Predicting the next 5 NXT Champions

The NXT Championship is arguably one of the most prestigious championships in all of professional wrestling. With the exception of Bo Dallas, its titleholders have all gone on to become household names in the history of NXT, and to a lesser extent, the main roster.

Aleister Black is the current Champion, and he'll face Lars Sullivan next week at the second edition of TakeOver: Chicago.

Lars Sullivan is unlikely to take the title there. Instead, this match looks like it will be centered on building the Black Mass even more as one of the most powerful finishers in the company.

If not Sullivan then, who will be the next champion? What about the one after him? Unlike the main roster, NXT's propensity for logical storytelling gives us the ability to make confident predictions.

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#1 Tommaso Ciampa

The Psycho Killer is next in line.

Things don't look good for Johnny Gargano in Chicago.

Sure, he beat his former DIY best friend in New Orleans, but Tommaso Ciampa is out for revenge.

A street fight between the two is scheduled, and for Johnny's story to be complete, he'll need to suffer another setback.

EC3 is looming, but whether he interferes or not, the odds are that Tommaso Ciampa will take the win in Chicago. He might put Johnny Gargano on the shelf, or he might not. Whatever the case, his victory is poised to put him into title contention.

A meeting with Aleister Black in Brooklyn would result. There, Tommaso Ciampa will slither himself into the NXT Championship in the most dastardly, unfair way possible, both to keep Black strong as he heads off to the main roster and to make him, even more, the biggest heel in the company.

The 14th NXT Champion won't be able to rejoice long in his ill-gotten gain, however.

#2 Johnny Gargano

FINALLY!

Johnny Gargano's story is one of the best ever told in professional wrestling. It's now in its home stretch. The next few months will be his "third act" - the biggest disaster before his ultimate triumph.

After suffering in Chicago, he'll either dispatch EC3 in Brooklyn, or stay on the shelf for a while. However it happens, he'll have only one person on his mind - Tommaso Ciampa, the NXT Champion.

Out for revenge, he'll have one final, decisive meeting with his blood enemy at TakeOver: Los Angeles, the night before Survivor Series.

There, he'll take their rubber match, finally end the threat that Ciampa poses to him, and at long last capture the gold that's eluded him for so long, standing triumphantly as the 15th NXT Champion.

It will be one of the most cathartic title wins in NXT history, right up there with Sami Zayn and Bayley. The Staples Center will go nuts.

The good times won't last for long though, as just as he's finally put Ciampa in the rearview mirror, another huge threat will loom.

#3 Adam Cole

The champ,

BAY BAY

!

Sometime between now and WrestleMania weekend, Adam Cole will drop the NXT North American Championship, and the Undisputed Era will look vulnerable.

It will be a false alarm. They'll come back stronger than ever. Their supreme ascendancy will coincide with Adam Cole's victory over Johnny Gargano the night before WrestleMania.

Johnny Gargano will fight with all his might, but the numbers game will simply be too much for him to overcome.

One of the most beloved Superstars in NXT history will go down to defeat to the pack of wolves, and the Undisputed Era will raise its leader high upon their shoulders as the 16th NXT Champion.

With all of NXT's gold around their waists, the Undisputed Era will rule the yellow brand with arrogance and spite. Yet, hope will never be completely gone. A savior awaits.

#4 Ricochet

The crownless again shall be king

With the Undisputed Era running roughshod over the yellow brand, a single hope will emerge to challenge them - the One and Only Ricochet. He'll make the destruction of the Undisputed Era his sworn purpose in life, and he'll go right after its leader, Adam Cole.

Despite the Undisputed Era's repeat attempts to stop him, Ricochet will bust through thr obstacles, eventually becoming the number one contender.

As Ricochet counterattacks, other members of the NXT roster will take heart and follow, challenging the Undisputed Era for their titles like never before.

At next year's SummerSlam TakeOver, Adam Cole will play his games and dig deep into his bag of tricks and wiles, but Ricochet's supreme skill will be simply too much for him to overcome.

The Undisputed Era will be over and the Ricochet era will begin with The One and Only standing tall as the 17th NXT Champion.

#5 Velveteen Dream

The entire world will say his name

Velveteen Dream will meet Ricochet in Chicago next Saturday. He won't win. The prince's time hasn't yet come, but King Ricochet will be put on notice.

After freeing NXT from the Undisputed Era, Ricochet will look over his kingdom with pride, hoping to lead it into an era of peace and prosperity.

Perhaps that will happen for a short while, but storm clouds always brew in professional wrestling. That prince won't be gone forever. He'll still be hungry, wanting his birthright.

King will meet prince for a second time somewhere between next summer and WrestleMania 36 weekend. When that second meeting comes, the guard will change. Kings can't hold their thrones forever.

Someone will succeed them as they grow feeble and die, and so it will be this time. Velveteen Dream will claim his kingdom and become the 18th NXT Champion.

Who succeeds him is still up in the air, with new arrivals constantly coming. Whoever it is will probably be worthy, and we can look forward to more greatness from NXT to come.