Ranking the 20 Greatest Superstars in NXT History

This past Wednesday night, exclusively on Hulu, WWE's NXT program celebrated its milestone 200th episode. 

Created in 2010 as a competition-based show to spotlight some of its brightest young talent, the show has become the official home for WWE's developmental program.

While the show is no longer broadcast on cable television and the teacher-student element of the show has been eliminated, the one constant is the focus on the future stars of World Wrestling Entertainment.

Current Intercontinental champion Big E Langston, Curtis Axel, Brodus Clay, The Shield's Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, Divas champion AJ Lee, Kaitlyn and the charismatic Fandango all got their start in WWE on NXT.

In celebration of the 200th episode of NXT, here is a look back at the top 20 Superstars to ever step foot inside a gold-and-black ring.

20. Titus O'Neil

One-half of the popular, high-energy Prime Time Players tag team, Titus O'Neil is an athletic big man who starred for the University of Florida football team.  He is also one of the handful of Superstars who competed in two different seasons of the original NXT program.

Guided by pro Zack Ryder, he failed to catch on with fans and pros alike, becoming the first rookie to be eliminated from competition.

He would seemingly learn from his shortcomings, however, as he returned for NXT: Redemption.

During that incarnation of the show, O'Neil feuded with future PTP teammate Darren Young in what would become one of the show's featured rivalries.

After serving as one of the top babyfaces on the program, O'Neil would demonstrate the ability to play both hero and villain when he turned heel and began feuding with former tag team partner Percy Watson.

O'Neil would go on to star on the main roster, teaming with Young and feuding with the likes of the Usos, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth and Team Hell No.

19. Conor O'Brian

Conor O'Brian, like Leo Kruger, has been a longtime member of WWE's developmental program.

He starred in Florida Championship Wrestling and has been a force with NXT since WWE rebranded its developmental territory.

O'Brian appeared on both the fourth season of NXT as well as NXT: Redemption, but really failed to leave his mark during either of the competition-based programs.

Instead, he has found great success as a member of the Ascension tag team.

With tag team partner Kenneth Cameron, the duo tore through competition. However, Cameron's legal issues outside the squared circle resulted in his release and O'Brian was left without a partner.

O'Brian did not sulk over the loss of his partner. Instead, he set his sights on the top prize in NXT, then held by Big E Langston. Tough, strong and ruthless, O'Brian did everything in his power to take the title away from Langston but he simply could not do so.

His main event run unsuccessful, he partnered with Rick Victor, himself a journeyman wrestler looking for an eventual call-up to the main roster, and reformed the Ascension team.

It proved to net O'Brian the gold he could not win in singles competition, as the duo defeated Adrian Neville and Corey Graves to capture the NXT tag titles on September 12, 2013.

A talented, bruising team in the same vein as the Road Warriors and Demolition, O'Brian and his partner would make an interesting addition to the highly-talented tag team division in today's WWE.

18. Leo Kruger

The South African export Kruger has been a member of WWE developmental dating back to 2010, when Florida Championship Wrestling was the company's main developmental territory. There, he captured the FCW heavyweight title but that has no bearing on his placement on this list.

Instead, Kruger ranks as one of the 20 best Superstars in NXT because of his consistency and his status as one of the brand's workhorses.

Despite undergoing a few character changes during his time under WWE contract, Kruger has remained a very solid wrestler whose knack for submission wrestling has made his in-ring attack different from the other competitors around him. It has also allowed him to develop above-average in-ring psychology and helped him become one of the smarter workers in NXT.

Unfortunately, he has yet to be given the opportunity to succeed at the next level.

Kruger has made the most of his time in NXT, however, competing against the likes of Sami Zayn, Bo Dallas, Kassius Ohno and WWE Superstar Antonio Cesaro.

17. Brodus Clay

When NXT season four kicked off, there was one Superstar that captured the attention of WWE fans. He was physically imposing and looked like the perfect candidate to be WWE's next great monster.

A former bodyguard for Snoop Lion (the rapper formerly known as "Snoop Dogg"), Clay often partnered with his pro Ted DiBiase to do battle with fellow rookies and pros.

On the January 25, 2011 episode of NXT, he defeated Johnny Curtis, Byron Saxton and Derrick Bateman in a Fatal Four-Way match for the right to choose a new pro. Apparently unhappy with the guidance of DiBiase and his valet Maryse, Clay selected relative newcomer Alberto Del Rio to continue leading him to the promised land.

