Ilja Dragunov will have to wait for his crack at NXT UK champion Walter.
WWE announced Walter suffered a "severe injury" to his left hand and will be unable to defend the belt on July 22. The promotion has yet to confirm a new date for their rematch.
During Thursday's episode of NXT UK, Walter and Dragunov staged a press conference to hype up their impending clash:
WWE said the two subsequently had an altercation backstage, which led to Walter's injury.
The two stars previously crossed paths last October and delivered a bout that was a Match of the Year contender for NXT. News of their rematch naturally got fans excited.
Given its close proximity to the press conference, it would appear that the injury is another twist in the storyline and not a legitimate problem that could shelve the champion for a prolonged period.
It would certainly be a shame if the injury forced Walter to relinquish the belt. His reign is clocking it at 831 days and counting after he defeated Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New York in April 2019.
Walter defeated Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on Wednesday to retain the NXT United Kingdom Championship.
Walter entered TakeOver as the longest-reigning NXT UK champion of all time and the longest-reigning active champion in WWE with a title run of over 700 days, but he faced his toughest challenge yet in the form of Ciampa.
Several weeks ago, Imperium members Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel and Alexander Wolfe seemingly attempted to recruit Ciampa's tag team partner, Timothy Thatcher, into their group.
They said they would be willing to take Ciampa as well if Thatcher agreed, but Ciampa turned down the opportunity and said he was more intrigued about the possibility of facing Imperium's leader, Walter, for the NXT UK Championship.
The budding rivalry between Ciampa and Imperium took another step the following week when Ciampa accused Aichner and Barthel of attacking Thatcher. In retaliation, he claimed that he took out Wolfe.
That led to a match between Ciampa and Barthel on the March 17 edition of NXT, which Ciampa won. After the match, Walter made his long-awaited return to NXT and dropped Ciampa with a massive chop followed by a powerbomb.
The following week, Ciampa vs. Walter for the NXT UK Championship was made official for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, marking the first time the title would be defended on a non-NXT UK pay-per-view since Walter won it from Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New York in 2019.
While Walter had a massive size and strength advantage over Ciampa, there was reason to believe Ciampa had a legitimate chance to end Walter's dominant reign.
Ciampa is a former NXT champion who held the title for 237 days in 2018 and 2019 before having to vacate it because of injury.
He is one of the most successful NXT Superstars of all time, and although he has struggled to get back to the top of the mountain, he seemingly viewed Walter as a potential stepping stone there.
Despite the legitimacy of Ciampa, Walter walked out of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver with his title reign intact, which casts doubt on whether anyone will be able to beat him.
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3Arena in Dublin announced Thursday that NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin has been postponed until Oct. 25 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WWE has moved its televised live shows, including WrestleMania 36, to its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, as government officials have temporarily suspended large public events.
TakeOver was originally scheduled for April 26.
In addition to alleviating any public health concerns, pushing back the event will allow for a proper build, assuming the pandemic has slowed by the fall.
Because NXT UK tapes some of its episodes in advance, the show's programming wasn't affected as quickly as WWE and NXT at Full Sail University, both of which air live on television.
Since the move to the Performance Center, WWE shows have relied heavily on in-ring promos and replays of classic matches. That's likely to the case for NXT UK now as well, which would have adversely impacted how the promotion hyped up its next WWE Network special.
Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin noted an NXT UK championship match between Walter and Finn Balor was the early favorite to main event TakeOver.
WWE is heading back to the United Kingdom for NXT TakeOver.
The wrestling organization announced Saturday during NXT Takeover: XXV that the British version will take place on Saturday, Aug. 31, in Cardiff, Wales.
This will be the second main event for NXT UK TakeOver, which debuted on Jan. 12 in Blackpool, England.
The last competition featured multiple title matches, including Pete Dunne winning the WWE United Kingdom Championship. Finn Balor also made an appearance in the event.
Although no matches are currently scheduled for the August show on WWE Network, there will likely be more than enough drama to keep fans excited.
While NXT TakeOver events are often guaranteed to deliver, it was largely unknown whether NXT UK's first crack at a pay-per-view—TakeOver: Blackpool—would be successful.
The roster isn't as bombastic or popular quite yet, the setup for all the matches was recorded months in advance, with tapings going back to July, and many people aren't caught up or familiar with the storylines.
However, the NXT stamp means something, and WWE set the talent up with three title matches—including the crowning of the first-ever NXT UK tag team champions.
Now that it's over and done with, we can assess what was great on the show and what felt a bit more underwhelming.
Let's dive into the results, highlights and low points of NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool Results
Highlights
The first mention must go to the fans. The crowd was red hot throughout the night. When was the last time a WWE pay-per-view started with the audience taking their shoes off to show how much disdain they had for a heel?
