Every year the WWE gives a whole new group of wrestlers their first chance at appearing in front of the WWE Universe. The rotation of wrestlers is a part of the natural circulation of the roster that also includes wrestlers getting released. This process allows for new characters to come in to ideally replace older wrestlers whose characters may have gotten stale.
While the fact that wrestlers must leave WWE is sad, the chance for a new wrestler to get their chance and hopefully connect with fans is a great opportunity. While it is not always easy to see who the biggest star and face of the company from their debut will be, some years have seen the debut of multiple future World Champions and great wrestlers.
10 2017
2017 was certainly an interesting year for debuts, as Asuka and Samoa Joe made their main roster debuts after dominating in NXT. While Joe would struggle to gain momentum due to booking issues and injury problems, Asuka would rise up the card, continuing her undefeated streak from NXT into the main roster, but would lose her first match to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. Shinsuke Nakamura also made his WWE debut in 2017 on an episode of SmackDown.
The year also saw the debut of women's factions Absolution and the Riott Squad with Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose making their main roster debuts after being called up together from NXT. The Raw men's tag team division also got stronger with The Revival making an impact, taking out The New Day on the Raw after WrestleMania.
9 2018
2018 saw many memorable debuts made in WWE. Andrade would make his first main roster appearance at the Royal Rumble before being drafted to SmackDown later the same year. Andrade was joined on the main roster by Ember Moon on the Raw after WrestleMania to team with Nia Jax against Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. The Authors of Pain also arrived on the main roster after their successful run in NXT. The year also saw the Iiconics arrive on SmackDown after WrestleMania, attacking Charlotte Flair and leading to Carmella cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase.
The biggest debut of the year though belonged to Ronda Rousey. Rousey made her official WWE debut at the Royal Rumble, interrupting Asuka's Royal Rumble celebrations to staredown Asuka and Alexa Bliss. Rousey would go on to hold the Raw Women's title by the end of her first year in the WWE before leaving the promotion following WrestleMania 35.
8 2016
In 2016, AJ Styles made his WWE debut after receiving his first trial matches 14 years earlier when he faced off against The Hurricane. Styles made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble to a massive ovation as the third entrant into the match. Styles would cap off his rookie year in WWE by defeating Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship at Backlash. AJ Styles was shortly followed into WWE by his Bullet Club cohorts Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
2016 was also the year that NXT stars Finn Balor and Bayley all made their main roster debuts. The tag team division was also boosted by the debuts of American Alpha and Enzo & Big Cass. All in all, that is a handy collection of wrestlers who all made their main roster debuts in 2016.
7 2001
In 2001, WWE saw an influx of wrestlers from WCW and ECW after the end of the Monday Night Wars. In March 2001, Vince McMahon announced in a simultaneous broadcast on Monday Night Raw and Nitro that the WWE had purchased its largest opposition. While WWE kept WCW alive inside of WWE to create a storyline of invasion, the result of the deal saw a massive influx of talent as WWE had acquired many wrestlers as a part of the purchase.
While some of WCW's biggest stars, including Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Sting, Ric Flair, and Scott Hall had contracts with Time Warner, which were not a part of WWE's purchase. While not all of these wrestlers worked out in WWE, wrestlers like Booker T and Rob Van Dam would all become major stars in WWE after making their debuts in 2001 as a part of the Alliance.
6 2000
Just before the implosion of ECW and WCW, the WWE had a bumper year for debuts in 2000. While the WWE would eventually purchase WCW and ECW the following year, the company had already introduced several stars from the two promotions in 2000. ECW champion Tazz would make his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, facing off against Kurt Angle in his hometown of New York. Tazz would win the match after Angle passed out in the Tazzmission, ending Angle's singles winning streak.
2000 also saw the debut of The Radicalz in WWE after the group appeared in the front row of an episode of Raw. Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn would interrupt a tag team match between The New Age Outlaws and Al Snow & Steve Blackman. Guerrero and Benoit would eventually go on to hold World Championships in WWE, with both of them celebrating their title wins at the end of WrestleMania 20.
5 2006
While there were a few talented wrestlers who made their WWE debut in 2006, no name stands out more than CM Punk did. CM Punk would be a part of the revived ECW brand, this time run under the WWE flagship.
While the newly resurrected program failed to recapture the passion and support the original ECW had, it still managed to launch the WWE careers of wrestlers like CM Punk, Kelly Kelly, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, and Zack Ryder. The year also saw the debut of The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, albeit as a part of the Spirit Squad.
4 1995
While 1995 is overshadowed by some of the debuts made later in the decade, the year still saw the likes of former WCW undercard wrestlers, like Steve Austin and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, make their first steps in the WWE.
1995 also marked the arrivals of Goldust and Ahmed Johnson, the two of whom would feud over the Intercontinental Championship, which Johnson would win off Goldust at the 1996 King of the Ring pay-per-view. Kane would make his debut in 1996, albeit as Jerry Lawler's evil dentist Isaac Yankem DDS, as Yankem, Kane would be involved in Lawler's feud with Bret Hart.
3 2002
The Ohio Valley Wrestling Class of 2001, who would ultimately make their WWE debuts in 2002, is considered one of the best classes in WWE developmental history. The group includes mid-card wrestlers like Shelton Benjamin and Rico Constantino, as well as four Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. The class, which has been spoken of multiple times, included Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Batista.
Each of these four wrestlers has gone on to hold multiple WWE World Champions. While John Cena is currently tied with Ric Flair on 16-World Title reigns, fellow 2001 Ohio Valley Wrestling Alum Randy Orton is a 14-time World Champion in WWE. However, there are still two classes that are arguably better than this legendary class.
2 1999
The last year of the 90s was a stellar year for incoming talent to the WWE. The company had surged ahead of WCW, which had taken the lead in the rating war after the debut of the New World Order. WWE began to attract a lot of WCW's younger talent who found themselves pushed down the card by the arrival of veteran WWE talent in Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. This tactic of signing WCW's promising younger talent already paid off for WWE, as they had signed away former WCW wrestlers including Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and Triple H earlier in the decade.
1999 saw the likes of Chris Jericho and The Big Show make their WWE debuts. While the Big Show experienced success in WCW working against Hulk Hogan and alongside the NWO, Chris Jericho arrived in WWE underutilized by WCW. Jericho made an almost immediate impact in WWE, cutting his first-ever WWE promo against The Rock. 1999 also saw the debut of Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle in the WWE at Survivor Series where he easily defeated Shawn Stasiak.
1 1996
In 1996 the WWE unearthed some of the best and most popular talents in the company's history. Not only did the WWE introduce The Rock at Survivor Series, albeit as Rocky Maivia, but the company also introduced Mankind to a WWE audience. While Mick Foley had previously wrestled in WCW and ECW, the hardcore icon had not made a single appearance in WWE until that point. Foley would later introduce WWE audiences to Cactus Jack, the gimmick he used in WCW and ECW, as well as create a third gimmick Dude Love.
While Mick Foley was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 by Terry Funk, The Rock is sure to be inducted whenever the WWE chooses to do so. However, the two wrestler's legacies are redoubtable as they were two of the biggest stars during the Attitude Era, even if both of them had gimmick missteps along the way. The year also saw Steve Austin shed the Ringmaster gimmick and become Stone Cold Steve Austin.