wrestling / Columns

The Magnificent Seven: The Top 7 Main Roster Trajectories for NXT Champions

September 12, 2018 | Posted by Mike Chin
WWE Kevin Owens Finn Balor

As far as most critics and most metrics are concerned, NXT is a success story. It has become an entertaining brand in its own right, and has successfully launched a number of new stars, while helping stars accustomed to working abroad adjust to working a WWE style in a WWE-sized ring.

The NXT Championship would, at least in theory, represent the top of the developmental ranks and surefire future success on the main roster. Not all of NXT’s top champs have succeeded to the same degree, though. While some have realized their potential, others have struggled in terms of their own performance, how Vince McMahon evaluates them, or how the broader main roster audience receives them.

This week’s column evaluates and ranks the successes of seven different NXT champions who graduated to the main roster. Considerations include success in getting over with the main roster audience, kayfabe accomplishments, and, as always, my personal opinion. For clarification, this countdown only considers the men’s NXT Championship, not the Women’s Championship, Tag Team Championships, or North American Championship, or UK Championship.

#7. Big E

Considering that Big E unseated Seth Rollins for the NXT Championship, and debuted on the main roster by taking out John Cena, one could consider his main roster run a disappointment. Indeed, for a guy of his athleticism, big personality, and, of course, raw power you might have expected for him to broach the main event scene. Just the same, Big E comfortably earns a spot on the countdown—and could arguably rise higher—for six years on the main roster which includes an Intercontinental Championship reign and, most notably, five tag title reigns as part of the New Day.

There’s certainly still time for Big E to rise higher in WWE as a singles star, though his chemistry with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods is good enough that WWE’s understandably likely to keep them a unit for as long as fan reactions can justify it. Nonetheless, there’s little doubt Big E keep his job on the main roster for many years to come, so long as he wants it.

#6. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn told one of the greatest stories in NXT history as the ultimate underdog. He constantly chased respect and the NXT Championship, got turned back time and again, but for each failed attempt inched ever so slightly further forward, before finally capturing gold. He is, to date, the NXT Champion to have spent the least cumulative time with the title, after he won the belt at the NXT TakeOver: R Evolution show, only to drop it at the next Network special, NXT TakeOver: Rival, succumbing to the bruising offense of friend turned foe Kevin Owens.

Zayn looked to ride his NXT momentum into the main roster as he picked up on the rivalry with Owens without missing a beat, staging a terrific, long series of matches before they seemingly blew off their issue with a classic at Battleground 2016. Unfortunately, though Zayn proved himself as one of the main roster’s top workers, WWE creative never seemed able to decide on a direction for Zayn without Owens, as he was largely directionless for the year to follow.

Zayn would probably be just hanging onto the edge of this countdown, just as he might barely be hanging onto his WWE contract had he not benefited from a heel turn in fall 2017, teaming up with Owens. Against the conventional logic that Zayn only functioned as a face, his heel work was a revelation as a nuisance with a fine mean streak. He was particularly great playing the stooge to returning Daniel Bryan, and more recently to bigger opponents on Raw (up to the point when his rivalry with Bobby Lashley turned embarrassing). It’s a bit baffling to think Zayn still hasn’t won a main roster championship, but his face run included a period as one of the top faces on Raw, and he’s been a fringe main eventer ever since his heel turn, leaving him comfortably in the number six spot for this countdown.

#5. Finn Balor

Finn Balor enjoyed the longest reign to date as NXT Champion after unseating Kevin Owens and going on to be the face of the developmental brand for nearly a year to follow. Of course, like a number of parties on this list, he signed with WWE all but destined for success. After his accomplishments in Japan, he debuted as a big deal, and was consistently pushed at the forefront of NXT, before debuting on the main roster the summer of 2016.

Balor had a rocket strapped to him at the dawn of the new brand split, when he was drafted to Raw. In one of his first appearances, he defeated Roman Reigns cleanly to earn a match with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, to crown the first Universal Championship. In the ultimate vote of confidence, Balor was booked to beat Rollins, too, and was thus established as the man on Raw.

Had Balor continued on that trajectory, he’d probably be in the top two, if not the number one guy on this list. Instead, he was injured in that match with Rollins and put out of action for the better part of a year. Since his return, he’s remained a consistent upper mid card presence, but hasn’t seemed to have Vince McMahon’s faith, including McMahon pulling the plug on a rumored program between him and Brock Lesnar. It’s telling that, by the time Balor finally worked his first WrestleMania this spring, it was an Intercontinental Championship match, and that he didn’t win.

