"The Brusierweight" wants NXT U.K. to be great.
It was in January of 2017 that Pete Dunne introduced himself to the WWE Universe at the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament in Blackpool, England. In just one year coming up on two years, Dunne has arguably become one of the most popular superstars in all of WWE. Pete is the longest reigning champion in the history of the modern-era in WWE and he is not only leading the charge for British wrestling in the sports-entertainment company but he is also the face of the NXT U.K. brand.
Dunne wants to take NXT U.K. to new heights alongside talents who are eager to be in his position such as Dave Mastiff, Eddie Dennis, his fellow British Strong Style member Tyler Bate, and Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley who are also gunning for that top position. Pete Dunne does have other goals as well like competing against an AJ Styles or Daniel Bryan but for right now he is focused on taking NXT U.K. to the next level.
"Yeah, one day. I mean, for now, my focus is entirely NXT UK." Dunne said during an interview with SPORTbible. "I enjoy the stuff I do in the States with the U.S. side of things and I'm really glad I get to have that experience, but still... even when I'm there my main focus is this brand, is this title. I want people to be able to look back at those title defenses and say every single one of them held up. I want to create something before I eventually do leave to go to the main roster or to the U.S. brand full time or whatever else opens up for me. I wanna build this and make it as solid as I can and build the best foundations as possible. So, that is entirely my focus. But maybe one day."
On January 12th, it'll all come full circle for the wrestlers who partook in the first WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament because they will be returning to Blackpool for the first-ever NXT U.K. TakeOver show. Dunne went on to explain what this forthcoming event means to him:
"Yeah, it's extra special for me because that's where I made my name. For myself and Tyler especially, Blackpool is special to us because that's where we really kick-started our own careers, so it's special for me to go back there two years on and see how far we've come, and I think sometimes with this job because it's walking on to the next you never get time to settle in, but I'm sure on that day though, that I'm going to take a minute and really take in just how far we've come over the last two years." Dunne continued, "So for me, it's special, and then for the brand, it's vital that we have that opportunity to go live. It's such a huge difference in going live on the Network as to an episodic show -- not that it isn't great exposure, but TakeOver is a completely different animal, so for the brand, it's a massive, massive step in the right direction."
To read the full interview with Pete Dunne, click here. Also, keep an eye out for Fightful's NXT U.K. coverage article that goes live later today when the show[s] air on the WWE Network.
