Top 5 Can't Miss Moments From NXT TakeOver: New York

#2. Pete Dunne's Historic Reign Comes To An End

NEW NXT UK Champion WALTER posing with Triple H

Pete Dunne was only 23 years old and already a UK legend when he arrived in the WWE in January 2017. Dunne was announced as a participant in the tournament to crown the inaugural NXT UK Champion. He performed exceptionally well and made it all the way to the finals only to come up just short against eventual winner Tyler Bate. The match was an instant classic.

If given the opportunity, Dunne vowed that he wouldn't come up short again. He earned another opportunity to face Bate in May of that year. The two wrestled in another classic. Only this time the outcome was different and Dunne walked away as NXT UK Champion. The Bruiserweight did not look back for nearly two years.

Dunne would vanquish all challengers in his historic 685-day reign as champion. Those 685 days put Dunne in rare air and mentioned in the same breath as legendary WWE names like Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino.

All good things; however, must come to an end and the beginning of the end for Dunne's historic championship reign came with the debut of WALTER at January's NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool show. A bout between the two UK legends was imminent and it all came to fruition at tonight's NXT Takeover: New York.

Dunne gave WALTER all he could handle nearly severing his much larger opponent's fingers from his hands, but WALTER was equally brutal, aggressive, and used his superior size and strength to score a stunning pinfall over Dunne, ending his reign at 685 days. What does it feel like to hold the title that long only to lose it at the biggest NXT show of the year? The picture below is worth a thousand words.

685 days as @WWEUK Champion. #Respect.... @PeteDunneYxB pic.twitter.com/6Gc7y3lEaC

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 6, 2019