Predicting The Next 5 NXT Champions

NXT might be struggling to pull in the big ratings in the war against AEW: Dynamite, but they do have one thing going for them and that’s the ever-exciting NXT Championship scene. Currently held by ‘The Prince’ Finn Balor, the NXT Championship has seen through some of the best matches of the past decade, most recently pitting ‘The Bruiserweight’ against Balor in one of the most hard-hitting affairs seen under the WWE umbrella.

It seems that Balor is on a collision course with former NXT title holder, Karrion Kross, with their climactic battle potentially taking place in the main event of the first ever two-night TakeOver event, Stand and Deliver. With so many other NXT superstars currently vying for the spotlight, there’s plenty of names in line for a chance to have a major run at the top of the card.

In this piece, we’re going to take a guess at predicting the next 5 NXT Champions, from who we think will dethrone ‘The Prince’ and then onwards. Make sure you leave your own predictions down in the comments below.

 

1. Karrion Kross

Since vacating the NXT Championship a few days after defeating Keith Lee at TakeOver: XXX, the NXT universe have been eagerly anticipating Kross’ ascension back into the top spot. Unless the NXT writers have soured on Kross as their flag bearer, it’s written in the sand that it’s only a matter of time before Karrion recaptures the gold that he never lost.

Kross has remained dominant since returning from injury, defeating NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar in their recent no-DQ encounter. Kross has been somewhat of an X-factor in the title scene, allowing Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly to have a shot at the champ before staking his claim in the closing moments of the 10/3 episode of NXT.

Presuming Kross meets the ‘Demon King’ in the main event of Stand & Deliver, I’m going to assume this is the time for ‘The Prince’ to bow out of the NXT Championship picture and once again move on to bigger things on the main roster. This would allow Karrion to regain his lost momentum and continue to impress the world with his hybrid skillset of both wrestling and MMA. There’s plenty left for Kross to achieve on the black and gold brand, and doing that as NXT Champion will only mean big things for the show going forward.

 

2. Adam Cole

The former leader of the Undisputed Era has already made history as the longest reigning NXT Champion in the brand’s history, but I don’t see that being the end of Adam Cole’s relationship with the big gold belt. Cole is currently embroiled in the long-awaited civil war storyline with his former stablemates, but after setting those tensions aside, I see Cole heading straight back into the title picture to help bring the two storylines together.

Adam Cole could easily prove a thorn in the side of the big man, using underhanded tactics to get the upper hand on the dominant champion. Surely there will be some sort of dirty shenanigans that will have to be employed to snatch the title away from a guy like Kross, and what better heel to do that than Adam Cole.

As I mentioned before, I believe the fractured Undisputed Era will soon find themselves fighting over the NXT Championship, a key feature of their run at the top of the card. With Cole bringing the title back into the fold and both Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong still looking for comeuppance, this could easily lead to a stellar triple threat, or even Fatal-4-Way if you include Bobby Fish, for the richest prize in NXT. The ultimate way to see out their time together.

 

3. Kyle O’Reilly

Who should come out of that match the victor, I hear you ask? Personally, I think it should be Kyle O’Reilly, the man that has broken out as one of the hottest singles competitors on the roster. Since feuding with Finn Balor for the NXT title, O’Reilly has maintained his presence as a singles wrestler, having instant classics against Pete Dunne and now entering his first major singles feud with Adam Cole.

O’Reilly has proven himself worthy of success outside of the Tag division, and definitely a well-earned run with the NXT Championship. How sweet would it be to see KOR dethrone his former leader for the title, after being put through the hurt of betrayal in the months prior.

Fans have certainly yearned to see O’Reilly receive something of merit since moving away from the NXT Tag Championship scene, and after stealing the hearts and minds of the NXT Universe during his two matches against Finn Balor, the underdog could certainly make those dreams come true in the near future.

 

4. Roderick Strong

You sensing a bit of a theme here? Yes, I think the NXT Championship should be hot-potatoed between the three active UE members over the course of the next year. Each member of the former faction have put in respective shifts for the black and gold brand, filling both the tag and singles divisions with some of the most exciting action seen on Wednesday nights.

Roderick Strong has been left on the back-burner since joining UE, finally given a run of his own with the North American Championship last year, culminating in the start of Keith Lee’s rise to the top of the card. Roddy has also held the Tag titles on a couple of occasions, but it all seemed background in comparison to Adam Cole and then later, his former partner O’Reilly.

Strong has had glimmers of his former glory shine through during his time in NXT, but I personally think that he should be in line for a chance at the big time. A match between he and Kyle O’Reilly would be an absolute barn-burner, much like the proposed multi-man between the former UE stars. Should Strong finally win a major singles title in NXT, then I don’t see how he couldn’t forge his own legacy, away from the faction. All whilst wearing his shitty little boots.

 

5. Pete Dunne

‘The Bruiserweight’ has once again taken a step away from the NXT Championship picture, but after changing the game in his match with Balor at the last TakeOver, there’s no doubt that he’s deserving of a NXT title run sometime in the future. Whether NXT continue to run with the faction started by Pat McAfee or not, it should eventually lead to Dunne’s crowning moment, after putting the NXT UK Championship on the map and revitalising the world’s view of British wrestling.

But why should it be here, after the conclusion of the UE break-up and Roderick Strong’s crowning moment? Well think back to when Strong first joined the Undisputed Era, it was Pete Dunne that he stabbed in the back during the Dusty Cup finals. It was then Roddy that Pete Dunne feuded with for the best part of a year, colliding at WarGames on two separate occasions.

There never seemed to be a satisfying end to their mini-feud, and perhaps it could be picked up once again with the NXT Championship in the centre. It would certainly be a rare example of long-term booking, giving the feud history and room to develop over the course of several years, leading to one final blow-off match that makes a star in the process.

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