WWE Stars Who Made Their In-Ring Debut In A Championship Match

WWE

On the August 18 NXT episode, Robert Stone confirmed that Zilla Fatu will challenge for Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Championship in a four-way bout also featuring Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller at Heatwave.

This means that on August 30, Zilla Fatu will join the short list of stars who challenged for WWE gold in their first matches for the company.

While this is a feat famously achieved by a number of WWE alumni, there are only a few stars in the company currently who can say that they stepped up to a champion before competing in any other WWE bout, televised or otherwise.

Here are the WWE stars who challenged for a championship in their debuts for the company.

Zilla Fatu

Following the likes of Paul Heyman publicly pushing for WWE to sign Zilla Fatu, the Anoa’i family member attacked Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller in their NXT Championship #1 contender’s match on the August 11 episode.

With Tony D’Angelo set to defend his gold against all three prospects on August 30, it really does feel like a situation where any one of them could walk out with the championship.

Zilla Fatu could make history and win NXT’s top prize, having not wrestled a single other match for the promotion.

With their also being speculation about Zilla potentially being brought up to Raw to join the Bloodline storyline, we will surely get more answers on what’s next for him at the upcoming NXT PLE.

Carmelo Hayes

While Carmelo Hayes was one of the top stars of the 2.0 era of NXT, he actually made his debut for the developmental division right before it moved away from its Black & Gold branding.

Hayes’ WWE in-ring debut saw him answer KUSHIDA’s open challenge to challenge for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship on the June 1, 2021 show.

While he wouldn’t be victorious here, Hayes would ultimately become the final NXT Cruiserweight Champion, with the then-North American Champion winning the cruiserweight gold from Roderick Strong in a title unification match in January 2022.

Carmelo Hayes’ most recent title reign saw him hold the US Championship for 90 recognised days on SmackDown between December 2025 and March 2026.

Trick Williams

After signing with WWE in February 2021, Trick Williams formed an on-screen partnership with Carmelo Hayes that September.

This led to Williams wrestling his first-ever match on the October 5, 2021 NXT episode, with the Trick Melo Gang competing in a four-way elimination match for MSK’s NXT Tag Team Championship, alongside Brooks & Jensen and Grizzled Young Veterans.

This was the first of many title matches Williams had on the NXT roster, with the current SmackDown star previously holding the NXT, North American, and TNA World titles while part of the developmental brand.

Only recently losing the US Championship on the main roster, it appears that there will be plenty more championship matches in Trick Williams’ future.

Ethan Page

Following Zilla Fatu’s addition to the NXT Championship match at Heatwave 2026, GM Robert Stone questioned whether Zilla would be the first star in WWE history to challenge for a top title in their debut match.

The NXT General Manager would be incorrect, with Ethan Page challenging for the same title back in June 2024.

Page challenged for Trick Williams’ NXT Championship at Battleground 2024, ultimately coming up short in his first WWE in-ring outing.

While All Ego didn’t walk away with the gold, he did provide fans with a glimpse at what was to come, with Ethan Page winning that title that July, and going on to flourish on Monday Night Raw.

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• Zilla Fatu
• wwe
• champion
• Debut

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