Welcome to another edition of eWN Round Table, where we gather some of the most active writers here on eWrestlingNews and share the platform to answer some questions surrounding a centralized topic, upcoming event, etc.
This is meant to showcase the potential for both a wide range of perspectives as well as how sometimes, there can be a group consensus no matter what your viewpoint is, so we also invite all of you to join in on the discussion by answering these questions yourself in the comments section below.
For this particular volume, we’ll be focusing on NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II coming up this Sunday night.
Participants for this round = Anthony Mango, Kyle Dunning, David Varnes, and Richard Staple.
1) “Which match are you most excited to see on this pay-per-view?”
MANGO: The tag team title match has the most potential to be a lot of fun. Some of the others could be good, but none of them are doing much for me. At least with the Fatal 4-Way, it could be a car crash in the best way.
DUNNING: Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin will easily steal the show because they’re both incredible workers. Bate is the ultimate face, and Devlin is the best heel NXT UK has, so put them together and they’ll always steal the show. It’s an injustice Devlin still hasn’t had a title shot, but it’s never happening so long as Walter is the UK Champion.
VARNES: Ray v. Storm v. Piper. Not so much for the action (I’ll admit I only occasionally catch a NXT UK match, and even more rarely watch a whole episode), but to see how WWE feels about Toni Storm. Are they prepping her to represent the brand at World’s Collide? A move to the main NXT? Or some other cheeky move? After this past week’s NXT it seems they see her as a great asset for the brand, but I have to see it to believe it anymore.
STAPLE: The main event intrigues me because of the physical potential, and just because WALTER is awesome, but it’s hard to screw up a ladder match with a lot of people. That will be fun for sure.
2) “It’s been one year since NXT UK had its first TakeOver. Has that changed your perception of the brand in any way?”
MANGO: For me, it has greatly upgraded the brand’s value. One of the reasons I feel people don’t bother with 205 Live is because WWE never bothered to give that division its own special event. After years of only being on the kickoff, it gave people the impression it was superfluous, like Main Event. With NXT UK not having as much of the spotlight as NXT, without a TakeOver, it felt like it was 100% subordinate. While it still does come off that way (because, well, it is) it no longer seems like that is its entire purpose. With TakeOver events like Blackpool and Cardiff, it shows there is actual room to grow.
DUNNING: Not really. As a UK fan it’s just nice to have a brand for us Brits in general. We were always going to be less of a priority compared to other WWE shows, but despite that… I think they’ve done a great job showcasing British and other talent.
VARNES: Not so much. It still seems like the most generic brand in WWE. A bunch of pale, bearded white guys. I’ve yet to hear or see anything in the men’s division at least that has me wanting to give up one of my few days of non-wrestling watching to watch NXT UK.
STAPLE: Not really. The problem that UK had back then is that it had to compete with 205 Live and NXT just to get noticed, and it’s still experiencing some of the same problems, although 205 Live is on the brink of extinction. With NXT being on live television now, it’s going to become increasingly difficult for people to want to pay attention to UK if they don’t live in the region. And considering that you have UK talents such as Storm, Kay Lee Ray, Imperium and others making frequent appearances on NXT, UK may be barren with talent soon.
3) “Do you think Piper Niven’s recent bout with Bell’s Palsy will influence who wins the NXT UK Women’s Championship match? If so, how?”
MANGO: I hope not, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I’m still sticking to my original idea that Niven is the one who will win the title as I don’t think Kay Lee Ray is a noteworthy champion and going back to Toni Storm would just reset everything. However, WWE may be hesitant to give her the belt if she has health issues going on.
DUNNING: No, not really. If she’s medically cleared then there’s no issue. She wasn’t involved on this week’s NXT when Toni Storm and Kay Lee Ray were out to challenge Rhea Ripley, so if anything’s an indication of who will win? It’s that.
VARNES: Definitely. With Worlds Collide coming up, WWE wants to put their best face forward for NXT UK. Ouch, that was cringeworthy in re-reading. But Piper’s just not that. Besides the size issue, which WWE has traditionally been poor dealing with, the Bell’s Palsy makes her less likely to win. WWE seems to want to push Rhea Ripley as the new face of the women’s division, at least NXT wise if not in the top echelon of all of WWE. And I get it, she’s athletic, she’s rock, and she’s not too hard on the eyes. So the only way she’d lose at Worlds Collide is via outside chicanery. But seeing her putting that engineer boot of hers in the face of a Bell’s Palsy would make it impossible to put her over as a face in the match. So expect Kay Lee to retain, or for Toni Storm to win and take on Rhea at Worlds Collide.
STAPLE: A major win out of sympathy for one’s struggles? It certainly isn’t unheard of. After Eddie Guerrerro’s death, WWE gifted Rey Mysterio with the 2006 Royal Rumble victory and gave him his WrestleMania moment as a result. I don’t think it’s guaranteed, but if you needed a reason, there’s that.
4) “Joseph Conners has been on a mission saying he is TakeOver-worthy. Do you agree or disagree?”
MANGO: Disagree. What has he done that deserves a spot on such a tiny card like this? He hasn’t had a solid feud with anyone worth getting deeply invested in, he isn’t particularly amazing to watch and it isn’t as though the audience is seething about any of this. Pass.
DUNNING: While I do admire his work ethic, there’s just something about him I can’t get behind. He talks a big game but is not someone I’d personally pay a ticket to see. He’s not very appealing to me, but he does deserve to be on TakeOver in some fashion.
