Top 5 male NXT Superstars of 2019

#3 Johnny Gargano

Johnny Champion continued to shine throughout 2019

The tale of Johnny Gargano is without a doubt the greatest, and most tragic, story in the history of NXT. From the get-go, the Rebel Heart of Gargano has captivated the WWE Universe. From his debut with the company to #DIY to the heartbreaking friendship-ending attack from Ciampa, all the way to Gargano's rise to NXT Champion.

He kicked off 2019 by winning, and subsequently, losing the NXT North American Championship in less than a month. At that point,, Gargano had turned to the dark side, embracing what Ciampa had been preaching for months. Cut to the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and he's reunited with his frenemy, looking to regain the NXT Tag Team Titles.

They were eliminated by Aleister Black and Ricochet, and Ciampa looked to assault Gargano just like he'd done two years prior. This time, though, Gargano saw it coming.

Johnny Wrestling was back with a vengeance. We never got to see Ciampa and Gargano fight at TakeOver: New York, but the latter still managed to capture the NXT Championship by taking out the Undisputed Leader, Adam Cole.

Again, Gargano's reign was short, losing it to Cole at TakeOver: XXV. Still, he continued to pull out some of the best matches of the year, proving himself as Johnny Wrestling and Johnny TakeOver.

Cut to six months later, and Gargano is deeply involved in a heated feud with Finn Balor. So, if we're starting 2020 with Balor vs Gargano at the next event, then it's clear we're kicking things off right.