The NXT Top 10

The Wednesday Top 10 is back and this time we check in on the aftermath of NXT Takeover: Respect with a list of ten best wrestlers or tag teams in NXT. In the aftermath of the Dusty Classic, the women's title match main event and the continued dominance of Apollo Crews, there's a lot to talk about. But who will take number one? Better start reading to find out!

The Vaudevillians. Image credit: WWE.com.

1. The Vaudevillians: Aiden English and Simon Gotch were somewhat inexplicably left off the last Takeover, but they are still strong face tag champions for NXT. An extended feud with The Mechanics seems likely in their future, though I personally am hoping for more between them and the team of Chad Gable and Jason Jordan.
   
2. Baron Corbin: After a solid performance at Takeover: Brooklyn, Baron Corbin has really looked great in the last few weeks of television. His team with Rhyno really worked well in seasoning his growing in-ring talent. He might never have the natural ability of a Balor or Crews, but he's definitely looking like a competitor ready for bigger matches.
3. Tyler Breeze: Breeze now has the unfortunate image of the Takeover loser. Of course, the last person with that image was Sami Zayn, and he moved on to win the title. I think Breeze might be on the same path, but it remains to be seen whether it will come with a face turn for his character.
4. Asuka: She made her debut at Takeover: Respect with a decisive win over Dana Brooke. Easily one of the most athletic wrestlers on the NXT roster, she's only going to get bigger over the next several weeks of television.
5. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan: For a team as relativiely new as they are, Gable and Jordan have became an amazing unit. Crisp and well-timed, they have the potential to be a tag team for the ages. But that's only if Gable's individual star power doesn't overpower Jordan. Gable clearly has a huge upside and the fans saw it at Takeover: Respect. He now has the Full Sail crowd eating out of his hand, just wear he should be as their team gets more prominent booking in the months ahead.
6. Apollo Crews: Not since Kevin Owens has someone had as strong as an NXT push as Apollo Crews. The former Uhaa Nation clearly is someone the WWE brass see a lot in with his chiseled look and amazing mix of power and high-flying. He's a total package guy and his winning streak seems to recognize that. With a victory over Breeze, he's poised for a major main event run. 
7. Samoa Joe: The former TNA star is now firmly enmeshed in the NXT Universe after winning the Dusty Classic. While he seems poised for a feud with Finn Balor, I'm not sure if a heel turn is in his immediate future. I suspect we will instead see him feud with Breeze for a few weeks in order to save that match for either the next Takeover or the one after that one. 
8. Finn Balor: The NXT Champion and Dusty Classic winner has done pretty much everything in NXT in under a year. The only major move he has left is a heel turn, but I don't suspect we will see that quite yet. I can see him as the likely man that took out Hideo Itami in the parking lot however, so I suspect the turn will happen, just not until Hideo's return.
9. Sasha Banks: This may be the only time she appears on this list, as she is likely done with NXT after her loss at Takeover: Respect. But I cannot think of a more powerful match she could have went out on outside of the last Takeover. She showed why she should be a major focal point on the main roster, which I suspect she will start to be in the weeks after Hell in a Cell.
10. Bayley: If you told me a few months ago, Bayley would be as good as she is now, I wouldn't have believed you. In my opinion, she was long the fourth wheel of the Four Horsewomen. But now that she's cemented her place as NXT Women's Champion, she's clearly the most over face on the roster with the ring credentials to back it up. With Sasha, she's showed that women deserve main event spots. And because of her, I suspect we will see the women in another Takeover main event respect sooner rather than later. 

Bayley's huge victory at Takeover: Respect could change the face of
professional wrestling.