Every WWE Championship And The Superstar That Defined It

48. NXT Championship (2012 - 2017) - Finn Bálor

Roman Reigns Triple H WWE Undisputed Title 2023
WWE.com

In many ways the first truly iconic NXT Champion as the show morphed from developmental league to iconic super-indie, Finn Bálor's record-setting 292 days with the original title saw the black-and-gold brand elevated in his dual images.

As himself and his Demon alter-ego, Bálor put forth a string of exhilarating defences, particularly in a feud against Samoa Joe that completely reinvented the 'Samoan Submission Machine' following a slightly shaky start on the show. People rooted for Bálor to get the same treatment on Raw and SmackDown when he left, such was the power of this stint.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett