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There have been hundreds and hundreds of wrestlers who have passed through the doors at Full Sail University.
Some stuck around for a long time and became members of the main roster while others made it to NXT TV but moved on. Some never even made it to TV, instead getting released from the company before making an impact.
But the fact still remains that there are several names that helped to build NXT to what it is today. Many Superstars like Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and the Four Horsewomen are still extremely important members of the main roster in their own ways. They first started in NXT and helped the Yellow and Black brand out at various stages.
They weren't, however, the only Superstars who were integral to getting NXT to the point where it will be debuting on the USA Network. Many Superstars like Elias, Cesaro and Bray Wyatt all entered the Yellow brand and still became vital parts of the main roster without winning gold in NXT.
The impact some Superstars had on the brand will always remain even if they didn't enjoy the same success on the main roster. Here are 10 Superstars who were integral in getting NXT to the point where it is today.
Honorable Mentions
Emma is one of the prominent Superstars from NXT that never won a title. While the same thing can be said for her when she was a member of the main roster, her spot in the annals of NXT history cannot be overlooked.
Along with Paige, Emma was one of the first women in NXT to be relied upon to help build the brand. Both Paige and Emma squared off to crown the first-ever NXT Women's Champion. The Anti-Diva won the title and eventually moved on to the main roster with the title still around her waist, but Emma stuck around in NXT.
She was an opponent for many women new to the WWE and its style, and Emma helped them in a big way. Among the women she faced were Bayley, Asuka, Carmella and Liv Morgan.
Tyler Breeze was similar to Emma in that even though neither star had much success in terms of titles, they were integral in getting many from the top of the roster to the mid-card over.
He had title shots throughout his NXT career, but always came up short. Breeze recently returned to put up a great effort against Velveteen Dream for the NXT North American Championship, but once again lost.
He also welcomed the likes of Hideo Itami and Apollo Crews to NXT. Perhaps one of the biggest honors for Breeze, albeit in a losing effort once again, was when he faced Jyushin Thunder Liger at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. It was a one-off for the Japanese legend, but few Superstars would have been trusted to welcome the legend to NXT.
#10 Sami Zayn
One of the storylines as NXT started to build steam was Sami Zayn's inability to win the big one. He would constantly come up short in his bids for the NXT title but would eventually complete his journey by defeating Neville. It was the story of the ultimate babyface who overcame the odds in order to come out on top.
His victory would be short-lived as Kevin Owens would debut on the same night that he won the title.
After celebrating briefly with Zayn, Owens immediately turned on his friend. It would then kick off another storyline of Zayn being unable to enjoy his win while Owens would begin his rise to the top of NXT.
After he was out of the title picture, Zayn was so trusted in the ring that he was the first WWE opponent in NXT for Shinsuke Nakamura.
Nakamura had been a long time star in Japan, but his signing was a huge coup for WWE back in 2016. Zayn was one of the first popular stars from Ring of Honor (along with Seth Rollins and Cesaro) to make a big splash in NXT.
#9 Kevin Owens
The first part of Owens' run in NXT involved the roller coaster ride of a feud with Zayn. He won the NXT title from his friend/enemy and would carry it until he crossed paths with Finn Balor. The two headlined a show in Japan in which Balor won the title from Owens.
While he was still NXT Champ, however, Owens shocked the WWE Universe by not only appearing on the main roster to challenge John Cena but also defeating him.
It occurred during a John Cena US Championship Open Challenge back when the Cenation Leader would institute that for Superstars to get a title shot.
Owens was another big name from ROH to make the jump to the WWE and it isn't a surprise to see why he was signed.
He's among the most complete stars in terms of mic work, character work and in-ring ability. His star could be risen even higher if his firing by Shane McMahon leads to something bigger.
#8 The Undisputed Era
The Undisputed Era made it's shocking debut in NXT when they attacked Drew McIntyre when he was then the NXT Champion. The group has dominated the tag team division in NXT. The group was so cocky that a prophecy was set forth saying that all members would be holding gold in 2019.
It took a few years for Cole, but he finally achieved the main part of his prophecy when he won the NXT Championship earlier this year. He had won the North American Championship but the each member of the group never all held gold simultaneously.
Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly completed the second part of the prophecy when they recaptured the tag titles from the Street Profits in late August.
Roderick Strong has an upcoming date with the Velveteen Dream for the North American Championship, and all signs are pointing to him completing the prophecy.
Cole might have appeared in the Royal Rumble this year, but with the move to the USA Network, it's clear that they will be featured. They've helped to create NXT in their image and have made it undisputed.
#7 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe might not have been the first NXT Champion or the best NXT Champion. He's also had a somewhat disappointing main-roster run. But what Joe represents to NXT and the WWE is the change in stance that the company originally had regarding signing Superstars from Impact Wrestling.
Kevin Owens helped to start the "big indie names signing" trend in NXT along with Zayn and others, but prior to Samoa Joe showing up in NXT, WWE had disregarded picking up stars from TNA.
They either didn't think much of the talent or were unaware of how talented a lot of the people were.
But once Triple H started NXT and was allowed slack to operate things how he wanted to, a lot of practices changed. Joe showed up initially as a face to aid Sami Zayn after he had been attacked by former friend Kevin Owens.
After finishing a feud with Owens, Joe would become the first winner of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic alongside Finn Balor. That run would also turn Joe heel and see him win the title from the longest-reigning NXT Champion in Balor. Joe was also the first-ever two-time NXT Champion after feuding with Shinsuke Nakamura.
