#2 Drew McIntyre
According to the rules, a former champion is entitled to a rematch (Except for the Universal Title it seems). Drew Mcintyre was a dominant superstar throughout 2017. He had an undefeated streak in NXT ever since he returned to the company.
Drew won his NXT title at TakeOver: Brooklyn 3 after defeating the undefeated Bobby Roode. This marked him as the first superstar to win the NXT championship after winning a major singles title on the main roster. Everything was going according to the plan, seeds were being sowed for a future rivalry with Adam Cole. Although fate had other plans as an injury took all of that away from Drew and with that, the NXT Championship.
Drew is set to be back sometime in early 2018. It is implied that he will be going back for the title i.e, the one he lost to Andrade 'Cien' Almas at WarGames. The coming year will be interesting for McIntyre and I can definitely see him becoming a two-time NXT Champion.