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NXT is the favoured brand of many WWE fans due to how different and often how much better it is than the main roster. Part of that is the booking but part of it is the talent that the 'developmental' brand possesses on both the NXT and NXT UK brands.
Some stars are developed straight from the Performance Center and are a clear product of the WWE system. On the other hand, some have come from other places such as ROH and NJPW or indie companies and are in NXT to learn the sort of things that happen in WWE as opposed to indies.
I won't be counting the recent call-ups Ricochet, Alester Black, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano because, in my opinion, they all have potential to be WWE champion one day. These are some of the less obvious NXT stars that could be WWE champion one day on the future.
#4 Adam Cole
Adam Cole has sort of become the Ric Flair of NXT with his Horsemen like stable The Undisputed Era by his side. While some in NXT might not be like this, Cole has the sort of look that Vince McMahon might actually go for when looking for a new top star in his company.
Cole would of course not be a number one babyface star because of how good of a heel he has been while in NXT and Ring Of Honor. It is definitely not out of the question that he could become the number one heel on either Raw or SmackDown Live.
He could be the perfect cocky heel that is facing top babyfaces like Gargano or Seth Rollins and trying to stop every fan's heroes from winning the world title. I for sure would expect him to be a world champion in the future.
#3 Tyler Bate
Selfishly I really want Tyler to succeed because England really needs his first world champion. But if anyone from anywhere in the world watches him it is undeniable that he has the potential to be WWE champion one day.
And he is only 22! WWE could wait 10 or 15 years to call him up and he could still become champion if given the chance. With the talent that he has, it seems impossible that he won't one day be WWE champion.
#2 Velveteen Dream
This is one you maybe saw coming. Velveteen Dream has become one of NXT's biggest stars in the last year at the young age of 23. He has been praised by ever superstar under the sun including John Cena who knows a little bit about what it takes to become a champion in WWE.
His character does compare to someone like Goldust who didn't quite make it to the top of the WWE ladder. But no one on the current full-time roster is anything like Dream so if handled right by Vince could not just become WWE champion, but one of WWE's biggest stars.
#1 Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle is the best. He just is. You can't debate this. Since joining NXT he has become beloved by the fans for just being himself. His character is just him. He's a fun, chilled out dude who also obliterates his opponents due to his former MMA background.
For a guy who has as much natural charisma as him, it is almost impossible to screw him up on the main roster. While that could happen, his MMA background means that Vince could pull the trigger on him and make him the world champion.
The fact that he is so different from everyone else on the roster makes it seem more likely than most people to be pushed.
If the crowd stay behind him in NXT and Vince McMahon likes his babyface character, maybe one day we will see him win the WWE title. And maybe retire Brock Lesnar. But that would just be a bonus.
