What These 10 WWE NXT Wrestlers Looked Like When They First Started Wrestling

When WWE transformed NXT from a weekly reality television series into its official developmental territory and a third brand apart from Raw and SmackDown, the company planned to scout young wrestlers from the independent circuit and also develop some homegrown talent.

With Triple H at the helm, the black and gold brand accomplished its objective to perfection and produced better wrestling content compared to the main shows. Over the years, a plethora of talented wrestlers joined the NXT roster and used the system along with the Performance Center to train themselves before breaking out into the main roster.

Likewise, the current NXT roster has the perfect mixture of talent from all over the globe, each wrestler with their own unique journey in the wrestling business. With that said, let's take a trip down memory lane and look at what these 10 NXT competitors looked like when they first started wrestling.

10 Meiko Satomura

Current NXT superstar Meiko Satomura was already a legendary wrestler with over two decades of experience in the business when she made her WWE debut in 2018.

She first broke out into the business in 1995 and competed for Japanese promotions like Gaea Japan and Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling. She also competed in WCW between 1996 and 1997 and is one of the few active wrestlers from WCW who are still competing.

She made her WWE debut in 2018 as a contestant in the Mae Young Classic and signed an official contract with the company in 2020. She competed for the NXT UK brand and is the current NXT UK Women's Champion.

9 Zoey Stark

Former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion Zoey Stark's beginning in the pro wrestling business dates back to 2012. She made her in-ring debut for Vendetta Pro Wrestling under the name Lacey Ryan and continued to perform in the US independent circuit.

She has also competed in three matches for Impact Wrestling, including a Knockouts title bout against Jordynne Grace in February 2020. She signed a contract with WWE in January 2021 and made her debut as Zoey Stark for NXT the following month.

She has been an active performer for the developmental brand and has also had one run with the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship by teaming with Iyo Sky.

8 Mandy Rose

The current reigning NXT Women's Champion, Mandy Rose, found her big break in WWE after getting assigned to NXT in 2021. She currently leads a heel faction, which also features Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. Rose is making quite the strides after having to endure a mixed stint on the main roster.

Her beginnings as a pro wrestler date back to 2015 when she competed in the sixth season of Tough Enough, in which she finished as the runner-up.

Following that, she signed a five-year developmental contract with WWE and honed her craft over the years to reach the position she's in today.

7 Cameron Grimes

Cameron Grimes started his pro wrestling career in 2009 under the name Trevor Lee. He competed extensively for Caroline Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic before appearing for other promotions in the independent circuit.

He has also competed for notable promotions like Impact Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and Omega. During this time, he went on to become a PWG Tag Team Champion, an Omega Heavyweight Champion, a CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, and a three-time Impact X-Division Champion before he found his way to WWE in 2019.

During his time in NXT, he was part of a storyline with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, leading him to hold the Million Dollar Championship, becoming the final holder of the title before it was once again deactivated. He then went on to capture the NXT North American Championship.

6 Blair Davenport

Blair Davenport is a well-known name among pro wrestling fans owing to her time as Bea Priestley in the independent circuit and All Elite Wrestling. She began her career in 2012 and performed under the name Amy St. Clere during her early days as a wrestler.

As the years progressed, she started competing for notable promotions like World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she captured several championships. She also competed for AEW in 2019 and continued to perform for Stardom before signing with WWE in 2021.

She competed in NXT UK before making her debut for NXT in August 2022. She competed in a triple threat match at the Worlds Collide event against Meiko Satomura and Mandy Rose in a championship unification match.

5 Alba Fyre

Current NXT superstar Alba Fyre was already an experienced star in the pro wrestling business before she made her WWE debut in 2015. She made her in-ring debut under the name Kay Lee Ray in 2009 and competed across various promotions, including Insane Championship Wrestling, Ring of Honor, World Wonder Ring Stardom, Shimmer, and Impact Wrestling.

She made her first WWE appearance in 2015 in a squash match against Nia Jax. After that, she lost in the first round of the 2017 Mae Young Classic before finally signing a contract with the company in 2019.

She is a former NXT UK Women's Champion and is the winner of the 2022 Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Iyo Sky.

4 Tyler Bate

The two-time NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate has been in the pro wrestling business for over a decade and has also competed under the name Arthur Klauser-Saxon during his early days as a wrestler.

Throughout his time in the indies, he has competed for promotions like Chikara, Progress Wrestling, Westside Xtreme Wrestling, and Progress Wrestling, to name a few.

He made his WWE debut in 2016 and became the inaugural NXT UK Champion after defeating Pete Dunne in the final of the tournament. He is also a former NXT and NXT UK Tag Team Champion. Bate lost to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in a title unification match at the Worlds Collide event.

3 Roderick Strong

After Meiko Satomura, Roderick Strong is the second most experienced wrestler on the list, as he has been in the business for over two decades since his debut in 2000.

He is a former Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla World Champion and has held several other prestigious championships over the years. He found his break in WWE after becoming part of the Undisputed Era faction alongside Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly. After his former partners left WWE for AEW in 2021, Strong formed his own faction in The Diamond Mine.

He has held the NXT Tag Team, North American, and Cruiserweight championships so far in his WWE career and could achieve even more success in the coming days.

2 Gigi Dolin

Gigi Dolin caught the fans' attention after aligning herself with Mandy Rose and Jacy Jayne to form Toxic Attraction in 2021, which led her to become a two-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion so far.

She started her career in 2015 under her real name Priscilla Kelly and competed in the independent circuit and for other notable promotions like Shine Wrestling, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and All Elite Wrestling.

Her first appearance for WWE came in the second Mae Young Classic tournament in 2018, in which she got eliminated in the first round by Deonna Purrazzo. She signed a contract with the company in 2021 and has worked her way through the competition to reach the place she's in today.

1 Joe Gacy

Joe Gacy's name has been in the spotlight since rumors of him potentially joining the proposed Wyatt 6 faction after Bray Wyatt's return at Extreme Rules 2022. He also reportedly played the part of Huskus the Pig Boy during Wyatt's return sequence at the PPV.

Gacy began his pro wrestling career in 2006 at a Combat Zone Wrestling event. From there, he worked his way through various independent promotions before making his debut for WWE in 2021.

He has a similar cult leader character as Bray Wyatt's original gimmick, and it will be interesting to see if he does join the new faction on the main roster.