For several years, Finn Bálor had the longest reign as NXT Champion. That lasted 292 days and was certainly impressive. However, Adam Cole came along and destroyed that record with a title run that spanned 403 days. Like Bálor's stint, Cole's reign covered a lot of growth for NXT as he was champion when they landed a USA Network deal.
Adam Cole's title reign featured some standout matches that are among the best in brand history. There were some others that missed the mark, as is usually the case with any major championship run. Looking at the highs and lows of his defenses, it's clear that Cole was a great champion.
12 Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream - TakeOver: In Your House
The unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic opened the door for wrestling to get experimental with things like cinematic matches. One of them was held at TakeOver: In Your House when Adam Cole faced Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl.
Unlike the ridiculous one from WrestleMania XII, this Backlot Brawl wasn't nearly as fun. They didn't make great use of the stipulation and just had a match that disappointed most of the fans.
11 Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream - NXT 5/6/20
About a month before their meeting at TakeOver: In Your House, Adam Cole put the title on the line against Velveteen Dream in a more traditional match. Things still didn't quite work out for them.
One major issue is that Dream's entire gimmick and act works best with a live crowd to play off of. Without the audience, most of Dream's offense was lackluster. There were run-ins from the Undisputed Era and Dexter Lumis but nothing else of note.
10 Adam Cole vs. Akira Tozawa - Evolve 10th Anniversary
One of the coolest things to come to the WWE Network was the 10th Anniversary Show for EVOLVE. The independent company worked as something of a feeder system for NXT but had a long history. During its decade of existence, many future top stars passed through the promotion's doors.
Among them was Adam Cole. In 2019, he entered their anniversary event as NXT Champion and defended against 205 Live standout Akira Tozawa. The result was a quality match between two guys who didn't meet often but made the most of it.
9 Adam Cole vs. Seth Rollins - Raw 11/4/19
In the buildup to Survivor Series 2019, Adam Cole became a fixture on Raw and Smackdown. In fact, he defended his NXT Title against major players from the brands including Seth Rollins on an episode of Raw.
This was an interesting battle considering Rollins had recently held the Universal Title. There was also the chance for him to become a two-time NXT Champion. Alas, while this match was certainly very good, it ended via disqualification when The Undisputed Era attacked.
8 Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa - TakeOver: Portland
Adam Cole's tenure as NXT Champion was in trouble as soon as Tommaso Ciampa returned on the 10/2/9 edition of NXT. After all, Ciampa was seemingly unstoppable as champion and only had to give up the title due to injury. When he returned, he set his sights on regaining "Goldie."
After Ciampa pinned Cole in a brutal WarGames match, he ultimately earned a championship opportunity which took place at TakeOver: Portland. This main event was very good but it did drag on a bit and the finish involving Johnny Gargano felt a bit played out, keeping it from ranking near the top.
7 Adam Cole vs. Jordan Myles - NXT 9/14/19
Consider this one of the forgotten NXT Championship matches. Jordan Myles, formerly known as ACH, was a bright spot in NXT during his short tenure there. He won the Breakout Tournament and earned a shot at any title he wanted. He chose to challenge Adam Cole.
The two put on a borderline great match that is overlooked in NXT history. That's most likely because Myles made his feelings known about WWE management soon after, calling them racist and leaving the company.
6 Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano - TakeOver: Toronto
There are some out there who consider Adam Cole's series with Johnny Gargano to be the best in brand history. Gargano beat him at TakeOver: New York to win the NXT Title and Cole dethroned him at TakeOver: XXV. Their final meeting came at TakeOver: Toronto.
The stakes were never higher as this was held under Two Out of Three Falls rules, with each fall being a different stipulation. While the idea was great, the execution lacked a bit. This was still worth watching but felt like overkill and wasn't as good as their previous outings.
5 Adam Cole vs. Keith Lee - The Great American Bash
The man who ended the title reign, Keith Lee proved to be the toughest challenge for Adam Cole. Lee entered the match as the North American Champion but had his eyes set on the NXT Championship as well, which would make him the rare double champion on the black and yellow brand.
Both titles were on the line to headline this special event in 2020. Keith Lee won out by overcoming everything Adam Cole could throw at him. While Cole's reign atop the brand was over, it couldn't have come against a more fitting opponent.
4 Adam Cole vs. Finn Bálor - NXT 12/18/19
There's a good chance that this could be where NXT is headed again. Adam Cole's turn on The Undisputed Era had everything to do with the NXT Championship, which was held by Finn Bálor when it happened.
Cole was also the man who Bálor beat to win the gold for the second time when it was vacated by Karrion Kross. However, Cole and Bálor actually met for the first time on a late 2019 episode of NXT and had a pretty great encounter. A distraction by Johnny Gargano was enough to help Cole retain.
3 Adam Cole vs. Matt Riddle - NXT 10/2/19
With the debut of AEW Dynamite, NXT knew that they had to come out firing on the same night. They did so by opening the show with a massive NXT Championship match pitting Adam Cole against Matt Riddle.
The two put on one of the better NXT Title matches of all-time. It was filled with drama, near falls, and some great back and forth action. Cole entered this with a cast on his right hand, which he used as a weapon to set up the Last Shot and the win.
2 Adam Cole vs. Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 11/1/19
In the fall of 2019, nobody was on a better roll than Adam Cole. He showcased it with fantastic performances in huge matches and did so across all three brands when NXT was added to the festivities of Survivor Series that year.
When NXT arrived on Smackdown in a bit of a hostile takeover, Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole came face to face. Bryan got Triple H to agree to a title match and it proved to be one of the best contests on Smackdown that year. Cole scored a monumental win, beating Bryan cleanly.
1 Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne - Survivor Series 2019
The NXT Title was on display in a rare defense on a main roster pay-per-view at Survivor Series 2019. Former United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne earned the opportunity the previous night at TakeOver: Toronto and set the stage for a big match.
Despite a brutal war with Johnny Gargano a night prior, Adam Cole went toe-to-toe with Dunne and they arguably had the best match of the evening. Once again, Cole somehow found the way to dig deep and remain champion after a stellar bout.