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WWE NXT Superstar Pete Dunne regained much-needed momentum at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One during WrestleMania week. The former NXT UK Champion defeated KUSHIDA in the opening match of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One.
After an excellent back and forth encounter between both the NXT Superstars, Pete Dunne defeated his opponent by utilizing his incredible The Bitter End finisher.
Fresh off his victory against KUSHIDA, many members of the NXT Universe are now wondering who Pete Dunne could be set to face off against going forward on the black and gold brand.
From current champions to former ones, let's take a closer look at five feuds for Pete Dunne after the latest installment of TakeOver.
#5 Current NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano is putting together an impressive title reign over the past few months.
Accompanied everywhere he goes by The Way teammates Austin Theory, Indi Hartwell, and partner Candice LeRae, Gargano has seemingly reinvented himself once again on NXT.
At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver: Night 2, Johnny Gargano successfully defended the North American Championship against The Colossal Bronson Reed. The Australian superstar earned the right to challenge for the North American Championship at Night One of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in a six-man gauntlet eliminator match.
However, thanks to some assistance from Austin Theory at ringside, Johnny Gargano was able to leave NXT TakeOver as still the North American Champion.
Pete Dunne is yet to hold a singles championship on the US version of the NXT brand. The Bruiserweight is a former NXT United Kingdom champion but is yet to hold gold in the US in WWE. Perhaps a feud with Johnny Gargano will lead Dunne to the gold he craves in the black and gold brand.
#4 Current NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver saw Santos Escobar cement himself as the king of Cruiserweights.
During Night Two of Stand & Deliver, Santos Escobar defeated Jordan Devlin in a Ladder match to become the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion in the opening match of the event. After the match, Escobar celebrated his victory with his son in a touching TakeOver moment.
However, Escobar is quickly running out of opponents to face in the NXT Cruiserweight Division. The Mexican superstar has been the Champion for close to a year and has defeated several big names during his title reign. So who could Santos Escobar defend the Cruiserweight Championship against next?
Step in, Pete Dunne. The Bruiserweight has recently gotten into the shape of his life, shedding some serious weight during the lockdown period in the United Kingdom due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
With Pete Dunne in phenomenal shape, he likely now falls under the 205 lbs NXT cruiserweight weight limit.
A feud between Santos Escobar and Pete Dunne would certainly lead to some fantastic matches with a serious clash of styles.
Perhaps the NXT Cruiserweight Championship could be the first singles title Pete Dunne wins in the United States version of NXT.
#3 Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver saw Tommaso Ciampa become involved in a classic match-up. The Blackheart of NXT challenged WALTER for his United Kingdom Championship.
Despite Ciampa's best efforts, the former NXT Champion was unsuccessful in dethroning the dominant WALTER and taking his gold. In an incredibly physical match, the Ring General eventually gained the win after hitting The Blackheart with one of his trademark vicious chops to the chest.
After this defeat at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne surprisingly have something in common. They have both lost to WALTER in high-profile matches for the NXT United Kingdom Championship.
WALTER defeated Pete Dunne to capture the United Kingdom Championship at NXT TakeOver: New York in 2019, ending the Bruiserweight's then-record-setting title reign.
Perhaps this is something that could spark a feud between the two NXT Superstars going forward on the black and gold brand.
With both men on the receiving end of defeats to WALTER at certain points in their careers, it's possible that they could both use each other as a platform to earn another opportunity at the Ring General in the future.
#2 Former NXT Champion Finn Balor
WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One saw Finn Balor compete in a classic co-main event against Karrion Kross.
The Prince defended his coveted NXT Championship against the dominant Kross, who was forced to vacate the championship due to a shoulder injury in 2020.
Despite demonstrating some serious offense and gaining some incredibly close near falls, Balor ultimately was defeated by Karrion Kross who captured the NXT Title for the second time in his career.
This has led many to question what is next for Finn Balor on the black and gold brand going forward.
Dunne and Balor had a fantastic feud earlier this year, leading to a fantastic NXT Championship match at TakeOver: Vengeance Day in which The Prince retained his title.
Coming out of his loss to Kross, Balor could possibly look to re-ignite his feud with The Bruiserweight on NXT television as a way to once again build up momentum.
Dunne could be looking to finally prove to the world that he can indeed defeat Finn Balor inside of an NXT ring.
#1 NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER is one of the most dominant champions in recent WWE history.
The Ring General has been the NXT United Kingdom Champion for a staggering 700+ days. Ironically enough, WALTER defeated Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New York in 2019 to capture the title.
Since then, WALTER has dominated the NXT UK brand, defeating names such as Rampage Brown, A-Kid, Ilja Dragunov, Tyler Bate, Joe Coffey, and Tommaso Ciampa to retain the title on several occasions.
Although WALTER has defeated Dunne for the NXT United Kingdom Championship, perhaps The Bruiserweight is the opponent who knows The Ring General the best.
After his various matches against the NXT UK Champion, Pete Dunne could finally have a game plan or the knowledge to defeat WALTER.
Given Dunne's recent heel persona that has developed on television, he may now finally have the tools required to dethrone the UK Champion.
It would certainly be poetic for him to finally defeat WALTER for the United Kingdom Championship.