Clay would finish second in the competition behind winner Johnny Curtis but would make a more immediate impact on WWE programming.

As the muscle for Del Rio, Clay appeared at WrestleMania 27 during the World Heavyweight title match between Del Rio and champion Edge. He would also play a role in the ladder match between his mentor and Christian at Extreme Rules a month later before being injured and sidelined for nearly a year.

When he returned, he would do so under a new gimmick, that of the Funkasaurus.

A smiling, fun-loving, good-time-having big man who was accompanied to the ring by the lovely Naomi and Cameron, Clay would experience moderate success early before settling in the undercard.

Recently, he has undergone an attitude change and appears poised to become the monstrous villain fans expected him to be when they first laid eyes on him in NXT.

16. Kassius Ohno

The former Chris Hero debuted in NXT in 2012 and wasted little time making an impact on the developmental brand.

Under the name Kassius Ohno, he took great pride in knocking his opponents out. Because, you see, his initials were K.O.

Clever, huh?

During his time with NXT, which ended in 2013 among rumors that management had soured on the former independent star, he feuded with the likes of Richie Steamboat, Tyson Kidd, the Wyatt Family and William Regal.

His match with Regal, on April 11, 2013, was an outstanding, hard-hitting, high-impact match that wrapped up the rivalry in fitting fashion and provided the emphasis for Ohno's face turn.

The remainder of his year, not to mention his NXT career, would be largely negative as he was soundly defeated by the likes of Luke Harper and Alexander Rusev.

The quality of Ohno's work in NXT, especially early in his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment, was enough to earn him a spot on this list. 

Unfortunately, he will forever be recognized as a wrestler who never achieved his great potential.

15. Sami Zayn

No other Superstar has made as much an impact in as short a period of time as Sami Zayn has in NXT this year.

Known around the world as El Generico, Zayn signed with WWE in January and made his NXT debut in May. He immediately inserted himself into consideration for an NXT Championship opportunity by collecting wins against the likes of Curt Hawkins and former United States champion Antonio Cesaro.

The victory over Cesaro led to a series of matches that culminated in a Best Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match that was not only the best NXT match of 2013 but also one of the best WWE has produced all year. Cesaro would win the match but, in a rarity, Zayn came out of the loss looking better than he had before.

The Canadian Superstar would ride the momentum into an NXT title program with Bo Dallas that ran several months. 

On the October 16 episode of NXT, Zayn finally received his shot at the championship but fell short of capturing the gold when Dallas relied on an exposed turnbuckle to defeat his top contender.

Since then, Zayn has remained a major part of NXT programming and is easily the brand's most popular babyface.

2014 should prove to be a big year in the career of the former independent wrestling star as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk by making it to WWE's main roster and enjoying great success in front of millions of fans.

14. AJ Lee

The current Divas champion, AJ Lee first captured the attention of the WWE Universe as a competitor on NXT season three, the only all-female season of the competition show.

The smallest female on the roster, AJ made up for her size with her everygirl attitude and her affinity for all things geek.

Her victories over Naomi, Aksana and main roster Diva Nikki Bella proved that she was one of the company's favorites in the competition. The fact that she was able to win as many challenges as she did only helped her back up the faith the company seemingly had in her.

Unfortunately, and to the shock of many, she was eliminated from competition one week before the finals involving Kaitlyn and Naomi.

It was during her stint on NXT season three that AJ proved that she had a connection with the WWE fans that other, more traditional Divas did not.

In the years that would follow, she would go on to become the top female performer in all of professional wrestling, demonstrating an ability to be both the innocent, sympathetic damsel in distress and the psychotic ex-girlfriend type that she has developed into over the last year-and-a-half.

13. Johnny Curtis

Outside of diehard fans who watched the fourth season of NXT, the name Johnny Curtis is likely a foreign one to the WWE Universe. After all, despite winning the competition show, he rarely saw television time and when he did, it was in embarrassing backstage vignettes.

But prior to earning a spot on the main roster, Curtis proved himself to be a wrestler's wrestler, one who did not resort to big, flashy maneuvers engineered to pop a crowd. Instead, he focused his energy into delivering a solid wrestling match that demonstrated how fundamentally sound he was between the ropes.

Matches against Brodus Clay, Byron Saxton, Jacob Novak and Conor O'Brian helped in his development as a professional wrestler.

His victory in NXT should have been the emphasis for a push as part of the main roster, but it would be two years before he would rise to notoriety as a performer on Raw or SmackDown and, when he did, it would not be under the Curtis name.

Instead, he would return to WWE television as Fandango, a charismatic ballroom dancer.

His victory over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 29 was one that few could have imagined possible and easily the biggest of the Superstar's career.

At least to this point.

12. Bray Wyatt

While Bray Wyatt may be a budding star in today's WWE, not to mention one of the truly great characters the company has to offer at this point, he has rather humbling beginnings that date back to the second season of NXT in 2010.

Dubbed Husky Harris, the second-generation star (son of Mike "IRS" Rotunda) was mentored by Cody Rhodes.

Despite his near 300-pound frame, the big man showed great agility and speed. While he was not quite the polished product that his competitors were, there were definite signs that he could mature into a one-of-a-kind performer that could play a major role in WWE's future.

He would compete in CM Punk's New Nexus faction but soon found himself reassigned back to Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory at the time.

With the territory rebranded NXT, Harris underwent a drastic character makeover.

Now known as Bray Wyatt, he became completely submerged in the creepy cult leader gimmick, cutting promos straight out of a horror flick.

He became so good at cutting promos and so believable as the character he was portraying that it never seemed like he was a wrestler playing a role. Instead, he very much seemed like the unhinged man he was portrayed as.

The character earned rave reviews, and eventually Wyatt and followers Erick Rowan and Luke Harper were called up to the main roster.

Since then, the Wyatt Family has terrorized top Superstars such as Kane, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan and appear poised to be a major part of WWE's plans heading into the new year.

11. Kaitlyn

A last-minute replacement in NXT season three, Kaitlyn has exceeded all expectations en route to becoming a former Divas champion and one of the division's better in-ring performers.

With Vickie Guerrero as her so-called "pro," Kaitlyn and the on-air authority figure continued the "teacher and student who cannot stand each other" storyline that Daniel Bryan and The Miz had perfected in season one.

Kaitlyn's quirkiness, her sarcasm and her ability to make fun of herself helped her to connect with audiences, who appreciated the fact that she was not the typical "girly-girl" that WWE looked for in its Divas.

As has been the case throughout her career, the former powerlifter improved in every aspect of her game. She showed great personality in her promo work, even if she had not quite grasped the WWE style of engaging an audience. Her in-ring work was horrid to start, as it would be with any performer who had only been in the ring for a few weeks prior to her debut, but gradually progressed every week.

Her win in the finals, defeating the athletic Naomi, came as a surprise to many but she made the most of the victory, going on to capture the WWE Divas Championship from Eve Torres in January of 2013.

Furthermore, Kaitlyn's match against real-life friend (and NXT season three competitor) AJ Lee was considered one of the better women's matches of 2013.

10. Bo Dallas

Bo Dallas is a second-generation Superstar (the son of Mike "IRS" Rotunda and brother of Bray Wyatt) and the current NXT champion.

Early in his NXT career, a babyface Dallas feuded with main roster star Jinder Mahal.

In January of 2013, he won a tournament to earn the right to enter the Royal Rumble match. During the Rumble, he shocked Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett, eliminating him and igniting what many assumed would be a rivalry that would culminate at WrestleMania 29 with Dallas defeating the Brit for the title.

Dallas disappeared from television, however, and returned to the developmental brand.

And it's a good thing he did.

On the June 12 episode of NXT, Dallas defeated Big E Langston to win the heavyweight championship. The title win, combined with an inadvertently obnoxious, grating babyface character resulted in fan backlash. Soon, Dallas was forced to turn heel, becoming the delirious, smiling villain who has not quite figured out that fans really do not like him.

Dallas has spent the six months since his title win defending against some of the top stars NXT has to offer. He has defeated both Leo Kruger and Sami Zayn and outlasted Adrian Neville to retain his title.

As 2014 rapidly approaches, the second-generation Superstar is one of NXT's most entertaining.

9. Michael McGillicutty

The future Curtis Axel was a standout member of the NXT season two roster, making it to the final round of competition before coming in second place to winner Kaval.

It was during that season of programming that McGillicutty proved to fans that he was a very solid wrestler, capable of keeping up with some talented Superstars. He showed great ring awareness and technical wrestling but struggled to connect with the audience in several interview opportunities.

His promo on the finale episode of season 2 was particularly bad but he managed to overcome that disappointment to earn a main roster spot later in the year as a member of the New Nexus under CM Punk.

From there, he went on to capture the WWE Tag Team Championships with David Otunga and, more recently, underwent a name change and was guided by Paul Heyman to an Intercontinental Championship run that lasted 155 days.

8. Paige

Almost from the moment she debuted with WWE in 2012, it was clear Paige had something that her fellow Divas did not. She had "it" and would make her presence felt in developmental, not to mention the main roster, sooner than later.

That was the case as the second-generation Diva out of Norwich, England went on an impressive winning streak, including defeating former Divas champion Alicia Fox on a number of occasions.

Her anti-Diva attitude and moniker earned the respect of fans who had grown sick of the blonde, blue-eyed young women that the company had been quick to hire in years past.

On June 20, 2013, she won a tournament to be crowned the very first NXT Women's champion. It was a crowning achievement for the young 20-year-old, who was presented with the title by COO Triple H and whose victory was played up heavily on WWE.com.

She has reigned as champion since, defeating current WWE Divas Summer Rae, Aksana, Alicia Fox and Natalya along the way.

A key part of the future of World Wrestling Entertainment, Paige is one of the most popular stars in today's NXT.

7. Adrian Neville

The high-flying former independent wrestling standout known as PAC, Adrian Neville made his debut in NXT in January of 2013.

He quickly captured NXT gold, teaming with fellow Englishman Oliver Grey to become the first NXT Tag Team champions.

Unfortunately, an injury sidelined Grey, leaving Neville to choose a new partner if he wanted to continue to defend his tag titles. He chose Bo Dallas but the team did not work. They lost the titles to the Wyatt Family and Neville was forced to look elsewhere.

After trying his hand at singles competition, he partnered with Corey Graves to retain the titles.

The two proved to be very complimentary, as Graves provided a more ground-based submission style while Neville wowed audiences with his high-flying ways. They would capture the tag titles, marking Neville's second reign with the belts, but they would split upon losing the belts and engage in a heated rivalry.

Neville would ride a wave of momentum following his victorious rivalry with Graves and become the No. 1 contender to Bo Dallas' NXT title.

As 2014 draws near, Neville appears poised to be one of the top talents in developmental.

6. Antonio Cesaro

The Swiss-born Superstar was never officially a member of the NXT roster, nor was he champion of the brand at any time.

Instead, he has simply lent credibility to some of the brand's top stars through several outstanding wrestling matches.

He has competed against the likes of Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Leo Kruger and current NXT commentator William Regal.

Zayn, in particular, proved to be one of his greatest rivals since arriving in WWE as the two highly-talented Superstars, who know each other extremely well from their days in Ring of Honor, delivered a series of matches that were critically acclaimed.

Their final bout, a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match, was a phenomenal match that established Cesaro as one of the best workers in the business and elevated Zayn to an all-new level of stardom.

Recently, Cesaro's rivalry with Regal has been a highlight of NXT programming and has forced Regal to rediscover the edge some believe he has lost since taking over as one of the most entertaining commentators in sports entertainment.

While his use on WWE programming is oftentimes disappointing, Cesaro has been used to perfection in NXT. He is treated like the huge star he is and is allowed the opportunity to beat and batter talent around and showcase his skills in longer, more intense matches.

5. William Regal

The respected veteran out of Blackpool, England, William Regal has done more to make the young performers in NXT into stars than just about anyone else.

As a commentator, he regularly puts over their performances to the extent that fans understand what the wrestlers are feeling, why they use a specific maneuver and just how much winning a match means to them.

He regularly puts over NXT Women's champion Paige and Scott Dawson as key parts of WWE's bright future.

As a wrestler, he helps develop them as in-ring performers and as stars. Despite the fact that he has not regularly appeared in the squared circle on WWE television in years, he is treated as a prestigious star in NXT and a win over the once-vile villain still means a great deal.

While in NXT, Regal competed against Kassius Ohno in a hard-hitting bout that saw the former Intercontinental champion teach the former independent standout a thing about respect en route to victory.

