(NEXSTAR) – WWE’s NXT, which makes its debut on the CW Network on Oct. 1, is the launching point for WWE superstars of the future.
But who is the future of sports entertainment? To answer that question, one must look to the top tier of NXT, the champions who have overcome the odds and claimed bragging rights over every superstar on the brand. There, we find egotists, gymnasts and giants, all fighting to maintain their spot at the top of the card.
“All Ego” Ethan Page — NXT Champion
Ethan Page debuted in NXT in May with a splash, attacking then-NXT Champion Trick Williams. Just two months later, Page began the “Era of Ego” by defeating Williams, Je’Von Evans and Shawn Spears in a fatal four-way match (albeit unconscious at the time).
On the Oct. 1 debut of NXT on the CW Network, “All Ego” will compete to defend the NXT Championship against the man from which he took the title, fan-favorite Trick Williams. Page said his number one goal moving into the new era of NXT on the CW was keeping the top prize in the brand, the NXT championship, around his waist.
“I’m going to try to keep the era of ego going,” Page said. “I think it’s best for the company. It’s definitely best for me and my career.”
Trick Williams, for his part, called Page a formidable opponent.
“It’s gonna take everything that I have in me,” Williams said. “He’s been wrestling for probably 15-years-plus. … He’s a big guy, you know he’s the real deal.”
With WWE legend CM Punk set to don the stripes as a special guest referee to keep both competitors honest, the debut of what Page would call NX-“Me” on the CW Network will be must-watch wrestling.
Roxanne Perez — NXT Women’s Champion
At “Stand and Deliver” in April, NXT’s flagship premium live event on WrestleMania weekend, Roxanne Perez defeated Lyra Valkyria to win the NXT Women’s Championship. The champion’s reign continues with Perez on a journey to become a WWE superstar — something she said she dreamed of from a very young age.
“I knew what I wanted, and I was determined to make it happen,” Perez said. “I started dreaming of it at ten years old. I started training for it at 13 years old. And I never, ever, ever stopped since then.”
Perez is headed for a showdown with Japanese wrestling star Giulia, who made a surprise appearance at the No Mercy premium live event in September. Overcoming the newly debuted superstar will be a difficult task, but it’s one that Perez said she is up for.
“What’s mainly on my mind right now is keeping this championship for as long as I possibly can,” said Perez.
Oba Femi — NXT North American Champion
A 6’4″ behemoth, Oba Femi rocketed onto the NXT scene in 2022, winning the 2023 NXT Breakout Tournament before defeating Dragon Lee to take the NXT North American Championship in January. It was the first step in Femi’s plan to take over sports entertainment.
“Get as much gold as possible,” Femi said. “That’s the next goal.”
The Nigerian-born former University of Alabama track and field champion said he has spent many years preparing for his reign in NXT and is now fully equipped to be in his position as the North American Champion.
“I will say heavy is that the head that wears the crown,” Femi said. “There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with this.”
The 26-year-old star made it clear that the future of professional wrestling is in NXT. From its first champion Seth Rollins to Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, Gunther, and so many others at the top of the industry, WWE NXT is where they found their origin.
“NXT gives you the opportunity to see what the future generation is right now,” Femi said.
Kelani Jordan — NXT Women’s North American Champion
The former Michigan State gymnast was recruited to WWE through Instagram, an opportunity that, at the time, seemed too good to be true.
“At first, I thought it was not real,” Jordan said. “Then I told my mom. My mom was like, ‘No … I think it’s real. It has a blue check.'”
The message did turn out to be real, and it was the start of what Jordan calls a surreal run that culminated in her victory in a ladder match to become the first-ever NXT Women’s North American Champion.
“It’s almost like a dream come true,” Jordan said. “If you were to ask me two years ago when I was just a gymnast at Michigan State, I would never be able to tell you, ‘Oh yeah, I’m gonna make history in WWE.'”
Nathan Frazer & Axiom — NXT Tag Team Champions
Nathan Frazer and Axiom won the 2024 NXT Tag Team Championship Eliminator Tournament for a title shot at the reigning champions. Although they lost that match to then-champions Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker, they defeated them in their next opportunity, kicking off a 126-day reign with the championship.
In August, Frazer and Axiom lost a match to Ande Chase and Ridge Holland but regained the NXT Tag Team Champions 19 days later to begin their second reign. Together, they represent the future of wrestling, which Shawn Michaels, WWE’s senior vice president of talent development creative, says is a thrill to cultivate daily.
“It’s that something special that allows them to connect with our audience in a way that it literally is indescribable,” Michaels said, adding that the incredible athletes recruited to become NXT superstars sometimes start with little-to-no experience in front of a camera. At WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, they get that experience leading them down the path of Frazer, Axion, and the other NXT champions — the path to gold.
(Video produced by CW Network with in-ring footage contributed by WWE)