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Coming up on the end of 2020, it is fair to say that NXT had somewhat of a reset this year. The brand looks very different than it did 12 months ago after the likes of Keith Lee and Matt Riddle moving up to the main roster.
NXT has rebuilt, with some new Superstars and some returning stars set to make their mark. The NXT Championship has changed hands three times so far in 2020. Adam Cole entered the year as champion and Keith Lee dethroned him in July, during night two of NXT: The Great American Bash. Lee would only hold the championship for a little over a month as newcomer Karrion Kross defeated The Limitless One at TakeOver: XXX.
Unfortunately, Kross suffered an injury in that match which forced him to relinquish the championship just days after winning it. This gave the man that returned to NXT at the end of 2019, Finn Balor, the opportunity to win the vacant NXT Championship, over five years since he last won it in 2015.
Strangely, Balor also suffered an injury in a match where he defended his championship against Kyle O’Reilly at TakeOver: 31. Afterward, Balor revealed that he broke his jaw. The Prince of NXT is currently recovering from this injury, and there has been no word on if Balor will need to vacate the championship. At this point, it almost seems like the higher-ups in NXT are reluctant to vacate the championship again.
Whether Balor has to vacate the championship or returns to defend it, it will be interesting to see who becomes the next challenger for the coveted NXT Championship.
#5 Kyle O'Reilly could become NXT Champion in 2021
Kyle O’Reilly has primarily worked as a tag team wrestler during his time in NXT, having held the Tag Team Championship on three occasions. He also won Tag Team of the Year on two occasions at NXT’s Year-End Awards in 2018 with Roderick Strong and 2019 with Bobby Fish.
However, O’Reilly recently received the opportunity to show what he can do as a singles competitor. On the Sept. 23 edition of NXT, he defeated Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, KUSHIDA, and Timothy Thatcher in a Gauntlet Eliminator match. As the winner, he received an NXT Championship match at TakeOver: 31.
O’Reilly’s talents as a singles wrestler will have come as no surprise to fans of his pre-WWE work. The Vancouver native previously reigned as the PWG World Champion and the Ring of Honor World Champion, two of the most respected world championships on the US independent wrestling scene.
Following O’Reilly’s big Gauntlet match win, NXT made the championship match official for the main event of TakeOver: XXX. The build-up to this match was fantastic, featuring an intense face-to-face segment with the two hosted by "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.
On Oct. 4, 2020, at TakeOver, O’Reilly fought Balor in a hard-hitting encounter where Balor suffered a legitimate broken jaw. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop the Prince of NXT as Balor nailed O’Reilly with a devastating Coup de Grace for the win after over 28 minutes of intense action. The match was very well received by fans and critics alike, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer rating the match 4.5 stars out of five.
Although O'Reilly was unsuccessful, this could be the start of a tremendous singles run. What better way to keep this momentum going than for O’Reilly to step up to the plate to challenge Balor in a rematch, but this time come out on top and became the new NXT Champion?
#4 Johnny Gargano could become NXT Champion in 2021
Johnny Gargano has done it all with NXT. He has held the Tag Team, North American, and the NXT Championship. There is nothing left for Gargano left to accomplish on the black and gold brand, yet he still calls it home as opposed to joining the ranks of RAW or SmackDown.
In fact, not long ago, a fan called Gargano out on Twitter referring to the former NXT Champion's decision to stay put rather than move to the Red or Blue brands:
So it would appear that Johnny Wrestling is happy to stick with NXT, and in that case, what could be next for Gargano? Johnny successfully challenged Damian Priest for the NXT North American Championship NXT Halloween Havoc in a match where the stipulation was decided by the returning "spin the wheel, make the deal" concept.
Gargano became the first-ever two-time North American hampion on that night, besting Priest in the Devil's Playground match. This week, he lost his North American Championship during his first defense in arguably the biggest upset in NXT history. He lost the championship to Leon Ruff, who has only competed on NXT four times prior. He lost on all 4 occasions.
While Gargano was extremely disappointed, this only adds fuel to his heel persona. The last time Gargano lost the North American championship, he won the NXT title less than 3 months later. Could history repeat itself?
Gargano as a character is truly on a roll in NXT, having committed to his current heel run alongside his real-life wife, Candice LeRea. It is clear Johnny wants to continue to build his legacy in NXT for a long while. Surely, he would love the opportunity to capitalize on his current momentum and follow the likes of Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Finn Balor, to become only the fourth ever two-time NXT Champion in history.
#3 KUSHIDA could become NXT Champion in 2021
KUSHIDA arrived at NXT in April 2019 with a lot of hype behind him. Fresh from his nearly 10-year tenure with New Japan Pro Wrestling, KUSHIDA received a big welcome from WWE. The company officially announced his signing at a press conference in New York City, a few days before WrestleMania 35. KUSHIDA would go on to make his in-ring debut on the May 1 episode of NXT where he kicked off a winning streak, defeating Kassius Ohno. Since then, it has felt as though KUSHIDA's momentum had dipped.
In January 2020, KUSHIDA reunited with his former tag team partner, Alex Shelley, to reform the Time Splitters for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. Unfortunately, this didn't have a fairytale ending, or even beginning, as NXT UK's Grizzled Young Veterans, James Drake, and Zack Gibson, as KUSHIDA and Shelley in the first round, cutting the reunion short.
KUSHIDA's next chance at glory came in April 2020, as the former IWJP Junior Heavyweight Champion took part in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship round-robin tournament. However, he was unsuccessful as Drake Maverick defeated him in a triple threat match that also featured Jake Atlas. It was unclear what direction KUSHIDA would go in next, as there didn't appear to be any feuds lined up for him.
