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While the main roster has come under criticism at some points throughout 2018, the WWE's developmental brand, NXT, has continued to grow from strength.
The brand's Takeover events have often eclipsed the main roster's PPV events and are among the most anticipated events on the WWE calendar.
The biggest reason for the brand's success is the incredible talents that they have to work with. The brand boasts some of the finest wrestlers in the world, and they have all been at the top of their game throughout 2018.
With that in mind, let's take a look at which 10 NXT stars have shone the brightest throughout 2018.
#10 Kyle O Reilly
Kyle O'Reilly has become something of a cult figure in the WWE since he made his debut towards the end of 2017.
His over the top selling and ridiculously hilarious mannerisms have helped him earn a spot in the hearts of the WWE Universe, and the fact that he is excellent between the ropes and a part of the hottest stable in the WWE certainly hasn't done him any harm either.
O'Reilly has spent the majority of the year working in tag-team matches with Roderick Strong, and the two men have become an incredible pairing.
They took part in an incredible feud with Moustache Mountain over the Summer, and hopefully, they can continue to re-define tag wrestling in the WWE when they eventually step up to the main roster.
#9 Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong sneaks in just ahead of his Undisputed Era team-mate largely because of how much his heel turn has helped change his direction so much in 2018.
While Strong was excellent as a babyface, he was a perennial runner-up, one who was great in the ring but also one who would never break through the glass ceiling.
His heel turn in New Orleans grabbed the headlines and has since established him as one of the best performers on the whole NXT brand.
Strong and O'Reilly have carried the NXT titles for the majority of 2018, and have put on some exceptional matches against the likes of Moustache Mountain, and Burch and Lorcan.
Hopefully, the WWE will keep the duo together when they eventually make the step up to the main roster.
#8 Andrade 'Cien' Almas
Andrade 'Cien' Almas may have spent nearly two-thirds of the year on the main roster but that still shouldn't take away from the exceptional impact he made during the first four months of the year in NXT.
Almas began the year as NXT Champion and would put the brand's first ever 5-star WON rated match on at Takeover: Philadelphia against Johnny Gargano.
Almas' last match for NXT was in a losing effort to Aleister Black at Takeover: New Orleans, in another match that should be considered a match of the year contender.
While Almas has struggled to make the same kind of impact on the main-roster, NXT fans will be forever for what turned out to be one of the finest NXT title reigns of all time.
#7 Aleister Black
From one former NXT Champion to another, Aleister Black has gone from strength to strength throughout 2018, and a main roster call-up is surely on the horizon for The Dutchman in the near future.
Black's biggest moment of the year came when he defeated Andrade 'Cien' Almas in an exceptional outing at NXT Takeover: New Orleans to win the NXT Title for the first time in his career.
He would later drop the belt to Tommaso Ciampa before being off TV for a couple of months with an injury.
Even when he was off television, though, Black managed to remain relevant, with his mystery attack storyline dominating NXT's weekly shows for the best part of two months.
Black would eventually return and put on another late match of the year candidate with Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: WarGames II.
#6 Velveteen Dream
Not only was Velveteen Dream endorsed by John Cena in 2018, but he has also continued to prove himself as one of the hottest young talents in the wrestling business, putting on both exceptional promos and matches on a weekly basis.
The Dream's year started strongly, and his participation in the North American Ladder match at NXT Takeover: New Orleans didn't exactly do his stock any damage.
After that, he entered into one of the best feuds of the year with Ricochet, producing plenty of memorable moments along the way and proving that he can hang with the best performers in the world between the ropes.
To round his year out, he put on another exceptional performance in a losing effort against Tommaso Ciampa at NXT Takeover: WarGames II, once again reinforcing the aforementioned statement that he can compete with the best in the world right now.
The future continues to look bright for The Velveteen Dream, and he will surely get to taste some gold at some point in 2019.
#5 Pete Dunne
What an incredible year it's been doing for Pete Dunne.
The UK Champion became the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era, with his reign still going strong at over 500 days at the time of writing.
Dunne has managed to make himself a mainstay on the NXT roster in 2018, thanks largely to his exceptional in-ring performances against the likes of Ricochet and Adam Cole.
He also took part in one of the hottest feuds of the year during the Summer and the British group, Moustache Mountain, put on a series of match of the year candidates against The Undisputed Era.
Dunne's popularity has continued to grow outside the ring as well, and he has quickly become one of the most popular and respected stars outside of the main WWE roster.
#4 Adam Cole
Adam Cole, Bay-Bay!
Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era, in general, are the hottest stable in the WWE right now. The group have continued to dominate NXT throughout 2018, and fans will be hoping to see the group make an impact on the main roster next year.
Cole started the year off excellently, putting on a brutal match with Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. Cole ultimately came up short in that match but was rewarded for his efforts by becoming the first ever North American Champion at NXT Takeover: New Orleans.
Cole would drop his belt against Ricochet in another incredible match a few months later and has seen been involved in a three-way feud of sorts with Pete Dunne and Ricochet over the belt.
Of all the current roster members on NXT, Adam Cole is arguably the most complete package, and surely we will see him challenging for some sort of gold on the main roster in the very near future.
#3 Ricochet
Ricochet only made his debut in NXT in April, but the former ROH and NJPW star has made an instant impact, establishing himself as one of the brand's hottest stars and securing his first piece of gold in the industry within a matter of months.
Ricochet's list of incredible moments in 2018 is as long as The Big Show's arm but those not well acquainted with him should make an effort to check out his with The Velveteen Dream and Adam Cole.
He also took part in what was arguably the best non-PPV match of 2018 when he met Pete Dunne in a Champion Vs Champion match on an episode of NXT back in November.
#2 Johnny Gargano
For the first 9 months of the year, Johnny Gargano could do no wrong. The former DIY star was delivering 5-star quality matches every time he stepped into the ring, and the Full Sail University crowd couldn't get enough.
That was... until they did. The crowd turned on Gargano, and he ended up turning heel as a result.
Gargano's current character arc has divided opinion, and there are plenty of fans who are hoping that he turns face again sooner rather than later.
Regardless, he has still managed to take part in some excellent matches with the likes of Aleister Black, Andrade 'Cien' Almas, Velveteen Dream, and of course, Tommaso Ciampa this year.
#1 Tommaso Ciampa
Who else did you expect to see at number 1? Tommaso Ciampa has spent the last 12 months establishing himself as the best heel in the business, all while still showing the world that he is one of the best wrestlers on the planet.
Ciampa has taken his heel work to the next level in the WWE, and his Twitter page is one of the best wrestling social media pages on the internet.
He doesn't top this list because he's great at Twitter though, his performances against the likes of Gargano, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream, Kassius Ohno, and countless others are what have set him aside as NXT's superstar of the year.
Ciampa's title reign has been one of the best NXT Championship reigns in history, and while it is likely to come to an end the night before WrestleMania, it is surely just a matter of time before he steps up to the big leagues and proves himself there as well.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
