2018 was a very exciting year for many Superstars and fans alike. A lot of people showed up where they hadn’t in the past. This is one of the easiest ways to drum up attention.
Mustafa Ali was the latest WWE Superstar to make his blue brand debut just a few weeks ago. Shortly afterward he was announced as a full-time member of the SmackDown roster, but as @WWEStats said he certainly isn’t the only one who debuted on SmackDown Live this year. In fact, he’s one of 27.
“83 different people competed on #SmackDown in 2018.
27 people made their #SDLive in-ring debut in 2018 (including @MustafaAliWWE and @NikkiCrossWWE), the most SmackDown debuts since 2012.”
2019 will likely see even more debuts including the official first appearance of Nikki Cross as part of the incoming crop of NXT call-ups. She might be counted on this list prematurely, but even if she is taken off, the blue brand still saw a lot of fresh faces last year.
Here’s to 2019.