The NXT Heritage Cup is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is a specialized championship for NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The title is defended just like any other championship but has a special stipulation in which all matches are contested under British Rounds Rules. The current champion is Charlie Dempsey, who is in his second reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Tony D'Angelo by 2–1 on the August 13, 2024, episode of NXT.
| NXT Heritage Cup | |||||||||||||||||||
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 The NXT Heritage Cup trophy | |||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | WWE | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brand | NXT | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | September 10, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current champion(s) | Charlie Dempsey | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date won | August 13, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other name(s) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Unveiled on September 10, 2020, as the NXT UK Heritage Cup, it was originally established as a secondary championship for NXT UK, which was a sister brand of NXT based in the United Kingdom. The inaugural champion was A-Kid. At Worlds Collide on September 4, 2022, all other NXT UK championships were unified into their respective NXT championship counterparts due to the closure of NXT UK. The Heritage Cup, however, was the only championship from either brand that was not contested at the event. The title then saw months of inactivity until April 4, 2023, when it was transferred to NXT.
History
edit
On September 10, 2020, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE announced the relaunch of the United Kingdom-based NXT UK brand, following a production hiatus since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Along with the relaunch, the promotion announced the NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament to crown the inaugural NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. The announcement also revealed that the Heritage Cup would be defended just like any other championship, but all matches would be contested under British Rounds Rules.[2][3][4]
Only seven of the eight competitors for the tournament were revealed during the initial announcement: "Flash" Morgan Webster, Noam Dar, Alexander Wolfe, A-Kid, Dave Mastiff, Trent Seven, and Joseph Conners.[2][5] The eighth competitor was determined on the October 1 episode of NXT UK in a triple threat match in which Kenny Williams defeated Ashton Smith and Amir Jordan to win the final spot.[6] The tournament itself also began on October 1 and took place across episodes of NXT UK.[2] The final aired on tape delay on November 26 where A-Kid defeated Seven to become the inaugural champion (the date the episode was taped is unknown).[7]
In August 2022, WWE announced that NXT UK would go on hiatus after the Worlds Collide event on September 4, and the brand would relaunch as NXT Europe at a later time.[8] At Worlds Collide, all NXT UK championships were retired after they were unified into their respective American-based NXT championship counterparts. The Heritage Cup was the only title from either brand to not be contested at the event.[9] The last match for the title occurred during the July 7, 2022, taping of NXT UK, which aired on tape delay on August 25, where Noam Dar became a two-time Heritage Cup Champion.[10][11] Following this, the title saw months of inactivity until the April 4, 2023, episode of NXT when Dar, with the Heritage Cup, made his NXT debut and stated he would defend the title whenever he wanted.[12] The title was subsequently renamed to NXT Heritage Cup, with the first NXT defense of the championship coming at NXT Battleground on May 28, which was also the first time the title was defended in the United States.[13]
After Charlie Dempsey won the Heritage Cup in February 2024, his stable, No Quarter Catch Crew, announced the "Catch Clause", where the stable as a whole called themselves the Heritage Cup Champions and that any member of the stable (Dempsey, Drew Gulak, Damon Kemp and Myles Borne) could defend the Cup, but WWE only recognized Dempsey as the official champion.[14] The Catch Clause was first invoked on the March 19 episode of NXT, with Gulak defeating Chase University's Riley Osborne by 2–1.[15]
British Rounds Rules
edit- Matches consist of six three-minute rounds with 20-second breaks between each round.
- Matches are 2-out-of-3 falls.
- Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
- Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
- The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls.
- In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls.
