5 NXT UK stars who could be the fourth member of Team Ciampa

The big question going into Saturday's NXT Takeover: WarGames is who the final man will be on Team Ciampa?

Two weeks ago, the team looked to be set in stone as Dominic Dijakovic stepped up to join Ciampa, Keith Lee and Matt Riddle to face The Undisputed Era.

Soon afterwards though, 'The Original Bro' Matt Riddle was pulled from the match and into a mouth-watering encounter with Finn Balor - leaving that final spot open once more.

Names like Velveteen Dream and Kushida have been thrown into the mix. However, there is a chance that NXT could go with the same approach that they did for the Women's WarGames match: looking at the NXT UK roster.

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The US and UK NXT brands have intertwined numerous times over the last three years with mixed fortunes, and there isn't a lack of talent developing their craft in the UK Performance Centre.

So here are 5 NXT UK stars who could end up in WarGames.

#5 WALTER

Let's kick off with arguably the biggest name on the NXT UK roster in the WWE United Kingdom Champion.

'The Ring General' Walter isn't shy to the Full Sail crowd. Alongside his Imperium cohorts, he was a regular feature on NXT during the early weeks of the brand's run on the USA Network.

It's clear that WWE see big things in the Austrian given how well he has been protected in 2019.

Looking at how the NXT crowd have reacted to his appearances recently, he would certainly receive an electric reaction if he was chosen. The only thing that would make this unlikely is his current allegiances.

Walter is currently portraying a heel figure on NXT UK. Team Ciampa are the good guys in this encounter. It just wouldn't make sense in that way for Walter to try and take down the Undisputed Era.

It would be more logical for him to be a member of Team NXT the next night at Survivor Series.

#4 Noam Dar

It seems as though the WWE faithful have lost faith in the 'Scottish Supernova'.

Coming out of the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, Noam Dar was given a massive platform to make his main roster debut with the company, appearing on the Glasgow RAW tapings in front of his buoyant home town crowd.

Now, three years on, the Israel-born Scotsman has seemingly been sent back to the UK with NXT UK, and has even announced a return to ICW on a regular basis.

Despite this, Dar remains one of the top talents the British scene has produced. His recent matches on NXT UK against Travis Banks and Trent Seven are testament to this.

If WWE was to go to their British brand for the final member of Team Ciampa, they'd likely pluck for someone they know they could trust.

This was the case with Kay Lee Ray as, since she is the NXT UK Women's Champion, they clearly see her as the top female wrestler on the brand right now.

Dar has shown he can cut it on the main roster, and he has hung in the ring with some of the top stars who have moved up from the Cruiserweight division.

He'd most certainly be a safe, but reliable choice for this slot.

#3 Kassius Ohno

One year ago, Kassius Ohno was getting knocked flat on his back by Matt Riddle at last year's WarGames event.

Since then, we haven't seen much of the Knockout Artist on the main stream NXT program.

2019 has seen Ohno make NXT UK his home, and his run on the brand has seen him put over several top stars in the process.

His time away from Full Sail has reminded many just how good a wrestler he is. His second spell in NXT saw him used more as an enhancement talent than a serious contender.

Despite this, Ohno is still a loved figure amongst the fans. His return, if it happens, would indeed be a shock, but one which the crowd would eat up.

Given who he would be facing in this match as well, the prospects certainly are mouth watering.

Could you imagine the striking battle between Ohno and Roderick Strong?

The fact that NXT have rarely called on Ohno's talents this year though makes this seem unlikely to me, as good as it would be.

If Triple H and co. had planned on using Ohno, you'd surely think that he'd have been more active on the brand since the move to two hours.

#2 Tyler Bate

Whilst he is still viewed as an NXT UK star, Tyler Bate is more than accustomed to life on the main NXT brand.

Just recently, he wrestled on an episode of NXT in a losing effort to Cameron Grimes.

Given his friendship and loyalties to Pete Dunne, there is a good chance that Bate will be in Chicago on Saturday anyway to support the 'Bruiserweight ' in his match against Killian Dain and Damien Priest.

'The Big Strong Boy' would have logical reasons to want revenge on The Undisputed Era. It was just over a year ago where Bate was forced to throw in the towel for his partner Trent Seven against Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong - a feat which cost British Strong Style their NXT Tag Team Championships.

Still only 22, Bate is an athlete that NXT fans have longed to see at Full Sail more regularly. Putting him in this match would present a logical reason for him to make that transition without it feeling forced.

The potential match-ups that could stem from that are endless. One possibility could be a feud with Cole over the NXT Championship, especially given the fact that the champ could be defending the title at Survivor Series against Dunne.

#1 Ilja Dragunov

Potentially a left-field pick, but still one that could be a master stroke.

Fans across the world got a taste of what Dragunov can produce at NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff in a masterpiece of a match against Cesaro.

Indeed, when UK wrestling supporters talk about their MVPs of 2019, 'The Unbesiegbar' is high up on many lists.

His highlights across the British Independents have included a barn-stormer in Glasgow for ICW against Joe Coffey and a technical classic for Progress with Jordan Devlin.

He is so highly rated by some, that it came as a surprise that he landed in NXT UK instead of going straight to the US Black and Gold brand.

Dragunov's combination of high energy and explosiveness would create an interesting dynamic inside the WarGames structure.

The Russian would certainly provide that X-Factor which Ciampa is after, in order to get the edge over Cole and The Undisputed Era.

It would be fair to say that Dragunov hasn't exactly been used to his full potential in NXT UK so far. A great way to legitimise him more to the WWE audience though would be for him to put on a great showing here on the biggest weekend in NXT history.

Edited by Atharva Papnoi