WWE: The 10 Best Superstars To Never Win A Title In NXT
By Bryan Heaton
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 22: Rusev arrives prior to the WWE Live Duesseldorf event at ISS Dome on February 22, 2017 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Being a first-class superstar offers no guarantees in WWE or NXT. Sometimes the best of the best are unable to capture championship gold. Who are the best superstars to never hold a title in NXT?
For better or worse, the measuring stick many fans use to compare wrestlers is the number of championships won in a career. A 16-time world champion like John Cena or Ric Flair are likely to be viewed as “better” than someone who’s won none, like Roddy Piper or Curt Hennig. Fair? Nope, but such is the life of a WWE or NXT superstar.
Over the years, there’s been a ton of superstars who have spent considerable time in NXT. But until very recently, there was a limited number of championship opportunities available to the men and women between the yellow ropes.
When Florida Championship Wrestling rebranded itself as “NXT” in the summer of 2012, it took a few episodes to announce a championship for the brand. Tag team championships followed six months later, and three months after that the NXT Women’s Championship was established. A second men’s title, the North American Championship, was added just last year.
Because of the limited chances to even contend for a championship, there’s a ton of NXT superstars who never won gold while competing for the brand. Some of these superstars went on to bigger and better things on the main roster, while others, uh, didn’t. But plenty of accomplished superstars — sometimes surprisingly — never won a title in NXT. This begs the question, who are the best superstars to never win a championship in NXT?
Just a few caveats before we get into the list: we’re only considering superstars who are no longer on the NXT roster as of February 2019. If they’re still competing at Full Sail University on a regular basis, there’s always a chance they can still win a title. So to all the Matt Riddle stans, don’t fret that he’s not on this list.
Also, I debated long and hard about how to consider Cesaro. The Swiss Cyborg pulled double duty in NXT and on the main roster from 2012-2014, and never won an NXT championship. However, he brought the United States Championship with him and defended it in NXT a few times, so I’m considering that as disqualifying Cesaro from the proceedings.
Without further ado, here’s the ten best superstars to never win a title in WWE NXT.