NXT has had some amazing champions throughout its history, both in the men's and women's divisions. However, few have been as dominant as Asuka and Shayna Baszler, who ran roughshod over the brand, confidently defeating everyone who stepped in their way.
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The two women had incredibly long runs with the NXT Women's Championship and had some very memorable matches along the way. But which of the two was the greatest champion in NXT's history?
10 Asuka: Defeating Bayley
Prior to Asuka winning the NXT Women's Championship, Bayley was the greatest champion that the division had ever had. She was a Four Horsewoman, and because of that was a major name that fans never expected to see fading out at the hands of a submission from someone else.
While Shayna battled top talents like Kairi Sane and Bianca Belair, she never got to face someone as big in terms of star power as Bayley. The fact Asuka was able to rip the title from Bayley kicked off her reign in a massive way.
9 Shayna Baszler: Took The Title To The Main Roster
Even though Asuka was certainly talked about amongst main roster fans during her run as NXT Women's Champion, she didn't get a big main roster showcase as Shayna Baszler did during her run.
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Baszler took the title with her for Survivor Series 2019 and even headlined the PPV while being the NXT Women's Champion. She took the title to new heights, and that is why she was a greater champion.
8 Asuka: Feud With Ember Moon
Asuka was an incredible champion and the fact she had to go through an absolute war with Ember Moon over the course of her career is proof of that. While Shayna Baszler had some great rivals herself, none pushed her further than Ember did to Asuka.
Their feud was absolutely epic, as it created some unbelievable matches and it forced Asuka to be even better as a champion. She constantly had to raise her game in order to retain, which she did.
7 Shayna Baszler: Dominated Ember Moon
While Asuka had a really competitive feud with Ember Moon that really defined her run as NXT Women's Champion, Shayna Baszler dominated against her. Moon was the champion when Baszler burst onto the scene, and she didn't mess around in taking the title from her.
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While Ember Moon still put in a competitive performance against Baszler, the matches they had were nowhere near as competitive, which showcases Shayna's dominance.
6 Asuka: Did It Alone
Shayna Baszler might have been a dominant wrestler in NXT, but the fact is that she always had some help along the way. Shayna had Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir around to help her out, whereas Asuka never had anybody.
She battled against her opponents alone and still came out on top, which makes her reign even more impressive. She didn't sit back and have someone pop-up to interfere on the outside, she just got down to business, which proves she was more dominant.
5 Shayna Baszler: Two Time Champ
Even though Asuka technically never lost the NXT Women's Championship, the fact that Shayna Baszler held the title twice is very impressive. It showcases her fighting ability as a champion and the desire to hold the title.
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A great champion always fights to get their title back, and the fact that Baszler was able to do exactly that proves just how good of a champion she was in NXT.
4 Asuka: Longer Reign
While Shayna has held the title on two occasions, the fact is that Asuka's one reign as champion is still the longest in NXT's history. She held the title for an unbelievable 522 days, which is an amazing record, especially in today's age.
It is going to take a very long time for anyone to even come close to beating that, with Shayna's longest individual run as champion being 416 days, which is still over 100 days less.
3 Shayna Baszler: Longer Combined Run
While Asuka technically has the longest NXT Women's Championship reign in history, Shayna Baszler has more days combined as champion than anyone else. With her two reigns as champion combined, Baszler held the title for 548 days.
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That's an incredible run to be the champion, dominating the roster. NXT's women's division had some fantastic wrestlers during that period of time, and the fact Baszler overcame them all makes her a great champion.
2 Asuka: Undefeated
The main reason that Asuka's title reign was better than Shayna's is purely down to the fact she was undefeated. Asuka never lost a match during her entire NXT career, which is an unbelievable record.
While Shayna Baszler very rarely picked up a defeat either, the fact is that Asuka never lost. She would have continued her long run as a champion for even longer had she not vacated the title, which proves how effective she was.
1 Shayna Baszler: More Ruthless
While Asuka was incredibly dominant due to the fact she never lost a single match in NXT, she was nowhere near as ruthless as Shayna Baszler. The Empress Of Tomorrow didn't take any prisoners and she was always aggressive in the ring, but she was not at Baszler's level.
Everything Shayna did was with a purpose, she would get into the minds of her opponents during the build-up and would happily inflict serious damage. She was a ruthless and dominant champion that was truly feared, making her the best in NXT's history.
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