5 WWE superstars who won a championship in their first match
WWE debuts are always interesting. On their main roster debuts, superstars receive a chance to show off their skills and either win a match or lose to an established star of the brand after a tough fight.
There are exceptions to the role, such as the unfortunate Karrion Kross, but the company has mostly followed the rule for debuting talents.
In the world of professional wrestling, or Vince McMahon's world of sports entertainment, championship victories are as predetermined as the matches, but they are still valuable. When WWE lets a superstar win a primary or secondary championship, it means the management trusts the wrestler and views them as a future star for the company.
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Few WWE superstars have been able to win a championship in their main roster debut. Some of them have went on to become integral stars on the company's roster and some have failed to achieve desired success. Here is a list of 5 WWE Superstarswho tasted championship success on day one.
#5 Santino Marella (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
April 16th 2007, RAW.9 years ago Santino Marella defeated Umaga on his #WWE Debut to win the IC Title. @milanmiracle https://t.co/XeB2M7VemY
Santino Marella's WWE debut was one of the more bizarre ones in the promotion's history. Marella was selected from the audience to face Umaga, the Intercontinental Champion. Due to interference from Bobby Lashley, the main roster rookie went on to win the championship.
Marella didn't succeed as a serious threat, but when WWE turned him into a comedic character, he proved to be consistently entertaining. With his surprisingly protected Cobra finisher, Marella went on to become one of the best comedic wrestlers of recent times before retiring due to injury.
Marella also appeared as his "twin sister" Santina at times, infamous for winning a women's battle royal Wrestlemania. The character was unanimously criticized, and most recently appeared in the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble where the character was intimidated by the Divas of Doom, leading her to eliminate herself with the Cobra.