Pete Dunne On U.K. Brand And His Dream Opponents

WWE have been expanding their growth to new areas with the various tournaments and brand creations over the past year. With Pete Dunne the latest star to be born, the future looks bright.

WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne was recently interviewed by ESPN, where he had the opportunity to speak about the U.K. brand and who his dream opponents are in WWE. Just moments after he captured the title, defeating Tyler Bate, he spoke about what his goals were in wrestling.

“I’ve completed every goal I’ve wanted and more at the age of 23. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop there at all. There’s a lot more goals on the horizon.”

Following what many consider the match of the night at “NXT TakeOver: Chicago”, Dunne would explain that he was overwhelmed with the reception he and Bate got both backstage and from the live crowd.

“It was quite overwhelming to be honest. I didn’t expect it from the get-go, really. I’d be confident that any venue in the U.K., that there would be a fair amount of people that know who myself and Tyler are. It’s another thing to walk out in Chicago and get a great reception. And then to walk back to an even more overwhelming reception from the people in the back, the people that have been around the business for so long and all the great ones behind it all. It’s unbelievable.”

Since the announcement of the U.K. brand, WWE have had the two-night tournament back in January and the special that was filmed prior to “TakeOver” where Pete Dunne would become the number one contender to Bate’s title in defeating Trent Seven.

“I’m just really proud of where we’re taking this U.K. division. Right now, we’re still unsure of what it’s going to become, but every time we put on a performance, we set out to kill it.”

“I’m really honored to be pushing this U.K. brand. And now arguably being the face of it, it’s a massive honor to me, because I saw British wrestling in the absolute pits at one point. Thirty or forty people was a great draw. And now thanks to the exposure that the WWE has given us, and now in every house in the U.K., all the talents that come through, they all finally have something to work towards. And if I could be that benchmark for the talents to work towards, that’s incredibly exciting to me, and it feels like a massive goal finally reached.”

While in a U.K. wrestling promotion known as Progress, Dunne aligned himself with Seven and Bate. They are known as ‘British Strong Style’ and are very popular among viewers. Dunne also helped train Bate, so winning the title from him was a spectacular moment.

“[Tyler is] one of my two favorite people to wrestle [the other being fellow U.K. performer Mark Andrews] and I’m really glad I got to share that one with him. I had a big hand in training Tyler. I got him his first ever booking, which was against me in a tag match. As proud as I am of myself for being able to hold this WWE title, I was incredibly proud of him, as well. The two Brits on such a huge show of this magnitude.”

Dunne was asked about wrestlers he would like to meet in the ring. He would list Brock Lesnar and William Regal as his dream matches. He also explains why, though it is self-explanatory.

“I’d love to wrestle Brock Lesnar. It’s the realism, the way he carries himself. It’s 100 percent believable because he’s real. That’s someone who I’d love to get in the ring with someday. I don’t think there’s a possibility of it ever happening, but I’d also love to wrestle William Regal one day.”

To end the interview, ESPN ask Dunne about his dreams and what he hopes to accomplish in WWE.

“One of [my remaining goals] is WrestleMania. That was a goal that I never really thought was doable, whereas now, it feels like it’s on the horizon. It feels like it’s something I could do in the next few years, for sure.”

Little is known at this stage what is next for Dunne and the U.K. roster under WWE, but stay tuned to Wrestling Rumors to be updated when more information is revealed.

Pete Dunne brutalizes Tyler Bate with a ruthless attack - WWE UK Title Match: NXT Takeover: Chicago

Editor’s Note:

I very much enjoyed the match between Bate and Dunne, though I was more a fan of the Itami VS Roode match myself. I love how respectful Dunne is in contrast with the character he portrays on WWE TV. Certainly somebody I think people need to watch out for.

What are your thoughts on Dunne? Would you like to see Dunne VS Regal or Dunne VS Lesnar? Sound off in the comments or over on our Facebook page or Twitter account. You can also follow me over on Twitter at @SOSNH1995.