The top 5 performers from NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night One

#1. WALTER reminds NXT why he's the man to beat

WALTER stands tall at the end of it all

It seems no one can topple WALTER for the NXT UK Championship. The champ may be the most dominant man in wrestling today. Tonight further solidified that legacy when he took on Tommaso Ciampa in a grueling match.

After minutes of back-and-forth action, the bout got brutal in a way we'd expect from a Ciampa and WALTER match. Stiff strikes aplenty rocked both men to their cores. This was a test of will, and WALTER was never going to break.

.@WalterAUT will never forget @NXTCiampa, and he has the marks to show it. #AndStill #RespectTheMat #NXTTakeOver @FabianAichner @TheWWEWolfe @Marcel_B_WWE pic.twitter.com/1ziQl7YBx0

— NXT UK (@NXTUK) April 8, 2021

Beth Phoneix summarized it best when she described the match as a hybrid between WALTER's bouts with Tyler Bate and Ilja Dragunov. This was a fight.

What this match did well was showcase WALTER in a way we've never seen before. Ciampa seemed to be in control for most of the bout as the big man injured his chopping hand by breaking it through the announce table. But WALTER fought from underneath like never before.

It's a welcome addition to his character as he's proven he will go to hell and back to retain his NXT UK title.