10 Potential NXT Champions When Tommaso Ciampa Vacates

9. KUSHIDA

Some would say that this would be an extremely risky move for NXT, and it is clear to see why. Not only has KUSHIDA not wrestled for NXT yet, but he hasn’t even been announced as having signed for the developmental brand. This makes the chances of him succeeding Ciampa as champion extremely unlikely.

It was announced back in January that KUSHIDA had finished up with NJPW, his home for the previous nine years, and was likely headed to WWE. However, when the Performance Centre announced their latest batch of recruits the following month, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was nowhere to be seen.

It was speculated that KUSHIDA could have opted to not sign for WWE. However, others speculated that perhaps NXT were intending to make his debut more memorable than via a Tweet. If this is the case, there would be no more impactful way to debut the Japanese star than having him debut in a match for the vacant championship and be victorious.

It appeared that Ciampa and Gargano were setting up a final clash at NXT Takeover: New York for the Tommaso’s beloved championship. That would mean that with Ciampa being ruled out, Gargano would be without an opponent for the show. NXT could have Gargano compete for the title against a debuting KUSHIDA, with the former putting over the Japanese star before departing for the main roster full-time.

• NXT Championship
• Tommaso Ciampa
• nxt
• wwe

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