How powerful is Triple H in WWE? Pretty powerful since 6 of 8 or 75% its of championships on WWE Raw and WWE Smackdown Live are held by WWE superstars who were developed and made ready for prime-time in NXT. Plus what history did A.J. Styles make at WE Backlash 2016?
Below includes championship spoilers from WWE Backlash 2016.
Only 4 champions or 36% of the 11 championship belt holders were NOT considered NXT development talent and they are A.J. Styles, Kofi Kingston, Rhyno and The Miz.
Everyone else has been in NXT including Heath Slater, in the inaugural season of NXT. The other NXT alumni are Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Kevin Owens, Big E Langston and Rusev.
WOW.
At WWE Backlash 2016, the first Smackdown branded PPV in the New Era, Beck Lynch became the first ever Smackdown Women’s Champion while Rhyno and Heath Slater became the first ever Smackdown Tag Team champions with full spoilers for both here.
Check out these first ever champions celebrating in photos!
Becky Lynch.
Heath Slater and Rhyno.
While he wasn’t a NXT alumni, A.J. Styles beat a NXT alumni in Dean Ambrose to become Smackdown Live’s next WWE World Champion at Backlash 2016!
A.J. Styles now becomes the first man ever to have won the WWE World Championship, TNA World Championship and IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Congrats to Becky Lynch, Health Slater, Rhyno and A.J. Styles on their championship wins for the blue brand at WWE Backlash 2016!