NXT has been the feeding ground for some of WWE’s premier talent. NXT champions have made history, elevated their division and redefined what it means to carry a championship.
Bayley was the epitome of an NXT champion in this regard as her lengthy run as NXT women’s champion helped changed the perception of women’s wrestling in ways that still impact the main roster to this day.
5. Finn Balor: NXT Championship
Finn Balor is the longest-reigning NXT champion of all time, at 292 days. As great as Balor was in NXT, he was world champion during uncharted territory when women’s wrestling caught fire in NXT and was better than just about any division in all of WWE.
Balor was a constant in NXT after defeating Kevin Owens and defending his championship in physical matches against Samoa Joe. In fact, Owens and Joe were essentially Balor’s only opponents in NXT Championship matches at NXT TakeOver.
4. Shinsuke Nakamura: NXT Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura helped swing the main event pendulum back in the direction of the men. From his opening match against Sami Zayn, Nakamura always carried big-fight feel and brought extra panache to a division.
Nakamura truly emphasized the “world title” aspect of the NXT Championship, as he regained the title in an electric live event in Osaka, Japan, against Samoa Joe.
Through two reigns, Nakamura held the NXT Championship for a total of 147 days, the sixth-highest combined total in NXT history.
3. The Ascension: NXT Tag Team Championships
Given their unheralded existence on the SmackDown Live roster, it’s easy to forget about The Ascension’s dominant, entertaining run as NXT champions. The duo held the NXT Tag Team Championships for 364 days. The Ascension is the ultimate example of something that was wildly successful in NXT because of its offbeat nature.
Fans began mimicking the Ascension, chanting “ya!” after every strike in honor of the battle cries shouted out by Konnor and Viktor. The Ascension hasn’t come close to the heights it reached in NXT, the team will always have Florida.
2. Bayley: NXT Women’s Championship
You can’t talk about the WWE women’s revolution without mentioning NXT. And you can’t talk about the NXT women’s division without mentioning Bayley.
NXT’s women’s division was built around the four horsewomen—Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Bayley. Bayley spent just about her entire run on the NXT roster chasing the women’s championship. Against Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn that is widely considered the greatest match in NXT history. The rematch featured the first-ever women’s main event at NXT TakeOver in what would prove to be Sasha Banks’ final match in NXT.
Bayley held the NXT Women’s Championship for 223 days, the fourth-longest reign in NXT history.
1. Asuka: NXT Women’s Championship
When Asuka defeated Bayley via submission at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. Asuka has held the NXT Women’s Championship for 450 days and counting. She has never lost a match period. Still not impressed? Asuka is the current owner of the longest win streak in the history of professional wrestling, per WWE.com.
She is the only truly unbeatable talent on the roster today. At NXT TakeOver: Chicago, Asuka successfully defended her championship by pinning two women at once. She straight-up devours her competition.
There’s no telling how this unprecedented journey will end or if she’ll even leave NXT with a blemish on her record. But when you’re being acknowledged by the likes of Goldberg, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for your accomplishments in a developmental territory, you’re doing something right.
