'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is a beast. Point blank, Joe is a beast. The Samoan Submission Machine waited until he could wait no longer and demanded his shot at the NXT Championship. Joe battled for the title at three TakeOvers before winning the championship at a house show.
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Joe claimed he is 100% pure monster all the time, and that was the truth. For 121 days Joe was the monster champion, before losing to Shinsuke Nakamura. Joe won the title back, becoming the first ever two-time NXT Champion. Joe dropped the title back two weeks later, capping off the stellar series of matches he had with Nakamura. Joe was unstoppable, he took what he wanted and left nothing but broken bodies in his wake.
#2 Tommaso Ciampa
"This is my moment", a warning from Tommaso Ciampa that the NXT Universe should have heeded. Ciampa returned from a torn ACL as the most dangerous man in all of NXT. The devil on Aleister Black's back became the devil in Ciampa's ear when Ciampa brought Black's reign to a "fairy tale ending".
Ciampa claimed he was the greatest sports entertainer of all time, and it was hard to argue with the man. Ciampa called the NXT Championship "Goldie", and would talk to the belt. He was, as Mauro Ranallo put it, a vile disgusting creature. Ciampa would do anything and everything to keep Goldie.
Ciampa remains the only man to beat Black one-on-one in NXT. Ciampa brought the title back to the main event by inserting it into the Ciampa-Gargano story line. Stealing the show at every TakeOver, Ciampa played his challengers like puppets, prompting Black to dub him "puppet master".
Unfortunately Ciampa's neck surgery brings his reign to an end at 238 days. Looking at Ciampa's reign it is hard not to put him at number one, yet the way it ended was like reading a fairy tale, and someone rips out the final chapter. Circumstance lands Ciampa at number two on this list, as there was so much story left to be told, and a lot left desired.