- If all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match. If tied, the champion retains.[2]
Inaugural tournament
edit| Quarterfinals NXT UK Aired: October 1–22, 2020 | Semifinals NXT UK Aired: November 5–12, 2020 | Final NXT UK Aired: November 26, 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Alexander Wolfe[Note 1] | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | 2[6] | |||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | 1 | |||||||||||||
| A-Kid | 2[19] | |||||||||||||
| A-Kid | 2[16] | |||||||||||||
| Flash Morgan Webster | 1 | |||||||||||||
| A-Kid | 2[7] | |||||||||||||
| Trent Seven | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Dave Mastiff | KO[17] | |||||||||||||
| Joseph Conners | — | |||||||||||||
| Dave Mastiff | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Trent Seven | 2[20] | |||||||||||||
| Trent Seven | 2[18] | |||||||||||||
| Kenny Williams | 1 | |||||||||||||
- ^ Pete Dunne was the special guest referee
2021 Contender tournament
edit| First round NXT UK August 12, 2021 – September 9, 2021 | Semifinals NXT UK September 16, 2021 – September 23, 2021 | Final NXT UK October 7, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Mark Andrews | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Kenny Williams | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Oliver Carter | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Kenny Williams | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Noam Dar | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Wolfgang | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Wolfgang | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Sam Gradwell | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Wolfgang | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Teoman | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Nathan Frazer | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Teoman | 2 | |||||||||||||
Heritage Cup trophy design
editUnlike other professional wrestling championships, the Heritage Cup is represented by a trophy instead of a title belt. The trophy itself is a silver cup, the front of which has a gold shield-shaped plaque that has a vertical NXT logo and below it the text "Heritage Cup". Below the cup is a physical representation of what was formerly the NXT UK logo, which is modeled after the United Kingdom's royal coat of arms, featuring a lion and a horse (instead of the traditional unicorn) on either side of the arms in gold, with a red shield at the center which has a gold vertical NXT logo. A small WWE logo is affixed at the center of the X in both NXT logos. A gold banner below this also says "Heritage Cup". This all sits atop a wooden base that is circled in gold name plaques which notate the current and previous champions.[7]
Reigns
editAs of November 25, 2024, there have been ten reigns between seven different champions. A-Kid was the inaugural champion. Noam Dar has the most reigns at three and his second reign is the longest at 341 days; however, due to tape delay, WWE officially recognizes his second reign as lasting 292 days, but still the longest. Dar also has the longest combined reign at 790 days (739 days as recognized by WWE due to tape delay). Mark Coffey has the shortest reign at 14 days (42 days as recognized by WWE due to tape delay, but still the shortest). Coffey is also the oldest champion at 32 years old, while A-Kid is the youngest at 23.
Charlie Dempsey is the current champion, in his second reign. He defeated Tony D'Angelo by 2–1 on the August 13, 2024, episode of NXT in Orlando, Florida.[21]
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| NXT UK Heritage Cup | September 10, 2020 – April 18, 2023 |
| NXT Heritage Cup | April 18, 2023 – present |
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Days recog. | Number of days held recognized by the promotion |
| N/A | Unknown information |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Days recog. | |||||
| WWE: NXT UK | ||||||||||
| 1 | A-Kid | November 26, 2020 (air date) |
NXT UK | London, England | 1 | N/A | 174 | Defeated Trent Seven 2–1 in the tournament final to become the inaugural champion. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on November 26, 2020, and ending on May 20, 2021, when the matches aired on tape delay. The actual dates the matches took place are unknown. |
[22] | |
| 2 | Tyler Bate | May 20, 2021 (air date) |
NXT UK | London, England | 1 | N/A | 160 | Won 1–0. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on May 20, 2021, and ending on October 28, 2021, when the matches aired on tape delay. The actual date of when the title change took place is unknown. |
[23] | |
