9 NXT Champions who went on to become world champions in WWE

#6 Finn Balor

Finn Balor was the inaugural Universal Champion

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.