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For most of you who don’t know, NXT is WWE’s developmental show for wrestlers to develop their skills and talent to fit the “WWE style” prior to making a jump up to the main roster. With a state-of-the-art performance center, a weekly television show and a Takeover PPV once every few months, these wrestlers have all the tools required to develop themselves.
Here is a list of few guys who have used those tools and become successful on the main roster.
#7 Paige
Paige may not have been seen on WWE television a lot recently, but when she first arrived in the WWE, she made a huge impact. The night after Wrestlemania XXX, Paige debuted on the main roster, and even went on to defeat AJ Lee to win the Divas Championship on her very first night.
On her 22nd birthday, just a few months later, she went on to win the title for the second time. A series of injuries, however, kept her from the title picture for almost two years.
Meanwhile, there were rumours that Paige was planning to quit the company. But, that was put to rest when she returned on Raw last week along with NXT call-ups Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose.
I certainly hope she gets thrust into the spotlight once again. The important thing is, she is still very young, and at 25 years of age, she still has a lot to offer.
Paige's accomplishments in NXT and WWE
NXT Women’s Championship (1 time)
NXT Women’s Championship Tournament (2013)
WWE Divas Championship (2 times)
Took part in the Divas Revolution
Ranked No. 1 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2014
Diva of the Year (2014)
#6 Big E
The following night on RAW, Big E wrestled his first singles match, defeating Daniel Bryan. On the November 18th edition of Monday Night RAW, Big E defeated Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title on the main roster.
He held the Intercontinental Championship for 167 days. At Extreme Rules on May 4, Big E lost the Intercontinental Championship to Bad News Barrett and failed to regain it the following night on RAW.
However successful his singles career was, it wasn’t until he teamed with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to form The New Day, that Big E rose to prominence. As part of The New Day, Big E won the Tag Team Titles a couple of times in 2015.
One of those reigns lasted a mammoth 483 days. During this time, The New Day became one of the most exciting and interesting acts in the company, selling an enormous amount of merchandise and even guest hosting WrestleMania 33.
Big E is the only person on this list who is yet to win a World Title since his main roster debut.
Big E's accomplishments in NXT and WWE
NXT Championship (1 time)
WWE (RAW) Tag Team Championship (2 times)
WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWE (Smackdown) Tag Team Championship (2 times)
Became the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history (483 days)
Comeback of the Year (2015) As a member of The New Day
Second-Best Heels (2015) As a member of The New Day
WWE Wrestlers of the Year (2015) As a member of The New Day
Best Gimmick (2015) The New Day
#5 Finn Balor
Finn Balor has had a roller coaster ride since his debut on the main roster last year. At SummerSlam 2016, just one month after his debut on RAW, Balor defeated Seth Rollins to become the inaugural Universal Champion.
During this match, Balor suffered a shoulder injury and would be out of action for a few months. The following night on RAW, Finn Balor relinquished the Universal Championship.
“The Demon King” returned after WrestleMania 33, but he didn’t quite get the push he received prior to his injury. He has been in some pretty stale feuds with the likes of Elias Samson and Bray Wyatt.
Despite all this, Balor still remains as one of the most popular Superstars, among the WWE Universe.
Finn Balor's accomplishments in NXT and WWE
NXT Championship (1 time)
Dust Rhodes Tag Team Classic (2015) - With Samoa Joe
NXT Championship No. 1 Contender Tournament (2015)
NXT Male Competitor of the Year (2015)
NXT Overall Competitor of the Year (2015)
WWE Universal Championship (1 time)
First ever Universal Champion
Ranked No. 3 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016
NXT Star of the Year (2015)
#4 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens made his main roster debut on May 18th, 2015 on an episode of RAW, responding to John Cena’s United States Championship open challenge.
However, instead of competing in the match, he attacked John Cena and stomped on the United States Championship in an ultimate show of disrespect.
At Elimination Chamber 2015, Owens shocked the world when he defeated John Cena in his first official match since debuting on the main roster.
Following this massive victory, Owens went on to become a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a three-time United States Champion, and the second-ever Universal Champion in history.
Currently, Owens is in a feud with Shane McMahon which shows the company has a lot of faith in him.
Kevin Owen's accomplishments in NXT and WWE
NXT Championship (1 time)
WWE Universal Championship (1 time)
WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
WWE United States Championship (3 times)
Ranked No. 3 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2017
WWE Best Heel (2015)
Best Promos (2015) Tie with John Cena
Best Storyline (2015) vs. John Cena
Rookie of the Year (2015)
WWE Match of the Year (2015) vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank
3. Charlotte Flair
Charlotte made her debut on July 13th edition of RAW as part of the Divas revolution, teaming with Becky Lynch and Paige to form Team PCB. Her first match on the main roster was against Brie Bella and Sasha Banks at Battleground, just six days later.
