WWE Developmental has found their sweet spot. After going through Deep South Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) really started to put out some amazing product with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins leading the way.
FCW gave way to WWE NXT in 2012 and the talent pool is now flooded with some of the best up-and-comers and even some well-established independent wrestlers. With talks of WWE NXT being a stand-alone touring brand, the exposure of the product and the quality of the wrestling, the NXT Championship is a prize to cherish. Personally, I would put this as the 2nd most important WWE Title after the World Heavyweight Championship. Sorry, Big Match John.
The NXT Championship turned 3 years old last month after Dusty Rhodes (R.I.P.) declared the Gold Rush Tournament for the new NXT (formerly FCW) Championship back in July of 2012.
In those 3 years, we have had 7 champions with 7 title reigns. This Saturday, August 22nd, we get our 6th champion, Kevin Owens, challenging the 7th and current champion, Finn Balor.
I thought this would be a perfect time to do a quick history of the NXT Championship as a lead-in to NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and SummerSlam weekend.
1. Gold Rush Tournament Winner, Seth Rollins
Date Won: July 26, 2012
Opponent: Jinder Mahal
Stipulation/Setting: Gold Rush Tournament Final
Reign: 133 days
Current Status: WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Seth set the bar high for NXT Champions. Since his initial debut in WWE with The Shield, Seth has had a high profile and the skills to deserve his spot. After a lengthy-tag team title run with The Shield, Seth won Money in the Bank and cashed in at Wrestlemania 31 to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
2. Big E with the Big W
Date Won: December 6, 2012
Opponent: Seth Rollins
Stipulation/Setting: No DQ Match
Reign: 168 days
Current Status: Member of New Day
Big E Langston left NXT and teamed up with AJ Lee to be her bodyguard after making his main roster debut and attacked John Cena. Big E teamed up with Dolph Ziggler and AJ to become a pretty awesome team. After that Big E teamed with Punk, faced The Shield and eventually became the Intercontinental Champion. Since then, he’s joined the New Day and is also a former Tag Team Champion.
3. Bo Knows
Date Won: May 23, 2013
Opponent: Big E Langston
Stipulation/Setting: NXT TV Show
Reign: 280 days
Current Status: Jobber/Comedy Man/Superstars/Main Event Regular
Bo has always been entertaining since being called up to the main roster and his Bo-Lieve gimmick is a great one. The audience sees him as a heel and he had a good feud with Neville and he has had a few Pay-Per-View matches. He was also out of action for 4 months due to a foot injury. I think there’s still hope for Bo as he hasn’t had a big moment or chance to shine yet.
4. Adrian Neville, The Man the NXT Championship Remembers
Date Won: February 27, 2014 (WWE Network Link)
Opponent: Bo Dallas
Stipulation/Setting: Ladder Match
Reign: 287 days
Current Status: Mid-Carder, Raw/Smackdown Regular
Our longest reigning NXT champion sure was a fighting one. After many brawls with Bo Dallas, he feuded with Tyler Breeze, Sami Zayn and Tyson Kidd. Neville and Dallas would continue their feud on the main roster. Neville is a current fan favourite and is doing an excellent job on the main roster. The future is bright for the New Sensation, The Man That Gravity Forgot, Adrian, PAC, whatever.
5. Sami Zayn Wins The Big One
Date Won: December 11, 2014 (WWE Network Link)
Opponent: Adrian Neville
Stipulation/Setting: Title vs. Career Match
Reign: 62 days
Current Status: NXT Injury List
The 3rd time was the charm for Sami, as it took him 3 tries to beat Neville for the NXT strap. Sami is probably the biggest babyface that the NXT roster has seen and his feuds with Cesaro, Neville and Kevin Owens have really put NXT on the map (in addition to the women’s matches). Currently, Sami has been injured for about 6 months and we can’t wait for him to come back.
6. Win, Kevin, Win
Date Won: February 11, 2015 (WWE Network Link)
Opponent: Sami Zayn
Stipulation/Setting: NXT TakeOver: Rival
Reign: 280 days
Current Status: Main Roster Stud
What an epic feud with Sami Zayn (that still isn’t over). Kevin Owens didn’t spend a lot of time in NXT and when he debuted and took on John Cena, he was as hot as anyone could be. He was pulling double duty as the NXT Champion and Main Roster Regular as put on a pair of amazing Pay-Per-View matches with Mr. HLR, The Champ, John Cena. Owens continues to pull double duty as he will be in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and in a potential show-stealer against Cesaro at SummerSlam.
7. The Demon Comes Home
Date Won: July 4, 2015 (WWE Network Link)
Opponent: Kevin Owens
Stipulation/Setting: WWE Network Special in Tokyo
Reign: 47 days as of Aug 21 (and counting)
Current Status: NXT Champion, Pretty Boy, Coolest Dude in the Game
Fergal, Prince Devitt now Finn Balor was immediately the man when he came into NXT. Finn lost his first NXT Title shot to Kevin Owens on an NXT TV Show in a great 20 minute match, so when it came time for a re-match, the Demon came ready. Finn has put on excellent matches in NXT and is a fan-favourite from the dojos in Japan to the streets of North America. The future is bright and he’ll be a stud on the main roster as well.
Finn Balor and Kevin Owens face-off in a Ladder Match this Saturday, August 22 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and it should be one hell of a match.
Are you excited for Brooklyn? Sami Zayn is.
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