NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night 1 Preview - New champions guaranteed; Will Io Shirai finally fall?
It's WrestleMania week, and more importantly, it's time for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. This two-night extravaganza is jam-packed with match of the year candidates from the Black and Gold brand, and we're here to preview all the bouts for the first night.
On the pre-show of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Zoey Stark will face off against Toni Storm.
We've got three championship bouts on the main show, including what could be the crowning of a new top star in Raquel Gonzalez in the main event. Io Shirai's run as NXT Women's Champion has been stellar, as she's basically beaten everybody else on the roster up to this point. Will Gonzalez be added to that long list of names?
WALTER will also defend the NXT UK Championship against Tommaso Ciampa, as the Blackheart aims to get some much-needed revenge on Imperium and take a little gold in the process. Will he be the first to take the Ring General out since the big man made his debut in WWE two years ago?
All of that, plus a triple threat tag team match for the vacated NXT Tag Team Titles, a gauntlet to determine Johnny Gargano's No. 1 contender, and the match we'll be kicking this article off with, Pete Dunne vs. Kushida.
Pete Dunne and Kushida will tear the roof off the CWC at NXT TakeOver
There are no titles on the line in this one. In fact, there wasn't too much of a build to it, either. Still, sometimes all you need to get a match of the year is two of the best in the world looking to prove their greatness. That's exactly what Pete Dunne and Kushida are fighting for, as both men aim to prove which of them is the greatest technical wrestler.
Both Kushida and Dunne came out of 2020 white-hot, despite losing their feuds. Kushida proved himself in a series of matches against the likes of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. The Time Splitter broke out of his shell last year and slammed into 2021 in full gear.
Though he lost his title bout against Gargano at TakeOver: Vengeance Day, he proved to be one of the greatest wrestlers, not just in the company but in the business.
While Kushida was chasing the North American Title, Pete Dunne had his eyes on Finn Balor and the NXT Championship. For several months, the Bruiserweight went after The Undisputed Era before finally settling on The Prince. Much like Kushida, he failed to walk away with the gold at Vengeance Day but delivered yet another top performance in his WWE tenure.
Though there aren't any prizes at stake, Dunne and Kushida have put their pride on the line instead. This is going to be a technical masterpiece between two superstars with nothing to lose and has the potential to walk away from WrestleMania week as the best match of the week.