Ranking All 11 WWE NXT Champions
9. Big E
It was pretty apparent from the moment Big E arrived on the scene in NXT that he was going to be a ginormous deal based off how heavily he had been touted in various vignettes. He ran roughshod over the roster as soon as he showed up in August 2012 and quickly set his sights on the NXT Championship.
It's interesting to note that although he technically won the title from Seth Rollins in early December, the episode didn't air until after he had already debuted on the main roster, where he was a heel alongside Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee. In NXT, he was an ultra popular babyface, pinning his opponents down to the mat with a five count.
As over as he was with the audience, he didn't have many memorable matches as NXT champion. His successful title defenses against the likes of Konnor, Brad Maddox, and Damien Sandow were fine for what they were, but he lacked stronger competition.
If nothing else, his extended NXT run helped him improve while still on Raw, and once he lost the title to Bo Dallas at the start of the summer, he officially bid farewell to the brand.