The Magnificent Seven: The Top 7 NXT Faces

Everyone has their own preferences about what they like to see in their faces. There are those who like their larger than life super hero types like Hulk Hogan and John Cena, and those more into underdogs like Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan. There are those faces who capture the spirit of their time like Steve Austin and The Rock. There are those who thrive on relatability like Dusty Rhodes, or who have untouchable characters that connect with the fans, like The Undertaker. And, there are great faces like Ricky Steamboat who sold sensationally, was one of the finest workers in the world, and whose consistency of working face made him difficult to mistrust or boo.

It’s with that background knowledge that his week’s column takes a look back at the best faces NXT has produced. This countdown only considers work in NXT—not before signing and not after call-ups to the main roster—with a focus on how over the face character got, and how successful the performer was at capturing the fans’ imagination in that role. Actual skill in the ring and longevity were secondary concerns, and importance to the card (e.g., achieving main event status) was a bit of grounds to help differentiate top shelf acts from mid-carders who were a tougher sell for this list. As always, my personal opinion weighs heavily.

#7. Aleister Black

Aleister Black is an impressive athlete with thrilling striking offense. He got over quickly with NXT fans, and it was clear enough that WWE earmarked him for a run on top as he overcame opponent after opponent en route to winning the NXT Championship off of Andrade Cien Almas.

Black’s unique blend of occult theming (he has revealed this element of his character was inspired by his father’s time in a religious cult) and punk rock sensibilities further helped him appeal to different sects of fans. I can only assume the guy would have gotten even more over and had a more impressive run on top had he not happened to peak at the same time that the Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa program went white hot, and commandeered the main event spotlight, besides absorbing the NXT Chamnpionship into their angle. It will be interesting to see what happens when Black is back from injury. Though he may well be main roster ready, the fact that NXT set up a mystery angle around someone attacking him seems to suggest he will hang around developmental for at least long enough to resolve that story, and perhaps futher his legacy as a face there.

#6. Asuka

Asuka was an intriguing figure in NXT. She rose up to the Women’s Championship by beating Bayley—one of the best loved characters in developmental at the time, and though Asuka had her fans, it’s tough to say she ever eclipsed the hugger in terms of fan support. However, Asuka represented less of an underdog or white meat do-gooder than a dominant champion in the old school style of Bruno Sammartino. Fans respected her for her kayfabe winning streak and for her undeniable talent in the ring, as she mowed over opponent after opponent.

With a touch of poetic symmetry, Asuka finished up her run in NXT competing with Ember Moon. While nowhere near as over as Bayley, Moon was also arguably better liked as a face character than Asuka, and Asuka even edged toward heelish mannerisms in their matches. Nonetheless, Asuka remained a face, and remained protected as a force of nature when she twice turned back the younger star’s challenges before ultimately relinquishing the title and moving up to the main roster. It’s hard to believe Asuka has only been on the main roster for a little over a year, given how thoroughly devalued she’s been since—especially since WrestleMania.

#5. Shinsuke Nakamura

There’s little question that Shinsuke Nakamura is a talented professional wrestler, but upon his debut in NXT, the big question was whether he could connect with WWE fans, particularly given his limited ability to cut promos in English. The jury is still out on the Nakamura as a main roster—though his heel turn at WrestleMania probably was best for his long-term trajectory—but in NXT, where an old-fashioned interest in what happens bell to bell in the ring is still king, the Nakamura experiment absolutely worked out.

After a hard-hitting MOTYC with Sami Zayn for his debut, Nakamura went on a tear, besting talents like Austin Aries and Finn Balor, en route to trading the NXT Championship with Samoa Joe. Nakamura won that feud, too, to arrive as NXT’s top star of the day, before dropping the title to Bobby Roode en route to heading up to the main roster. Few stars have gotten over with less talk, more action than Nakamura, and his success story seemed to highlight differences between developmental and the main roster as it currently stands, as he struggled to gain management’s full confidence after the call up.

#4. Finn Balor

Finn Balor debuted alongside Hideo Itami. At first, it looked as though they might be a super pair, or Balor might get second billing next to Itami as they stood together against The Ascension. This debut match for the twosome was not only a big, successful night for them, but seemed to mark a transition for NXT, as these two incredible workers largely dominated the young monster heels and took strides toward elevating NXT on the whole.

