Triple H lauds British talent as they dominate WWE NXT: Takeover card
Exclusive interview: Triple H hopes the UK Championship has a more permanent home
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Your support makes all the difference.British stars once again feature at WWE NXT: Takeover this Saturday night as wrestling icon Triple H updated The Independent on the status of the UK-based talent.
NXT is the hugely-popular developmental arm of WWE and is responsible for creating or boosting careers including Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor and many, many more.
Their next marquee show comes on Saturday- a night before WWE Survivor Series – and it’s an event that has substantial British interest.
Scotland’s Drew McIntyre is the current NXT Champion and defends his crown at the Toyota Center against Mexico’s roguish Andrade Almas.
His compatriot Nikki Cross is also in big-match action as she’s one of four women vowing to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
The title is up for grabs after being vacated by Asuka recently and Cross seeks to clinch the gold in going up against Ember Moon, Peyton Royce and Kairi Sane.
Also hotly anticipated by the British fans is the defence of the WWE UK Championship as Pete Dunne tangles with challenger Johnny Gargano, a match that will air on NXT television next week.
The line-up will strut their stuff fresh from a history-making UK tour by the company that saw the WWE Championship change hands outside of North America for the first time in history.
In addition to some of the above, Midlanders Tyler Bate and Trent Seven among others were given a chance to perform in front of 14,000 at the Manchester Area.
Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, WWE’S COO went on to tell The Independent that fans on these shores won’t have to wait long to see more of the rest of the talent from the recent United Kingdom Championship tournament as a more permanent home for them under the WWE umbrella develops.
“Pete and all of those UK guys are very talented,” said the 48-year-old.
“Putting together a product of a television show and live events in the UK and doing what we do takes time. I would love for this to have happened quicker and sooner but we are where we are.
“We’re still in that process but we’re using those guys here and there and they are still doing their other bookings as well as working with us.
“As we move forward, I’m hoping something more definitive for them will be coming soon and we’ll certainly be letting everyone know.
“They are all very talent kids and a bunch of them are at the Performance Centre now, training and constantly working with us as we try to improve them so that, when the opportunity comes, we are ready to go.”
Shorter in length than a main roster pay-per-view and a little more lawless in its presentation, the NXT shows provide something of an alternative to what WWE has to offer.
Levesque, a multi-time WWE champion, knows that’s part of its charm and hyped the card for the War Games show – so named after the War Games match that should be the night’s main event.
Tag teams The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong will battle Sanity and the Undisputed Era inside two rings that are situated side by side and enclosed within a steel cage – a throwback to the old WCW pay-per-view of the same name.
“This is a match that hasn’t been around for some 20 years,” he added.
“We’re bringing a whole new generation on to War Games and what it means.
“It gives NXT its own unique identity in this space of two rings and one cage and I am really excited about it.”
WWE NXT: Takeover War Games is this Saturday night while WWE Survivor Series is on Sunday – for more details on both shows visit wwe.com.
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