That all changed in August 2020, when Velveteen Dream attacked KUSHIDA after the two men both landed on the losing end of a triple threat bout to Cameron Grimes. This would kick-start a feud between KUSHIDA and Dream. This culminated in a grudge match at NXTTakeOver: 31. KUSHIDA was more aggressive in this match, taking the opportunity to show another side to himself to the NXT Universe.
He ended the match by submitting Velveteen Dream, but KUSHIDA did not feel that was enough. Following the bell, he continued to attack Dream with officials having to come to Dream's aid and pull KUSHIDA away. This really cemented KUSHIDA as a big-time player on NXT as the Japanese Superstar really made the most of this opportunity
KUSHIDA's push continued, as he picked up arguably the biggest win of his NXT career on the Oct. 21 episode of NXT. In a triple threat match with Velveteen Dream and former NXT Champion, Tomasso Ciampa, KUSHIDA didn't just get the win but he managed to pin Ciampa following a beautiful dead-lift german suplex.
Following this win, you can see big things on the horizon for KUSHIDA. Capturing the NXT Championship and becoming only the second-ever Japanese superstar, after Nakamura to do so, would be a huge moment for KUSHIDA.
#2 Karrion Kross could become NXT Champion in 2021
Karrion Kross had an unbelievable start to his NXT career, experiencing both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Back in February, WWE announced that Kross has signed with the company. Afterward, mysterious vignettes started to air on NXT TV over several weeks. In April 2020, Kross finally made his debut, attacking Tommaso Ciampa as he cut a promo backstage. Kross went on to make his in-ring debut on the May 6 edition of NXT, absolutely obliterating Leon Ruff.
However, it wasn't just his brutal in-ring work that got people talking, but also his fantastic entrance. Accompanied to the ring by his real-life partner Scarlett in a dark and spooky setting with smoke surrounding him, Kross looks intimidating with the words 'Fall and Prey' repeated throughout his gripping theme music. Karrion Kross had been presented as an absolute beast from the get-go, and it was only the beginning.
''Karrion Kross is the damn devil, what the hell did NXT just let in it's doors?''. - Tom Phillips (Moments after Kross' debut victory)
Karrion's feud with Ciampa culminated in a match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House event on June 7, 2020. Kross absolutely destroyed the former NXT Champion, as Ciampa struggled to get much offense in. The match ended at around the 6-minute mark when Kross applied the Kross Jacket submission, making Ciampa pass out. This was a huge victory for Kross and cemented him as a main-event player on NXT. Taking out one of the biggest stars on NXT so easily put him over as a huge threat to the entire roster.
Kross' dominance would continue, as he went on to challenge for Keith Lee's NXT Championship in only his second NXT TakeOver appearance. On Aug. 22 at TakeOver XXX, Kross defeated Lee to capture his first NXT Championship in another hard-hitting bout. This match was a lot more competitive than the match with Ciampa, but it ultimately ended with the same result.
Kross came out on-top after he hit a devastating top rope Doomsday Saito Suplex to pin Lee for the win. He really hit the highest of highs just 4 months into his run with NXT. Unfortunately, the lowest of lows would soon come. On the following day, WWE announced that Kross suffered a separated shoulder during the main event, which forced him to vacate the title on Aug. 26 episode of NXT. It was the shortest NXT championship reign in history.
Kross hasn't appeared since his injury. While there is no word on exactly how long the former champion is out of action, one thing is for certain, the man that makes his opponents Fall and Prey will be chomping at the bit to regain the championship that he never lost.
#1 Pat McAfee could become NXT Champion in 2021
This one most likely will divide opinion, but Pat McAfee is a star. The former Indianapolis Colts punter has been dipping his toes into the wrestling world since 2018 when McAfee began appearing as a pre-show analyst during the pre-shows of NXT's TakeOver events. McAfee reportedly officially signed with WWE in February 2019, as he began hosting live watch along on WWE's YouTube channel alongside several WWE Superstars.
The former NFL star has always shown a great appreciation for the world of Sports Entertainment. Love him or hate him, he is a charismatic talker. McAfee's involvement with WWE and more importantly, NXT took an unexpected turn when he entered a feud with Adam Cole.
When former NXT Champion, Adam Cole, was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show, their interview blew up when McAfee somewhat discredited Cole's success, claiming he needed the Undisputed Era to achieve what he has with NXT. Cole did not take too kindly to this and began shouting at the hose and stormed off of the set. Fans weren't certain if this was real or work at the time, but it led to a confrontation on the Aug. 5 edition of NXT.
In the end, McAfee punted Cole in the head, knocking him out cold. The war of words continued over the following weeks ahead of a match at the NXT TakeOver XXX. This would be Pat McAfee's pro-wrestling debut. Although McAfee lost to Cole, he opened a lot of eyes with an extremely impressive in-ring performance.
McAfee hadn't been seen since his fantastic display at TakeOver XXX. On the Oct. 21 edition of NXT when he helped Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan capture the NXT Tag Team Championships in a shocking return. McAfee cut another captivating promo after the match where he proclaimed that he three of them—he, Burch, and Lorcan—will run NXT. McAfee has since also added "The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne to his group. The four of them are set to square up with The Undisputed Era in a brutal match such as WarGames.
Say what you will about Pat McAfee, but the man is a great talker and he backs it up in the ring. So, what better place for McAfee to have his second ever match, than at within WarGames. This would create a buzz that would be sure to please Vince McMahon, with a former NFL star like McAfee appearing in one of WWE's most brutal matches.
McAfee could lead his team to victory and catapult himself into the NXT Championship picture. This would be a move that would truly shock the system. McAfee revealing himself to be such a great in-ring competitor was already a huge surprise, and what would be a bigger shock than McAfee winning the prestigious NXT title. The build-up to any potential championship match would be fantastic, as McAfee would get the chance to really show his mic skills as a top-level, arrogant heel.
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