WWE NXT Championship

The NXT Championship, one of the most important titles in professional wrestling, serves as an introduction for many upcoming stars who have not made their way to the main roster.

Also Read: Who are the current champions in WWE?

Current WWE NXT Champion (as of January 2025)

Oba Femi is the NXT Champion, as of January 2025, who is in his first reign with the title. In December 2024, at NXT Deadline, Femi won the NXT Men's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn himself a title shot at the NXT Championship. At the same time, the NXT Champion Trick Williams had a feud with Eddy Thorpe for the title. Therefore, the three wrestlers competed against each other in a triple threat match at NXT New Year's Evil for Williams' NXT Championship. Eventually, it was Femi who emerged as the winner and walked out of the event as the NXT Champion.

History of the NXT Championship

The NXT Championship, established in 2012, is a proving ground for future stars and a stepping stone to superstardom. In June 2012, NXT transitioned from a competition show to a developmental territory. To mark this shift, NXT Commissioner Dusty Rhodes introduced the NXT Championship. The inaugural champion was crowned through a Gold Rush Tournament featuring both established main roster wrestlers and rising developmental stars. Seth Rollins, a young talent at the time, emerged victorious, defeating Jinder Mahal in the finals.

The NXT Championship quickly became synonymous with in-ring excellence and innovative storytelling. Champions like Big E, Bo Dallas, Adrian Neville, and Sami Zayn won audiences with their athleticism and charisma. These reigns established a tradition of NXT call-ups, where champions would graduate to the main roster of WWE. Stars like Rollins and Neville went on to achieve championship glory on the biggest stage. NXT underwent a significant transformation in 2015. The brand embraced a more mature and gritty presentation, attracting a dedicated fanbase. Champions like Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Finn Balor delivered iconic matches and rivalries. This era also saw the rise of female wrestling in NXT, with the introduction of the NXT Women's Championship in 2013.

A distinct visual style and a focus on in-ring storytelling defined the Black & Gold era of NXT. Champions like Samoa Joe (second reign), Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano elevated the NXT Championship with their intense battles. In 2020, NXT underwent another shift, adopting a brighter and more colorful presentation under the NXT 2.0 banner. Champions like Karrion Kross, Samoa Joe (third reign), Adam Cole, and Tommaso Ciampa (second reign) led the brand during this transition. The title was merged into the WWE NXT UK Championship at Worlds Collide 2022. Since then, it has been won by the likes of Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov, and Trick Williams.

List of NXT Champions