New NXT Champion Crowned on WWE Raw

By Connor Casey

Bron Breakker became a two-time NXT Champion on Monday Night, beating Dolph Ziggler for the gold in a rematch from this past Saturday's NXT Stand & Deliver. Ziggler attempted to win the match in a similar fashion to Saturday, but Breakker kicked out at the last second after taking a Superkick. The champ attempted the move again, only for Breakker to cut him off with a Spear and a Gorilla Press Powerslam.

This marks the first time the title has changed hands on an episode of Raw and only the second time there's been a title change at a non-NXT event. The first was when Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens for the NXT Champion at The Beast in the East in July 2015. The loss gives Ziggler one of the shortest NXT Championship reigns in the belt's history alongside two of Samoa Joe's three reigns and Karrion Kross' infamous first reign with the title, which only lasted four days due to him suffering an injury while winning it at NXT TakeOver XXX.

Ziggler won the title in shocking fashion last month at NXT's Roadblock event and admitted in interviews leading up to Stand & Deliver that he never planned on winning the title initially. 

"I'll make it real short. I went to scout talent and report back to Vince about who I saw could be an up-and-comer, someone who had something to do, maybe after WrestleMania, maybe in a year, somebody with some potential," Ziggler told ComicBook. "And next thing you know, I'm not only involved, I'm the NXT Champion. And I cannot stress to you enough that no one is more surprised than I am. I cannot stress that enough."

He also admitted that he wasn't keeping up with NXT prior to jumping to the roster — "You know what? I famously do not watch. So I don't know who else was Champion. I love that myself and Mandy are Champs. And I know that Robert Roode was Champ at one point for almost a year, which is wild. Because he's so damn good and I'm always happy when I find out some other cool stat and another Championship that he holds. But Mandy and myself, I really like that we are sticking it to the developmental talent, who's become its own special brand, become its own special flavor that people tune in just to see NXT and what's going down and Mandy and myself, the veterans on top, where we should be."

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