The Women's Revolution helped propel the ladies to the next level in WWE. After some time and hard work from the talented females, the company started taking women's wrestling much more seriously and put them in prominent positions. This can be traced back to the early days of NXT, when Paige and Emma were regularly stealing the show with the title on the line.
It is shocking to see how many women came through NXT and went on to win gold on the main roster but didn't win the title on the black and gold brand. Despite NXT being a breeding ground for the future and producing a significant amount of the women that are at the top of the card on RAW and SmackDown, quite a few didn't reach their first accolades until the main roster.
Liv Morgan and Toni Storm are currently the latest NXT graduates who will contend for championship gold on the main roster. Neither won the NXT Women's Title. Morgan was only there for a short time, while Storm spent her time mostly in NXT UK where she did win the title. In this article, let's take a look at five female WWE superstars who never won gold on NXT.
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5) Former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella
Carmella debuted on the main roster as part of the WWE Draft back in 2016. The former Princess of Staten Island was the very last pick for SmackDown, but she didn't let this stop her from making an impact. She feuded with Nikki Bella during her early months before she achieved her biggest victory, winning the first Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match.
Carmella cashed in the Money In The Bank contract on Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship on the SmackDown After WrestleMania 34. She successfully defended her title against Flair and Asuka in her 130 days as champion. Mella just recently won the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles with Queen Zelina, adding another achievement to her career.
With all this success on the main roster, it is crazy to look back on her time in NXT where Carmella barely even wrestled. Back during her time on the black and gold brand, she was a valet for the popular Enzo Amore and Big Cass tag team. She was a fan favorite herself and many pegged her for success during her run. It's safe to say no one could have imagined just how successful Carmella would be.
4) Former WWE RAW Women's Champion Nikki A.S.H.
Nikki A.S.H. has to be considered one of the most divisive character changes in WWE this year. Despite her success as Ms. Money In The Bank, RAW Women's Champion and Women's Tag Team Champion, Nikki's booking has left something to desire. During her run with the RAW and Tag straps, she was treated as nothing more than a joke despite her obvious talents.
Many fans wanted the Nikki Cross that gained notoriety in NXT. Cross became wildly popular for her crazy antics with SaNity and then on her own. Although her run is fondly remembered, Nikki A.S.H. was never able to win the NXT Women's Championship. She did have some outstanding clashes with Asuka over the gold, including the first Last Woman Standing Match in WWE history.
3) Former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair has to be in the conversation for the WWE Superstar of the Year. The EST outlasted 29 other women to win the 2021 Royal Rumble Match and advanced on to make history in the main event at WrestleMania 37. Belair and Sasha Banks became the first African-American women to headline the Show of Shows. Bianca beat Sasha in an excellent encounter that also won an ESPY.
Her roots in wrestling date back to NXT where she learned the craft inside the Performance Center. She first stood out in the 2017 Mae Young Classic against Kairi Sane before taking the black and gold brand by storm with her strength and athleticism. Despite showdowns with Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley over the gold, Belair was never able to prove she was the EST by winning the title there.
2) Former Five-Time WWE Women's Champion Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss is easily the most decorated female WWE Superstar not named Charlotte Flair. The Goddess is a former three-time RAW Women's Champion, two-time SmackDown Women's Champion, two-time Women's Tag Team Champion and was Ms. Money In The Bank in 2018. It's rare that Bliss doesn't have some type of title during her main roster run.
This was totally different from her time in NXT. Alexa Bliss had humble beginnings with her pixie gimmick not taking off quickly. She came up short in her opportunities at the NXT Women's Championship and underwent a character change. She aligned herself with Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake, helping them retain the NXT Tag Team Titles over the likes of Enzo and Big Cass.
Alexa Bliss finally found herself with this heel character. She started to gain confidence and fans saw a significant change in the quality of her performance. Bliss got over more than the tag team she was managing. Despite wrestling quite frequently, Alexa was just never able to break through and win gold over the Four Horsewomen during her NXT run.
1) Former Six-Time WWE Women's Champion Becky Lynch
This will shock plenty of newer fans of WWE when looking at the current landscape. Becky Lynch is the current RAW Women's Champion and has spent nearly the past three years holding a title in the company. She was the first woman to win the main event of WrestleMania and won the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble Match.
When WWE discusses the early days of the NXT women's division, they often bolster about the Four Horsewomen being the saviors of women's wrestling. Becky, Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Sasha Banks put on a series of entertaining bouts on television as well as TakeOver, which helped fans and WWE management take women seriously.
Flair, Banks and Bayley all won the NXT Women's Championship in that order. Each woman left their own legacy on the prestige of the title. However, Becky Lynch was the odd woman out and never won the gold during her run in NXT before being called up alongside Charlotte and Sasha.
Despite the title eluding her, she did put on a stellar encounter with Sasha Banks for the gold at TakeOver: Unstoppable. This is often referenced as a star-making performance that propelled Lynch to the main roster. For her list of accolades on the main roster and status as arguably the biggest female star in wrestling, Becky Lynch is the biggest female WWE superstar who never won gold in NXT