25 Most Important Wrestlers In NXT History
14. Cesaro
You might not immediately associate the Swiss Cyborg with NXT, but he's probably one of the main reasons it survived its formative years.
By the time NXT launched under its current guise in 2012, Cesaro was already an established name with WWE. He was in the middle of a lengthy run with the United States Championship when he turned up in Florida and even defended the title in front of the Full Sail crowd.
Cesaro's biggest accomplishment in NXT was easily his feud with Sami Zayn. He and Zayn put on some incredible matches, starting with the upstart Zayn scoring an upset victory over the veteran in 2013.
Zayn and Cesaro clashed numerous times, most famously in a two-out-of-three falls match on NXT TV (which is still regarded amongst the best matches in the brand's history) and at NXT: Arrival. Cesaro was a huge part in getting Sami over and, as we'll see later, that is something to be celebrated.
A main roster star returning to developmental to put over new talent helped legitimise NXT right from the start. Cesaro's appearances in NXT drew a lot of eyes to the product and a lot of those eyes have been watching ever since.