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Before it was officially recognized as WWE's third brand in October 2019, NXT was – and in some regards still is – WWE's developmental territory for helping up-and-coming talents hone their skills.
The Black and Gold brand was created all the way back in 2010 although it used to be a tournament of sorts at the time with the winner landing a WWE contract. The system was revamped in 2012 and the NXT as we know it today was born.
The brand had its own exclusive titles. starting obviously with the NXT Championship and the NXT Women's Championship. And over the years, we've seen some of the best names in wrestling today hold these titles.
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However, most of these stars had humble beginnings at NXT before they made it big and it's time we reminisced the same. So without further ado, let us look at men and women athletes who held NXT titles in the singles division before going to win world titles in the WWE.
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#1 Paige
Still only 27 years of age, it's a shame that Paige had to retire from in-ring competition early due to her neck injuries. However, this didn't prevent her from winning championships on both NXT and the WWE main roster.
Paige was the first-ever NXT Women's Champion, a title that she won by beating the likes of Tamina, Alicia Fox, and Emma in the tournament for the inaugural championship back in 2013.
She would go on to make her RAW debut a year later on the night after WrestleMania 30, where she surprised everyone by beating AJ Lee to win the Divas Championship, which as at that time the highest honor for female Superstars in the company. She also became the youngest Divas Champion in the process, winning the title at only 21 years of age.
Currently a contributor for WWE Backstage, Paige has donned several roles in the WWE be it as an in-ring performer, a manager, or as the General Manager of SmackDown. While she certainly had the makings of becoming one of the greatest Superstars in WWE history, she's still a fan favorite and we're happy to see her involved in whichever way possible.
#2 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins made a name for himself in the indies, particularly Ring of Honor using the ring name Tyler Black, before making his way to WWE's developmental territory FCW.
Rollins was the inaugural NXT Champion after winning the Gold Rush Tournament. He defeated the likes of Drew McIntyre, Michael McGillicutty, and Jinder Mahal en route to the title. He would drop the same to Big E before making his main roster debut in 2012 as part of The Shield, which also included Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.
The Hounds of Justice would then dominate the entire main roster before facing a reunited Evolution in landmark matches at Extreme Rules and Payback, both of which they'd win. Then came the ultimate betrayal from Rollins back in June 2014 where Rollins turned on Ambrose and Reigns to side with The Authority.
The Architect would then win the Money in the Bank briefcase later that year and eventually pulled off the heist of the century at WrestleMania 31 where he cashed in his briefcase and pinned Reigns to emerge victorious.
Rollins has since gone on to become a Grand Slam Champion and has won every singles title currently in commission on RAW and SmackDown.
#3 Charlotte
The most decorated women's champion in WWE history, Charlotte Flair is the current NXT Women's Champion, her second reign with the title. The Queen won the title first back in 2014, after winning an eight-woman tournament for the championship vacated by Paige.
Charlotte at the time went on to have engaging feuds with the likes of Summer Rae, Sasha Banka, and Bayley before she eventually dropped the title to The Legit Boss. She then made her RAW debut as part of the Women's Revolution angle where she was part of team PCB alongside Paige and Becky Lynch.
Charlotte won her first title on the main roster after beating Nikki Bella at Night of Champions in 2015 for the Divas Championship. A year later, she would retain her title at WrestleMania 32 in a triple threat match also involving Banks and Lynch.
The Divas Championship was replaced by the WWE Women's Championship at the same event. The title would later be assigned to RAW and the SmackDown Women's Championship would also be inaugurated.
So far, Charlotte has won the RAW women's title four times and the SmackDown women's title five times. Add to that the Divas title and the two NXT women's title reigns and that takes her tally of title reigns to a total of 12, the highest for any woman in the company. Thus, it's not a surprise that many consider her to be the greatest female Superstar in WWE history.
#4 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is one of the most experienced Superstars on the WWE roster at the moment, having wrestled for 14 years before joining NXT in 2014. Owens would enter his NXT Championship feud against his real-life friend Sami Zayn after brutally attacking him right after the latter won the NXT title against Neville at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.
The Prizefighter would win the NXT title in the most dominant way possible. He powerbombed Zayn five times before being declared the winner via referee stoppage.
KO would go on to make his RAW debut as the NXT Champion when he responded to John Cena's United States title open challenge in May 2015. Owens then went on to beat Cena at Elimination Chamber but eventually came up short in the feud. He would also later drop his NXT title to Finn Balor in July that year.
Owens would win the Universal Championship a year later in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the vacant title against the likes of Big Cass, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. He would be surprisingly helped by Triple H to achieve the feat.
Since then, Owens has won the Intercontinental title twice and the United States title thrice. The US Championship is also the last belt that Owens has held in the company dating all the way back to 2017.
