WWE NXT: All 26 Champions in Brand’s History, Ranked

2. Bayley

Coming in at No. 2 is the former Darling of WWE NXT, Bayley. She is perhaps the brand’s most popular star to step foot inside Full Sail University — more than Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks and maybe event Shinsuke Nakamura.

BayleyMania took over NXT, following her instant classic with Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn. She received a coronation that no other female talent had received in developmental, with the final minute of that match being what made her into a star.

To only cement her place in history, NXT put on an Ironman match between her and Banks at TakeOver: Respect, allowing them to main event the show. They turned in yet anothet spectacular bout, which made Bayley look like an even bigger star, after she won to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. It was glorious to watch her continued rise to the top, which got catapulted with what was done on that night.

From there, we had Bayley looking unstoppable. She defeated Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie to keep her title, until Asuka came along and spoiled the party in Dallas. It didn’t take away from what was done, though, which made the Huggable One an NXT icon for a full year.