Ranking the participants in order of who should win the Four-Way Iron Man Match for the NXT Championship

The Next NXT Champion - Conclusion

Which star will come out on top?

Arguments can be made for any of the four competitors to pick up another reign as NXT Champion. All four men represent some of the biggest stars in NXT history and have helped carry the brand at different times. While the first three wrestlers have essentially been around during the same time period, there have been many different layers added to their feuds and characters.

Gargano and Ciampa started as beloved babyfaces until Ciampa turned on Gargano. It led to probably the best rivalry/feud in NXT history and some incredible matches. Cole was around during those feuds and took advantage of their battles. Once the Blackheart returned from injury, however, it was as a babyface. He led a group against the Undisputed Era last year but turned heel last week.

Johnny Wrestling has gone through the roller-coaster of emotions during his time in NXT. He's been a top face that couldn't get over the hump. Gargano then reached his ultimate goal before falling back into challengers' status. With such a long tenure in NXT, the best logical option was to have Gargano turn heel. He's proven to be just as good in that role and has been a constant presence on NXT TV.

Balor has walked the line between face, heel, and anti-hero while also adopting a more serious and focused persona. It's perhaps the best version of the man in all of WWE. The bookers really cannot go wrong with who they chose to win but the man with the most to lose is Balor. For that reason, he has to come out victorious as the new NXT Champion. It would be a perfect showdown for Kross if Balor was still the NXT Champion when he returned from injury.