More recently, Regal has engaged in a rivalry with Antonio Cesaro that will undoubtedly result in a great wrestling match in the near future.

Since beginning his association with NXT in 2010, when he was the pro mentor for rookie Skip Sheffield (later Ryback), Regal has done everything in his power to help the young stars the company has invested time and money in and, also, to ensure that the company is in better shape than it was when he entered it 13 years ago.

4. Seth Rollins

The oft-underrated member of The Shield, and a former Ring of Honor star, Seth Rollins had quite the run on NXT prior to his call-up to the main roster late in 2012.

On the August 29 episode of NXT, Rollins completed a run through the heavyweight title tournament that saw him defeat Drew McIntyre and Michael McGillicutty (Curtis Axel) before besting Jinder Mahal to capture the championship.

His top rival throughout his title reign was Corey Graves, who had multiple chances to wrest the title away from the Shield member but fell short every time, thanks in large part to interference from Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.

That interference would be a non-factor when Rollins defended his title against No. 1 contender Big E Langston, as the locker room banded together to prevent Ambrose and Reigns from interfering, allowing Langston the opportunity to put an end to Rollins' title reign.

Though his time in NXT was limited thanks to his debut on the main roster, Rollins was the first NXT champion and his tear through main roster stars makes him not only worthy of this list but also one of the greatest NXT stars ever.

3. Daniel Bryan

The former two-time heavyweight champion made his first splash on WWE television back in 2010 as a "rookie" on the first season of NXT.

The Ring of Honor standout, who had plied his craft all over the globe, was saddled with polarizing Superstar The Miz as his mentor, and a great storyline between the two proceeded to play out over the first 15 weeks of the show.

During that time, Bryan proved that he was far above anyone else on the show when it came to in-ring work, and his indy credibility helped him connect with a fanbase that simply was not as familiar with the other competitors on the show.

His first match after signing a contract with WWE came against Chris Jericho on the February 23, 2010 episode of NXT, and the Aberdeen, Washington native wasted little time in showcasing his skills in front of an international audience.

Though he was one of the first Superstars eliminated from the competition-style show, Bryan would go on to have the greatest success of any of his opposition, winning the WWE Tag Team titles, the United States Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship and, as mentioned above, the WWE title on two separate occasions.

Unquestionably the most successful Superstar in NXT history.

2. Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett rode his size, look, consistently improving in-ring skills and unique promo abilities to a victory in season one of NXT and a spot on WWE's main roster.

The fact that he was mentored by Chris Jericho, who some consider the most complete performer of this generation, only helped Barrett rise to the occasion and win the competition-based program.

Despite fellow competitor Daniel Bryan receiving the majority of hype leading into the show's premiere episode, Barrett stayed focused and picked up a dominant victory over Bryan on the March 2, 2010 show, working over the celebrated wrestler's injured ribs before finishing him off with the Wasteland finisher.

Barrett would waste away with nothing to do in the weeks that immediately followed his NXT victory. Then, in one of the most shocking moments in WWE Raw history, he and his fellow NXT competitors hit the ring and destroyed John Cena, tore up the entire ringside area and assaulted anyone in their way.

Barrett would lead the newly minted Nexus as they attempted to take over World Wrestling Entertainment in the second half of 2010.

Since then, he has amassed three Intercontinental Championship reigns and has become one of the company's better midcard performers, even if some believe he is capable of much more than he has been allowed to do.

1. Big E Langston

"Three ain't enough, man, I need five."

The opening lines of current Intercontinental champion Big E Langston's theme song recalls a period during the powerful young star's days in NXT in which he would demand that the referee count to five, rather than three, in a spot reminiscent of the great big man King Kong Bundy.

Langston was an absolutely dominating force on NXT, plowing through the opposition with relative ease en route to a feud with Seth Rollins, and Shield teammates Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, over the NXT title.

Big E would win the title on the January 9 episode of NXT and successfully defend it for five months, all the while also competing against some of the top competition WWE had to offer on Monday and Friday nights.

On June 12 he lost the gold to Bo Dallas, who utilized an exposed turnbuckle to his advantage despite being greatly outmatched by the more powerful champion.

This past November, Langston defeated fellow NXT alumnus Curtis Axel to capture the Intercontinental title.

Langston has proven himself to be a dynamic in-ring performer whose powerful offense pops crowds and makes up for a rather lackluster definition of his character by the creative team.