Let's quickly get started in counting down the ten wrestlers who had the best rookie year in WWE.
Chris Jericho
The future Hall of Famer came into WWE with tons of buzz after making a name for himself in WCW. Now it’s well-documented that Vince McMahon likes big sweaty men, but Jericho's debut indicated that WWE had huge plans for him. Like many guys on this list, Jericho had the gift of gab. It helps that he can go between the ropes as well. It didn't take long for him to connect with fans, even though he was playing a smarmy heel.
Jericho won the Intercontinental Championship from Chyna within five months of his debut. He got into a wildly entertaining feud with Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit that ended in a great match at WrestleMania 2000. Fun fact: Jericho was originally supposed to be in the fatal 4-way main event, but he was ultimately replaced by Mick Foley because officials didn’t feel that he was ready for that spot. Given how panned the 4-way match was, it benefited Jericho because of the praise his match with Benoit and Angle received.
After he dropped the IC title to Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho got a shocking win over Triple H for the WWE title. The decision was reversed a week later, but that temporary win meant that Jericho was finally moving up into the main event scene. He would eventually go on to beat Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in a single night to become the Undisputed WWE Champion a year later. Chris Jericho captured the attention of WWE fans immediately, so his quick placement in the upper card was warranted.
Brock Lesnar
When Brock Lesnar made his debut on March 18, 2002, I don’t think anyone knew just how special the former WWE Champion would be. Like I said before, Vince McMahon loves big sweaty men, so it’s not a surprise that Lesnar got such a huge push so fast. But Brock stood out from your stereotypical big man because he simply had the “it” factor.
Lesnar wasn’t good on the mic, but the company was wise to give him Paul Heyman as his manager. Together, these two brought a new spark to the upper card that was desperately needed. By the time he won the WWE Championship at Summerslam, it felt like the right move, despite Lesnar only being on the roster for six months.
However, his feud with The Undertaker took him to the next level. Lesnar showed during their infamous Hell in a Cell match just how diverse of a performer he truly is, and he won over the fans that were still skeptical about “The Beast Incarnate”.
With Lesnar’s weak mic skills, turning him face could’ve been a disaster, but Lesnar had charisma and personality, which helped get him over with fans. It was exciting to see him win The Royal Rumble, and his match against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19 remains one of the best WrestleMania main events of all time.
Lesnar's first full year in WWE was nearly perfect. Though the decision to turn him babyface was rushed, the former WWE Champion turned out to be a solid babyface that the fans could rally behind. No other big man has been able to replicate the success that Brock Lesnar achieved in his first year. Part of it was booking. The other part is that Brock Lesnar is one of a kind.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey didn’t leave WWE on good terms. Her match against Shayna Baszler is put on plenty of “worst of” lists. Though Rousey’s second run was forgettable at best, you can’t deny just how great her first run was.
Her tag team match with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon was the best match of the night at WrestleMania 34. Rousey looked like a pro when she stepped into the ring, though it helped that she was surrounded by veterans. Ronda came across as a star that night, and that star power continued until Survivor Series.
There were a couple of mistakes that WWE made during Ronda’s first run. They over-pushed her character to the point where her domination became boring. Plus, her being featured every week made her matches feel less and less special each time.
While Ronda wasn’t setting the world on fire with her promos, her matches continued to be entertaining. Ronda was also a big reason that WWE even attempted an all-female-led pay-per-view. Well, that and to combat the criticism of their Saudi Arabia show.
Ronda helped WWE in so many ways. They gave the women’s division a bigger spotlight and we got a WrestleMania main event featuring three of the best women in the company. Her debut wasn’t on the level of Brock Lesnar or Kurt Angle, but if Ronda ended her career after WrestleMania 35 then her WWE stint would’ve been seen as a success.
AJ Styles
Who would’ve thought that Vince would treat a homegrown TNA star so well?