Zack Gibson was the target of the fans' ire:
Setting a great standard to start the NXT UK tag team division off with a bang, Moustache Mountain and Grizzled Young Veterans had a fantastic opening match. This was no surprise, based on Trent Seven and Tyler Bate's previous fights.
Highlights of the bout included Bate spinning both Gibson and Drake at the same time, Bate's standing shooting star press onto Gibson and Drake to the floor and a near-fall after Drake's 450 splash.
For an indicator of the style and energy of this match, check out this suicide dive that took Bate out of the match, allowing Gibson and Drake to capitalize and win the titles.
The next match could have been a low point after Jordan Devlin attacked Travis Banks before the show and the two fought once more prior to the bell ringing, with the latter ruled out from competing.
However, Johnny Saint and Sid Scala had a backup plan: Finn Balor.
Devlin and Balor—pupil and mentor—put on another solid match to keep the momentum of the event going and give fans a babyface pop to offset the heels winning beforehand.
While not the greatest for in-ring quality, the NXT UK Women's Championship match had arguably the best storytelling.
It might not have been difficult, as Toni Storm is so beloved, but she and Rhea Ripley pulled off the tale of giving Storm a fight to overcome.
Ripley—the bigger and stronger of the two—played up her size, while Storm's tenacity kept her alive long enough to score the pin.
Even while some fans were cheering for Ripley, there was genuine happiness for Storm's victory, and it's always nice to see a new champion cry tears of joy:
The main event was a nail-biter. Even after 600 days as champion, it still felt like Pete Dunne's title reign was about to end at various points against Joe Coffey.
This was a knock-down, drag-out fight with both men brawling like their lives were on the line, which made it feel as though the United Kingdom Championship has equal footing to the WWE Championship in the eyes of these Superstars.
That in itself is a good sign for the brand's future in establishing itself as something more than just a developmental spin-off.
Ending with Dunne retaining was a feel-good moment, and the debut of Walter was an excellent way to end things. Staring each other down, the two men have already set up anticipation for a future clash.
Low Points
Unfortunately, it wasn't all hits.
While not awful, the No Disqualification match between Eddie Dennis and Dave Mastiff left much to be desired.
The two only utilized the standard steps, chair, kendo stick and table, rather than doing something different. There was nothing we don't see on a regular basis with any other Extreme Rules gimmick.
It also would've been good to see Dennis take the victory. Mastiff had already won their previous encounter, so his opponent could have taken the win here to put himself in title contention.
All in all, though, the show was a success.
In many ways, the event needed to impress, as many haven't been won over by NXT UK. If this had been a total dud, it's doubtful the show would be able to gain more viewers.
It's a good start for NXT UK pay-per-views, and while it might not turn the brand into a sensation just yet, it's a boost for its future.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
Toni Storm defeated Rhea Ripley at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool at the Empress Ballroom in England on Saturday to win the NXT UK Women's Championship.
After each Superstar kicked out of the other's finisher, Storm slipped out of Riptide and hit Ripley with Storm Zero to claim the title.
Storm's victory set off a raucous celebration in Blackpool, as seen in the following tweet from WWE:
Ripley and Storm competed in one of the headline matches for the first-ever NXT UK pay-per-view after doing battle in the finals of the tournament to crown the inaugural NXT UK women's champion.
Storm beat a pair of 2018 Mae Young Classic participants in Isla Dawn and Jinny to reach the finals, while Ripley rolled past Xia Brookside and Dakota Kai.
Although Storm was favored to win the tournament due to her status as the Mae Young Classic winner, Ripley used her power and brutality to work over her opponent's back and ultimately pick up the victory.
Becoming the first UK women's champion was a massive step in Ripley's progression and evolution over the past year, dating back to the first Mae Young Classic.
The Australian completely changed her attitude and has developed into arguably one of the top heels in all of WWE since bursting onto the scene.
Ripley made it all the way to the Mae Young Classic semifinals, and although she fell to Io Shirai, she quickly bounced back by establishing herself as the face of the NXT UK women's division.
Storm is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE, though, and it was clear at TakeOver: Blackpool that the crowd was firmly behind her.
The New Zealand-born Storm has an intangible quality that draws fans to her, and that factor promises to make her one of WWE's top female stars for many years to come.
She is already an accomplished performer at the age of 23, but Ripley is actually younger at 22, which speaks to how bright the future of the WWE women's division is.
Ripley and Storm have the makings of WWE linchpins, and Saturday's clash was likely the first of many battles on a big stage for the up-and-coming stars.
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