#5 Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks has been associated with WWE since December 2012, making her NXT debut in a losing effort to Paige. Banks failed in her several attempts to win the NXT Championship over the next two years, before finally managing to win the title for the first time at TakeOver: Rival in February 2015 in a Fatal 4-Way match.
She would then put up the best match of her career against Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn later that year. She made history by participating in the first-ever Ironwoman Match at NXT TakeOver: Respect, one that The Legit Boss would eventually lose to The Hugger.
Although Sasha Banks made her RAW debut as a part of Team BAD along with Naomi and Tamina in a lackluster angle, she had a brilliant follow-up rivalry with Paige.
It was only in 2016 that Banks would win the WWE Women's Championship after beating Charlotte. She achieved the feat on her official RAW debut in July following the WWE Draft.
The title would be renamed as the RAW Women's Championship and The Legit Boss has since gone on to win the same a total of four times. She also won the inaugural Women's Tag Team Championships with Bayley and just needs to win the SmackDown Women's Championship to become the second woman Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
#6 Finn Balor
Currently making his presence felt on the Black and Gold brand, Finn Balor has had a rather tough time with injuries himself. Making a name for himself in NJPW as a member of the Bullet Club, Balor started his WWE career with a stint in NXT in 2014. Balor would debut his Demon King persona at TakeOver: R Evolution later that year.
Balor would win the NXT Championship for the first time after beating Kevin Owens at The Beast in the East PPV in Tokyo in July 2015. He would hold on to his title for a then-record 292 days before eventually losing the same to Samoa Joe at a live event in April 2016.
The Demon King had an explosive start to his RAW career after the 2016 WWE Draft. He would win several matches to finally compete for the inaugural Universal Championship at SummerSlam, a title he won by beating Seth Rollins. However, he would drop the title the next day due to a shoulder injury.
Since then, Balor has had two runs as the Intercontinental Champion. He made his NXT return in October last year and has since emerged victorious in feuds against the likes of Matt Riddle and Johnny Gargano.
#7 Bayley
The longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Champion in WWE history, Bayley made her NXT TV debut in March 2013 and just like Sasha Banks, lost to Paige.
Bayley had to bide quite some time before she would eventually win the NXT Women's Championship against Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in 2015. She would then defend her title against the likes of Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and Eva Marie but would eventually drop it to Asuka.
The Hugger's first world title would come in the form of the RAW Women's Championship which she won after beating Charlotte on the February 13 episode of the Red brand with the help of her best friend Sasha Banks. She also won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Banks at Elimination Chamber last year.
Currently, Bayley is the only woman Grand Slam Champion in the company, having won every women's title across WWE's three brands. She will defend her SmackDown Women's Championship next against Tamina at Money in the Bank next month.
#8 Drew McIntyre
By now, we all know about the prophecy that Drew McIntyre fulfilled by winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. However, he had to rediscover himself following a disappointing initial run in the WWE and the path that he took led him through the independent circuit and then NXT.
McIntyre made his NXT re-debut back in April 2017 where he defeated Oney Lorcan. Four months later, McIntyre won the NXT Championship after beating Bobby Roode at TakeOver: Brooklyn III. He was attacked by the debuting Undisputed Era on the same night. McIntyre eventually lost the title to Andrade and was sidelined with a torn bicep.
He would return from injury on RAW in April 2018 as a heel, siding with Dolph Ziggler. He even won the RAW tag titles in the process. After various feuds that followed, The Scottish Psychopath's true day of reckoning would arrive on Royal Rumble 2020, where he eliminated Brock Lesnar to win over the crowd.
McIntyre eventually won the match and decided to challenge The Beast Incarnate for the WWE title at 'Mania which he won. He's already embroiled in a feud with Seth Rollins who he'll face at Money in the Bank.
#9 Asuka
Asuka made her name across various promotions in her native Japan before making the move to NXT in 2015. She would feud with the likes of Dana Brooke and Emma following her debut in September before entering the NXT Women's Championship picture.
The Empress of Tomorrow would manage to win the title by beating Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Dallas on April 1st, 2016. Asuka then defended the championship against the likes of The IIconics, Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, and Ruby Riott before eventually relinquishing the same in August 2017 after injuring her right collarbone, capping her reign at 510 days.
Asuka would continue her undefeated streak on RAW, eventually winning the Women's Royal Rumble Match in 2018. She would lose the subsequent title match against Charlotte at WrestleMania 34, eventually ending her streak at 914 days.
Asuka finally won a women's title when she captured the SmackDown Women's Championship in December that year in a TLC match at the titular event. Asuka managed to win the triple threat affair also involving Charlotte and Becky Lynch following interference from Ronda Rousey.
The Empress of Tomorrow has since lost the title to The Queen and had a successful run in the women's tag division with Kairi Sane, winning the tag titles in the process.
However, Asuka seems primed for a singles run and has already qualified for the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. She could also become a Grand Slam Champion if she's able to win the briefcase and successfully cashes it to claim the RAW Women's Championship.
