The introduction of NXT has dramatically changed WWE over the past few years, but it has ensured that many debuts in the company over the past few years have been memorable ones.
NXT is a completely different stage compared to WWE's main roster, which means that many stars that were able to step up at Full Sail University, are unable to continue this trend when they're promoted to the main roster.
The fact that WWE has become a conveyor belt in recent years means that there are debuts every few months and even if the superstars don't live up to the hype then they can be repackaged or even sent back down to NXT if they're unable to pick up the pace on Raw or SmackDown.
There are many stars who have been able to make their careers work in both NXT and the main roster over the past few years, but there are still a select few that have flopped. Having a fantastic debut doesn't ensure that a wrestler will have a great career, but it's much better than starting out on a much lower point and having to work their way up from the bottom, but even so, a great debut still leaves many wrestlers with a mountain to climb on the main roster.
The following list looks at just 10 WWE debuts over the past few years that completely flopped as well as 10 debuts that were fantastic, but the character and the gimmick went on to flop in the months that followed. It appears to be getting hard for the creative team to be able to come up with lasting characters for some of their recent acquisitions.
20 Debut Flopped: Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews was seen as one of Triple H's favorites while he was down in NXT and was promoted to the main roster on the Raw after WrestleMania back in 2016.
Crews was able to defeat fellow NXT alumni Tyler Breeze on his main roster debut but he has since fallen down the ranks on Raw because he has been unable to create a character for himself.
Crews is currently working as part of Titus Worldwide with Titus O'Neil and Dana Brooke and it could easily be argued that he is only seen as a jobber by WWE right now.
19 Fantastic Debut: Fandango
Fandango was once one of the stars with the biggest potential in WWE, the world was Fandangoing following his debut match win over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXIX and it could have continued that way if it wasn't for WWE's booking team.
Fandango is now another forgotten face behind the scenes who is currently struggling to remain relevant despite his recent move over to Raw.
Tyler Breeze and Fandango have scratched and clawed for everything they have in WWE right now and still, they are no closer to the potential that both stars had whilst they were in NXT.
18 Flopped: Tye Dillinger
The Perfect 10 Tye Dillinger was one of the most popular stars on the roster during his time in NXT and had an impressive debut as part of The Royal Rumble back in 2017 when he came out to a huge pop at number 10. Dillinger's official debut on the main roster didn't come until the SmackDown following WrestleMania last year where he defeated Curt Hawkins in a throwaway match.
Dillinger later went on to open a feud with fellow struggler Aiden English, which didn't do him any favors and could be the reason why he continues to be overlooked on the SmackDown brand.
17 Fantastic Debut: Nia Jax
Whilst many of these entries look at their debuts on the main roster, Nia Jax had so much hype surrounding her debut in NXT and impressively the NXT brand was able to keep Jax looking like a monster for most of her time there.
The main roster is the place where Jax has completely flopped. This is understandable since it must be hard to build a monster when someone like Ronda Rousey is dominating the Women's Division. Sadly it's Jax that's come off much worse in this scenario since she's been unable to find her feet on the main roster over the past few years.
16 Flopped: Neville
Neville was seen as the future of the company when he was in NXT and is a former NXT Champion but all Vince McMahon cared about when he came to the main roster was exploiting the fact that he was from the UK.
Neville was then pushed off the main roster and into 205 Live, a place that he didn't enjoy and this then forced him to walk out of the company.
It is unknown as to whether or not Neville will return, but since he had so much potential in NXT and all he has to show for his main roster career is two Cruiserweight Championships reigns, it's easy to see why he doesn't want to return.
15 Fantastic Debut: Shinsuke Nakamura
The King of Strong Style was one of the biggest acquisitions WWE ever made and his time in NXT was definitely something that lived up to the hype, but like many other stars on this list, his downfall began when he came to the main roster.
Somehow over the past year, WWE has been able to hamer the career of The Artist but having him lose four matches against AJ Styles when he could have easily become WWE Champion. Nakamura is currently the United States Champion, but he is no longer seen as the same star that he was when he was in NXT, which is a shame.
14 Flopped: Asuka
Asuka was undefeated until WrestleMania this year, she had some of the best women's matches in WWE history during her time in NXT and her debut on the main roster saw her defeat Emma at TLC last year in what was one of the best matches of Emma's career.
Somehow, Asuka has gone from not losing a match in her career to losing back to back matches to SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella and hasn't even been given a match at SummerSlam this year, despite rumors that she would be added to the Women's title match. Asuka has fallen quite far ever since she moved over to SmackDown Live.
13 Fantastic Debut: Bayley
Remember the hype that surrounded Bayley when she was chosen as Sasha Banks partner at Battleground a few years ago?
It didn't take long for the creative team ruin the former Women's Champion since many fans were calling for Bayley to turn heel a few months ago just to inject some entertainment into her feud with Sasha Banks.
The main roster hasn't treated Bayley very well over the past few years and it's unknown if this tag team storyline with Banks will be able to save her or if a heel turn is necessary in order for her character to save face.
12 Flopped: Big Cass
Big Cass only managed to make a name for himself in NXT because he was alongside Enzo Amore. It was a team that saw Amore get them into fights with his big mouth and Cass then fix them since he was the much bigger man, but this didn't work on the main roster.
All of Cass' flaws were magnified when the duo split and he was then unable to show any kind of character when he was given the mic or the spotlight. It didn't come as much of a surprise to many members of the WWE Universe when he was released a few months ago since his struggles behind the scenes had been well documented.
