Dunne with an in-depth interview.
"The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne is one of the more popular superstars in all of WWE despite rarely being featured on some of the main programs such as RAW and SmackDown Live. Dunne has been a focal point over the past year in the NXT brand as WWE United Kingdom Champion and being involved in various storylines but now Pete is focused on leading the charge as the front-man for the NXT U.K. brand which has taken flight. The brand is scheduled to have their first TakeOver event on January 12th streaming live on the WWE Network from Blackpool, England. Pete Dunne reflected on that massive announcement during an interview with Metro U.K. and explained how much having this forthcoming event means to him.
"For me and Tyler Bate especially it’s really special. It’s where we first broke in at WWE and where we made that name for ourselves initially. Our lives changed overnight and over the past few years I haven’t had a single second to reflect on that because it’s been one thing to the next. At the show, myself and Tyler are going to take a moment to enjoy just how far we’ve really come over the last two years and how much has happened. For the brand it’s brilliant, and it’s the perfect venue." He said. "The audience there are really lively and most importantly it’s live. That makes such a huge difference. Doing episodic TV, you get a lot of exposure, but TakeOver is a completely different animal. It’ll help this brand grow tenfold."
Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate came up through the ranks together on the independent scene and in WWE. They are two names that fans think of when it comes to the spotlighting of modern-day British wrestling in the sports-entertainment company. Dunne has been in the ring with a plethora of wrestlers but on the NXT U.K. brand, he feels that there is no one better than Tyler Bate.
"On our brand, my standard is always Tyler. It might be obvious, but the performances he put in were unreal in Liverpool recently and he was a step above everyone else. It’s something for everyone else to chase and that’s a good thing. NXT is built on competition and the feel of the matches are competitive, but in the back it’s the same." Dunne stated. "I see Tyler pull out a great performance and it really makes me want to get in the ring." Dunne continued with who else he'd like to wrestle in WWE, "In the whole of WWE, it’s got to be AJ Styles. He’s absolutely been killing it for so many years, and now he’s in a top spot and rightfully so. I’d love to get in the ring with him some day."
On December 26th inside of Madison Square Garden at WWE's super show, the stars of NXT will partake in a 10-man tag match. Dunne is a part of that match as he teams with Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream and Ricochet to take on Tommaso Ciampa and The Undisputed ERA. Dunne stated that competing in the Garden is something that he's glad he's going to be able to tick off his list and that he truly has the best of both worlds.
"It’s another one of those that I don’t think about until I get the call. That’s been the story of my last two years. Everybody else comes into this company and has had that established route. You sign, go to the Performance Center and work hard there, get on live events, get on TV, then a TakeOver, then the main roster etc. Whereas for me, I’ve been a complete experiment in that I’ve experienced every part of this company and it’s been an amazing learning curve." Dunne explained. "To be able to tick off so many things I never thought I would do… I just wanted to wrestle once in WWE just to say I’d did it. Two years in I’ve got the longest reign of any champion, multiple TakeOvers, the Staples Center, Madison Square Garden and the list goes on. Meanwhile I still meet the fans at intimate settings and independent shows. I really am having the best of both worlds."
To read the full interview with Pete Dunne, click here. Dunne will be defending his WWE United Kingdom Championship against Joe Coffey at NXT U.K. TakeOver: Blackpool and to view the updated match card for TakeOver U.K., head over to Fightful's "events" section.
