Carlito and 3 other WWE Superstars who won titles on their debut
It's common for even the most gifted WWE Superstars to hustle for months before capturing their first championships. However, some stars have been fortunate enough to get gold around their waists on their debut.
On the October 25, 2024, edition of SmackDown, The Motor City Machine Guns left the fans awe-struck by becoming the WWE Tag Team Champions in just their second appearance for the company. So, it's easy to imagine the scale of the impact created by wrestlers who won titles even earlier than that.
But who are these superstars who had the company's trust from the moment they arrived on the main roster? Here are four of them.
#4. Gail Kim (WWE Women's Championship)
There's no denying that Gail Kim's TNA/IMPACT Wrestling stints predominantly define her wrestling legacy. That might not have been the case if WWE had a thorough plan to follow up on her incredible debut.
After numerous vignettes, The Empress of the Knockouts arrived on RAW on June 30, 2003. In her first match, she outlasted six competitive women to claim the WWE Women's Championship. Her star-making debut indicated that she was poised to be a cornerstone of the women's division.
It's fair to state that both of her WWE runs left a lot to be desired, and that became even more evident given the heights Kim achieved in TNA. Despite the setbacks, her name is etched in WWE history for being among the few stars to win gold on their debut.
#3. Carlito (United States Championship)
Today, Carlito happens to be a comedy star on RAW who has a comfortable spot on the roster as a lower midcard talent. But 20 years ago, he was a big problem for the top babyfaces on SmackDown.
On his first night as a main roster star, The Bad Apple won the US Championship by defeating John Cena. Granted, the match finish wasn't clean, but how often do sleazy heels let morality get in their way? Carlito was no different.
Over the following years, fans found out that Carlito's surprise victory over The Cenation Leader wasn't just a fluke on the creative team's part. He continued to remain an integral part of the midcard and tag-team divisions up until he betrayed his brother/tag-team partner, Primo, in the summer of 2009.
#2. Santino Marella (Intercontinental Championship)
Fans might remember Santino Marella's WWE run only for its comedic elements. But he accomplished a historic feat that not even the likes of The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and several other all-time greats could manage.
The aforementioned feat saw him becoming the Intercontinental Champion on his main-roster debut on the April 16, 2007, episode of RAW. The segment featured Marella, portraying a fan in the crowd, being chosen to square off against the late Umaga, who was the defending champion at the time.
The tale of the tape definitely didn't do Marella any favors against his ferocious first opponent. Despite the odds being stacked against him, The Milan Miracle emerged victorious in this lopsided bout, thanks to a timely interference by Bobby Lashley.
#1. Paige (Divas Championship)
While the women's revolution in WWE didn't properly begin until the summer of 2015, fans had already started noticing promising developments in the years leading up to that.
One such development occurred on the RAW after WrestleMania XXX, when then-Divas Champion AJ Lee was confronted by the debuting Paige. While Paige had been putting in tremendous work in NXT prior to her main-roster arrival, a major chunk of the casual audience wasn't familiar with her work.
But it only took the Anti-Diva a few minutes to make a lasting statement. In a surprising turn of events, Paige defeated AJ Lee and became the Divas Champion. Thus, a star was born that day who made the path to the top easier to navigate for all-time greats such as Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch.