Ranking the Top 10 NXT Alumni of the decade
This Sunday marks the first time ever that NXT will join RAW and SmackDown in the battle for brand supremacy. With Triple H leading the charge, the Black & Gold brand is out to prove that it is the company's "A Brand." One could argue though that it already is due to it's influence on the Red and Blue brands.
Wherever your allegiances lie heading into Sunday, one thing is undeniable. The Black and Gold brand has molded WWE into what it is today. NXT is closing in on it's 10-year anniversary. When you look up and down the card, the Superstars on RAW and SmackDown that have graduated from NXT outnumber those who did not.
Whether the current Superstars come out on top at Survivor Series or not, NXT and Triple H have already won. The foundations of RAW and SmackDown were built at Full Sail University, so let's take a look at the top "graduates" from the last decade.
Honorable mentions
Dean Ambrose: 'The Lunatic Fringe' may have never risen to the stardom that Jon Moxley has (and he'll be the first to tell you why), but his contributions in WWE cannot be ignored.
Ambrose, along with his Shield brethren, took the company by storm in 2012. The man now known as Moxley was a Grand Slam champion before exiting the company earlier this year. In fact, Ambrose still holds the record for longest U.S. Championship reign in WWE history.
Shinsuke Nakamura: It took a while for him to find his footing, but the former NXT Champion has had a solid run on the main roster. Nakamura has enjoyed two singles championships runs, and won the 2018 Royal Rumble. 'The King of Strong Style' is one WWE Championship away from cracking the Top 10. Alas, he was never able to take the title away from AJ Styles.
Finn Balor: When it comes to Balor, one has to wonder what could have been? 'The Demon' seemed poised for a main event push when he was first brought up to the main roster. However, the first ever Universal Champion had to vacate the Title less than a day after winning it due to injury.
After that happened, he never was able to get back to the top level. A couple Intercontinental Title runs and few marquee matches with Brock Lesnar and Bray Wyatt later, Balor is now back home in NXT.
Big E\Xavier Woods: New Day Rocks! New Day Rocks! New Day Rocks! That's all that really needs to be stated as their resume speaks for itself. So just clap for your World famous 7-Time Champs... and FEEL THE POWER!
Paige: Paige is another case of what could have been. Her main roster career got off as well as it could. She defeated AJ Lee to capture the Divas Championship her first night on RAW. Unfortunately Paige was sidelined by a series of injuries over the years and had to retire at just 25 years-old. Her contributions to the Women's Revolution paved the way for current and future women's wrestlers.