This month marks 20 years since a fresh-faced Randy Orton was called up to WWE’s main roster. With plenty of talk now about who is moving up to Raw and SmackDown, what better time to reflect.
Orton was not the only one promoted from developmental in 2002. Alongside John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Batista, that year has a strong claim at being the strongest class of WWE newbies ever. But even with all those hits, we still got a few misses…
10. Randy Orton
Orton had only just turned 22 when he debuted on the 25 April 2002 edition of SmackDown. Mr McMahon took exception to the newcomer’s chemistry with his assistant Stacy Keibler and awarded him a match with Hardcore Holly.
Orton shocked the veteran with a victory in his first TV match and never looked back. Despite originally being positioned as a clean-cut babyface Orton made his greatest impact as a heel fans love to hate.
Now a veteran of the game, Orton boasts a Hall of Fame worthy career. His career accolades include fourteen World titles, two Royal Rumble victories, and more championships than he can probably recall. He also holds the records for the most matches ever on WWE pay-per-view, and the most matches on Raw.
9. Rico
Rico Constantino probably wished he’d never got called up to the main roster. Unlike many of his Ohio Valley Wrestling contemporaries, Constantino was saddled with a comedy gimmick that doomed him from the start.
With his named shortened to simply Rico, he became the flamboyant hair stylist for the tag-team of Billy and Chuck. It was a far cry from the character the former three-time OVW Champion portrayed in OVW.
Rico was tag champions with John Cena in OVW but left all that behind in his first SmackDown skit on 21 March 2002. He did snag two WWE tag title reigns but was released in November 2004 and retired six months later.
8. Brock Lesnar
Sometimes WWE makes it very clear from the outset that it expects a new prospect to become a megastar. The signs are obvious, from the reaction of the commentators to how many established acts they get to flatten.
This was the case with Brock Lesnar, whose 20-year rampage began on 18 March 2002. Lesnar, with Paul Heyman in tow, interrupted a Hardcore title match and destroyed Al Snow, Crash Holly and Maven. “The Next Big Thing” was here.
Five months later he was WWE Champion at the age of just 25. Twenty years later he has held world titles in WWE ten times, not to mention the UFC Heavyweight Championship he won during his hiatus.
7. Nidia
Nidia was one of the winners of WWF Tough Enough in 2001, the company’s first attempt at a reality show. While her male counterpart Maven debuted on SmackDown in October 2001, Nidia had to wait until June 2002.
When she did arrive it was hardly worth the wait. Nidia appeared on the 6 June 2002 SmackDown in a segment which established her as the ‘trailer trash’ girlfriend of Jamie Noble. Like Rico, she was released in November 2004.
The 2002 season of Tough Enough was won by Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda. Both appeared in main roster matches, but only as a brief spotlight for the winners. They were quickly sent back to OVW for more seasoning and made proper debuts in 2003.
6. Christopher Nowinski
Days after Nidia’s debut, the red brand welcomed a newcomer of its own. Christopher Nowinski debuted on Raw under his real name on 10 June 2002. He was a heel from the outset, assisting William Regal on his first outing.
Nowinski’s gimmick was that of a snobby, superior Harvard-educated athlete. Which may not have been far from the truth, as Nowinski was indeed a real Harvard graduate. After coming third in Tough Enough, he was signed by the WWF and send to Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA).
After a year of wrestling for WWE, Nowinski retired due to the effects of post-concussion syndrome. His last match was in July 2003, but he has since made crucial contributions to the study of head trauma in athletes.
5. Victoria
Lisa Marie Varon, better known as Victoria, enjoyed a stellar career in WWE during an era when many women struggled. After a chance meeting with Chyna, Varon started training at UPW, a WWF-friendly indie in Southern California. From there she was signed by the Federation.
Varon made recurring appearances in 2001 as one of The Godfather’s lady friends. But like Linda and Jackie, this would be just a taster of the main roster. Instead, she was packed off to HWA to prepare for her ‘proper’ debut.
That occurred on the 7 July 2002 episode of Sunday Night Heat. Now named Victoria, the newbie started a programme with Trish Stratus. Over the next six-and-a-half years, Victoria would put together a career to be proud of in WWE, winning the women’s title twice before leaving in 2009.
4. Batista
As evident with Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and others, WWE in 2002 was happy to let people debut under their real names. Whereas today everyone – even referees – need trademarked identities, that was not the case 20 years ago. At the time, the company was on a push for realism.
Batista – real name Dave Bautista – got to use a close variation of his real surname. He did not however get a realistic gimmick to begin with.
After training with Afa the Wild Samoan, Bautista was signed by WWE and assigned to Ohio Valley. There he won the OVW heavyweight belt once, as the intimidating Leviathan. Two weeks after Orton’s debut, Big Dave arrived on SmackDown himself.
On 9 May 2002 fans were introduced by Deacon Batista, the right-hand man for Reverend D-Von. The former Dudley Boyz man was now a solo act thanks to WWE’s brand split. The silly religious gimmick didn’t last and soon he became the Batista fans fell in love with.
Two decades on, Batista is a bonafide movie star and six-time world champion, with a place in the Hall of Fame waiting for him.
3. 3 Minute Warning
WWE’s tag team section was in serious need of a shot in the arm in 2002. While plenty of exciting new singles acts were getting the call, the doubles division was waning. Enter the 3 Minute Warning.
Villainous authority figure Eric Bischoff introduced Rosey and Jamal on the 22 July 2002 episode of Raw. The team name was a reference to how long people had before Bischoff would sic the dogs on them, so to speak.
3MW had a surprisingly short run as Jamal was released the following June. Rosey – the late older brother of Roman Reigns – meanwhile won a tag title with The Hurricane. Jamal would return as the monstrous Umaga in 2006, before his own untimely death.
2. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas
Benjamin and Haas snuck right in at the tail end of 2002. Initially known as Team Angle, the pair first appeared on the 26 December 2002 SmackDown, joining forces with Kurt Angle.
The pair gelled perfectly thanks to their shared collegiate wrestling backgrounds and snagged two WWE tag title reigns. They lasted just over a year before getting split up. While Haas was released in 2005, Benjamin went on to win a number of singles titles.
Alongside Orton, Benjamin is the only person on this list still an active wrestler for WWE to this day. That does however include a six-year hiatus Benjamin had from the company between 2010 and 2016.
1. John Cena
Last but not least, perhaps the most important 2002 debut of them all. When John Cena strolled out on SmackDown on 27 June 2002 he kicked off more than just his own career.
Despite his generic look and entrance, Cena uttered the memorable words “Ruthless Aggression,” and immediately attacked Kurt Angle. It signalled a new era for WWE and though they didn’t know it, the company had found its new figurehead.
Twenty years on and Cena has undoubtedly been the central superstar the company has built around for most of that time. Sixteen world titles, myriad other achievements, and a burgeoning career as a movie star. There was definitely something in the water in OVW circa 2001-02.
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