Predicting the next holder for every championship in NXT

NXT is consistently WWE's best brand of programming in terms of storytelling, talent and action. Some of the best performers in the entire company are in their developmental brand. They always deliver, no matter what. The product has been excellent for a number of years now. It is astonishing how consistent the program remains at such a high level. It is all a cycle of greatness. WWE would sign the best independent wrestlers or fabricate their own superstars. One way or the other, we get to see a barrage of new stars in NXT every few months.

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Almost every top wrestler signed to the NXT brand is bound to have a title run at some stage before they move on to the deep blue ocean called the main roster. Some of them may get extended stays in NXT and hone their craft until they are ready for the big time. We have seen the likes of Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode be a part of this cycle. While their success on the main roster may be varied, pretty much every wrestler enjoys a positive run at Full Sail. The booking is kept so simple and easy to digest.

Every single champion feels like a big deal down in Orlando. It is because they are enabled to feel like big deals. They always make the most out of the one hour they get weekly. The level of credibility and prestige surrounding all the titles trumps that of the belts on the main roster, meaning that we are bound to see some monumental title changes in the future. Every single NXT Takeover event delivers in a massive way and provides the fans with delightful storytelling and quality wrestling. The three Takeovers we saw this year are likely the three best WWE shows of the year, such is the brilliance of NXT.

Here we look at who could be next ones to join the cycle of greatness on NXT (and NXT UK).

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#5 United Kingdom Championship- Zack Gibson

Pete Dunne defended his UK title against Zack Gibson at the Royal Albert Hall.

WWE held two blockbuster shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London a few weeks ago, a double-header which marked the start of the NXT UK brand. We saw tremendous action over the two nights, including a tournament to determine the new number one contender for the United Kingdom Championship. It was won by Zack Gibson, who defeated Travis Banks in the final of the tournament. He went on to face champion Pete Dunne in the main event of Night Two of the festivities in London.

Dunne retained his title, but Gibson was incredible. He put in one fantastic performance and showed why he was chosen to win the tournament. The Liverpool-born wrestler is a great wrestler and great on the microphone, doing some fantastic heel work. He riled up the fans in London so much that they started a chant "Shoes off if you hate Gibson" and most of them actually removed their shoes and raised them. It is a testament to his incredible work as a heel. At 27, he still has quite some time to become a major star in the WWE.

While Pete Dunne is the perfect face to headline the blooming British brand, he will have to lose his United Kingdom championship at some point. A rematch with Gibson during one of the announced shows for the inception of NXT UK would be extremely well-received. Zack Gibson has looked incredible and could very well be the one to dethrone the long-reigning Bruiserweight. The future looks incredibly bright for Liverpool's Number 1.

#4 NXT Tag Team Championships- War Raiders

War Raiders should be the next tag team champions in NXT.

At the latest set of NXT tapings, the Undisputed Era regained the NXT Tag Team Championships against Moustache Mountain. They look set to go on an extended run of dominance on NXT, with Adam Cole currently holding the North American Championship. Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong should hold on to their belts for a long time, with Bobby Fish returning to the fold and making their reign a Freebird one. Who could possibly dispute this era in NXT?

Enter the War Raiders. These two powerful men used brute force and smashed their way to various Tag Team title reigns around the world. Previously known as War Machine, Hanson and Rowe are a perfect combination of power and athleticism. They have only recently started off in NXT, but have already shown what ruckus they can create. Their smash-mouth style, like the Authors of Pain before them, would be a change from the consistent good technical wrestling from the likes of The Revival, DIY and the Undisputed Era.

It may not be for a while but when the NXT Tag Team Championship changes hands, expect it to be in the hands of Hanson and Rowe. Their matches against the much smaller O'Reilly and Strong, even Fish for that matter of fact, would be great to watch. The former IWGP Tag Team Champions are heavily tipped to gain success in the WWE, and their first major deed would be to raid the Undisputed Era for their titles.

