Abe checks in with his proposed card for WWE NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff. What card should the UK brand present on 2019’s biggest wrestling day, August 31?

During NXT TakeOver: XXV it was announced that the NXT UK brand would be hosting their second TakeOver event. It’s set to take place on August 31st in Cardiff, Wales. Many realized the significance of that date right away. It’s the same day as AEW’s pay-per-view, All Out, where they will be crowing their first All Elite Wrestling Champion.

Fans took this as a deliberate sign of “war” and debates sprung over having to choose sides again. However, if you’re in the States, you’ll be able to watch both events live because of the time zones. NXT UK wont necessarily have to compete with AEW but they will have to set the bar and remain memorable by night’s end. Here’s my proposed card.

WALTER (c) v. Tyler Bate – NXT UK Championship

Tyler Bate has been out of the world title picture since Pete Dunne usurped him two years ago. Since then, Bate has spent most of his time creating success with Trent Seven and Mustache Mountain. There is nobody else on the roster that would create a bigger marquee match. Travis Banks and Mark Andrews are the next biggest named babyfaces outside of the British Strong Style faction. Neither of which have been booked like a threat to Walter as of late.

Nobody expects a guy the size of Tyler Bate to compete with Walter but that could make it an even more compelling match. We know how athletic he is. Bate was the inaugural champion for a reason. We saw how great Daniel Bryan’s and AJ Style’s matches against Brock turned out. It’s the same dynamic except Triple H would give them more time.

British Strong Style is set to take on Walter’s newly aligned faction, Imperium, next week. That feud can last all summer if spaced out properly, especially since six men are involved. Hold the third and final match between Walter and Pete Dunne halfway to Cardiff then use the remaining weeks to build up Bate. He’ll provide legitimacy as well as a familiar face for the fans that may not have tuned in recently.

Toni Storm (c) v. Jazzy Gabert – NXT UK Women’s Championship

Jinny recently unveiled her newest weapon in the form of Jazzy Gabert. You may know Jazzy from the inaugural Mae Young Classic or by her former ring name, Alpha Female. As soon as she debuted, she immediately came across as the most dangerous woman on the roster. I expect her to get the Shayna Baszler treatment – a linear path to a championship victory on her first attempt.

As for after the match, as soon as I saw the location of Wales, I knew this event needed to be the surprise return of Tegan Nox. A post-match beatdown followed by the save from the local hero would be a great moment.

Grizzled Young Veterans (c) v. SANITY – NXT UK Tag Team Championship

All of the current top tag teams on the brand are heels: Imperium, Gallus, The Hunt, etc. None would make sense to challenge the current champs. Mustache Mountain lost to Zack Gibson and James Drake at the last TakeOver. The more casual fans that are only watching the TakeOver events aren’t going to want to see a repeat match from their most recent memory of the UK brand.

Alexander Wolfe already moved to NXT UK and Killian Dain is doing nothing on Smackdown or NXT. Wolfe is German and Dain is Irish. Let them perform in front of a crowd that’s already on their side instead of a confused main roster audience.

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Jordan Devlin v. Ilja Dragunov v. Joe Coffey v. Mark Andrews v. Noam Dar v. Travis Banks – Inaugural NXT UK Midcard Championship Match

I tried to keep this match as a Fatal Four Way but couldn’t do it. That just goes to show how much NXT UK needs a midcard championship. Many worthy guys still had to be left off – Flash Morgan Webster, Kassius Ohno, Ligero, Dave Mastiff, and Joseph Conners, to name a few.

Devlin and Andrews have been with the brand from the beginning. Dar, even sooner by debuting at the Cruiserweight Classic. Coffey and Banks were the biggest names to come out of the second UK tournament. And Dragunov is NXT UK’s most recent acquisition who has all the tools to be pushed to the moon.

I want the belt to be called the Atlantic Championship. It’s the ocean that connects the two NXT brands and was the only thing I could think of that wasn’t lame or derivative. Some members of the roster are so gifted but too undersized to ever be chosen as the man to unseat Walter. Allow them to be the workhorse champions we know they can be.

Rhea Ripley v. Piper Niven – Street Fight

It was brought to my attention before TakeOver: XXV that it’s been years since a TakeOver had more than one women’s match. When I looked at the rest of the roster, they were the clear choice of who I could trust to have the most compelling singles match and feud.

Both ladies are booked like stars every week. They’re two of the top four women NXT UK has and deserve better than the pre-show. Piper Niven made her debut back in March just to interrupt a Rhea Ripley promo. However, they have yet to settle anything in the ring. Niven even addressed the situation in a backstage interview just last week.

They certainly have the time to culminate this slow boil into a street fight. Aside from Jazzy, they’re the toughest and strongest women in the UK. Let the women have the most violent match on the show.

What do you think of the proposed matches?

• WALTER (c) v. Tyler Bate – NXT UK Championship
• Toni Storm (c) v. Jazzy Gabert – NXT UK Women’s Championship
• Grizzled Young Veterans (c) v. SANITY – NXT UK Tag Team Championship
• Jordan Devlin v. Ilja Dragunov v. Joe Coffey v. Mark Andrews v. Noam Dar v. Travis Banks – Inaugural NXT UK Midcard Championship Match
• Rhea Ripley v. Piper Niven – Street Fight

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