Ranking All 11 WWE NXT Champions
4. Bobby Roode
Similar to Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode was a huge name in TNA for many years, but it was unknown how he would fare upon arriving in NXT in April 2016. It took some time for him to officially debut in the company, but he finally joined the roster that August and immediately left a lasting impression with his "glorious" new entrance music.
In the months that followed, Roode was built up brilliantly, not once being beaten and instead stacking up victories versus Andrade "Cien" Almas, No Way Jose, and Tye Dillinger. At TakeOver: San Antonio, he shocked the world by unseating Shinsuke Nakamura as NXT champion and embarking on a dominant title run for the better part of 2017.
Whether it was Nakamura, Kassius Ohno, Hideo Itami, or Roderick Strong, they all failed to take the title from 'The Glorious One', and every one of those outings were outstanding. Roode looked the part and ultimately fulfilled his promise by ushering in a new era to NXT during his time on top. His reign came to an end at TakeOver: Brooklyn III at the hands of Drew McIntyre, but only because he was being summoned to SmackDown Live and has since moved up to the main roster.