#3 NXT Women's Championship- Candice LeRae

Candice LeRae was a participant in last year's Mae Young Classic.

She has been pretty occupied lately, getting involved in the blood feud between husband Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa. However, that feud has possibly reached its conclusion, so Candice LeRae will go back to competing in the NXT women's division as normal. It is a good thing as well. Shayna Baszler needs a list of babyface challengers for her NXT Women's Championship. She has looked extremely dominant thus far, ever since she debuted at Full Sail.

LeRae is an extremely talented wrestler, one of the best on the independent scene before joining NXT. She played a part in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, where she lost to Baszler in the quarter-final. This could play up in the story of a potential feud between the two. Right now, the Queen of Spades is transitioning from a feud against Nikki Cross to possibly one with Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane. The Japanese star would also be a popular victor against Baszler, but LeRae has more babyface fire.

Candice LeRae is an incredibly likeable figure and would be the perfect face to dethrone the evil Shayna Baszler. NXT needs to get this call right, the slaying of Shayna will be a big moment. It would be the ultimate feel-good moment for Candice Wrestling as she overcomes the odds in an emotional story to become the NXT Women's Champion, showing shades of her valiant husband. Perhaps they could both win gold at the same Takeover?

#2 NXT North American Championship- Velveteen Dream

At only 22, the Velveteen Dream has an insanely bright future ahead of him.

It is unbelievable how talented Patrick Clark is. He is only 22, but he is one of the most entertaining and charismatic wrestlers in the entire world. He is one of the few talents who just gets it, one who is incredibly gifted with these abilities to be a star. If he plays his cards right, the Velveteen Dream has around fifteen years to become a main event level superstar on the WWE main roster. His in-ring work is good, but it is his character work which deserves more praise. He also has a fantastic delivery on his promos.

Velveteen Dream still has a lot of time to achieve his goals in NXT and WWE, but those goals could come quickly given the progress he has made in the past year. It is time his excellence is rewarded with a title. He could literally turn babyface at any time and the fans would buy it, that's how good his performances are. The Dream could very well do that and beat Adam Cole to become the second-ever North American champion. Cole is headed for a match with Dream's last opponent Ricochet, at Takeover Brooklyn IV. He should retain, before losing it to the Velveteen Dream.

As good as his performances at Takeover have been, Dream does not have a big win to his name. He dazzled against Aleister Black and Ricochet, only to come up short in the end. It is time for him to win big. A title win against Adam Cole either at Los Angeles or Phoenix would be wildly popular with the NXT universe. He is going to win a lot during his pro wrestling career and the first one on this long road will likely be the number two belt in NXT today.

#1 NXT Championship- Adam Cole

We could be seeing this scene very soon.

Earlier, I mentioned that the Undisputed Era should go on an extended run of dominance. Even when Adam Cole loses the North American Championship, the Undisputed Era's reign of dominance must not end. He will move on to bigger and better things and propel his stable to new heights. We all know how good he is, both in the ring and on the microphone. Cole is surely worthy of becoming the top name on the NXT roster.

The Panama City Playboy is extremely similar to WWE legend Shawn Michaels in many ways. He also uses the Superkick as his finisher. Cole has done some incredible things before signing to NXT, but he is making a name for himself here and rightly so. He, along with his stablemates, is ridiculously over with audiences wherever they go. The pop when he made his debut last year in Brooklyn was one of the loudest ones in the history of NXT. It hasn't died down since.

Management has put an incredible amount of faith in Adam Cole recently. He competed in two matches at Takeover New Orleans, winning both of them. Cole won the North American Championship in a brutal ladder match, while he and Kyle O'Reilly sneaked their way to retaining the NXT tag titles. He, with the Undisputed Era by his side, would be a great choice to be the one to end Aleister Black's title reign and an unbeaten run in singles matches.

With Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong regaining the tag titles, Bobby Fish making his way back from injury and Adam Cole possibly winning the NXT Championship, the future of NXT could very well be Undisputed. Book it, Hunter!