#2 Johnny Gargano
The mantra "we are NXT" applies better to nobody than Johnny Gargano, who is in many ways the heart and soul of NXT.
Originally, he came in as just a guest wrestler to job out here and there, put people over and maybe if he's lucky, get invited back again.
After repetitive appearances, the crowd warmed up to him so much that he's transitioned to not just a true employee, but a featured player who has had some of the best matches of the entire year in the company—including what Raw and SmackDown has to offer.
Gargano is perhaps the most over wrestler on the NXT roster and is so beloved by the crowd that it's amazing that he wasn't considered an option to take the title from Bobby Roode instead of Drew McIntyre, but it seems like it's just a matter of time before it happens.
More than anyone else, Gargano is the bread and butter of what NXT fans are looking for in someone who is passionate about the wrestling industry and supremely talented enough to give back just as much as he's taken from sports entertainment, so he is incredibly important as a representative of this type of Superstar.