VARNES: Give it to NXT UK. Their talent seems rather bland, but they always do put their best foot forward for their shows. If Connors isn’t on a TakeOver, then he’s got something more to prove. Maybe they can write it that way, give him a shot in the arm over it.
STAPLE: The only way we’ll ever know for sure is if he actually gets into a Takeover card. There’s no shame in at least giving him a chance to prove himself if he’s earned it. I agree that he’s been on a mission, but whether or not he’s at that level remains to be seen. I was initially skeptical at whether or not Matt Riddle would pan out with his style and his feud with Kassius Ohno, but I was wrong there.
5) “Noam Dar was supposed to have a match at every TakeOver, according to his interpretation of his contract. If he were to be booked for a spot on this card, how would you put him on the show?”
MANGO: If I’m stuck with the proper NXT UK roster, I’d go with Dave Mastiff. However, if I could expand some more, I’d book him against Gentleman Jack Gallagher or Danny Burch. They seem to want to make something out of Burch on 205 Live and this could give him some more support. GJG is struggling and might succeed better in NXT UK as a babyface rather than trying to be a frustrated heel again on 205 Live.
DUNNING: He does? That’s news to me. Well, if Joseph Connors doesn’t have a match, and Noam Dar doesn’t have a match, and so many others aren’t booked.. why not set up some kind of battle royal? I don’t think NXT UK has ever had one of those for the men.
VARNES: Put him in a match with Ilja Dragunov. Sure, it’s thrown together, but so are at least two of the matches on the card. And they can both go it seems, so why not put him out there and have a good match with a rising talent?
STAPLE: Honestly, I would just have him issue an open challenge and create some anticipation, similar to how Balor answered the call to Jordan Devlin at last year’s Blackpool card.
6) “Which team are you rooting for in the Fatal 4-Way for the tag team titles?”
MANGO: Keep the belts on Gallus. Unless the priority is to have the Imperium vs. Undisputed ERA match at Worlds Collide include the tag team champions against each other, there’s no need to change to new champions.
DUNNING: Grizzled Young Veterans get the best heat out of all of ’em, simply because everyone wants to take their “shoes off” for Zack Gibson. The guy is a star, yet he’s stuck in this tag team division. That’s not a dig at James Drake, who has improved exponentially since partnering with Gibson, but it sure feels like their talents are being wasted when they’re not wearing tag team gold. The other teams have some of the best workers in WWE, yet like so many others are sorely lacking in charisma.
VARNES: Imperium, simply because it adds to their match with Undisputed Era at Worlds Collide. All three title matches are being booked with that event in mind IMO, and as such Imperium holding the gold at WC adds balance vs. UE. All the gold vs. All the gold.
STAPLE: Imperium. Why? Because when Undisputed Era faces them at Worlds Collide for faction supremacy, it would be so cool if each member was holding a championship.
7) “Is Joe Coffey a viable superstar to dethrone WALTER? If not, who should be the next United Kingdom champion?”
MANGO: No. Coffey isn’t bombastic enough to be the next leader of the whole brand. Frankly, I feel like nobody on this roster is. If I had to guess, I’d assume Ilja Dragunov is the next in line, but that he won’t win the title until at least the next UK TakeOver special toward the latter end of this year. Even then, though, I’m not all on board with that. Until I’m convinced otherwise, I’ll continue to say that I think Cesaro or Drew McIntyre or someone else from outside the current NXT UK roster needs to be the next champion. But hey, maybe Ridge Holland will catch on enough that he’ll be the next, cause he seems like he has potential.
DUNNING: He’s not viable because they haven’t built him up enough as a babyface. Not much has changed since Gallus were running around as heels, and that goes for Wolfgang and Mark Coffey too. If Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate couldn’t get the job done, then there’s nothing making me believe Joe Coffey stands a chance. They’ll have a great match, but the result is predictable. I’ll be legitimately shocked if Joe is able to dethrone Walter at this stage, because the leader of Imperium cannot afford to look weak after he was badly mistreated at Survivor Series (he was the first man eliminated in just under 3 minutes!). But who could become the next UK Champion after Walter? Sadly, the only answer I can give is Tyler Bate, as he’s the only credible challenger on the UK brand. No one else has the momentum or the charisma to pull it off.
VARNES: Is he viable? Perhaps not. But despite what I said at #6, he might still get the nod. WALTER’s had the belt for a long time, and he has to lose to someone, sometime. It might as well be Coffey, especially if there’s some interference or something involved. It’s not like I can think of anyone else who could take down WALTER. On the other hand, having gold dripping UE vs. gold dripping Imperium is a hell of a main event for a throwaway PPV that might only have the women’s title v. title match have any significance. So if Coffey wins, it might just be after WC at the next set of NXT UK tapings.
STAPLE: What makes it so difficult is that WALTER is a literal, physical freak of nature. All I need to do is look at his match against Dunne at Takeover: New York. He literally did everything possible, and this is a guy who held the title for nearly 600 days. Coffey doesn’t strike me as a guy that could defeat him, even if I were to suspend my disbelief. Maybe if he were to get help, I’d believe it. I’d require more time for UK to build up their division to see who can defeat him, because you’ll also have to account for Imperium. Then again, Drew McIntyre eliminates him at Survivor Series with ease, so there’s an option.
Big thanks to everyone who took part in this edition!
Those are our thoughts, but what do you have to say about these issues? Keep the discussion going by chiming in via the comments section below!
