WWE NXT: Ranking Every Performer to Hold the NXT Championship

Credit: WWE.com

3. Samoa Joe

A massive star in TNA and the independent circuit, Samoa Joe made his NXT debut to an absolutely deafening ovation following Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s NXT Championship rematch. As a babyface, Joe seemed destined for a Championship feud with Owens, but for whatever reason this failed to materialize, and Joe languished in the midcard.

It was not until after his betrayal of tag team partner Finn Balor that Joe was able to reach his full potential as an NXT star. Recapturing the intensity that made him a star to begin with, Joe ended Balor’s record breaking run as NXT Champion at a house show in Lowell, Massachusetts, embarking on a four month reign that only saw one successful defense before losing the belt to Shinsuke Nakamura.

Why then, you may ask, does Joe’s title reign rank so highly? For the simple reason that Joe’s one defense saw him hand Finn Balor’s “Demon” persona his first ever loss as a member of WWE’s roster.

While that fact alone would likely be enough to warrant giving Samoa Joe a respectable place in this ranking, the cherry on top comes from his defeat of Shinsuke Nakamura to recapture the Championship, making him NXT’s first ever two-time Champion. While he has thus far fallen short in his attempts at main roster gold, Samoa Joe stands as one of NXT’s finest Champions.