Seth Rollins gets emotional as he celebrates winning the inaugural NXT Championship.
#3. Former WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole
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Officially, I stand before you as the LONGEST REIGNING NXT Champion of all time. This championship means everything to me, because it shows the world how good Adam Cole really is. I’ve had quite a few “first evers” in my career. But this? This is #Undisputed#AdamColeBayBay#UEpic.twitter.com/5OzhYzUGjT
As we now know, Adam Cole has moved onto greener pastures as he is now reunited with his Elite family in AEW. However, Cole left his mark on the NXT brand, especially during his run as NXT Champion, where he would eventually become one of the very best to ever hold the championship.
Adam would officially sign with WWE in the summer of 2017 and make his debut at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. This was when Cole made the run-in attack on Drew McIntyre, who was fresh off of his victory over Bobby Roode, to become the new NXT Champion. This was also the night where The Undisputed Era was officially formed, with Cole leading the way.
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The Undisputed Era would wreak havoc all over the NXT roster, leading up to Adam Cole's fatal 5-way victory, which earned him a shot at the NXT Championship at NXT Takeover: New York. Unfortunately for Cole, he was unsuccessful in his title bout against Johnny Gargano.
But he would soon get revenge as he defeated Gargano at NXT Takeover: XXV, where he won the rematch to claim the NXT Championship, enroute to becoming the longest reigning NXT Champion in history. Cole would hold the title for an amazing 403 days before finally losing the championship to Keith Lee at the Great American Bash PPV.
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About the author
J. Carpenter
Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.
Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.
Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.
When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.