Opinion: When did WWE forget how to debut new superstars?

One of the best things about professional wrestling is when a new superstar or superstars debut on an episode of television or at a PPV.

When the Undertaker debuted at Survivor Series in 1990, it wasn't announced, but his mere presence made fans and opponents alike take him seriously.

He became an immediate sensation due to his unique gimmick and his dedication to it. People thought he was really a dead guy who could raise from the dead and who felt no pain.

Even the debut of John Cena, albeit not as great as 'Taker's, was memorable as he confronted Kurt Angle and punched him in the mouth.

But ever since WWE started to debut superstars from NXT, the debuts have become hit or miss. They aired vignettes or promos for some (Damien Sandow, Cesaro, Lars Sullivan) or had others debut unexpectedly.

The reason why The Shield initially worked is that their debut was unexpected and effective as they attacked both Ryback and John Cena at Survivor Series in 2012.

Samoa Joe's debut was worked so well because he viciously attacked Seth Rollins on the Raw following the Royal Rumble in January 2017.

The Royal Rumble used to be an effective way to debut some superstars (AJ Styles) but only if they stuck around. A one-off for superstars like Andrade and Adam Cole last year was nice but it felt like merely filling a spot for the sake of a surprise.

Lately, however, the debuts of stars from NXT have been terrible. When WWE was in its ratings' rut at the end of 2018, they felt that they needed to call up some superstars from NXT.

They had been hyping one of the six superstars promised in that group beforehand in Lars Sullivan, but he's the lone one not to show up on TV.

Instead of an established plan to make fans care about superstars like EC3, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans and Heavy Machinery, the plan was to have them show up in some capacity each week on Raw or SmackDown.

Lacey Evans hasn't had one match since debuting on the main-roster, but only an appearance in the Royal Rumble. Now she just prances down the entrance ramp twice a week for a cameo.

Evans does her twice-a-week walk down the ramp.

If that's a small part of the gimmick, then fine, but people who aren't familiar with her work in NXT need to see what she can do in the ring so that they can decide if she's worth caring about.

While it was a decent plan in theory, the execution has been severely lacking. EC3 has had two matches on Raw, has mostly posed backstage and hasn't been allowed to talk.

What was one of his main strengths in Impact Wrestling and NXT? His ability on the mic. Nikki Cross had a match here and there but hasn't been seen on Raw or SmackDown since.

And the guys who shouldn't be talking, Heavy Machinery, are the ones who have been given the most time on the microphone. It just seems unnatural and weird when they talk to Charly Caruso backstage.

I didn't tune in to see Heavy Machinery talk and EC3 pose and not speak. And then WWE even panicked more so when they unexpectedly called up the four top stars of NXT.

While it was great to see Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, Aleister Black and Ricochet on more than one WWE show weekly, they're main-roster debuts were so unexpected that both WWE superstars and Triple H were initially unaware of their arrivals.

When the Game doesn't know that something is happening before it happens, then something is wrong.

The bottom line is that the WWE, and probably Mr. McMahon, panicked and grasped at whatever straws were available in order to improve ratings.

The move to Fox is looming later this year and they'll be trying to vastly improve the product in any way possible in order to please Fox.

But until they remember how to debut stars and do it effectively, then a lot of the awkwardness from the last five months will continue to hurt the product.