7 times WWE Superstars stole the show on their debut

There have been several iconic WWE debuts over the years, but only a few stand out. Debuts in WWE are important because it's a Superstar's chance to make a lasting impression.

While many greats haven't had such iconic debuts, here are seven instances in WWE where a debutant stole the show, whether it was in a match or segment:

#7. AJ Styles - made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2016

We'll start off with perhaps the most iconic WWE debut of the 2010s. We're sure that someday, it will be considered as one of the greatest debuts in WWE history, and it's not hard to see why.

AJ Styles had spent years in TNA (now IMPACT Wrestling), establishing himself as one of the world's best in-ring talents. While his 12-year run in TNA helped a smaller audience realize that, it was only when he went to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2014 that he established himself as a global superstar.

Competing against the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and Shinsuke Nakamura, among others, helped put him on the map while NJPW was undergoing a surge in global popularity.

In 2016, WWE approached AJ Styles again, and the timing couldn't have been better. There was a lot of buzz around the rumored signings of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson, but it was Styles and Nakamura's signing that sent the WWE Universe buzzing.

At the 2016 Royal Rumble, AJ Styles made his debut at number three - with Roman Reigns being the first WWE Superstar he confronted. Styles admitted that he was afraid the WWE Universe wouldn't recognize him. Once the words "I am Phenomenal" popped up on the titantron, the WWE Universe erupted in joy, putting any fears he had to rest.

The debut was made even sweeter in hindsight by the fact that AJ Styles went on to have a WWE career that exceeded everyone's expectations - including his own.