to let fans know that this was Ric Flair’s daughter, and Charlotte’s ability to pull off some classic Flair moves further impressed.