The NXT UK Championship is the top prize on the NXT UK brand, with everyone on that roster vying for the title. Whilst the NXT UK brand may not be the most prestigious in WWE by any means, its biggest prize may very well have the best booked title in the company.
The Belt Got Off To A Great Start With Tyler Bate
The championship was created in late 2016, just in time for the first ever WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament. At the time, this felt like a huge deal, with WWE expanding into different countries and giving the UK wrestling scene some well-deserved attention and a platform for the vastly talented wrestlers to showcase what they do best.
The tournament was a blast, featuring household names from the UK independent scene such as Wolfgang, Mark Andrews, and Trent Seven. The final came down to the favorite, ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne, and Tyler Bate, someone who at just at the age of 19 had stolen the hearts of the audience during the tournament, impressing with his marvellous in ring work, pound for pound strength, and heart. In a shock finish, Tyler Bate emerged victorious in a barn burner of a match, becoming the youngest (at the time) champion in WWE history.
Pete Dunne Elevated The Title To Larger Heights
It was the right choice to go with a shock victory, and the right choice to go with a babyface, giving the fans and superstars a celebratory moment to mark the end of an historic tournament. Around five months later, Pete Dunne would eventually win the title, defeating Tyler Bate in a hugely acclaimed match at NXT Takeover: Chicago. Despite a strong start to the belt’s lineage, it was the right choice to give the title to Dunne, who was no doubt the star of the UK division. The match itself was incredible, stealing the show, and making the title feel important.
From here, the title really began to feel special. Pete Dunne would go on to hold the championship for 685 days, making him one of the longest reigning champions of all time. Despite a lot of flip-flopping of titles in WWE, there was a strong restraint to take the title from Dunne. Instead, everyone patiently waited until someone was worthy enough to win the belt, especially after such a lengthy run.
WALTER Trounced Dunne’s Record In Dominating Fashion
That man was WALTER, who had stormed into WWE's UK brand, which was now rebranded to NXT UK, that had been built around Dunne to that point. WALTER went on a tear until he received a title match at NXT Takeover: New York, and defeated Dunne in yet another tremendous championship match for the title. In what seemed like something that couldn’t be achieved again, Dunne’s long reign was not only replicated, but surpassed, with WALTER holding the belt for an astonishing 870 days, something which has never been seen in modern day WWE.
The fact that these reigns have been so long makes the title feel important, hard to win, and newsworthy when someone actually does topple the dominant champion. That’s why it felt like a monumental moment when Ilja Dragunov defeated WALTER at Takeover 36 to win the gold, in what was once again a headline making match.
Something else which has helped elevate the title, especially in the last couple years, is the minimal number of defences. In the last three years, there have been just twelve championship matches, with most of them being long, hard-fought epics in which the challengers rightfully earn the shots at the champion.
Despite NXT UK’s Lack Of Attention, The Title Feels Special
The NXT UK brand as a whole suffers from a lack of exposure, attention, and acknowledgment from WWE, which has derailed the UK division in many ways. But the title remains important, which is testament to its good booking. It’s not just the booking which makes it feel special, though; the belt itself has a wonderful, intricate design which is unlike anything else in the company. The title looks like it’s the most important belt in the company, something which in turn will help its prestige, despite the lack of focus on the brand.
Putting the title changes on the US Takeover’s as opposed to the title changing hands in the UK could be seen as undermining to the UK brand. But as more eyes are on the US version of NXT, it’s a clever move to put the large championship changes on those shows, as it will hopefully bring fans over to NXT UK. The matches on these shows always deliver and act as a great representation of what the title is all about – grit, intensity, passion, and quality. All these elements make the championship the best booked in all of WWE.