It was a genuine shock when AJ Styles made his WWE debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble. While there was excitement over “The Phenomenal One” finally stepping into a WWE ring, there was also concern over the way Vince may treat the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
But those concerns disappeared slowly when AJ got a spot on the WrestleMania card against Chris Jericho. Their match was solid, but that was just the beginning of an incredible run. His match against Roman Reigns the following month was excellent.
However, it was his feud with John Cena that elevated him into a main-event star. AJ Styles has always been an excellent worker, but he wasn’t particularly known for his great mic skills. He got better once he left TNA in 2014, but Styles stepped up in a major way during his feud with John Cena.
Having two fantastic matches against the future Hall of Famer was the cherry on top of this memorable feud. Styles beat Dean Ambrose the following month and became the WWE Champion.
There’s no question that AJ Styles has been the most successful TNA star who made the transition over to WWE. Hell, it can be argued that AJ Styles had the best rookie year of the PG era. Styles was always seen as something special during his TNA and independent days, but excelling in WWE solidified to fans that he’s one of the best athletes of this generation.
Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is not the type of guy you would expect Vince McMahon to push. But the former WWE Universal Champion’s gift of gab has pushed him beyond what people expected him to be in WWE. Owens immediately opened eyes when he made his debut in NXT. That heel turn on Sami Zayn was truly shocking, and it was a perfect introduction to who he was as a character.
Owens didn’t have any fancy or outlandish gimmicks. He was the prizefighter. A man who’s willing to do anything to feed his family. His character was simple and relatable, yet his antics kept him firmly as a heel. Owens thrived in NXT in his first year. He was perfect as the top champion, but for anyone who watched Ring of Honor, it wasn’t surprising that the former Kevin Steen was proving his worth down in the development system.
The real question was: Would Kevin Owens make it on the main roster? That was quickly answered when he made an unforgettable debut on RAW by attacking John Cena.
Owens just clicked in both NXT and the main roster. It helped that he was booked so strongly in both. His rookie year on RAW saw him pull out match-of-the-year classics against John Cena, and even though he didn’t win, that feud instantly elevated his stock as a performer. He also had a couple of bangers against Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler.
Owens didn’t win the top belt like Brock Lesnar or AJ Styles within his first year, but that isn’t what makes a run incredible. Owens stood out because he was treated like a star. His matches were always good and his character work made him such a noteworthy addition to the roster. His first year runs in NXT and RAW remain unmatched, with AJ Styles being the only one who could challenge Owens as the best rookie year in the PG era.
The Shield
This is somewhat cheating, but it’s hard to not recognize that the Shield had a remarkable first year. It wasn’t just the fact that these three had a six-month undefeated streak, it was also the impact that Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns injected into the promotion.
Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns were all different personality-wise, but these three complimented each other so well both inside and outside the ring. Their promo style highlighted their distinct voice, but their matches are what people remember most about the Shield.
Their debut match against Team Hell No and Ryback stole the show, and no matter the combination of wrestlers that fought The Shield, their energetic and chaotic style was thrilling from beginning to end.
Did the Shield have a compelling story? Not really. It seemed as if WWE didn’t particularly know what to do with them for a certain period. However, pairing up Rollins and Reigns helped boost the tag team division and gave the group more depth.
Though I can’t deny that Dean Ambrose’s U.S. title run was pointless and one of the worst runs in company history. That has nothing to do with the man himself as the company never gave his reign the focus it deserved.
Nevertheless, The Shield ended up producing three big stars. WWE was in its terrible booking phase, but they managed to get it right with these three. They knew how to spotlight these men as characters and the booking hid their weaknesses. WWE had plenty of failures during this period, but The Shield remains one of the best things about the promotion to this very day.
Shinsuke Nakamura
This is probably the most surprising name on the list, but Shinsuke Nakamura had a great first year in both NXT and WWE. The former IWGP Intercontinental Champion came in hot and had the best match of their WWE career against Sami Zayn.
It only took him three months to win the NXT Championship. There was some concern that the guy who gained hype during his time in New Japan and Ring of Honor would be severely hampered by the WWE system, but Nakamura was firing on all cylinders. His English promos weren’t all that cracked up to be, but you can’t particularly blame Nakamura for that as he was still developing in that department.
