#1.) Tommaso Ciampa
When it comes to quality of opposition, there was no NXT Champion who had it better than Tommaso Ciampa. As it is, he had already established himself as the most hated heel in NXT history and the manner in which he won it only further infuriated people. He always clutched the title close to his chest, affectionately referring to it as “Goldie”.
The title never felt more prestigious than when Tommaso Ciampa held it and he had a string of very good title defenses to back it up. Unfortunately, it ended abruptly because of his injury, leading fans to wonder what could have been.
