Debuts in wrestling have been a staple of the industry for generations. While some are teased with vignettes, promos, or rumors, others come as a total surprise. Since launching in 2019, Tony Khan's AEW has delivered a number of noteworthy debuts including the likes of CM Punk, FTR, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson.
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Looking over the past four years of AEW's run as a company, there have been some truly great surprise debuts, with a number of them standing out above the rest, either in terms of execution or overall impact on the company as a whole. These are the 10 best surprise debuts in the history of All Elite Wrestling.
10 Eddie Kingston
After being crowned the first-ever TNT Champion, Cody Rhodes would begin hosting open challenges on AEW Dynamite. This would see a number of unsigned wrestlers get a shot at Rhodes, with names such as Ricky Starks and Warhorse. The biggest name to take the shot would be indy stalwart Eddie Kingston, who following his performance would be reached out to by WWE & AEW.
Kingston's arrival was a surprise for sure, and he would opt to sign with AEW, as WWE only wanted him as a trainer and only seemed interested in signing him away from Tony Khan. Since signing, Kingston has become one of the biggest fan favorites in AEW & ROH and remains one of the best underdogs in wrestling.
9 FTR
Joining AEW during the height of the company's no-crowd events during COVID-19, FTR would ignite the tag team division from the jump. After years of being misused in WWE, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler would be immediately spotlighted in AEW, as they would be paired against The Young Bucks and Hangman Page & Kenny Omega, ending the reign of the latter at AEW All Out 2020.
Their debut would also be quite memorable, as the fan-favorite duo would arrive at AEW in style, pulling up to Daily's Place in a truck and making their names known within the AEW tag team division.
8 Malakai Black
While his run has been a mixed bag in AEW due to injuries and booking issues, Malakai Black's arrival in AEW was nothing short of amazing. During an episode of AEW Dynamite in 2021, the company would have technical issues early into the show, with it being brushed off, only to be hit by blacked-out lights again, with Malakai making his impact felt.
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He would begin feuding with Cody Rhodes before eventually forming the House of Black, the current AEW Trios Champions.
7 CM Punk
In terms of being an actual debut, CM Punk's arrival in AEW during the summer of 2021 is arguably the best in the company's history. They managed to sell out The United Center without ever stating Punk would be debuting at the show, and the moment remains one of the most iconic in AEW's short lifespan.
However, it was one of the worst-kept secrets in pro wrestling that he was coming in, leading it to not be the best surprise. Still, many fans debated whether it would actually happen or how Punk would debut, with him opening AEW Rampage: The First Dance, in a truly timeless moment that many fans look back on fondly.
6 Jay White
A debut that came out of nowhere would be the arrival of Switchblade Jay White. In early 2021, Tony Khan tweeted about the Forbidden Door opening once again during an episode of AEW Dynamite. Fans would begin speculating about it, though he would later reveal that he used the term wrong, as his tweet was about hyping the arrival of Keith Lee, who would also debut on that show.
In the lead-up to AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan would later share that he worked a deal out with New Japan to get Jay White to appear on the episode, with the leader of Bullet Club arriving to align with Adam Cole & The Young Bucks before later wrestling on AEW Rampage. It was a shocking debut for White, one that would later be played upon during the build to Forbidden Door. It would be a precursor to him eventually joining AEW full-time.
5 Sting
Joining WWE in 2014 and debuting at Survivor Series, Sting would kickoff his WWE career by jumping into a feud with Triple H, one that would see The Icon lose his debut match at WrestleMania 31 for no reason aside from the insistence on WWE to bury WCW, even 20 years removed. Later that year, Sting would suffer a potentially career-ending neck injury in a match with Seth Rollins. WWE would not do much with Sting following this, leading to him eventually letting his contract lapse in 2020.
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Fans didn't know what to expect from Sting, as most assumed he wouldn't be able to wrestle, however in December 2020, The Icon would arrive without any hints in AEW. Sting's debut took place in the empty arena era, though the setting was perfect for the legend. Years removed, Sting has remained a special attraction for AEW, wrestling in a number of high-profile tag team matches as he now looks ahead to his retirement, which he has teased will come sooner than later and will involve Darby Allin.
4 Brodie Lee
Following years of being miscast and misused in WWE, and being forced to wait out his contract rather than being released when he asked, Brodie Lee would finally become a free agent in late 2019. During this period, Dark Order would begin teasing the arrival of The Exalted One, the leader of the faction. Unfortunately, COVID-19 would force fans out of wrestling as the empty arena era would begin.
During the first episode of Dynamite from Daily's Place, the company would deliver two big surprise debuts, with Matt Hardy arriving as Broken Matt, and Brodie Lee arriving as The Exalted One. Lee's arrival would elevate Dark Order into one of the most prominent acts in AEW, eventually becoming fan favorites, with him eventually upsetting Cody Rhodes to become AEW TNT Champion.
3 Adam Cole
Following the debut of CM Punk in the lead-up to All Out 2021, there were a number of other rumors spreading within the wrestling community about other names that could be joining AEW, including Adam Cole, Ruby Soho, and Bryan Danielson. Soho would all but confirm it during a series of online vignettes, with her debuting during the show during a Casino Battle Royale, but the other two would also make waves following the main event.
After being given the spotlight and superstar treatment in NXT under Triple H for years, Adam Cole opted to not re-sign with the company in 2021, instead jumping ship to AEW. Following Kenny Omega retaining the AEW World Championship, Omega would cut a promo with Adam Cole interrupting and having a stare down, before it was revealed to be a ruse as he would join The Elite in a shocking, fun, and exciting moment, though it would be topped.
2 Bryan Danielson
As Adam Cole aligned with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks after the main event of All Out, it would have been fair to assume that was how the show would go off the air. Cole introduced himself to the AEW fanbase and Omega performed his show-ending spiel, leading to a perfect ending. However, that would also be cut off as a variation of Flight of the Valkyries began to play, with Bryan Danielson making his own AEW debut just minutes after Adam Cole.
Danielson would face off with The Elite, closing the show as fans began to speculate if we could see Danielson vs Omega in the near future. The two men would meet just weeks later at AEW Grand Slam, an event that drew 20,000+ fans to Arthur Ashe Stadium for Kenny Omega vs Bryan Danielson. The combo debuts of Danielson & Adam Cole would help elevate AEW All Out 2021 even further to become one of the best PPVs of all time.
1 Jon Moxley
The debut that started them all, Jon Moxley's shocking arrival in AEW took place during the company's first-ever show in May 2019, with the Double or Nothing PPV Event in Las Vegas. After opting not to renew his WWE contract, the company would shift creative plans to give fans a final reunion of The Shield, while sending Dean Ambrose off like a hero. Reports circulated that WWE did not believe Moxley would wrestle anywhere for some time after his exit, leading to his being an even bigger shock.
On May 25, 2019, WWE would be proven wrong as following the main event of Double or Nothing, Jon Moxley would storm through the crowd, laying out Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho as an impactful statement. While the PPV was an absolute blast and success without Moxley, his genuinely shocking arrival was the icing on the cake, kicking off a massive feud between him & Omega that remains a staple of AEW programming to this day.
