Ranking all former NXT Champions' main roster careers

#3 Finn Balor

Still going strong.

If fans ever needed proof that the WWE is no longer just a showcase for giants, Finn Balor is it. Unlike other smaller athletes like Daniel Bryan, who relied a lot on fan support, the WWE really seem to have a genuine interest in pushing Balor as a future top star.

Even during his reign as NXT Champion, a lot of effort was put into promoting both the Balor character and the man playing him. Documentaries and backstage interviews were plentiful, inviting fans to learn about his history of independent wrestling and his successful period over in Japan.

The writers also seemed to love playing around with the 'Demon' gimmick, an alter ego that Balor had developed as part of his time on NXT. He was involved in some of the most interesting and high profile matches that division had ever seen and his arrival on RAW was met with huge excitement and promise.

Much to the relief of the fans, this push did not slow down when he arrived on the main roster. Not only did he defeat Roman Reigns clean on his first night on RAW, but he also went on to become the first ever Universal Champion, a title that has only been held by four men since its creation over a year ago.

Who knows where this push would have gone had Finn not suffered an untimely injury during his match at Summerslam.

While Balor's career is by no means in trouble, some of the wind has been taken from his initial push recently. It hasn't helped that most of his recent feuds have been pretty meaningless. That being said, the prospect of him facing Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title in the near future is still a very real possibility, and fans fully expect the Demon King to be the Champion again. There is still enough about him to warrant calling Balor the third most popular former NXT Champion.