11 Fantastic Debut: Bobby Roode
The Glorious Bobby Roode was coming over to WWE off the back of a fantastic career in TNA, which meant that he already had a built-in fanbase, so how could WWE fail? After winning the NXT Championship, Roode was moved up to the main roster he defeated Aiden English in his first match followed by a win over Mike Kanellis before he then stepped into a feud with Dolph Ziggler.
Somehow "The Glorious" facade has already run thin after just a year and Roode now finds himself in a feud with fellow struggler Mojo Rawley and without a match at this year's SummerSlam.
10 Flopped: The Revival
The Revival were one of the best tag teams in NXT and proved this by having show-stealing matches against the likes of Authors of Pain and #DIY during their time down there.
They made their debut following WrestleMania last year to answer The New Day's open challenge, a match that they managed to win before entering a feud with the trio.
While The Revival have picked themselves up in recent months and are now part of the Raw Tag Team Championship match at SummerSlam, it's hard to overlook the fact that WWE has used to the two stars has jobbers over the past year.
9 Fantastic Debut: Tyler Breeze
Tyler Breeze was someone who remained in NXT for much longer than any other star because it was thought that the creative team was looking for the best possible place for him to make his debut. Breeze made his debut against Dolph Ziggler and then entered a feud with The Showoff which wasn't something that allowed Breeze to play to his strengths.
Tyler Breeze was once one of the most popular stars in NXT and he has definitely been wasted on the main roster over the past few years, which could be why he has recently been seen returning to NXT for live shows.
8 Flopped: Mike Kanellis
Mike Kanellis and his wife Maria made their way to WWE at Money in the Bank back in 2017 and even though it was a shock to see the duo as part of the show without any build up, it wasn't much of an arrival for a couple that was supposed to be SmackDown's answer to Miz and Maryse.
Mike later fell out of favor with WWE and has since been pushed onto main event while his wife has been on maternity leave. Kanellis has definitely proved that he is dedicated to the cause with his recent transformation, but WWE hasn't yet decided to give him another push on the main roster.
7 Fantastic Debut: Dana Brooke
The hype surrounding Dana Brooke's NXT debut definitely put the NXT Women's Division on notice when Brooke made her way to the main roster and made her main roster debut dressed as Ric Flair to help Charlotte to defeat Natalya. It was one of WWE's best moves for her character.
Recently, Dana has been stating that all she wants to do is wrestle on social media, but the former bodybuilder has been relegated to a cheerleader for Titus Worldwide, which is a waste of her talent.
Hopefully, Brooke will be able to show off some of her skills as part of Evolution in October.
6 Flopped: Ryback
Ryback technically made his debut as part of The Nexus when the team was taking over WWE before they were grounded by John Cena. Sadly, when Ryback's career is put into a nutshell, he was only able to list one Championship in his six-year career, was unable to flourish under the leadership of Paul Heyman and was part of a bullying storyline at a time when WWE was promoting their "Be A Star" campaign. It comes as no surprise that Ryback walked out after issues with the company back in 2016.
Ryback wasn't a good fit for WWE. Hopefully, "The Big Guy" is having better luck on the independent circuit.
5 Fantastic Debut: Rusev
Rusev made his official WWE debut at The Royal Rumble back in 2014, but didn't make his way to the main shows until the night after WrestleMania where he was able to prove that he was The Brute by dominating Zack Ryder and a number of other stars before he was stopped in his tracks by John Cena.
Rusev has had a declining few years ever since Lana left his side and opted to pursue her own wrestling career.
Rusev went more than a year without a pay-per-view win and was forced to team with Aiden English to remain relevant.
4 Flopped: Austin Aries
Austin Aries was another star who came over from TNA and should have already had a built-in fanbase. His time on NXT was cut short by an orbital socket injury, but he was able to fill in on commentary whilst he recovered before then making his main roster debut as part of 205 Live in a match against Tony Nese.
It was later revealed that Aries would be exclusively working on 205 Live, something that he had a huge problem with, which could be why he opted to leave the company following WrestleMania last year. Looking back, Aries entire run in WWE is easily seen as forgettable.
3 Fantastic Debut: Santino Marella
One star that many of the WWE Universe will remember is Santino Marella, who became known as The Milan Miracle after he was chosen out of the audience to face Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship, a title that he actually won thanks to interference from Bobby Lashley.
Santino's career didn't follow this blueprint since he went on to become a comedy character and was even forced to dress up as a woman just so that he could win the women's battle royal at WrestleMania XXV. The former star currently runs his own training school, something that he has promoted ever since his retirement from the business.
2 Flopped: Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore was once a popular star, even though he was somewhat controversial. Whilst he was part of a team with Big Cass, he was able to be the voice of the operation and the duo made their official main roster debut in a match against The Ascension to determine the number one contenders for the Tag Team Championships.
After Enzo and Cass split, the Smacktalker was able to move over to 205 Live and become the Cruiserweight Champion, but he wasn't able to give the division the boost it needed.
He's better known for what led to his WWE release and his backstage attitude than anything he may have accomplished in the ring.
1 Fantastic Debut: Adam Rose
There was once a time when Adam Rose was known as the leader of the Exotic Express and would come to the ring followed by his own entourage. Rose was a huge hit in NXT and the build-up to his debut on the main roster billed him as a huge star but his character became really old, really fast and he was then forced to change.
Rose made his debut following WrestleMania 30 and went on to defeat Damien Sandow in his first WWE match, but sadly a year later his partying gimmick was officially over and WWE found it hard to find a new character for him and he was then released in 2016.