5 NXT Superstars Who Should Enter The North American Championship Ladder Match

This one will be infinitely better without Lars Sullivan.

Timothy Thatcher
Source: WWE

As per William Regal’s decree, Keith Lee has been allowed to vacate the North American Championship to bring fresh competition within the mid-card in time for the upcoming TakeOver special in July. With Lee’s announcement, Regal confirmed that a multi-person ladder match will take place at TakeOver XXX to crown a new North American Champion, a match incredibly similar to the first North American Championship match two years back.

So far, Bronson Reed (f.k.a Jonah Rock) has qualified by defeating two marquee stars in Roderick Strong and Johnny Gargano, a huge win for the big Aussie. Next week will see Finn Balor compete against Timothy Thatcher and Dexter Lumis to determine the next entrant and we’ll presumably see at least another couple of triple threats before the build to TakeOver is up.

In this piece, we’re going to run down another 5 names that deserve a shot to enter the North American Championship match at TakeOver XXX. Make sure you throw down your own personal favourites in the comments down below.

 

1. Timothy Thatcher

Timothy Thatcher
Source: WWE

As previously mentioned, Timothy Thatcher will get his chance to earn a place in the ladder match during next week’s episode of NXT TV. Although to secure his spot, he must defeat both Finn Balor and Dexter Lumis, two superstars also more than deserving for a chance to capture gold.

Thatcher has been positioned perfectly for a run at the mid-card title, defeating headlining star Matt Riddle in the first-ever Fight Pit match and then going onto brutalise Oney Lorcan at the Great American Bash special.

Thatcher’s hard-hitting style needs to be front and centre on NXT, putting him in the North American title picture will go a long way in establishing him as a star for the promotion and make him look like the absolute animal he is. Thatcher could easily go on to have some belters with the likes of Pete Dunne, Finn Balor and any other of the more technically gifted hard-hitters on the roster, just give him a chance!

 

2. Cameron Grimes

Source: WWE

‘The Technical Savage’ Cameron Grimes seems to be struggling to find his place on the NXT roster. He’s occasionally been given the squasher role, where he’d hit the ring and dispatch of his local opponent within a few seconds of the bell ringing. He’d then be pitched to face-off with a larger opponent (Keith Lee, Damien Priest) and then barely get a shot in. It’s hard to see where exactly they’re going with Grimes’ character.

Regardless of his booking, he’s more than earned a shot at some NXT gold on a TakeOver card. Even if Grimes is used as the spot-monkey or simply the one that takes a pounding, it would be great to see him rewarded with a big career moment within the match.

It seems to be the MO to give fresher talent the opportunity to finally debut on a TakeOver special, Bronson Reed and Cameron Grimes happened to share a debut within the NXT Breakout Tournament last year, so it makes sense for them to also debut together in their first TakeOver.

 

3. Damien Priest

Source: WWE

‘The Archer of Infamy’ is at risk of floundering if NXT don’t make the most of his natural aura sooner rather than later. After being defeated by a handful of superstars, it’s hard to see Priest going much further than he has done at this point, hence why he needs to be featured within the North American title ladder match at TakeOver.

Damien Priest has it all and will go for in WWE if they let him run with the ball. Of course, everyone eventually gets their moment, but with Priest, I personally think it’d be better for them to get him off the ground running with a huge title win at TakeOver. He’s more than paid his dues within the company so far, putting together decent matches with the likes of Finn Balor, Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic. It’s just a matter of time before he finally gets his big win to rid the stench of his loss record.

 

4. KUSHIDA

Kushida
Source: WWE

Since losing to Drake Maverick in the finals of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament, ‘The Time Splitter’ has once again vanished. KUSHIDA has sustained a reputation within the NXT Universe as a talent that’s waiting for his big breakout moment, and there’s still enough left in his tank to make a splash outside of the Cruiserweight division.

KUSHIDA never got the chance to mix with the heavyweight talent in NJPW, so perhaps he could prove a lot of doubters wrong by gelling with the aforementioned names and bringing his technical prowess into the North American championship scene. I think it would be a great way to restore KUSHIDA’s hype and give fans a reason to start paying attention to his matches a little more than they might have.

 

5. WALTER

Walter with UK title
source: WWE

Providing that travel restrictions aren’t still in place by the time TakeOver XXX comes around, the current NXT United Kingdom Champion could easily transition into the North American title picture before heading back for the opening episodes of NXT UK. WALTER is an international superstar that transcends all corners of the wrestling world, everyone loves a good WALTER chop and I’m sure American fans would be buzzing to see the big man show up for his second TakeOver appearance.

WALTER could make a huge impact by capturing the North American title for the first time, giving NXT UK a massive headstart when they return later this year. WALTER has a lot of potential and can certainly transition across to the US brand of NXT, if he chooses to, after wrapping up in the UK sister show. A big North American title win would set him up for huge things in the coming months.

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