#3 Johnny Gargano
One of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire history of NXT, came when Tomasso Ciampa shocked the world and turned on his DIY partner, Johnny Gargano, at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.
Already, Gargano was massively over as a babyface, with DIY rapidly ascending the ranks to become arguably the most popular tag team in NXT in a very short space of time. Following the unforeseen betrayal by Ciampa, however, fan sympathy for Gargano has been at an all time high. WWE would be extremely unwise not to capitalise on this momentum, and catapult “Johnny Wrestling” up the card to the status of NXT’s main event babyface.
Gargano seems to appeal to hardcore and casual fans alike. He has a decent look, can cut a good promo and is absolutely stellar in the ring, making him an easy character for the audience to emotionally invest in.
There can be no doubting the fact that Gargano has excelled in every scenario that the NXT world has thrust him into, something that should put him quite high up on the list of potential future champions, particularly in the eyes of the office.
From his time on the independents, Gargano has always been massively popular, and it’s highly possible that his electric, entertaining performances will translate into holding NXT Championship gold.
