Exclusive: WWE main roster no longer the only target - UK Champion Pete Dunne
With Dunne firmly established as the top star in the NXT UK brand, the questions over his promotion to the main roster is growing by the day.
It has been more than 600 days since Pete Dunne won the WWE UK Championship and the ‘Bruiserweight’ has shown no signs of dropping the belt. He faced Joe Coffey in the main event of the WWE UK Takeover and while it was tough, he managed to come out victorious once again.
With Dunne firmly established as the top star in the NXT UK brand, the questions over his promotion to the main roster is growing by the day. However, he believes that the main roster is no longer the final target for most of the talents and his immediate goal is to straighten the NXT UK brand.
Also Read: Pete Dunne, Toni Storm win big; Walter makes his debut
“For me, the main roster is not necessarily the main goal. The goal is to boost the UK brand and as the champion, the pressure is there on me to perform every time. The brand has come a long back in the last two years and we have a lot more to do,” he told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview.
“There is a huge variety in WWE right now. There is no longer that one single destination for everyone that you have reach the main roster and they are free to explore all the avenues. I would love to perform at WrestleMania but staying here will also make me happy considering what we have created in the last couple of years and the potential that this brand has showed,” he added.
With NXT becoming almost a third brand within the WWE and NXT UK finding its foot, the avenues have increased significantly for the new talent. The NXT UK brand organised their first Takeover show and with the Performance Centre in London, the brand has grown a lot in the last couple of years. While it is great news for the new talent, the situation does come with a bit of pressure for Dunne.
Also Read: WWE will open a performance center in India, confirms Triple H
“Pressure wise, I never let it get to me. I go there thinking that I have a job to do and I try to give my absolute best. Of course I am aware of the expectations but I don’t think you completely grasp it out in the middle. Once you go back and reflect, you understand the magnitude of the event,” he said.
The NXT Takeover UK show was a huge success with rave reviews and massive reactions from the crowd. From Mustache Mountain and Grizzled Young Veterans produced an absolute classic to Finn Balor making a surprise entry, the show was filled with brilliant moments. Dunne was overwhelmed by the crowd support and the UK Champion also thanked Finn Balor for his surprise appearance.
“The British crowd is generally quite great and they were brilliant once again. They were pumped from the start to the end and they appreciated all the performances by the wrestlers. At Takeover, we tend to give a bit extra than normal and I think the crowd in Blackpool did that too on Saturday,”
“For a superstar like Finn Balor to come out and support us like this is a huge thing. What his appearance did was to bring a huge number of eyeballs and it was a special moment for us,” he said.