Balor would, before long, win his way into NXT Championship contention, and ultimately best Kevin Owens for the title at the Beast in the East special, and retain the title in a Ladder Match at the original TakeOver: Brooklyn. Balor would go on to the longest NXT Championship reign to date, stretching for nearly a year before he at last dropped the title to Samoa Joe (notably, after having fended off Joe up to that point.

Balor was a legitimately cool face, and his Demon King persona was captivating for the NXT audience. It’s fitting that Balor lost his title at a house show, to protect him to a degree as he went from there to debuting on the main roster and promptly becoming the first Universal Champion. As we all know now, injuries waylaid that reign, that push, and perhaps Balor’s standing on the whole. Nonetheless, his NXT run stands out as particularly great and fan-friendly for the Full Sail faithful.

#3. Bayley

Bayley offered one of the all-time great NXT feel-good stories when she rose up from the lower rungs of the women’s division to become a top challenger to the Women’s Championship. She not only beat Sasha Banks in a MOTYC that stole the show at the original TakeOver: Brooklyn event, but went on to beat The Boss in the first women’s Iron Man Match and TakeOver main event. The latter match may not have been quite as good, but featured a particularly thrilling finish as Bayley withstood a flurry from Banks before revealing a more brutal side of herself—stretching Banks and kicking her in the head until she had no choice but to submit.

Thus Bayley launched one of the great NXT Women’s Championship reigns as not only a likeable character, but a determined champion who could adapt to circumstances. She choked out Nia Jax in London, and put Eva Marie in her place on NXT TV. Finally, she’d succumb to Asuka in a face vs. face program in which the hugger played her never-say-die heroine part to perfection, fighting for all she was worth, but getting overwhelmed time and again by the Japanese star.

#2. Sami Zayn

From my perspective, the top two for this countdown were a true toss-up between two tremendous white meat babyface characters, each of whom played underdogs, each of whom could pose an argument for being not just the best in ring worker in NXT at the same time, but on the short list for the best in all of WWE, and even the world.

Sami Zayn brought all of his experience from the indies to NXT and told a classic story of overcoming obstacle after obstacle, narrowly losing out on the NXT Championshp or opportunities to challenge for it over and over again, before finally achieving his goal and beating Neville for the title.

For those chapters of his story, Zayn would easily make the countdown, but he rose up to the next level in his feud with Kevin Owens. Zayn was a perfect example of fans paying for the chase, as his climb to the title was outstanding, only to be followed by his best friend turning on him and then beating him for the title, only for Zayn to give chase anew. For the purposes of NXT, Owens wound up being too much for Zayn to handle, and he never did get his comeuppance there. The rivalry was good enough and heavily enough featured, though, to transition seamlessly to the main roster once Zayn was back from injury and got his call up to follow Owens to the big dance.

#1. Johnny Gargano

Like Sami Zayn, Johnny Gargano didn’t start out with NXT as a main eventer, and arguably began with even lower standing. Removed from the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, Gargano was lucky to get a shot in NXT, and was quickly plugged into a tag team with tournament rival Tommaso Ciampa. Largely through pure talent, #DIY won their way into the hearts of NXT fans, and even earned a rare TakeOver main event for the tag team division, working opposite the Authors of Pain.

It was only in losing the program to the AOP that Gargano really got going. Ciampa turning on him after their last match put a spotlight on Gargano, and he steadily climbed the singles ranks in the months to follow, before arriving as a championship contender. By the time Ciampa was back to the ring from injury, the twosome were ready for prime time, headling two TakeOver specials in great matches before they had the NXT Championship introduced to their program (only for the title to add an additional dimension for their third straight TakeOver main event).

In the spirit of someone Daniel Bryan—Johnny Gargano an incredible in-ring performer, compulsively likeable, and plays the underdog like few others can. Add in the fire he demonstrated opposite Ciampa and we have my pick for NXT’s greatest face (even if he is proving himself as a compelling heel, too, more recently).

Whom would you add to the list? Let us know what you think in the comments.