| 3 | Noam Dar | October 6, 2021 | NXT UK | London, England | 1 | 260 | 258 | Won 2–1 after Bate's partner, Trent Seven, who was ringside, accidentally threw in the towel. WWE recognizes Dar's reign as beginning on October 28, 2021, and ending on July 14, 2022, when the matches aired on tape delay. |
[24] | |
| 4 | Mark Coffey | June 23, 2022 | NXT UK | London, England | 1 | 14 | 42 | Won 2–1. Sha Samuels was banned from ringside. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on July 14, 2022, and ending on August 25, 2022, when the matches aired on tape delay. |
[25] | |
| 5 | Noam Dar | July 7, 2022 | NXT UK | London, England | 2 | 341 | 292 | Won 2–1. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on August 25, 2022, when the match aired on tape delay. Following Worlds Collide in September 2022, the Cup saw months of inactivity until it was brought back on the April 4, 2023, episode of NXT, thus transferring the Cup to NXT and was subsequently renamed to NXT Heritage Cup. |
[10][12] | |
| WWE: NXT | ||||||||||
| 6 | Nathan Frazer | June 13, 2023 | NXT | Orlando, FL | 1 | 70 | 69 | Defeated Oro Mensah 2–1, who wrestled on behalf of Noam Dar due to Dar suffering an injury. | [26] | |
| 7 | Noam Dar | August 22, 2023 | NXT: Heatwave |
Orlando, FL | 3 | 189 | 189 | Won 2–1. | [27] | |
| 8 | Charlie Dempsey | February 27, 2024 | NXT | Orlando, FL | 1 | 77 | 76 | Won 2–1. At NXT: Roadblock, No Quarter Catch Crew (Dempsey, Drew Gulak, Myles Borne, and Damon Kemp) announced the "Catch Clause" where any member of the stable could defend the Cup, but only Dempsey was officially recognized as champion. The Catch Clause was invoked on the March 19 episode of NXT, where Gulak defeated Chase University's Riley Osborne by 2–1. |
[28][14][15] | |
| 9 | Tony D'Angelo | May 14, 2024 | NXT | Orlando, FL | 1 | 91 | 90 | Won 2–1. | [29] | |
| 10 | Charlie Dempsey | August 13, 2024 | NXT | Orlando, FL | 2 | 104+ | 104+ | Won 2–1. | [21] | |
Combined reigns
editAs of November 25, 2024.
| † | Indicates the current champion |
|---|
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns |
Combined days |
Combined days recognized by WWE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noam Dar | 3 | 790 | 739 |
| 2 | Charlie Dempsey † | 2 | 181+ | 180+ |
| 3 | A-Kid | 1 | N/A[c] | 174 |
| 4 | Tyler Bate | 1 | N/A[d] | 160 |
| 5 | Tony D'Angelo | 1 | 91 | 90 |
| 6 | Nathan Frazer | 1 | 70 | 69 |
| 7 | Mark Coffey | 1 | 14 | 42 |
Notes
edit- ^ WWE officially recognizes 292 days due to tape delay.
- ^ WWE officially recognizes 42 days due to tape delay.
- ^ The actual number is undeterminable as both tape dates of when he won and lost the title are unknown.
- ^ The actual number is undeterminable as the tape date of when he won the title is unknown.
References
edit- ^ Currier, Joseph (September 10, 2020). "WWE ANNOUNCES HERITAGE CUP FOR NXT UK". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion to be crowned in eight-man tournament". WWE. September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Satin, Ryan (September 10, 2020). "NXT UK – Heritage Cup Tournament Set, WALTER And Kay Lee Ray's Next Opponents Confirmed". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Jeffrey (September 10, 2020). "UPDATED: NXT UK Heritage Cup Tournament Will Crown New Champion". 411mania. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (September 10, 2020). "NXT UK HERITAGE CUP DETAILS". PWInsider. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (October 2, 2020). "10/1 NXT UK TV results: Noam Dar vs. Alexander Wolfe in a NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament match, Xia Brookside vs. Jinny, Ashton Smith vs. Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan in a Heritage Cup qualifier". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c Currier, Joseph (November 26, 2020). "WWE CROWNS FIRST NXT UK HERITAGE CUP CHAMPION". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (August 18, 2022). "WWE Announces The Impending Launch Of 'NXT Europe' Final NXT UK Event To Be 'Worlds Collide' On 9/4". Fightful. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ Moore, John (September 4, 2022). "NXT Worlds Collide results: Moore's live review of NXT Champion Bron Breakker vs. NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate in a unification match, NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose vs. NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport in a unification match, Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Russell, Skylar (July 7, 2022). "Spoiler: New NXT Heritage Cup Champion Crowned At 7/7 Tapings". Fightful. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (August 25, 2022). "New NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Crowned On 8/26 WWE NXT UK". