NXT provided one of its biggest upset victories and shocks recently when Leon Ruff surprised the world by defeating Johnny Gargano to become the North American Champion. Initially being portrayed as a joke and a match that Gargano rigged to happen because he thought it'd be a cakewalk, Ruff overcame the odds to beat him and win the title.
It was certainly a surprising moment and something people didn't see coming, but there's a reason fans didn't see it coming. Ruff hasn't been used as a top star yet in WWE, therefore seeing him become a champion does seem quite out of place. But is Ruff winning the title a good thing, or is it something WWE will come to regret?
10 It's Great: Leon Ruff Has Worked For It
In WWE, wrestlers are always told to reach for the brass ring, with JR often stating wrestlers have to maximise their minutes. While Leon Ruff has only been used in an enhancement position up until now, he has certainly maximised his time in the ring.
Ruff has worked incredibly hard since being involved with WWE, even when being beaten comfortably he has always made an impression. His hard work has now paid off and he is proof to other members of the roster of what can be achieved.
9 It Isn't Great: Makes Gargano A Terrible Champion
While it is nice that WWE is pushing Johnny Gargano's storyline further, with him being unable to defend a title now being a gimmick, it doesn't make him look good as far as being a champion in the future. Gargano has never successfully defended the NXT North American Title.
Sasha Banks had this same issue, always losing the title in her first defence, and eventually, it leads to fans not caring when they win one. Gargano is one of the best wrestlers on the roster, therefore he should be someone who is a brilliant champion, which so far, he hasn't been in singles action.
8 It's Great: Leon Ruff Is Talented
While the push has come out of nowhere for him, there is no denying that Leon Ruff is a talented performer. He moves around the ring with incredible pace and agility and his offence is very unique, which makes him a lot of fun to watch.
Anybody who has seen him wrestle outside of WWE knows Ruff is capable of great things. But, even in his enhancement role for the company, he's made the most out of his minutes and flourished every time he's hit the ring, having the ability to be a top champion if he can show his skillset.
7 It Isn't Great: Where Does Gargano Go Next?
Johnny Gargano's heel gimmick has certainly been hit-and-miss since it first started and it felt like winning the title at Halloween Havoc could have pushed him on to the next level. However, this is now a huge backwards step for his character.
While he's still involved in the storyline, it just doesn't make him look good at all. It's going to take some work for WWE to get the character back in place to be credible as a champion, even if he does win it back.
6 It's Great: Potential Pairing With Damian Priest
Straight after the match, Damian Priest was there for Leon Ruff, putting the title on him and then giving him his car keys to run away from Gargano. It showed an interesting friendship and that's something that WWE could push further.
It could be quite fun to have Ruff enjoy a run with the title having Priest behind him, watching his back. Eventually, it could lead to a heel turn, but it is certainly a partnership that the WWE Universe would like to see more of.
5 It Isn't Great: Hot Potato With The Title
Something that WWE has been very good at in recent years is making title reigns feel worthwhile. Gone are the days where titles would just be passed around from person to person with lots of short, meaningless title runs.
However, that is what this title change has caused, and it is the second time Johnny Gargano's run with the North American Title has been pointless. It created a short and forgettable title run that wasn't worthwhile.
4 It's Great: Build A New Star
While WWE might quickly take the title away from Leon Ruff, there is a chance that the company will look to capitalize on this situation. The victory proved very popular with fans online, and WWE could now build Ruff into a new name for NXT to use in top spots, telling the underdog story.
The victory had a feel of the 123 Kid win over Razor Ramon and that did wonders for his career. Hopefully, Creative have plans in place to make this moment count and Ruff can be more than just enhancement talent and a fluke champion.
3 It Isn't Great: Weakens The Title Lineage
While Leon Ruff could go on to become a top star and fans will look back and feel like he fits in, right now Ruff's name stands out amongst the lineage of North American Champions, and not in a good way.
The likes of Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Keith Lee have all held the title, big names who are widely respected. They built the belt up and now Leon Ruff holds it and something just doesn't quite feel right.
2 It's Great: Total Shock
The biggest reason that the title change was a great moment is because of the sheer shock that came with it. This was a result that absolutely nobody saw coming, and making that happen is very rare nowadays in wrestling.
It created a big moment that certainly got people talking afterwards, which is something that NXT was looking for with this. Big surprise title changes are great when done correctly, and this was certainly done in the right manner.
1 It Isn't Great: Makes The Title Comedic
While this could change in the future, so far Leon Ruff has been presented as a very comedic champion. The fact that the belt was put around his waist and it immediately dropped to the floor around his feet doesn't exactly scream top-quality athlete.
Even though it is nice to have these funny moments, they don't help the championship in the long run and it actually devalues the title overall. It's not something that fans want from the North American Championship, and that needs to be addressed quickly.