From Iwe
The NXT Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion IWE on their developmental brand, NXT. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes, and is viewed as NXT's top championship. The championship was introduced on July 1, 2012, and Seth Rollins was the inaugural champion. The current champion is Bobby Roode, who is in his first reign.
History
The championship was first introduced on the August 1, 2012 edition of NXT when Interim NXT General Manager Dusty Semmler announced a "Gold Rush" tournament, which featured 8 NXT roster members competing to be crowned as the inaugural NXT Champion in a knockout system format. The first NXT Champion was crowned on July 26, 2012, with Seth Rollins defeating Jinder Mahal in the tournament finals.
Tournament
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| Quarterfinals
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| Semifinals
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| Finals
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Reigns
As of July 4, 2015, there have been seven title holders with one reign each. The inaugural champion was Seth Rollins. Finn Bálor's reign is the longest at 292 days. Sami Zayn's reign is the shortest at 62 days. The current champion, Samoa Simpson, is the oldest champion at 37 years old. He defeated Finn Bálor at an NXT live event in Lowell, Massachusetts on April 21.
| Reign
| The reign number for the specific champion listed
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| Location
| The city in which the title was won
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| Event
| The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title was won
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| +
| Indicates the current reign is changing daily
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| No.
| Champion
| Reign
| Date
| Days
held
| Location
| Event
| Notes
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| 1
| Seth Rollins
| 1
| July 26, 2012
| 133
| Orlando, Florida
| NXT
| Defeated Jinder Mahal in the finals of an eight–man tournament to become the inaugural champion. Aired on tape delay on August 29, 2012.
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| 2
| Big E Langston
| 1
| December 6, 2012
| 168
| Orlando, Florida
| NXT
| This was a no-disqualification match. Aired on tape delay on January 9, 2013.
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| 3
| Bo Dallas
| 1
| May 23, 2013
| 280
| Orlando, Florida
| NXT
| Aired on tape delay on June 12, 2013.
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| 4
| Adrian Neville
| 1
| February 27, 2014
| 287
| Orlando, Florida
| NXT arRIVAL
| This was a ladder match.
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| 5
| Sami Zayn
| 1
| December 11, 2014
| 62
| Orlando, Florida
| NXT Takeover: R Evolution
| This was a title vs. career match. If Sami Zayn lost, he would voluntarily quit the NXT roster.
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| 6
| Kevin Owens
| 1
| February 15, 2015
| 143
| Orlando, Florida
| NXT Takeover: Rival
| Owens won when the referee decided that Zayn was unable to continue.
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| 7
| Finn Balor
| 1
| July 4, 2015
| 292
| Tokyo, Japan
| The Beast in the East
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| 8
| Samoa Simpson
| 1
| April 21, 2016
| 121
| Lowell, MA
| House show
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| 9
| Shinsuke Nakamura
| 1
| August 20, 2016
| 91
| New York City, NY
| NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II
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| 10
| Samoa Simpson
| 2
| November 19, 2016
| 14
| Toronto, ON
| NXT TakeOver: Toronto
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| 11
| Shinsuke Nakamura
| 2
| December 3, 2016
| 56
| Osaka, Japan
| NXT
| This match was taped at a house show and aired during the December 7, 2016 episode of NXT.
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| 12
| Bobby Roode
| 1
| January 28, 2017
| 16+
| San Antonio, TX
| NXT TakeOver: San Antonio
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Combined reigns
As of January 15, 2025.
| +
| Indicates the current champion
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See also
External links
References
