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We are a quarter into 2019 and we have already had a title change in the NXT North American Championship scene with Velveteen Dream pinning Johnny Gargano to win his first championship in NXT.
The NXT North American Championship is not even a year old but has had some incredible matches already in the form of the "NXT Championship Ladder Match" at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, "Adam Cole vs Ricochet" at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, "Ricochet vs Pete Dunne" and "Ricochet vs Dunne vs Cole" on NXT, and "Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano" at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.
The NXT North American Championship will once again be defended on April 6th at NXT TakeOver: New York with Matt Riddle challenging Velveteen Dream to potentially win his first NXT championship as well.
Regardless of whether Matt Riddle is successful at TakeOver: New York, here are five promising NXT superstars who should win the NXT North American Championship in the future.
#1 Keith Lee
Keith Lee burst onto the NXT scene in mid 2018, debuting and pinning fellow NXT Superstar Marcel Barthel. In his first match, Keith Lee displayed tremendous athleticism against Barthel and wowed the NXT crowd with moves that should be impossible for a man of his size, proving the adage "a man who moves like a man half his size" to be true.
Keith Lee burst onto the independent scene in 2005, debuting in the Texas independent circuit. Lee has previously wrestled for promotions such as Evolve, Chaotic Wrestling, and PWG and is a former PWG World Champion. He has had classic matches on the independent circuit with Donovan Dijak, now known as Dominik Dijakovic and a fellow NXT superstar.
Lee is 6'3'' and over 330 pounds and is able to wrestle with a high flyer style in the ring in addition to his technical and powerhouse style, which is very impressive for a man of his size.
Keith Lee demands attention wherever he goes with his charismatic promos, confidence, and his mere presence and is sure to bask in NXT North American Championship glory in the future.
#2 Dominik Diajkovic
Feast your eyes on Dominik Dijakovic, the man who touts himself as a five-tool player - striking, technical, psychological, athleticism, and the x-factor. Dijakovic stands in at 6'7'' and 270 pounds and one would expect him to wrestle a technical and powerhouse style given his size.
However, like his rival on the independent circuit, Keith Lee, Dijakovic has proven in the ring that he can also wrestle in a high-flyer style, being able to pull off moves such as the Fosbury Flop, a feat which no man of his size should be able to do.
Dijakovic debuted on the independent circuit in 2013 and already has a 5-star match under his belt against Keith Lee. He has wrestled in Ring of Honor, CZW, Evolve, and his home promotion, Chaotic Wrestling.
Fans who have seen the classic matches between Lee and Dijakovic on the independent circuit would love to see them face off for the NXT North American Championship in the future.
#3 Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong is currently part of one of the best stables in recent memory, the Undisputed Era. He joined them in 2018, turning on his partner Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans and helped the Undisputed Era retain their tag team championships.
Since then, he has become an integral part of the stable, and it's hard to imagine the Undisputed Era without Strong. He is a 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion with the Undisputed Era.
However, Strong has enjoyed his own successes during his extensive career on the independent circuit, having won the ROH World Championship, ROH World TV Championship, and the PWG World Championship.
With Adam Cole challenging Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: New York, and Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly focusing on regaining the NXT Tag Team Championships, this leaves Strong to challenge for the NXT North American Championship, and winning it in conjunction with his stablemates winning their targeted championships, could truly make the year of 2019 for NXT, the year of the Undisputed Era.
#4 Jaxson Ryker
Jaxson Ryker is the powerhouse of the Forgotten Sons, a new stable on NXT that debuted in late 2018, comprised of Ryker, Wesley Blake, and Steve Cutler. Ryker debuted on NXT at the same time as his stablemates, pinning fellow debuting NXT superstar, Humberto Carillo.
Jaxson Ryker, formerly known as Gunner in Impact Wrestling, debuted on the independent circuit in 2001 and is a former TNA Television Champion, NWA National Heavyweight Champion, and TNA World Tag Team Champion.
Recently, Ryker has been assisting his stable mates, Cutler and Blake, in getting to the finals of the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Classic, where they were unsuccessful in defeating Aleister Black and Ricochet.
Jaxson Ryker, thus far, has only been assisting his stablemates from ringside and has not received his opportunity to display his potential as a singles star in NXT.
However, 2019 is the year for the powerhouse Jaxson Ryker to step out of the shadows of the Forgotten Sons and win his first NXT championship, the NXT North American Championship.
#5 Luke Harper
Luke Harper has not been seen on TV since losing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships to the New Day in August of 2018, having been out with a wrist injury.
Luke Harper is a former member of the Wyatt Family, and has won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship twice, once with the Wyatt Family, and once with Erick Rowan as the Bludgeon Brothers. He even won the Intercontinental Championship once in 2014 from Dolph Ziggler, only to lose it a few short weeks later.
Luke Harper was over in early 2017, splitting from the Wyatt Family and turning face, however, WWE failed to capitalize on Harper's momentum and decided to not insert him into the WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania 33, which could have saved what was a rather boring match.
Recently, WWE published a video on their YouTube channel listing main roster superstars who should be in NXT, which included Luke Harper. Luke Harper never received his time to truly shine as a singles competitor, whether that be in the main roster or NXT.
Having already challenged Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship at a live event in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, a move to NXT to challenge for the NXT North American Championship during the 2019 Superstar Shakeup could be what Harper needs to get his career back on the right track.
