#1 Seed – Tommaso Ciampa
That’s right, according to me and my associate’s criteria, clap-happy Tommaso Ciampa is the best NXT Champion ever. Of course, that’s from us; the true result is for you to decide! But indeed, we believe he’s got the strongest case to be considered the greatest in the title’s lineage. And you don’t need to take our word for it… you can certainly just ask him, he’d be happy to tell you.
Tommaso Ciampa is one of NXT’s most captivating characters.
His betrayal over Johnny Gargano was one of the more beautifully vile moments we’ve ever seen. This set the stage for the years to come in which he’d evolve into the most hated man in the underground brand’s history. His title win was the absolute icing on the cake, defeating Aleister Black thanks only to the accidental assist from Gargano himself. From there, his reign took on a life of it’s own.
Over the next 8 months, Ciampa would hold that title – which he lovingly nicknamed ‘Goldie’ – with a more firm grip than anyone. Refusing to defend unless absolutely necessary and only against those that truly earned it, Ciampa was the classic heel champ. He’d take every shortcut and lucky break he could to keep that title. And yet, it never once felt like a fluke that he was champion. He masterfully teetered the line between being vulnerable and credible, ala the all-time greats.
Not only did he have a magnificent love-to-hate run, but his championship matches had a habit of being captivating to watch between the ropes as well. The only thing lacking about his reign is a proper conclusion. He sadly had to give Goldie up due to a tragic, severe neck injury. At the time of writing he’s still rehabbing, though he seems inspired to make his return and reclaim what is his.
Without a doubt, Tommaso Ciampa has earned a round of applause… from himself.
Seed #16 – Drew McIntyre
Don’t cry, Drew, this seeding isn’t personal. No doubt, you’d have been much higher if not for bad luck.
McIntyre entered the scene at NXT at the best time possible, considering they were deep in their run of moonpushing the biggest indy darlings directly to the title. Drew was maybe the most prime example of this. He debuted in April of 2017, won a No. 1 Contender’s match three months later, and became NXT Champ in his TakeOver debut. That speed is remarkable, topped only by Kevin Owens for fastest rise to the title.
But while that’s impressive, it also meant that there wasn’t much of a story or build behind it. It was a farcry from the year-spanning journeys that others have taken. The moment did seem to mean a lot to him though, validation of his choice to return after working so hard to improve on the indies. Unfortunately, the reign itself was not quite so validating.
Just before his first major defense, McIntyre suffered an injury that would bring a premature end to his NXT run along with his title reign. He grit through it and worked a fantastic match with Almas on his way out though, dropping the title in unexpected fashion. But the sad brevity of it all really kept this reign from having much lasting impact.
Personally, I don’t NXT has had a bad top champion, but somebody had to be at the bottom here. Still love ya, Drew.
That brings us to our Tale Of The Tape!
Ciampa was himself injured for McIntyre’s entire title reign, so to date these two have never faced off inside a WWE/NXT ring. Personally, I think it’d be a really cool one to watch. They’re both, hard-nosed rugged guys so it’d definitely be a physical scrap.
McIntyre far and away has the size and athleticism edge, and would likely overwhelm early. But Ciampa knows every trick in the book, and he’d no doubt find a sneaky way to swing the advantage. I’d favor Ciampa to win… but not by too much! For it being #1 vs #16, it’s a lot closer in my mind than you’d think. Don’t be surprised if this bracket gets busted right off the bat!
So… who wins? Vote for your pick below!
Who is the best NXT Champion of all time? The tournament begins now and YOU decide the winner! Who takes this opening round brawl? https://t.co/wV0tF0836z
— Jordan Huie (@WritingJth) July 3, 2019
