Ranking Bayley and the Greatest NXT Champions of All Time

NXT has been the feeding ground for some of WWE's premier talent. And while some call-ups do not work out quite as well as imagined, NXT has housed some of the greatest championship reigns of modern-day pro wrestling.

NXT champions have made history, elevated their division and redefined what it means to carry a championship. This list was compiled based on a number of factors, from length of championship reign to importance and relevance of the title during said reigns. 

Bayley was the epitome of an NXT champion in this regard as her lengthy run as NXT women's champion helped changed the perception of women's wrestling in ways that still impact the main roster to this day. 

But as great as her run was, was it the greatest in NXT history?

5. Finn Balor: NXT Championship

Finn Balor is the longest-reigning NXT champion of all time, at 292 days, but that alone could not vault him up this list. As great as Balor was in NXT, he was world champion during uncharted territory when women's wrestling caught fire in NXT and was better than just about any division in all of WWE. 

Matches between any combination of Bayley, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte (or all the above) constantly overshadowed Balor's world championship matches whether they were stealing the show or flat out earning their way to a main event spot. 

Still, Balor was a constant in NXT after defeating Kevin Owens and defending his championship in physical matches against Samoa Joe. In fact, Owens and Joe were essentially Balor's only opponents in NXT Championship matches at NXT TakeOver; however, this is not uncommon given the smaller pool of talent at Full Sail University. 

4. Shinsuke Nakamura: NXT Championship

As an exodus of top stars in the women's division commenced, Shinsuke Nakamura helped swing the main event pendulum back in the direction of the men. From his opening match against Sami Zayn, Nakamura always carried big-fight feel and brought extra panache to a division that seemed to have lost something as the women's division passed it by. 

Nakamura played a bit of hot potato with the NXT Championship in a handful of entertaining bouts with Samoa Joe, as each became the first two men to ever hold the NXT Championship on more than one occasion. But through the pageantry, grand entrances and spectacular in-ring showcases, Nakamura helped elevate the entire NXT men's division. 

Nakamura truly emphasized the "world title" aspect of the NXT Championship, as he regained the title in an electric live event in Osaka, Japan, against Samoa Joe. 

Through two reigns, Nakamura held the NXT Championship for a total of 147 days, the sixth-highest combined total in NXT history. 

3. The Ascension: NXT Tag Team Championships

Given their unheralded existence on the SmackDown Live roster, it's easy to forget about The Ascension's dominant, entertaining run as NXT champions. The duo held the NXT Tag Team Championships for 364 days, trailing only current NXT women's champion Asuka as the longest-reigning champions in NXT history.

The Ascension is the ultimate example of something that was wildly successful in NXT because of its offbeat nature that succeeded in front of a fanbase that loves irony. 

Fans began mimicking the Ascension, chanting "ya!" after every strike in honor of the battle cries shouted out by Konnor and Viktor. To their credit, Konnor and Viktor played along, and by doing so their matches went from standard tag team showcases to highly entertaining attractions. 

Attraction aside, NXT did a fantastic job booking the face-painted tandem as a truly dominant force that benefitted from win streaks and short matches. 

And while The Ascension hasn't come close to the heights it reached in NXT, the team will always have Florida. 

2. Bayley: NXT Women's Championship

You can't talk about the WWE women's revolution without mentioning NXT. And you can't talk about the NXT women's division without mentioning Bayley. 

NXT's women's division was built around the four horsewomen—Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Bayley. And while Banks, Bayley and Charlotte each have a legit argument as greatest NXT champion of all time, it was the flawless storytelling of Bayley's journey that made her win, and subsequent reign, the stuff of legend. 

Bayley spent just about her entire run on the NXT roster chasing the women's championship, always coming close with no cigar. It all culminated to a matchup against Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn that is widely considered the greatest match in NXT history. The emotion, competitiveness and intensity of their important clash was superior to anything in NXT or the main roster. The rematch featured the first-ever women's main event at NXT TakeOver in what would prove to be Sasha Banks' final match in NXT. 

All told, Bayley held the NXT Women's Championship for 223 days, the fourth-longest reign in NXT history. But this reign was not about numbers or length; it was about importance. And for that window, the NXT Women's Championship was the most important title in the entire promotion. 

1. Asuka: NXT Women's Championship

When Asuka defeated Bayley via submission at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, it was considered quite the upset. But now, Asuka is not only the most dominant champion in NXT, she would top WWE's company-wide pound-for-pound rankings. 

Asuka has held the NXT Women's Championship for 450 days and counting, and if that's not enough dominance, she has never lost a match period. Still not impressed? Asuka is the current owner of the longest win streak in the history of professional wrestling, per WWE.com. 

She is the only truly unbeatable talent on the roster today, and her run has not been protected by gimmicks, smokes and mirrors. At NXT TakeOver: Chicago, Asuka successfully defended her championship by pinning two women at once. She straight-up devours her competition. 

There's no telling how this unprecedented journey will end or if she'll even leave NXT with a blemish on her record. But when you're being acknowledged by the likes of Goldberg, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for your accomplishments in a developmental territory, you're doing something right. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.