WWE NXT Superstar Pete Dunne Hopes To 'Keep Adding Chapters' To Undisputed Era Rivalry
Pete Dunne has been intertwined with the Undisputed Era since 2018.
WWE NXT superstar Pete Dunne hopes to 'keep adding chapters' to his long-running feud with the Undisputed Era at NXT Takeover: WarGames.
Dunne returned to NXT in October and will line up with Pat McAfee, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch to take on the quartet of Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong inside the titular structure.
'The Bruiserweight' has feuded on and off with the 'UE' since 2018 and he told SPORTbible it's the kind of rivalry fans can look back at '10, 20 years down the line.'
"I think it's important to create our own history, right? With what's going on in the world, it might have even extended people like Undisputed Era's stay in NXT.
"When I was last here there was definitely a lot of buzz like 'Are they getting called up, what's going on?'
"With me being back, it adds a new layer to this story so hopefully people can look back in 10, 20 years.
"It goes all the way back to Roderick Strong turning on me [at Takeover: New Orleans in 2018] in the first place and it goes on and on, I'd love to keep adding layers and chapters to this story to keep it going."
Sunday will be the 27-year-old's second foray into WarGames, having competed inside the hellacious structure back in 2018.
Unlike anything else in WWE, WarGames sees two rings joined together and surrounded by a giant steel cage.
It's an unforgiving structure and one Dunne now knows all too well.
When asked if he's prepared for Sunday, Dunne replied: "The structure itself can be intimidating.
"Any match like that, with stipulations, is out of my comfort zone. I'm a British wrestler, so we grew up wrestling in pubs, community centres and you could barely fit a ring in there. It was about mat wrestling.
"Again, I always take these challenges. This time around is a little different because I have experience being in WarGames.
"That structure is completely real. Tell you what, that middle section, the no-man's-land section where the two rings join is the hardest surface I've ever wrestled on.
"What you see with that structure is 100 per cent legit and of course it hurts."
Not many competitors will admit they have sentimental feelings regarding WarGames, but Dunne went on to share a touching story in relation to the match.
After winning the main event of Takeover: WarGames 2018, he jumped on a flight straight back to England to witness the birth of his daughter.
"WarGames for me has a bit more meaning, because the last one I was in was the due date of my daughter. I managed to fly home just in time and made it with hours to spare.
"It has a double meaning to me so in one respect, from a career standpoint, it was the biggest thing I'd done in wrestling up to that point. Then in the real life aspect, it has that second meaning to me."
Dunne started off 2020 in a tag team with 'BroerWeights' partner Riddle, and the duo won the NXT Tag Titles together.
But the coronavirus pandemic meant UK-native Dunne had to return to England for around seven months and in that time, he lost the titles through no fault of his own.
While many would sit and stew, Dunne focused on improving his physique and staying in shape.
"It's the first time in my career I've ever really had time off. I've been wrestling since I was 12-years-old so in that amount of time, I've been lucky to not get a serious injury.
"For 15 years now it's been 'Go, go, go' and with what's going on, it's the only element I can really control.
"The aesthetic side is great and it's nice to hear the compliments of people saying I'm in great shape.
"But for me, it's all geared towards better matches and better performances. Like I said, it was the only thing I could control knowing that when I come back, I can put on a better show."
Dunne put on a show against O'Reilly in his first match back last month, winning the WarGames Advantage Ladder Match for the 'Kings Of NXT.'
Spearheading the group is McAfee, a former NFL punter turned pro wrestler.
Veteran Dunne was keen to praise McAfee and the way he's taken to wrestling in 2020.
"People can say what they want about him, he's going be divisive because he's not a traditional wrestler.
"He clearly has a love for the business and you can tell with any performance, if on the mic or in the ring. He loves wrestling.
"It's infectious and they're the kind of people you want to work with. We hit it off quite fast, he's a likeable guy, he's funny and the same on screen as he is backstage.
"What matters to me is that he wants to be there for the wrestling, he's not there for the money or anything like that, he's there for the wrestling because he loves it and wants to be a part of it.
"I think that'll show in his performance this Sunday."
While Dunne couldn't work in NXT during his time in England, he did get to return to the NXT UK brand for a string of appearances.
NXT UK is a brand Dunne feels passionate about and he worked as a producer backstage, while appearing as an on-screen wrestler.
He held the United Kingdom Championship for 685 days between 20 May 2017 and 5 April 2019, but it's not a chapter of his career that's closed.
"I've said from the beginning of NXT UK I don't see myself as just an NXT US guy or RAW or SmackDown guy, my career goes hand-in-hand with that brand.
"It's something I always want to be involved with in some degree.
"I do think even pandemic aside, I'd have been involved in some aspect. I've worked backstage and stuff before, it's something I want to continue to do when travel permits.
"I was so happy and surprised at how much people are still improving considering the roadblocks in the UK at the moment.
"It's the least wrestling that's ever happened over there but going by the tapings I was involved in, people are till continuing to improve and it's great to see."
Featured Image Credit: WWETopics: WWE NXT, Pete Dunne, NXT, Undisputed Era, Wrestling News, Wrestling, WWE
Daniel Marland