Worlds Collide 2020: 5 Other Dream Matches That Should Happen

Cap and Iron Man have nothing on this civil war.

pete Dunne tyler bate

The brightest stars of NXT will have quite the battle awaiting them on the night prior to the 2020 Royal Rumble, as they will engage in the biggest civil war since Marvel against their British counterparts from NXT UK. Already announced for this huge crossover event is the 8-man duel between warring factions Imperium and the Undisputed Era, pitting the UK champion WALTER against NXT champion Adam Cole. Rhea Ripley will meet Toni Storm for the NXT Women’s Championship and ‘The Prince’ Finn Balor will go toe-to-toe with Ilja Dragnuov.

There’s no doubt that the confirmed matches will be respective bangers, but with this brand warfare being potentially a one-time-only event, are there any other dream matches that should take place on Rumble eve? Let’s run down 5 other NXT vs NXT UK dream matches for Worlds Collide, making the most of both impressive rosters for this huge night of warfare.

 

1. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate IV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kasQAsAeCGY

The foundations of NXT UK were built on the definitive UK title match between Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate at TakeOver. Everyone remembers where they were when these two titans of BritWres laid it all on the line in Chicago, rightfully stealing the show and even going on to win multiple ‘Match of the Year’ awards later down the line. This won the world over on the UK brand, and brought many new eyes to BritWres in general.

Pete and Tyler did indeed go on to have numerous rematches both inside and outside of NXT, but none really met the high standards set by the two British Strong Style pals in their rematch from the inaugural United Kingdom Championship tournament. Both men have gone on to have impressive singles careers away from each other, with Bate most recently putting on another instant classic with Jordan Devlin at TakeOver: Blackpool II, and Pete Dunne bringing the NXT Championship to the main roster for the first time in a fantastic match against Adam Cole.

There’d be no qualms in seeing ‘The Bruiserweight’ and ‘The Big Strong Boi’ do battle once again under the bright lights of NXT. With Dunne now digging his heels into the US branch of NXT, and Tyler being one of the leading babyfaces of the NXT UK brand, it makes for a perfect high-stakes singles match come Worlds Collide.

Will we see a repeat of their 2017 MOTY winner? We can only hope so.

 

2. Keith Lee vs Kassius Ohno

Keith Lee

‘The Limitless One’ Keith Lee has quickly taken over NXT since his sudden rise to prominence at Survivor Series. Now in-line for a shot at Roderick Strong’s North American championship, Lee will be looking for a big match following his monumental win or crushing loss on the episode prior to Worlds Collide. Who better than fellow hoss from NXT UK and former NXT alumni, Kassius Ohno, to meet the gargantuan Lee in the battle of the brands?

Ohno and Lee met very briefly during Keith Lee’s debut run with the black and gold brand, yet were never given the chance of a rematch after Ohno settled his feud with Matt Riddle. With Kassius now making a name for himself on the British scene, perhaps it’s high time for ‘The Knockout Artist’ to make a Stateside comeback and battle for the same respect in his old stomping ground.

This could be one hell of a big man match, expect stiff strikes and some very innovative high-flying offence.

 

3. Johnny Gargano vs Jordan Devlin

johnny gargano
Source: WWE

‘The Irish Ace’ Jordan Devlin has finally put himself on the world’s radar after putting on a match of the night candidate against Tyler Bate at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II. Even though Devlin took the pin in his match with Bate, the NXT universe were left talking about Devlin and how he’s potentially a future star of the UK brand. It’s high-time Jordan Devlin rides this wave of momentum all the way through Rumble weekend, and be matched up with another man who has consistently wowed the wrestling world: Johnny Wrestling.

Aside from a potential surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble match itself, Johnny Gargano has little to do before his inevitable match with Finn Balor at TakeOver: Portland, so why shouldn’t he step in the ring with a fellow hot prospect from NXT UK. With both men sharing a very similar technical and grounded style of wrestling, it would be a real treat to see what these two could string together in a 20 minute mat classic at Worlds Collide.

Gargano has a knack of bringing out the best of whoever he is in the ring with, even though that shouldn’t be too tough of a task when in the ring with Devlin, it would still be great to see both men at their very best at one of NXT’s biggest events to date.

 

4. Breezango vs Grizzled Young Veterans

Source: WWE

There’s nothing quite like a spot of good tag wrestling. NXT is suffering from a slight deficit in their tag division, with The Undisputed Era pretty much holding the monopoly on all of the current scene. NXT UK on the other hand have a stacked roster of duos, with Gallus’ Wolfgang and Mark Coffey leading the locker room as tag champions, being supported by the likes of South Wales Subculture, Moustache Mountain and the Grizzled Young Veterans.

It’s quite difficult to narrow down one dream match for the two brands tag divisions, but I personally would love to see a classic face/heel dynamic between NXT’s Breezango and UK’s Grizzled Young Veterans. Both established teams with the NXT universe, both looking for an opportunity to get on top of their respective division, this would be the perfect match to give all four competitors a platform to show off their best tag psychology.

There would be a lot of untapped potential shared in this match, so it could end up being a win-win for both teams, if it turns out to be an incredible match. Neither team have much going for them at the moment, aside from the occasional squash match, so I’d consider it a dream contest in my books.

 

5. Angel Garza vs Travis Banks – NXT Cruiserweight Championship

Angel Garza
Source: WWE

As it stands, there’s not much to gain from either brand coming out victorious over the other, aside from bragging rights. One of the few championships that would be readily available for Worlds Collide is the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, which is currently held by Angel Garza. NXT UK has a handful of budding cruiserweights on their roster, the most prolific of which would be ‘The Kiwi Buzzsaw’ Travis Banks.

Banks has had a number of matches on US NXT in recent weeks, going head-to-head with Pete Dunne in a recent teaser for the Worlds Collide event. Banks has proven that he is worth the NXT universes’ attention, so why not reward him with a shot at becoming the first Kiwi champion in WWE history. With Garza also starting to prove himself as a worthy champion on NXT, this could certainly make for an intriguing match.

The Cruiserweight title can easily be transferred between the two NXT brands, allowing the UK roster to also be given some extra exposure as part of US NXT and 205 Live. Trav would be a perfect ambassador for NXT UK, and would surely start to turn heads back towards the cruiserweight division.

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