#6 Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa
Gargano and Ciampa's legacy in WWE will forever be linked to each other. Both Superstars had a cup of tea on the main roster earlier this year. But when Tomasso Ciampa was forced to undergo neck surgery, Johnny Wrestling was moved back to NXT.
Gargano is still one of the main Superstars on the Yellow and Black brand. He's won every title on the brand and his initial storylines alongside Ciampa were among the better storylines in NXT history.
Through the successes and failures they endured together, it was a no-brainer that the two men would eventually be going head to head. In arguably the best feud in NXT history, Ciampa turned his back on Gargano and embraced the Blackheart persona. He won the NXT Championship, putting Gargano in his shadow.
They didn't really get to explore both men being heels due to Ciampa's unfortunate injury, but that injury allowed Gargano the chance to become NXT Champion.
His win was among the most emotional in history due to his work on the brand. He is an important member of the entire roster and represents the ultimate babyface. In a different time, he might have already been a full-time member of either RAW or SmackDown, but he is NXT.
#5 Asuka
While she may not be currently experiencing the same level of success as a member of the main roster, Asuka dominated NXT during her tenure. She was undefeated as NXT Women's Champion after taking the title from Bayley. Her run of 510 days is unheard of in the modern age.
Her streak continued on the main roster and included winning the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble.
Unfortunately, that streak ended at WrestleMania 34 after she lost to Charlotte Flair when challenging for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Asuka was the epitome of dominant during her NXT reign and it was believable due to her aura, move set and ability to adapt to any opponent.
She faced everyone from Bayley to Nia Jax to Eva Maria to Ember Moon and came out victorious.
Her run as NXT Women's Champion helped to steady the NXT ship during 2015-2017. That type of aura could be slightly recaptured if she turns heel, much like Io Shirai has done recently.
#4 Paige
Paige's impact on the WWE was quite substantial considering she was so young when she accomplished those feats.
As Florida Championship Wrestling transitioned into a developmental brand with episodes rather than competitions, titles were established and Champions were crowned.
Paige ended up being the inaugural NXT Women's Champion, defeating Emma in the finals the tournament to crown the Champ. She never lost the title and was forced to vacate it instead once she was called up to the main roster.
WWE thought so much of her that she both debuted and won the Divas Championship on the same night. Not many people from NXT experience that kind of transition.
Paige was also important as a character because she represented something other than the barbie-type models who had previously been filling up the women's divisions.
Women like Summer Rae, Kelly Kelly and the Bellas were all pioneers of the division but Paige was truly special in the ring.
Since Paige was both different from those types of women and good in the ring, she helped to kick-start the Women's Evolution on the main roster alongside AJ Lee.
#3 Finn Balor
Finn Balor was the face of NXT throughout his entire run as a part of the Yellow and Black brand. He debuted to back up Hideo Itami after the Japanese Superstar was engrossed in a feud with the Ascension. After Balor debuted to save and join Itami, it was clear that he would become a bigger player going forward in NXT.
It took a few tries, but Balor eventually won the NXT Championship from the dastardly Kevin Owens. It started a reign of 292 days and is still the longest reign for an NXT Champion.
During that run, he was seen as the face of the brand and was arguably one of the most popular NXT stars of all time. He was also a part of the first ladder match in NXT history.
Just like Asuka, he was a stabilizing force atop the brand while others debuted and were integrated into the company. Because his NXT run was so successful, he was hand-picked to become the first-ever Universal Champion.
While his reign was literally only one day, it still showed a lot of faith from management. Where did that faith come from? His extremely successful run in NXT.
#2 Seth Rollins
Back before he was the Kingslayer, the Beastslayer and the Architect of the Shield, Rollins was a head-banging, blonde-streaked upstart in NXT. He won the tournament to crown the first-ever NXT Champion. Judging from that accolade, it wasn't that much of a surprise when he picked up title after title on the main roster.
As FCW transitioned into NXT, several of the Superstars were carried over to help ease the formatting transition. Instead of being a competition, it turned into an actual brand. And before WWE started to sign up stars from Ring of Honor, Rollins was one of the first to make the jump.
He had been wrestling in ROH as Tyler Black, having won that promotion's World title. Rollins might have completely changed his character upon debuting as a member of The Shield, but Triple H must have seen something special to not only sign him to the company but also make him the first NXT Champion.
He must have impressed even more to be considered for a role in the Shield. Due to how his career has gone thus far, I think the future is safe in the hands of stars like Rollins. Triple H has proven to have a great eye for talent.
#1 The Four Horsewomen of NXT
Every member of the Four Horsewomen of NXT won the NXT Women's Championship - except for The Man, Becky Lynch. She was long thought of as the odd person out in the group, but if you ask her about it today, I'm sure she's fine with how things have played out.
The likes of Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair were around in NXT when Paige became the inaugural Champion, but they weren't as seasoned in NXT as the likes of Paige and Emma. But as they grew into their roles on the yellow show, they were regularly atop the card and were running the women's division.
Flair won the title after it was vacated by Paige and Banks would win it from Flair. As the women consistently upped the bar for performances, they started to main-event TakeOver shows, including Bayley and Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn. That honor didn't go to just any women in NXT.
The women were so integral to NXT's women's division that they earned the moniker of the Four Horsewomen. Women hadn't main-evented PPVs on the main roster like they did in NXT, so a good deal of credit for closing shows should go to the Four Horsewomen.
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