Charlotte, then went on an undefeated streak, winning all 12 of her PPV singles match between Night of Champions 2015 and Royal Rumble 2017. Her streak finally ended when she lost to Bayley at this year’s Fastlane PPV.
However, during her dominant winning streak, Charlotte went on to win four women’s singles titles. She also took part in the first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell match and the first-ever women’s Iron Man match.
Her impressive resume clearly indicates that she is a future Hall of Famer like her dad, and one of the best women’s wrestler in recent memory. Though she has had a quiet few months, she recently regained the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and I am willing to bet WWE has some massive plans for her in the future.
Charlotte's accomplishments in NXT and WWE
NXT Women’s Championship Tournament (2014)
NXT Women’s Championship (1 time)
WWE Divas Championship (1 time)
WWE Raw Women’s Championship (4 time)
WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship (1 time)
Participated in the First ever women’s Hell in a Cell match
Participated in the first-ever women’s Iron Man match
Participated in the first-ever women’s Money in The Bank ladder match
Feud of the Year (2016) vs Sasha Banks
Rookie of the Year (2014)
Woman of the Year (2016)
Ranked No. 1 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2016[
#2 Seth Rollins
Being the first ever NXT Champions, a lot was expected from Rollins when he made his main roster debut and now, you can definitely say that Rollins delivered.
Seth Rollins debuted on the main roster at Survivor Series alongside Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, attacking Ryback during his triple threat match against CM Punk and John Cena, allowing CM Punk to pin John Cena and retain his title.
The trio, then went on a path destruction, beating everyone on the main roster.
After his 18-month long run with The Shield, it was clear that Rollins was the breakout star. He disbanded the faction, winning the Money in The Bank briefcase shortly thereafter, and successfully cashing in the briefcase at WrestleMania 31.
This made headlines as one of the greatest ‘Mania moments of all time. Rollins, then went on to hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for 220 days, until he was sidelined due to a knee injury.
After returning from his injury, he regained the title for a brief period, but he just hasn’t been pushed as well as before.
Rollins recently reunited with his Shield brethren, so it’s safe to say that WWE has some big plans for him.
Seth Rolins' accomplishments in NXT and WWE
NXT Gold Rush Tournament (2012)
NXT Championship (1 time)
WWE/Raw Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Roman Reigns (1) and Dean Ambrose (1)
WWE United States Championship (1 time)
WWE World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Money in the Bank (2014)
Slammy Awards (9 times)
• Anti-Gravity Moment of the Year (2014) Diving off the balcony at Payback
• Breakout Star of the Year (2013) with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield
• Double-Cross of the Year (2014) Betraying The Shield and joining The Authority
• Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield
• Fan Participation (2014) "You Sold Out"
• Match of the Year (2014) Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series
• Superstar of the Year (2015)
• Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) – #BelieveInTheShield with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield
Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Roman Reigns
#1 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns had just three NXT appearances prior to making his debut on the main roster. Despite that, Roman Reigns has become the most successful NXT graduate.
He was a regular fixture in FCW but wrestled a handful of matches when the developmental was rebranded as NXT. He picked up wins against CJ Parker (now Juice Robinson in NJPW) but lost a fatal-4-way match to eventual winner Big E.
Since his arrival in November 2012, Reigns has the United States and Tag Team titles, as well as the Intercontinental Championship.
Apart from these Championship accolades, Reigns has won the Royal Rumble match in 2015. In his first Royal Rumble match, Reign broke Kane’s record of most eliminations by eliminating 12 Superstars.
Reigns broke another record when he eliminated four men in a single Survivor Series match.
He was also featured in three successive Wrestlemania main events, and may even end up main eventing Wrestling next year as well.
It’s no doubt that Vince McMahon sees Reigns as the future of the company, considering the amount times they (WWE) have tried to push him. But, the only blemish on Reigns’ otherwise impressive resume is the fact that fans can’t stand him. WWE Universe doesn’t want to see Reigns as The Top Dog and they voice their opinions loud and clear.
Whether you love or hate him, you just can’t dispute that Reigns is indeed the most successful NXT graduate the company’s produced.
Roman Reigns' accomplishments in NXT and WWE
WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current)
WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Seth Rollins
WWE United States Championship (1 time)
WWE World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
Twenty-eighth Triple Crown Champion
Ninth Grand Slam Champion (under current format; seventeenth overall)
Royal Rumble (2015)
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2015)
Slammy Awards (7 times)
? Breakout Star of the Year (2013) with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield
? Extreme Moment of the Year (2015) – Post-TLC rampage
? Faction of the Year (2013, 2014) with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield
? Superstar of the Year (2014)
? Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year (2013) – #BelieveInTheShield with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield
? "What a Maneuver" of the Year (2013) – Spear
Most Improved (2013)
Most Overrated (2016)
Tag Team of the Year (2013) with Seth Rollins
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