With NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa expected to miss at least six months, here are a few NXT stars who could fill his shoes as the top title holder.
Note: The author wrote this piece independent of spoilers. If you want to find out what the NXT Title plans are, click this link.
Injuries suck. They always happen when you least expect them and, depending on the severity, they can range from constant nuisance to debilitating setback that ruins even the best-laid plans.
As someone who has gotten hurt several times in my life and as someone who recently spent the better part of three weeks summarizing devastating injuries for every NBA team, I understand what it feels like to not be able to move around as freely as you’d like and to not be able to engage in the activities you could at optimum health.
This is doubly true for athletes, whose earning potential depends mostly on keeping their bodies in peak physical condition. But in the case of wrestlers contracted by WWE, routinely taking bumps over the course of the company’s arduous schedule eventually takes its toll.
Take soon-to-be-former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa for example. The man was in the midst of easily the best run of his career: he came into his own as arguably the most reviled heel in the industry, he appeared set to add another chapter to his war with Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: New York, and recently got called up to the main roster.
But after undergoing neck surgery a couple of weeks ago, all that momentum came to an abrupt halt and it will now force the NXT creative team to adjust their storylines for the next few months, at least.
Ciampa will need to vacate the title — if he hasn’t done so already — which means Triple H and his crew will need to find a new NXT Champion. But who is best suited to fill those evil shoes? These five gentlemen make the most sense.