WWE NXT: Ranking Every Performer to Hold the NXT Championship

Credit: WWE.com

7. Andrade “Cien” Almas

As one of the men who brought Five Star Matches back to WWE, Andrade “Cien” Almas’ reign as NXT Champion immediately stands out as being one of the very best in terms of bell to bell action.

Following his heel turn and alliance with Zelina Vega, the former La Sombra proved to be somewhat of a revelation, resuscitating a flailing NXT career that seemed doomed to go down as one of the brand’s rare missteps. An unexpected victory over Drew McIntyre later and Almas was off to the races.

Almas only managed two successful defenses of the Championship, both of which were against Johnny Gargano. While Gargano can absolutely lay claim to the title of NXT’s current biggest babyface star, at least some credit has to be given to Almas for playing such a perfect foil prior to Tommaso Ciampa’s return.

The aforementioned Five Star Classic at  NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia was absolutely the greatest match that NXT had seen up to that point, no small feat for a product as acclaimed as the yellow brand.

Unfortunately, much like the man who would later dethrone him, Aleister Black, Almas’ time as Champion wound up playing second fiddle to the feud between Gargano and Ciampa, with the Blackheart making his NXT return following the TakeOver: Philadelphia bout, and later interfering in the highly anticipated title vs. career rematch on NXT a couple of weeks later.

While Almas is an excellent worker who is currently poised to do huge things on the main roster, his NXT Championship reign was not quite as great as those of some of his predecessors.