#4. Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura got a strong push during his time in NXT, steadily winning high profile matches on his way to winning the the brand’s top prize off of Samoa Joe. It was unclear what would become of him when he was called up to the main roster, particularly given WWE’s less than stellar record when it comes to pushing international stars, and especially those without polished English language speaking skills.

No, Nakaumura hasn’t yet won a world title on the main roster (though he did win the US Championship), and has more than once appeared as though management is losing faith in him. He’s also had some pretty sterling moments, though. There was his featured spot in the 2017 men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, dramatically entering late after injury to temporarily dominate the field. He got the nod for both SummerSlam and WrestleMania world title matches, too, and most notably of all won a Royal Rumble.

While Rumble victories aren’t always parlayed into world title reigns, it’s notable that everyone to win one in the last twenty-three years won a WWE world title before or after (and Lex Luger is really the only guy in history to have won one not won the strap after Rumble started having stakes attached to it—i.e., after Jim Duggan and Big John Studd won the more experimental early ones). No, it’s not a great sign for Nakamura that he didn’t win a world title at ‘Mania, but that WWE cared enough for him to turn heel and reboot his persona at the biggest show of the year does say something.

#3. Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is a fascinating figure for having overachieved along every step of his WWE journey. As recently as four years ago, no one would have guessed that he’d sign with WWE after a perfectly respectable career on the indies, and with TNA and ROH. When he did sign with NXT, the popular understanding was that he’d be an NXT-only guy, used to help younger talents WWE was more serious about get ready for the limelight. It was a surprise that he wound up NXT Champion (not to mention the first one to hold the title twice). It was a bigger surprise when he did get the call up to the main roster. And since that time? Joe has been booked as a fringe main eventer with wins over Roman Reigns, and posed as a totally legit threat to the world title reigns of Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles.

It’s tough to evaluate Joe for this countdown because he hasn’t won any gold yet, and it’s entirely possible he never will. He is a guy who has earned management’s respect, and looks poised to be subbed into main event angles—and potentially even a title reign—as needed when injury and Wellness Policy suspensions strike.

#2. Kevin Owens

Not unlike how Samoa Joe was described above, Kevin Owens got signed to NXT with little expectation attached—likely as not a guy who’d stay in developmental to offer an experienced hand and help along talents who better fit WWE’s traditional mold of what a Superstar looks like. He quickly connected with the fans, though, via a brilliantly executed heel turn on Sami Zayn on his debut night, and was off to the races as one of the most compelling talents in all of WWE, developmental or not.

Amidst a rock solid run as NXT Champion, Owens moved up to the main roster for an engaging program with John Cena, which included beating the face of the company in his first main roster PPV match. Though Owens would disappointingly wind up dropping both of his follow up matches with Cena, he was nonetheless established as an upper card heel moving forward.

Though Owens threatened to get lost in the mid card shuffle, he earned key opportunities at key times, including his irresistible heel tandems with Chris Jericho and Sami Zayn, great matches with Jericho and Zayn, and becoming a true focal point of WWE storytelling in his run as Universal Champion and especially the early days of his feud with Shane McMahon (including earning the rare distinction of getting to pummel Vince).

While Owens isn’t exactly peaking now, he’s got the pedigree to slide into the main event picture as needed, not to mention that there’s still a world of potential in a face turn if WWE ever takes him in that direction.

#1. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins was the original NXT Champion as WWE rebranded its developmental system and got ready for a new direction. He turned out to be a near ideal fit for that spot, not only for the potential he demonstrated at the time, but what a success story he’d turn out to be when he moved up to the main roster.

As part of The Shield, Rollins may not have matched Dean Ambrose’s personality or Roman Reigns’s presence and look, but he was the most polished in the ring and his impressive athleticism helped him stand out. The stable enjoyed a rock solid run, and Rollins benefited from getting the heel turn to split up The Shield and gift him a clear direction as The Authority’s chosen one, which gave way to him winning Money in the Bank and famously cashing in mid-main-event match at WrestleMania 31. Two years later, he’d be pinning Triple H cleanly at ‘Mania, too.

While Rollins got transitioned into the tag team and Intercontinental Championship pictures in the year to follow, he nonetheless has a resume that holds up against anyone from his generation in WWE, and puts him on the edges of the conversation for the man, especially if WWE ever does give up on Roman Reigns or he gets hurt for an extended period of time. Rollins is that unique performer who can thrive as a face or heel, holds his own among the best in ring workers in the world, and is young enough to quite realistically still have his best days ahead of him.

Who would you add to the list? Neville just missed the cut for me. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Read more from Mike Chin at his website and follow him on Twitter @miketchin.

article topics :

NXT, WWE, Mike Chin