What NXT UK’s Return Might Mean For NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin

It seemed wonderfully pertinent that as NXT celebrated its 30th iteration of TakeOver, they announced the return of their spin-off programming, NXT UK. It was confirmed that on September 17th, NXT UK will begin new programming (after a slightly painful four months where Andy Sheppard had to act excited as he replayed old matches from the previous 40 years). The current belief is that NXT UK will be taping at the BT Sport studio based in London, as inspired by recent boxing events held behind closed doors.

This news does have a curious addendum that adds extra importance to this return. Prior to the impact of the global pandemic, NXT UK was planning a TakeOver in Dublin this past April. Instead, it was pushed back until October 25th, a date still currently pencilled in. If Triple-H (who will be supporting NXT UK remotely from the US) and his team were to stick to this date, then that means there are five episodes of NXT UK before that event.

While less than normal for NXT, it’s still longer than the one week between SummerSlam and Payback. This doesn’t even include the fact that there have been ongoing promos during lockdown and social distancing, as well as the episodes concluded prior to tapings being halted. So, the question becomes: what would an NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin likely include?

 

Tyler Bate vs. A-Kid

A-Kid debuted as a new member of the roster in October 2019, having gained a tremendous reputation in Spain after matches with Ricochet, Zack Sabre Jr, Aussie Open, British Strong Style and Will Ospreay. Since his NXT UK debut, he’s had solid matches with Jordan Devlin, Noam Dar and Ilja Dragunov with a possibility of a good future. A-Kid seemed to be primed to challenge Devlin for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship until Devlin was stripped of the title and recent allegations came out against him.

With A-Kid gaining some good momentum, a debut at TakeOver could allow him to demonstrate his potential to a larger audience. Tyler Bate is a great choice of opponent, who defeated Devlin at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II in an awesome grudge match that earned a standing ovation from Triple-H and General Managers Johnny Saint and William Regal. Getting to see two of the most talented and youngest members of the roster (both 23 years old with 8 years experience each) given fifteen-twenty minutes could be an awesome opener.

 

Tag Team Championship Match

Gallus (Wolfgang and Mark Coffey) vs…

The NXT UK tag team division has been one of the strongest divisions in WWE, beginning with battles between Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) and Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson), before being joined by South Wales Subculture (‘Flash’ Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews). The current champions are Mark Coffey and Wolfgang of Gallus (their third member, Mark’s brother Joe, is currently suspended due to certain allegations), and seemed set to defend their titles against Imperium’s Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel.

However, Imperium now instead have become tag team champions in the US NXT, and last defended their titles in July against The Undisputed Era. The possibility of Imperium challenging for the UK version of the titles seem much less likely, unless WWE have the titles combined. More likely, Gallus may actually end up defending the titles against a team they’ve already faced, such as SWS or Veterans. Except, if Ilja Dragunov wasn’t to appear in the main event, he could challenge Gallus as a continuation of his former feud with Joe Coffey. If Ilja did challenge for the tag team titles, one partner he might gain would be another wrestler who hates Gallus: ‘The Bomber’ Dave Mastiff.

 

NXT UK Women’s Championship Match

Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven

At Blackpool II at the beginning of the year, Kay Lee Ray successfully defended her title in a Triple Threat match against both Piper Niven and Toni Storm. Just a week afterwards, Lee Ray’s feud with Toni Storm came to an end with an I Quit Match on an episode of NXT UK. Following her loss, Storm is no longer able to challenge Lee Ray for the title. However, prior to NXT UK tapings being suspended, Lee Ray teamed with Jinny to defeat Niven and Dani Luna in a tag team match, showing the feud is ongoing.

Niven entered NXT UK with a lot of potential, and they could easily have her defeat Jinny in a Number 1 Contender’s match to reignite the match. Whether Piper would defeat Lee Ray for the championship is uncertain but considering they have never had a singles match against one another, it would capture the audience’s imagination.

 

NXT UK Championship Match

WALTER vs. Finn Balor

In the build up to the original Dublin event, it was rumoured that Ireland’s own Balor would be challenging WALTER for his championship. These rumours gained traction when Balor himself began cutting promos on Walter. Even though the rivalry hasn’t gained as much attention over the last few months, it wouldn’t take long to reignite the feud. The fact that Balor defeated Timothy Thatcher at NXT TakeOver: XXX also makes more sense, due to Thatcher’s similarity in style to the ‘Ring General’.

With a previous appearance on an NXT UK TakeOver when he defeated Jordan Devlin last year in Blackpool, Balor has demonstrated a willingness to swap brands, and it would be a big boost for NXT UK after several months on sabbatical. Some of WALTER’s best matches have been against smaller wrestlers, such as Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, while Balor has had tremendous chemistry with bigger wrestlers like Brock Lesnar and Kevin Owens. The blend of Balor’s speed and agility against WALTER’s brutality could create a spectacle rivalling that of WALTER and Tyler Bate, and I for one would love to see it. A back-up option though, could be Ilja Dragunov, who had previously won a battle royal for the Number One Contendership.

These seem the four most likely matches to appear at an NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin, and while there would likely be a fifth match, the mix of recent suspensions and firings means this will be harder to confirm. Some wrestlers who could appear are Noam Dar, Eddie Dennis, Trent Seven, Toni Storm or Jinny, depending on their availability. One possibility could be if WWE decided to ignore the allegations against Jordan Devlin and have him attempt to reclaim his Cruiserweight Championship from the interim champion, Santos Escobar.

The return of NXT UK has been an uncertainty for several months, but the confirmation now allows the brand to try and regain the momentum they lost. With expectations low, it could be to their benefit to return with a bang and attempt to meet the upcoming TakeOver. Despite five weeks not seeming that long when working with just one hour a week, the pre-tapings behind closed doors could allow them to fit more material into each episode. This is a very strange opportunity during an unprecedented time, but it can often be in difficult and uncertain times that individuals most succeed. The spotlight returns to NXT UK, and if they take their chances, Dublin could be the site of their resurrection.

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