Besides, what got Nakamura over was his mountains of charisma and personality. It also helped that he could go between the ropes. Nakamura won the NXT Championship two times during his first year in NXT. It somewhat got better when he transitioned to the main roster.
Now Nakamura didn’t have a match like Sami Zayn during his first year. In fact, plenty of people will point to his disappointing WrestleMania match against AJ Styles as a negative. But Vince did a solid job of trying to put over the former NXT Champion. His feud with Jinder Mahal was a bust, but Nakamura cleanly beat Randy Orton and John Cena along the way in great matches.
Shinsuke became the first Japanese-born wrestler to win the Royal Rumble. And even though his match with AJ was average at best, his heel turn did wonders for his character and career. It’s a shame that the company never capitalized off that momentum because there was a point where Nakamura could’ve been a fun WWE Champion.
Ric Flair
Ric Flair is known for his legendary career in WCW and the Four Horsemen, so when he signed with WWE in 1991 then it was no surprise that he got a prominent spot. The WWE Hall of Famer wasn’t immediately rushed into the main event, but his surprising Royal Rumble win in 1992 propelled him to the top position.
That match was for the WWE Championship, and Flair seized that opportunity greatly. Flair’s title reign didn’t last long, but he had fun matches with Roddy Piper and his bout against Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII helped solidify just how great “The Nature Boy” really is. Flair's first official run didn’t last long as he eventually went back to WCW, but it was great to see him stand toe-to-toe with some of the biggest icons in the business.
Kurt Angle
You can’t have this list without Kurt “Freakin” Angle on it! The Olympic Gold Medalist had an interesting start in the business. He came into WWE and got your standard push for several weeks.
Then, Kurt had his first loss to Taz at the Royal Rumble. There was concern that Angle was slipping down the card after being fed to the former ECW World Champion, but just like it took Stone Cold, The Rock, and Triple H some time to develop their characters, Angle didn’t find his footing until after his loss to Taz.
He won both the Intercontinental and European titles afterward, though he dropped it quickly to Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. That short feud was fun as it helped Angle grow both inside and outside of the ring. Then it was his breakout feud with Triple H.
Kurt won the 2000 King of the Ring. Despite getting into the business rather quickly, Angle stepped up to the plate and held his own with the veteran. The Kurt/Triple H rivalry was wildly entertaining, and though the WWE Hall of Famer didn’t win the belt at Summerslam, it only raised his stock further.
So when Kurt Angle beat The Rock for the WWE Championship at No Mercy two months later, it felt earned because Creative did an excellent job of building Kurt Angle as a main event star. Angle had it all; he can be taken seriously as a main eventer, but never felt out of place in comic segments. WWE found themselves a rare gem that has yet to be duplicated.
Charlotte Flair
To be fair, Charlotte Flair had the advantage of being a second-generation star. But so did The Rock, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Curtis Axel, and Ted DiBiase Jr. The point is that a multi-generation star is always going to have a leg up in the wrestling business. But just because they have an advantage, doesn’t mean that fans will instantly gravitate towards these generational talents.
But Charlotte Flair had the advantage of standing out in the women’s division that was slowly building its name thanks to Triple H's NXT. Flair learned the craft pretty quickly and had a standout match against Natalya at NXT TakeOver. She had a great feud with Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Paige, and got some solid matches out of lesser names such as Summer Rae.
Now when Flair made the transition over to the main roster, she struggled a bit due to the forced revolution angle that saw her pairing with Becky Lynch and Paige. She had some really good matches on the main roster, especially with Paige, but the second-generation star wasn’t clicking as a babyface.
Wisely, WWE turned her heel against Becky Lynch, and Flair started connecting as a character on the main roster. Their triple-threat match is one of the best three-way matches to take place at WrestleMania.
Flair was thrown into the business without a life jacket and got a handle on professional wrestling both in and outside the ring. That’s not an easy thing to do, yet the second-generation star did it effortlessly.