10 Incredible Wrestling Title Wins (…That Led To RUBBISH Reigns)
9. Johnny Gargano: WWE NXT Championship
To be the Ace of a wrestling promotion is to be the very best; Johnny Gargano, then, was the Ace of NXT.
He was a spirited sports entertainer for much of his black-and-gold run, peaking when the brand itself did, which fittingly came when he held its top prize. Defeating Adam Cole in WWE's second-best encounter from WrestleMania 35 weekend, Gargano was as energetic in its closing minute as he was in its first in spite of a dry first fall atypical of the NXT style for the time.
It was a sentimental moment, Gargano being joined by Candice LeRae and Tommaso Ciampa, because it denoted the end of a generation for NXT. The looming launch of AEW a month later left the once-burgeoning NXT in a decrepit state - and Johnny Gargano's title run knew it first-hand.
He reigned for just 57 days, failing one successful defence as he was felled by Adam Cole at the subsequent TakeOver. Both his victory and loss of the title were worthy of infinite commendation, but this should've been the pinnacle of an NXT sinew. In reality, it may as well have been Kona Reeves who prevailed as NXT Champion for all the care WWE put into Johnny's run. It was a punctual reminder that WWE rarely acts upon fan-service moments beyond the fan-service moment.