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What's the story?
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com noted on the PWInsiderElite radio show about when he expects Walter to show up on the WWE NXT UK brand.
Talks between the WWE and Walter had been going on all year and he was recently signed by the WWE earlier this week.
In case you didn't know...
Walter was one of the top free agents WWE had been targeting ever since their eyes had turned to the European indie scene.
Walter had been tearing it up in WXW (Westside Xtreme Wrestling) since his debut with the company in 2007.
He's also had runs with Pro Wrestling Guerilla since 2017, Progress Wrestling since 2015 and WWE satellite promotion Evolve since 2017.
He defeated Travis Banks to become the current Progress World Champion and topped Keith Lee and Jonah Rock to become PWG World Champion in April of 2018.
He lost the title to fellow indie standout, Jeff Cobb (aka Matanza Cueto) in October of this year.
He's also the current Defiant Internet Champion for Defiant Wrestling.
The heart of the matter
Walter had previously stated that he wasn't interested in moving to the United States, but once the WWE NXT UK brand was created, his mindset of signing with WWE may have changed.
Johnson figured that like how other big free agents are initially revealed to the world on NXT Takeover specials might just be the same way Walter is introduced to the NXT Universe:
“What’s interesting is that they signed WALTER, the Austrian star that we confirmed this week that they had signed him. They’d been talking to him off and on for a while. He used to be Big Van WALTER so we’ll see, maybe they’ll use his last name when he pops up. I’m guessing he’s gonna debut at the TakeOver in Blackpool, England.”
NXT Takeover Blackpool takes place on January 12, 2019 and will air live on the WWE Network.
It will be NXT UK's first such Takeover special and Walter either showing up in the crowd or as a performer would be a nice surprise for the fans.
Johnson's report also mentioned that he was signed specifically for the European brands.
What's next?
Basically, regarding Walter's NXT UK debut, all that's next is to sit and wait.
It might just be throwing darts at the wall or it could be a done deal. We won't know for sure until Takeover Blackpool, but those are usually the platforms at which big signing for the NXT brands are showcased.
With less than two months left until the special, it isn't too crazy to think he'd be a part of the brand in one way or another in January.
