5 NXT Stars Who Will Takeover In 2020

NXT is an ever-changing landscape. Aspiring superstars come and go so quickly that sometimes it’s hard to pick out who are the breakout stars. 2020 is on the horizon and now that NXT has undergone a soft-reboot on Fox, who knows who’s primed to takeover in the coming year?

In this list, we’re going to run down the 5 NXT stars that we believe are worth keeping an eye on going forward. So far they’ve proven themselves as potential headliners for the brand, but you might not have noticed that yet.

Make sure you drop your own personal dark horses in the comments section below.

 

1. Cameron Grimes

The man formerly known as Trevor Lee has had a great start to his NXT career. Despite losing to Jordan Myles in the finals of the 2019 Breakout Tournament, Grimes has arguably had more success on NXT TV, picking up several wins in succinct fashion. ‘The Technical Savage’ has become NXT’s five-second highlight reel, making a name for himself as a force to be reckoned with in the ring.

Most recently, Grimes fought with NXT headliner Matt Riddle in a match that should go down as the wrestling equivalent of a coming-of-age party. Grimes proved that he can hang with the best, even in defeat, which should go a long way in presenting him as one of NXT’s hottest talents heading into 2020.

I think there’s a lot of potential for Cameron Grimes to excel in the renewed NXT Cruiserweight division, perhaps being the guy to dethrone Lio Rush whenever his time comes to pass. Either that, or maybe we’ll see Grimes have a run for the mid-card title in the near future. The sky’s the limit for the southern native.

 

2. Bianca Belair

‘The EST of NXT’ flirted with the NXT Women’s title picture throughout 2019, but never managed to solve the riddle that is Shayna Baszler. Her momentum has somewhat cooled in recent months, but that doesn’t go to say that the fans are any less behind her. Belair has proven herself to be one of the most athletically-gifted female talents at the Performance Centre and displayed that prowess in the ring on numerous occasions. It’s only a matter of time before they finally pull the trigger on her.

With Shayna Baszler’s title reign now breaking the 365 day mark, it’s only a matter of time before NXT writers decide to give someone the underdog win. With Dakota Kai, Tegan Nox and Candice LaRae all fitting nicely into that typical-babyface role, there’s a lot of competition for Bianca Belair to contend with. Perhaps she’ll be the next in line once Shayna has been removed from the title picture and promptly escorted up to the main roster, should they wish to go down that route.

Regardless, I wouldn’t stop watching Bianca Belair anytime soon. She has the potential to steal whatever show she’s on and it’s only a matter of time before she’s on top of the division.

 

3. Damien Priest

Damien Priest has found himself quite the niche on NXT TV. The edgy ‘Archer of Infamy’ has been carving out a name for himself with the NXT Universe by most recently toppling ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne. Priest is a phenomenal talent with a very unique look. Those two things go a long way in keeping yourself relevant in professional wrestling, so I definitely see him having a very successful 2020.

Priest is being presented as a future superstar, whether that be exclusively for Fox’s NXT or perhaps they’re thinking more long-term, but listening to the commentary and how he’s being made to look against top-tier talents like Dunne, there’s no way he won’t fulfil that prophecy.

Everything about him, from his entrance to his diverse move-set, makes him a very special talent that’s worth putting in the spotlight. Keep your eye on ‘The Archer of Infamy’, there’s big things on the horizon.

 

4. Keith Lee

‘Limitless’ Keith Lee has been a low-key MVP of NXT since his debut last year. Keith has yet to really carve out a niche for himself on the stacked roster, occasionally making it onto TakeOver events but never really having enough momentum to propel him into the title pictures. Lee’s incredible series of matches with fellow big-man Dominik Dijakovic has certainly gone a long way in establishing him as a potential star, it just depends whether NXT writers are finally ready to give the world a reason to bask in his glory.

Keith Lee recently suggested on his social media that he was going to be the undoing of The Undisputed Era. With Adam Cole and the rest of his faction keeping a solid grasp on the main event scene, what better opportunity for Keith Lee to prove himself in the ring with some of the best performers on the NXT roster? A match with Adam Cole, Roderick Strong or either of the tag champs would allow Lee to display the full range of his abilities, and there’s no reason why it couldn’t put him on the map.

I have high hopes for Keith Lee going forward.

 

5. Tyler Bate

The inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion recently showed his face in the audience of Full Sail, getting into a spot of bother with the aforementioned Cameron Grimes. Bate has slowly but surely made a name for himself across the world as one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet. His recent main-event UK title fight with WALTER made sure that the world was paying attention to the ‘Big Strong Boy’, now that he’s bringing that renewed swagger and attitude to NXT, there’s no way he couldn’t go the distance on a new brand.

Bate is incredible popular with the NXT audience, having already tore things up with fellow NXT UK alumni Pete Dunne in 2017. With the two of them now competing on the same roster, there’s plenty of opportunity for a stunning rematch somewhere down the line, as well as a handful of other dream matches for Tyler to dip into in 2020.

Tyler Bate has more than what it takes to become an NXT champion of some sort, so long as he keeps putting in those stellar performances, I see big things in his future.