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Over the past five years, WWE NXT has transformed into one of the best wrestling shows in the world. Last year, NXT made a big move to the USA Network, and fans got a chance to see the men and women of the Black & Gold brand perform live on television.
While it seems like NXT is making major progress, one must keep in mind that it’s the Superstars who have allowed the company to bring the brand this far and continue to work hard to raise the bar and bring it to parallel to RAW and SmackDown.
Over the past decade, we have seen the brand crown no less than 17 NXT Champions from Bo Dallas to Keith Lee. Even former Universal Champions Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Finn Balor have held the title during their career to prove that the company can spot talent early and give them a chance to grow into something bigger over the years.
In this article, we will look at the 5 great NXT Champions of all time. Share your favorite NXT Champion in the comments below!
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
Honorable Mention - Aleister Black
Looking at how Aleister Black is performing on RAW, there is little doubt that WWE sees him as the future of the company. However, it all started with his extremely dominant run on NXT which eventually led him to the title on the Black & Gold brand.
No one, not even Lars Sullivan, could take the title away from Black easily and it was his involvement in the Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano rivalry that led to him losing the title.
However, he remains one of the most iconic NXT Champions of all time, and we can’t wait to see him with the WWE Championship around his waist as he can end up doing much more with the title.
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura
After defeating Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship at TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura had a memorable reign that lasted three months.
"The King of Strong Style" proved that he had a lot of potential after signing onto the brand in 2016, and had a good first run with the title before he eventually lost it back to Samoa Joe who became the first two-time NXT Champion. However, Nakamura wasn’t ready to let go of the gold that easily as he defeated The Samoan Submission Machine once again in Japan during an episode of NXT in December and had another run with the title.
Shinsuke Nakamura is a two-time WWE NXT Champion
While his combined reign was a little over 120 days, Nakamura became the face of NXT who made the entire brand proud with his great matches and consistent performances.
Many will argue that there were several other Champions who did a better job than Nakamura as the NXT Champion, but if you go back and watch his rivalries with Samoa Joe and Robert Roode to know why he occupies the third spot on this list.
#4 Kevin Owens
In February 2015, Kevin Owens defeated his longtime friend Sami Zayn at TakeOver: Rival to become the NXT Champion for the first time in his career.
From there on, there was no looking back for the man who ensured that he made the title a part of who he was, and his character and attitude brought the NXT Championship the spotlight it deserved in WWE.
Kevin Owens was the daredevil WWE NXT needed
Adrian Neville, Finn Balor, and Sami Zayn all had great rivalries with the Prizefighter for the NXT Championship. But it was the rivalry he had with then-United States titleholder John Cena that made him a true Champion and enhanced his reputation as one of the most well-known NXT Superstars at the time.
Owens defeated Cena at Elimination Chamber 2015 to prove a point to the entire WWE Universe in the best match of the event and helped put NXT on the path to greatness.
The Prizefighter played a heel throughout his reign that lasted over four months and gave us some memorable moments long before NXT made it big in the wrestling industry.
Will we be lucky enough to watch KO return to NXT sometime soon and have another great run as the Champ?
#3 Tommaso Ciampa
Aleister Black was known to be one of the most dominant men in all of WWE. The man who could never be pinned defended his Championship against The Blackheart of NXT on the July 25, 2018, episode, and his reign came to a Fairytale Ending.
Tommaso Ciampa reigned over NXT for 237 days and had one of the most exciting and dominant reigns before it came to an abrupt end due to a neck injury that led to him relinquishing his title. Ciampa has spoken about his rivalries with Johnny Gargano and much more in the video below.
However, Ciampa defended Goldie against Black, The Velveteen Dream and several other top competitors of NXT to ensure that everyone knew that he rightfully deserved his time at the top of the brand.
Daddy's Home on WWE NXT!
Not only did Ciampa have great in-ring defenses for the title, but the stories that were built around it were phenomenal too and he felt like a threat no matter who stood up to him in the ring.
Had it not been for the neck injury, we could have well watched Ciampa become the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time, and Cole’s climb to the top would have been a little more difficult.
#2 Finn Balor
The biggest overachiever on this list takes up the second spot. Finn Balor was widely regarded as the hottest NXT Superstar of all time, and his move to the main roster from the brand was met with a lot of fanfare.
While Balor might not be a giant when it comes to his physical presence, he has managed to take down the biggest Superstars in the business to give fans some of the most memorable matches of all time.
Balor won the NXT Championship in July 2015 from Kevin Owens during The Beast in the East event in Japan. The match that saw Balor become the NXT Champion was one of the best WWE matches outside of the United States. It began what many would still call one of the best Championship reigns in WWE history.
Finn Balor's return to WWE NXT hasn't been all too great
Balor defended his title against the biggest names in WWE today including Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin, and Tyler Breeze. Balor competing as his alter-ego, The Demon King, was unstoppable at times and made his 292-day reign as the NXT Championship even more memorable.
The former Universal Champion could not enjoy his time on top of RAW due to an untimely injury, but he thoroughly enjoyed his NXT Championship reign that allowed him to put the Black and Gold brand on the map.
#1 Adam Cole
"It’s the talent that makes the title.” - Triple H. The above quote fits perfectly with what Adam Cole has done for NXT. The Panama City Playboy defeated Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: XXV in June 2019 to win the NXT Championship, and he has gone on to elevate the Black & Gold brand in recent months.
The match between him and Johnny Gargano for the title at TakeOver: XXV itself was one of the best WWE matches of all time and earned a 5.25 stars rating from Dave Meltzer.
With the help of Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish, Cole had the most memorable Championship reigns of all time and ensured that he remained in the spotlight no matter what.
WWE NXT will forever be indebted to the services of Adam Cole
The Panama City Playboy reigned over NXT for over 400 days and defended his Championship against men like Finn Balor, Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne, and even SmackDown’s Daniel Bryan.
While most Champions who reign for over six months have a change in character to ensure that their reign remains fresh, Cole remained a heel for the entirety of his Championship run and proved that it’s the talent that makes the title.
Cole had the best NXT Championship reign in the history of the brand, and that remains Undisputed.
