The NXT UK roster is currently on leave due to the current global pandemic, taking the weekly TV episodes off schedule and instead airing ‘best of’ features, putting the spotlight on some of the best matches put together since the brand’s inception in 2018. This is absolutely the right decision, given the climate of uncertainty and insecurity across the world, it allows for the NXT UK roster to remain safe until these times pass and also allows for a bit of breathing space for NXT’s sister-show.
Admittedly, this came at a terrible time for the brand, as they were building to their third TakeOver event in Dublin. With marquee attractions Finn Balor and Becky Lynch both teasing their involvement with the show, it’s a shame that we’ll have to wait until October at the earliest to see their programmes come together on TV. This could have honestly been NXT UK’s breakout moment, finally branching out into the US market in a big way with high-profile matches with some of their biggest stars taking place on the WWE Network.
Presumably, WWE will follow through with their plans for a United Kingdom Championship match between WALTER and Finn Balor, and whatever they had planned for ‘The Man’ and her first excursion to NXT UK for her big homecoming. Hopefully this means that TakeOver: Dublin will be considered one of the biggest NXT shows of the year, a celebration of sorts for the brand making it through all of this.
Considering the entire NXT UK roster have been furloughed during this time, they must all be chomping at the bit to get back into the squared circle and do what they do best. There’s no better time for NXT UK writers to start building up bigger stars than ever. NXT UK have struggled without a marquee babyface to hold the flag high across the country, since losing ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne to the US branch. With WALTER going strong as the leader of his villainous faction Imperium, there needs to be someone who can step up and take charge as the headlining name for the brand.
NXT UK have made some huge attempts at pushing certain superstars as their shining examples: Joe Coffey, Travis Banks and Tyler Bate, but none have really got off the ground running with a defining moment. At the moment, they kind of seem like pet projects, failing to live up to the stars across the pond in the very Americanised company. Nevertheless, there’s more than enough time for NXT UK to consolidate and have another crack at making them a worthy inclusion in WWE’s marketing. With the occasional UK roster member making a cameo in NXT or 205 Live, there’s definitely opportunities for them to become bigger than they currently are once they return to TV.
That should all start in Dublin. The NXT Cruiserweight Championship is officially held by NXT UK member, ‘The Irish Ace’ Jordan Devlin, with an interim champion soon to be crowned on NXT TV. With the crossover already established, Devlin should make his triumphant return to championship competition in his home country to battle NXT’s interim champion to decide who should be named the rightful king of the Cruiserweight division.
This should help in establishing NXT UK stars as viable contenders to the Cruiserweight title, and even other championships across different brands. Suddenly, the global audience can recognise the NXT UK stars as part of the extended WWE roster, rather than just being the token Brits of the wider programming. Budding superstars like Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews, Noam Dar and Ligero can all reap the benefits of the Cruiserweight division and find themselves more regularly featured on NXT UK and beyond.
They can also start working on some of their more marketable stars, such as Trent Seven, Dave Mastiff, Ilja Dragunov and the Grizzled Young Veterans. As all of these stars have a background in BritWres and are very popular additions to the NXT UK roster, there’s no doubt that they could be doing greater things outside of their occasional mid-card scuffle. Giving the crowds a definitive hero to get behind after these trying times is going to be vital to the brand’s survival.
Ilja, for example, has already started to carve out his road to the main event scene, becoming the victor in the final televised match before the curtains were drawn in Coventry. NXT UK need to run with his newfound momentum, rather than just feeding the Russian to WALTER and his band of European goons. Providing that WALTER walks away with the UK title after settling things with ‘The Prince’, Dragunov should make for the ideal superstar to give ‘The Austrian Anomaly’ a run for his money. Having had history in German promotion WXW, NXT UK fans can easily get behind this feud as a series of marquee main events going forward.
They could even start drawing on BritWres’ long history, bringing back former stars of the independent scene for a brief appearance in front of their long-time fans. Superstars like Aleister Black, Matt Riddle and Ricochet have all had history working in PROGRESS, Revolution Pro and Ireland’s own OTT Wrestling. Perhaps even Pete Dunne could return to his roots for a dream match or two? Bringing them in for NXT UK’s big return pay-per-view would go a long way in bringing new eyes to the product and giving the brand heaps of momentum as they stride forward in 2020.
Either way, NXT UK needs to bounce back after all of this dies down. Whenever the roster are able to safely return to active work, then we should hopefully witness the start of a new era for the British NXT counterpart. What would you like to see go down at NXT UK’s return show? Let us know in the comments below.
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