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Rose, Bryan (April 4, 2023). "Noam Dar returns with Heritage Cup trophy on WWE NXT". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Kilbane, Lyle (April 18, 2023). "WWE Officially Change Championship's Name". TJR Wrestling. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (March 5, 2024). "NXT TV results (3/5): Moore's review of NXT Roadblock with Carmelo Hayes vs. Tony D'Angelo for a shot at the NXT Title, Kabuki Warriors vs. Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley for the WWE Women's Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Moore, John (March 19, 2024). "NXT TV results (3/19): Moore's review of Trick Williams vs. Noam Dar, Riley Osborne challenging for the NXT Heritage Cup, Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley, NXT Tag Team Title match qualifiers for Stand & Deliver". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (October 8, 2020). "10/8 NXT UK TV results: A-Kid vs. Flash Morgan Webster in a NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament match, Nina Samuels and Amale vs. Xia Brookside and Dani Luna, Jack Starz vs. Saxon Huxley". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (October 15, 2020). "10/15 NXT UK TV results: Walter and Alexander Wolfe vs. Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne, Dave Mastiff vs. Joseph Conners in an NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament match, Isla Dawn vs. Piper Niven". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (October 23, 2020). "10/22 NXT UK TV results: Trent Seven vs. Kenny Williams in an NXT UK Heritage Cup tournament, Amale vs. Nina Samuels, Oliver Carter vs. Eddie Dennis, the Walter and Ilja Dragunov contract signing". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (November 6, 2020). "11/5 NXT UK TV results: Noam Dar vs. A-Kid in a Heritage Cup semifinal match, Gallus vs. Sam Gradwell, Sam Stoker, and Lewis Howley, Jinny vs. Aleah James". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (November 13, 2020). "11/12 NXT UK TV results: Trent Seven vs. Dave Mastiff in a Heritage Cup tournament semifinal match, Nina Samuels vs. Xia Brookside, Rampage Brown vs. Jack Starz, Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams vs. Wild Boar and Primate". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Moore, John (August 13, 2024). "NXT TV results (8/13): Moore's review of Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. Andre Chase and Ridge Holland for the NXT Tag Titles, Oba Femi's open challenge for the NXT North American Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 26, 2020). "WWE NXT UK #120 - TV-Show @ BT Sport Studios in London, England, UK". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (May 20, 2021). "New NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Crowned On 5/20/21". Fightful. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Andrew (October 28, 2021). "NXT UK notes: Noam Dar wins Heritage Cup, Satomura vs. Jinny, NXT UK Tag Titles". Post Wrestling. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Guzzo, Gisberto (June 23, 2022). "Spoiler: Title Changes Hands During 6/23 NXT UK Taping". Fightful. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ Moore, John (June 13, 2023). "6/13 NXT TV results: Moore's review of Baron Corbin vs. Ilja Dragunov, Noam Dar vs. Nathan Frazer for the NXT Heritage Cup, Wes Lee, Mustafa Ali, and Tyler Bate vs. Joe Gacy, Jagger Reid, and Rip Fowler, Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley, Edris Enofe vs. Malik Blade, Thea Hail vs. Cora Jade". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Moore, John (August 22, 2023). "NXT TV results (8/22): Moore's review of Heatwave with Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee for the NXT Title, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria, Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar for the NXT Heritage Cup". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Moore, John (February 27, 2024). "NXT TV results (2/27): Moore's review of Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes meeting, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade, Von Wagner vs. Lexis King, Kiana James vs. Kelani Jordan". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Moore, John (May 14, 2024). "NXT TV results (5/14): Moore's review of Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame, and Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend in NXT Women's NA Title qualifiers, Charlie Dempsey vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Heritage Cup, Je'Von Evans vs. Noam Dar". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 14, 2024.