5 WWE Superstars who surprisingly never won a championship in NXT
NXT has become the lifeblood of WWE. For around a decade now, World Wrestling Entertainment has followed a fairly standard procedure with most recruits. A wrestler signs with the company and then reports to the Performance Center.
After some time at the Performance Center, a wrestler moves to NXT. If a superstar excels on the developmental brand, they'll move up to the main roster. Typically, wrestlers win titles and have major storylines while on NXT.
While that is the trajectory for most, some stars never win gold on NXT. They may be called up to RAW and SmackDown before making a big enough splash on the developmental brand or their time to win a title never comes around.
Regardless, some of the biggest names in World Wrestling Entertainment today shockingly never won gold while on NXT. Who are some of the stars to go titleless while working on the black & gold brand?
Below are five WWE Superstars who, surprisingly, never won a championship in NXT.
#5. Alexa Bliss was called up to WWE's main roster before winning a belt
Alexa Bliss is one of the most successful female stars on the main roster. She began wrestling in 2013 and joined the main roster in 2016. She's been a part of either WWE RAW or SmackDown ever since.
On the main roster, Bliss has captured nine titles. She's a one-time 24/7 Champion, a two-time SmackDown Women's Champion, a three-time RAW Women's Champion, and a three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. Her resume is impressive, but she never won a title while on NXT.
Her lack of success in the black and gold brand could be attributed to a few things. She didn't spend that long on the brand before being moved to the main roster, but she also spent a significant amount of time on NXT managing Buddy Murphy (Buddy Matthews in AEW) and Wesley Blake.
#4. Bray Wyatt surprisingly never won a title on NXT
Bray Wyatt is a massive star in WWE today. He began wrestling in 2009 and competed in FCW before joining the 'game show era' of NXT. He then had a brief run as part of the New Nexus before returning to FCW and, later, the revitalized developmental version of NXT. There, he formed The Wyatt Family.
The Eater of Worlds has held five titles in World Wrestling Entertainment. He's held both the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Titles. Wyatt is also a two-time Universal Champion and a former WWE Champion.
Luke Harper and Eric Rowan won tag team gold on NXT, but Bray never captured a title while on the brand. This likely comes down to the group being called up rather quickly, plus NXT only had one singles title for the male stars while he was on the brand.
#3. Becky Lynch was a pivotal player on NXT but never won gold
Becky Lynch is arguably the biggest female wrestler of all time. The WrestleMania headliner first broke into pro wrestling in 2002, although she stopped wrestling for several years because of an injury. Upon returning to the industry, Lynch signed with WWE and reported to NXT.
The Man is a six-time champion in World Wrestling Entertainment. She's a four-time SmackDown Women's Champion and the first-ever person to hold that title. Additionally, Becky is a two-time RAW Women's Champion with the longest reign in the title's history.
Big Time Becks never winning gold on NXT isn't too surprising. While she was a key figure in the Divas Revolution which led to the Women's Evolution, Paige, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks all dominated the NXT women's division while Becky was part of the brand. She was called up to the main roster before Lynch could break out as a champion.
#2. The United States Champion Austin Theory never won a title in developmental
Many think Austin Theory is the future of WWE. He broke into pro wrestling in 2016 and signed with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2019 after a stint with EVOLVE Wrestling. He briefly spent time on NXT before joining the main roster in 2020. Austin only spent a few months on RAW before returning to NXT for a brief run. He returned to the red brand in 2021.
A-Town's Finest has held two titles since joining World Wrestling Entertainment, both of which are the United States Championship. Besides that, Theory also won the 2022 Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Theory never winning a title while on NXT is a bit surprising. The North American Championship was around while he was on the brand, but he never won that tag gold or the NXT Championship. This may be because of his character being a doofus as part of The Way.
#1. Bianca Belair has won gold on RAW and SmackDown but never NXT
The EST of WWE is an incredible athlete. Bianca Belair joined NXT in 2016, showing potential almost immediately. She joined the main roster in 2020 and has been a member of Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
Since joining WWE's main roster, Bianca has won two titles. She first won the SmackDown Women's Championship by defeating Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37. Next, Bianca defeated Becky Lynch to win the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38.
The former Royal Rumble winner never winning a title on NXT is unusual. While her standout athleticism and personality were on display, she never made it to the top of the brand. Still, she's had plenty of success on the main roster. Maybe she'll one day return to NXT and finally win a title.