5 NXT Stars Who Must Become Champion Within the Next Year

The NXT roster is arguably more stacked than ever before! From its extremely talented women’s division to the endless list of names who could very easily go on to main event a major NXT event! Amongst this amazing roster, however, there are a bunch of names in desperate need of a championship reign and without holding NXT gold soon their momentum and bragging rights could decrease massively!

Io Shirai

In all honesty, I’m surprised Io Shirai hasn’t captured gold during her time in the WWE so far. During her run on the roster up until this point, she has been apart of many standout bouts and her rivalry with Shayna Baszler left many fans predicting a title change would take place. In recent weeks the NXT universe has witnessed to a new direction for Shirai with the Mae Young Classic runner up adopting the role of a heel and damn well owning it ever since. Now, while this is likely to open the doors for Shirai vs Candice what we need to see in the coming months is Io finally capture gold. A run as NXT Women’s champion has always felt inevitable for Shirai and its vital that come the end of the year we see her holding the title up high. A reign as champ will prove her heel turn was worth something and open up major opportunities moving forward.

The Forgotten Sons

While they may not have fans completely hooked just yet, the Forgotten Sons are growing in both momentum and popularity. In recent months the trio have stood out for their in-ring performances and despite the fact character development is needed here their work inside the ring is showing them to be dominant stars who hold a genuine threat to current title holders. Jaxon Ryker, Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake have been growing as a faction, a tag-team and singles stars and as we reach the later months of the year, I believe its massively important the WWE put gold around the waists of the Forgotten Sons. With the right booking these stars have all the potential in the world to make a major impact on the NXT roster but for them to truly turn heads and come across as important factors on the roster they need more bragging rights and the NXT tag team titles could very easily be their best option and biggest opening yet. Ryker focusing in on the North American championship is also something the WWE should begin to consider! 

Matt Riddle

Matt Riddle is yet another name many fans including myself have been surprised to see not yet capture gold in NXT. Joining the roster with so much hype and excitement from the wrestling community it appeared as though a run as champion was inevitable.  During his time on the roster so far Riddle has most certainly come close to walk away with a title on his shoulder going toe to toe with Velveteen Dream as well as coming ever so close to getting his hands on the NXT Championship. Moving forward, it would make for a special moment to see Riddle win the big one and while he’s a name that doesn’t necessarily need a title to prove a point or to add more to his character, Riddle makes for a very different kind of champ to what we have seen in a while and it would be refreshing to see him in the position of champion.

 Candice LeRae

It's safe to say the WWE hasn’t quite used Candice LeRae to her full potential yet. She most certainly has had her special moments and it appears as though she is edging closer to a bigger role within the division and a push. Moving forward, it's clear that what LeRae is seriously deserving of is a title reign. We’ve seen a heel champion rule the women’s division for quite some time now and it would be refreshing to see a new kind of champion stand at the top of the division soon! As champion, LeRae is far more likely to find herself in a potion where she can truly showcase her talent, finally be given more in-ring time and work major storylines. 

Killian Dane

In a recent episode of NXT fans witnessed the return of Killian Dane! After things never quite worked out for Dane and Sanity up on the main roster, he has been given a second chance as a singles star and as someone who has been a fan of Killian’s work for a while now, I’m very excited and hopeful for his future with the company! Its massively important the WWE get things right this time around when it comes to Dane. A true powerhouse, he has the experience, skill, and popularity behind him and booking him as a big-time badass on the NXT roster opens up plenty of doors of opportunity. Killian has everything required to become a major star on the black and gold brand and if the WWE put their all into him not only could he go on to win gold but could so easily sit as NXT Champion at some point within the next year.  

There truly is no denying the amazing talent NXT currently possesses. The standards and expectations are higher than ever for the black and gold brand and while a championship reign isn’t the be and end-all for a superstars career it's evident that the names mentioned today would most certainly benefit positively from capturing a title during their time on the NXT roster. 

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