The Next 5 NXT Champions And Beyond

NXT has somehow managed to save itself from that horrible slump period where everybody thought the brand had peaked in popularity. With a fresh batch of indie darlings and performance centre experiments creating new feuds and dream match-ups on a weekly basis, both the roster hierarchy and title picture have never been more intriguing.

Within this short piece, I’m going to predict the next five NXT champions, following Bobby Roode’s successful run with the big gold X. And then I’m going to look beyond that like some sort of wrestling oracle and suggest some potential future champions that could be showing up in the near future.

 

1. Drew McIntyre

The former Intercontinental champion returned to the WWE and voiced his intentions of capturing the NXT Championship before heading back to the main roster. McIntyre has since steam-rolled through some of NXT‘s mid-card and has meandered about waiting for his chance to break through to the main event scene. Now that Hideo Itami has seemingly left the number one contender spot vacant, the road is clear for McIntyre to rise to the top of the card in time for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 3.

Bobby Roode will probably go down as one of the better NXT Champions, bringing in a charismatic flavour to the title scene that had been somewhat lacking under the reigns of Balor, Nakamura and Samoa Joe. He’s been somewhat untouchable as of late, but now with McIntyre being portrayed as an utter beast, his days are surely numbered.

The crowds are definitely behind Drew, and with the added momentum of being the number one contender, I’m sure it would make for a huge moment when he eventually dethrones the glorious one.

Drew McIntyre is a fantastic talent that was criminally underused following his rookie year in WWE. Not only does he deserve the recognition of being the one to defeat Bobby Roode for the NXT title, but he would also be a good substitute for Roode should he then be shipped onto either Raw or Smackdown – avoiding fans feeling like too big of a gap has been left behind in the roster.

 

2. Eric Young

A common trope with NXT is that babyface champions never seem to manage to have substantial reigns. Perhaps this relates more to the tag team division in particular (as we remind ourselves of Finn Balor’s record setting title run), but I for one don’t think that McIntyre would hang onto the NXT Championship for more than a few months. Perhaps another victory or two over Bobby Roode in typical best of three fashion, but he would soon find himself at the losing side of a match with SAnitY’s Eric Young.

Both an in-ring veteran and a popular act seemingly stuck in the mid-card, Eric Young and his faction have been waiting for the right moment to break through to the main events of NXT. The natural assumption would be that all of SAnitY will eventually find themselves with championship gold at one time – effectively running NXT, a la Evolution circa 2003 – Young being the ideal member to take hold of the NXT title.

Better that NXT push for this sooner rather than later, before Eric and the other henchmen take one too many losses from the midcard babyface tandem. Having SAnitY overcome the powerhouse McIntyre would be a huge deal in making them into the threat that they should be.

 

3. Killian Dain

But whilst every stable rises, there is the eventual downfall that follows. The man formerly known as Big Damo hooked up with SAnitY during his NXT debut, and has stood out as someone to keep your eye on in the coming months. Just looking at Dain, you know there’s plans set in stone for him. He’s a big dude who can handle himself in the ring and show extraordinary amounts of athleticism. I can’t seem them shackling him down in a stable for too long.

There’s bound to be some sort of disagreement or tension that arises between Dain and Young. Perhaps Dain costs Young a match or grants himself a number one contenders spot, and refuses to lay down for his mentor. I’m getting Batista/Triple H vibes from this potential feud.

Maybe it would be a little soon for SAnitY to lose one of its members, especially if they were to come off such domination, but Killian Dain is a prospect that shouldn’t be left to meander in a tag team. Having a brutish guy like him suddenly be at the top of the food chain in NXT would make for fun competition, and would make an absolute star out of him in the process.

 

4. Aleister Black

And then there’s this chap. Aleister Black has quickly become my favourite part of NXT, even through only putting on the occasional squash match. His matches are hard-hitting and expertly calculated when they go beyond just a few minutes.

Black is the perfect candidate to take down the monster champion Killian Dain, a believable opponent with the ability to knock out almost anyone with his devastating arsenal of strikes. Black vs SAnitY (or what’s left of it) makes for a tantalising feud – almost a throwback to an Attitude Era grunge-fest, an Austin vs Ministry sort of feel to it.

I definitely think Black’s going to be a huge deal in the future, already making waves on the main roster, competing on the most recent main roster UK Tour and having his televised debut on the London episode of Main Event. He’s only going to get more and more popular and should definitely be capitalised upon as a main event player.

I can already see the setup, Dain laid out in the centre of the ring, lifted up by the chin with Aleister Black’s boot, BLACK MASS… and we have a new champion! You can’t deny that’s a moment you want to see.

 

5. Kassius Ohno

Ohno’s had a bit of a rough few months, hasn’t he? Having a bit of a lukewarm comeback in terms of what he’s achieved, failing to defeat Bobby Roode and capture the NXT title and since relegated to mid-card feuds and the occasional house show main event. Although it doesn’t look like they’re giving up on Ohno, nor should they.

Kassius could easily fit into the atypical underdog story – someone that you wouldn’t expect to see a victim of a streak of bad luck, yet consistently failing to get the job done when it matters. Unlike Sami Zayn, Kassius Ohno has the build and reputation to make him a threat to anyone on the roster, including the champ Aleister Black.

It would make for a very interesting babyface Vs babyface dynamic by putting these two stiff workers against one another. Having already competed in PWG and put on a fantastic match, they have the chemistry to create one of the most memorable NXT title matches of the next year. This could of course lead to a heel turn from Black, and a series of matches that get more and more intense, leaving him the eventual winner, giving him the certification of being one of the best wrestling stars in the world.

It would certainly be a long time coming.

So there’s your next 5 NXT champs – probably. But what about beyond that? NXT has made a habit out of plucking some of the brightest prospects out of different independent scenes across the globe. There’s already talk of the likes of Adam Cole (BAYBAY), Dalton Castle and Ricochet being headhunted by Triple H and co, so where will they fit into the mix? Might they end up taking the gold off one of the aforementioned champions? I wouldn’t doubt their chances.

In the meantime, there’s also some other breakout stars in the making. The former DIY partners Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are about to enter a bloodthirsty break-up feud for the ages, and will probably produce some MOTY candidates as they go. Surely one, if not both of those guys are deserving of a run with the title, or at least a shot at it?

Other mid-carders are also slowly but surely making their way to looking like credible threats to the main eventers. Andrade Almas, Roderick Strong and No Way Jose have been clawing their way through a variety of different feuds as of late, and could potentially be in line for entry into the main event picture. In fact, I’m pretty certain Roderick Strong is already being presented to be the next challenger for Roode in the coming weeks, yet to be confirmed as his Takeover opponent, but a title challenger nonetheless.

So who would your next NXT Champions be?