10 Wrestlers Who Should Have Been NXT Champion
6. Austin Aries
Aries' NXT tenure was not becoming of 'The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived'. For starters, you could have counted the number of televised matches he had on one hand: he was outdone as a babyface by the debuting Nakamura, before quickly turning heel, when his long-awaited feud with Hideo Itami never materialised.
As he is now demonstrating on Raw and 205 Live, Aries has an infectious charisma that has quickly become one of the most consistent attractions of WWE's Cruiserweight Division. It makes fans wonder why he was never involved in the NXT Title scene, and the answer is quite clear: he was overshadowed by other incoming veterans. Nakamura took a vice-like grip on the surging babyface role, while his former TNA brethren Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode had the top heel persona covered.
Aries' stellar work on commentary has fortunately led to his transition back into an in-ring role. There is no doubting however, that he would have been one of the first names tied to WWE's Cruiserweight division had he entered the main roster as a former NXT Champion. Had he not been overshadowed, his elite skills would have made him a perfect ambassador to represent the NXT brand as champion.