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Currently, at the top of the NXT throne stands Tommaso Ciampa, who is in his first reign as NXT Champion after successfully defeating Aleister Black. The Psycho Killer is on a fantastic reign so far, as it has been full of twists and turns.
Being the NXT Champion is a huge accomplishment because it shows that Triple H has faith in you to succeed in the main roster. Most importantly, an NXT Championship title reign always has a special meaning to it.
And you know what they say; it's not the title that makes the man- it's the man who makes the title. We've seen so many champions such as Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura & Kevin Owens- all three men who have gone onto win titles on the main roster.
The following is a list of three candidates who could possibly win the NXT Championship in 2019.
#3 Adam Cole
Representing The Undisputed Era at #3 in the list is none other than Adam Cole.
From the moment that Cole stepped foot into an NXT ring, we all knew that he was destined for success. It all began with when Cole made his debut at War Games 2017 by attacking the NXT Champion at the time, Drew McIntyre along with Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly.
And ever since then, it's safe to say that Cole has lived up to the standards that was expected of him.
The machine clearly believes him in, and his accomplishments so far in NXT prove it. He is already a former NXT Tag Team Champion when he filled in for Bobby Fish, he was the first man to win the NXT North American Championship as he even went onto win The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on the same night.
Cole has even made an appearance in the Royal Rumble match in 2017. And whilst Cole may not have a title at the moment, it is clear that he is being built up for bigger things.
Winning the NXT Championship would make Adam Cole the first ever superstar to have title reigns with ALL of the titles in NXT.
There is no doubt that Cole will eventually be on the main roster, but it's clear that he is being set up to become the face of NXT before he is called up.
#2 Velveteen Dream
Name a superstar in NXT right now that is more charismatic, magnetic & captivating than The Dream himself!
Let's face it- when Velveteen Dream first appeared on NXT, we were all baffled. Everybody thought that Patrick Clark's talents were being wasted with what looked like an awful character. It seemed as if The Dream wouldn't go very far.
But The Dream went onto prove everybody wrong.
It all began with a rivalry against Aleister Black. The Dream had stalked Black for weeks in order for him to say his name. It was a fantastic storyline with the heel chasing the face.
And then came NXT Takeover: War Games 2017 where Black defeated The Dream in a fantastic match. Not only did The Dream's wrestling abilities captivate the crowd, but his intentions of wanting Black to say his name caught on with everyone.
The fans were fully rooting for Black to say The Dream's name, which he did... and from there, a star was officially born.
We have seen Velveteen Dream constantly put on great matches during the NXT Takeover PPV events to the point where he should literally be labelled "Mr Takeover".
Sure, a North American Championship reign could also be on the horizon for Dream first, but there is no denying that The Dream has done enough in NXT to warrant himself an NXT Championship title reign. And if you don't believe that, then watch his match against Tomasso Ciampa at NXT Takeover: War Games 2018. The story-telling in that bout was top notch, and it furthered The Dream's stature.
He has had that taste of what it feels like to compete in a big title match. If he ever became NXT Champion in 2019, there is no doubt that any arena would go bananas for his victory.
#1 Johnny Gargano
And finally, we have Johnny Wrestling at #1 for candidates to win the NXT Championship.
Johnny Gargano first appeared on NXT along with his tag team partner, Tommaso Ciampa to form DIY.
The team went onto be very successful, as they became NXT Tag Team Champions at NXT Takeover: Toronto 2017, in what was a huge moment after all the times they had failed to win the title belts. They then went onto lose the title at NXT Takeover: San Antonio 2017 against The Authors of Pain.
However, at NXT Takeover: Chicago 2017- we witnessed #DIY lose the rematch to AOP in a Ladder match.
After the match, Tommaso Ciampa shocked the entire world by turning on Gargano. It was a moment that left the entire wrestling world angry. It created the perfect babyface in Gargano, as well as a devastating psycho heel in Ciampa.
Ever since the duo had split up, Gargano has had multiple opportunities to become NXT Champion; first against Andrade 'Cien' Almas and then in a long, storied rivalry with Tommaso Ciampa. However, he has failed to get his hands on the gold till date.
The fact that Ciampa is the champion right now is all because of Gargano's obsession with Ciampa.
And now? Gargano has reunited, although temporarily, with Ciampa to form a heel version of #DIY. Johnny Wrestling's obsession had led to him joining who he couldn't beat, but there seems to be more to the storyline.
It seems as if things are building up to Gargano eventually turning on Ciampa, and it would make perfect sense as Gargano could to do Ciampa what Ciampa already did to him.
There wouldn't be a better option than a face Gargano to take the title away from Ciampa after another DIY split up.
If 2019 is anybody's year on the NXT roster, then it simply HAS to be Johnny Gargano's.
