NXTNXT
NXT Championship History
Complete list of every NXT Championship reign — who held it, when they won it, and how long they kept it. Established Jul 1, 2012.
Current Champion
37
Total Reigns
28
Champions
403
Longest (days)
Adam Cole
Adam Cole
3×
Most Reigns
Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Full Title Lineage
| # | Champion | Won | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Tony D'Angelo CURRENT | Apr 4, 2026 | 70+ days |
| 36 | Joe Hendry Won a seven-way ladder match for the vacant title. | Feb 3, 2026NXTOrlando, FL | 60 days |
| 35 | Oba Femi2nd reign His record-tying second reign. ↳ After defending against Leon Slater, Oba Femi left the belt in the ring, vacating the title. | Dec 6, 2025NXT DeadlineSan Antonio, TX | 31 days |
| 34 | Ricky Saints | Sep 27, 2025NXT No MercyFort Lauderdale, FL | 70 days |
| 33 | Oba Femi1st reign A 263-day reign. | Jan 7, 2025NXT New Year's EvilLos Angeles, CA | 263 days |
| 32 | Trick Williams2nd reign | Oct 1, 2024NXTRosemont, IL | 98 days |
| 31 | Ethan Page | Jul 7, 2024NXT HeatwaveToronto, Ontario, Canada | 86 days |
| 30 | Trick Williams1st reign | Apr 23, 2024NXT Spring Breakin'Orlando, FL | 75 days |
| 29 | Ilja Dragunov A 206-day reign. | Sep 30, 2023NXT No MercyBakersfield, CA | 206 days |
| 28 | Carmelo Hayes A 182-day reign. | Apr 1, 2023NXT Stand & DeliverLos Angeles, CA | 182 days |
| 27 | Bron Breakker2nd reign At Worlds Collide, Breakker defeated Tyler Bate to unify the NXT United Kingdom Championship into the NXT Championship. A 362-day reign. | Apr 4, 2022RawDallas, TX | 362 days |
| 26 | Dolph Ziggler | Mar 8, 2022NXT RoadblockWinter Park, FL | 27 days |
| 25 | Bron Breakker1st reign | Jan 4, 2022NXT New Year's EvilWinter Park, FL | 63 days |
| 24 | Tommaso Ciampa2nd reign Defeated LA Knight, Pete Dunne and Von Wagner in a fatal four-way match for the vacant title. | Sep 14, 2021NXTWinter Park, FL | 112 days |
| 23 | Samoa Joe3rd reign His record third reign. ↳ Relinquished by Samoa Joe due to injury. | Aug 22, 2021NXT TakeOver 36Winter Park, FL | 21 days |
| 22 | Karrion Kross2nd reign | Apr 8, 2021NXT TakeOver: Stand & DeliverWinter Park, FL | 136 days |
| 21 | Finn Bálor2nd reign Won the vacant title, defeating Adam Cole a week after the two tied a 60-minute fatal four-way iron man match. | Sep 8, 2020NXTWinter Park, FL | 212 days |
| 20 | Karrion Kross1st reign A four-day reign, the shortest in the title history. ↳ Vacated when Karrion Kross suffered a separated shoulder. | Aug 22, 2020NXT TakeOver XXXWinter Park, FL | 4 days |
| 19 | Keith Lee | Jul 8, 2020NXT The Great American BashWinter Park, FL | 45 days |
| 18 | Adam Cole A 403-day reign, the longest in the title history. | Jun 1, 2019NXT TakeOver: XXVBridgeport, CT | 403 days |
| 17 | Johnny Gargano Defeated Adam Cole in a two-out-of-three-falls match to win the vacant title. | Apr 5, 2019NXT TakeOver: New YorkBrooklyn, NY | 57 days |
| 16 | Tommaso Ciampa1st reign A 238-day reign. ↳ Vacated when Tommaso Ciampa required neck surgery. | Jul 25, 2018NXTWinter Park, FL | 238 days |
| 15 | Aleister Black | Apr 7, 2018NXT TakeOver: New OrleansNew Orleans, LA | 109 days |
| 14 | Andrade "Cien" Almas A 140-day reign. | Nov 18, 2017NXT TakeOver: WarGamesHouston, TX | 140 days |
| 13 | Drew McIntyre | Aug 19, 2017NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IIIBrooklyn, NY | 91 days |
| 12 | Bobby Roode A 203-day reign. | Jan 28, 2017NXT TakeOver: San AntonioSan Antonio, TX | 203 days |
| 11 | Shinsuke Nakamura2nd reign | Dec 3, 2016NXTOsaka, Japan | 56 days |
| 10 | Samoa Joe2nd reign A 14-day reign. | Nov 19, 2016NXT TakeOver: TorontoToronto, Ontario, Canada | 14 days |
| 9 | Shinsuke Nakamura1st reign | Aug 20, 2016NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IIBrooklyn, NY | 91 days |
| 8 | Samoa Joe1st reign | Apr 21, 2016NXT LiveLowell, MA | 121 days |
| 7 | Finn Bálor1st reign A 292-day reign. | Jul 4, 2015WWE The Beast in the EastTokyo, Japan | 292 days |
| 6 | Kevin Owens | Feb 11, 2015NXT TakeOver: RivalWinter Park, FL | 143 days |
| 5 | Sami Zayn | Dec 11, 2014NXT TakeOver: R EvolutionWinter Park, FL | 62 days |
| 4 | Adrian Neville A 287-day reign. | Feb 27, 2014NXT ArrivalWinter Park, FL | 287 days |
| 3 | Bo Dallas A 260-day reign. | Jun 12, 2013NXTWinter Park, FL | 260 days |
| 2 | Big E Langston | Jan 9, 2013NXTWinter Park, FL | 154 days |
| 1 | Seth Rollins Defeated Jinder Mahal in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion. | Aug 29, 2012NXTWinter Park, FL | 133 days |
The top men's championship of NXT, WWE's developmental brand, established in 2012 with Seth Rollins as the inaugural champion. Samoa Joe holds the record with three reigns, while Adam Cole's 403-day run is the longest in the title's history. A launchpad for a generation of WWE main-roster stars, the title absorbed the NXT United Kingdom Championship when the two were unified in 2022.
NXT Championship — FAQ
Tony D'Angelo is the current NXT Championship, having won the title on Apr 4, 2026.
Seth Rollins was the inaugural NXT Championship, winning it on Aug 29, 2012 at NXT.
Samoa Joe has the most reigns with 3.
Adam Cole's reign beginning Jun 1, 2019 is the longest at 403 days.
There have been 37 reigns across 28 different champions since the title was established.