Predicting the next holder of each title in WWE NXT
NXT currently has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their roster. The women's division is arguably just as good as or even better than that of RAW and SmackDown. For the men, there is so much talent that whoever faces Adam Cole on July 8th will have the chance to become a dual champion like Bayley.
That's just what happens when you have so many talented performers - they all can't be champions. It doesn't mean, however, that they cannot be successful. Getting weekly TV time is a sign of a push and/or move up the card for a star. Damian Priest has produced in his high-stakes matches despite losing most of them. Instead of maintaining his heel persona, it appears as if he is being turned to a face in NXT.
The stars that have been relegated to the Cruiserweight chase are also some of the top stars in NXT. The current NXT Cruiserweight champion, Santos Escobar, is easily one of the top stars of the brand. He just happens to be competing in a different division at the moment. The same goes for Kushida and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. While those stars are just a few of the talented ones representing the brand, there are many other extremely talented stars throughout the brand.
Women Superstars like Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox, Santana Garrett, Dakota Kai and Candice LeRae are current and future stars. The question is, however, which of those stars not currently holding a title will be holding one sooner rather than later?
Here are my predictions for which NXT stars will be the next respective champions of the yellow and black brand.
#5 Next NXT Cruiserweight Champion - Kushida
Kushida was not a part of the tournament to crown the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion. He was a huge signing a year or two ago but he hasn't been a fixture on programming like Matt Riddle, The Undisputed Era and Johnny Gargano have been.
Since Drake Maverick is likely to get the first shot at Santos Escobar, I cannot see the diminutive star taking the title from the newly-turned champ. Jake Atlas, who was a steadfast supporter of Maverick's, may also get a shot in order to stick up for his friend. While Atlas would be a good pick as a future Cruiserweight title holder, I still think it's too soon for his title reign.
Kushida has star power and an international presence like Escobar/Fantasma, so it would make loads of sense to eventually crown the Timesplitter. If he isn't currently chasing either the North American or NXT Championships, he should at the very least be in a program for the Cruiserweight Championship at some point this year.