#3 Kevin Owens
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Kevin Owens spent a minimal amount of time in NXT, far less than a year, but was able to make an impact of seismic proportions during that period. Debuting at TakeOver: R Evolution, initially as a babyface, he defeated CJ Parker before reappearing at the end of the show to congratulate Sami Zayn on becoming the new NXT Champion.
As we all know, Owens went on to turn on his former best friend by ferociously assaulting him, power bombing Zayn onto the ring apron in one of the more memorable heel turns in recent WWE history. Exactly two months later, he defeated Zayn to become NXT Champion for the first time. Whilst still holding the title, he made his main roster debut in emphatic fashion, appearing to answer John Cena’s US Open Challenge before verbally tearing him to shreds and then leaving him laying in the middle of the ring.
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They faced off in a “Champion vs Champion” match at 2015’s Elimination Chamber event, a match that Owens incredibly won to cement himself as a genuine WWE superstar before he was even out of developmental. Owens lost his NXT Title to Finn Balor at Beast In The East, but ascended to the main roster full time and ended up winning the Intercontinental Champion just 2 months later.
Today, KO stands before us as a former Universal Champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion and a two-time US Champion. None of this would have been possible without his incredible, albeit brief, run in NXT.
