NXT TakeOver: Toronto II Velveteen Dream v Pete Dunne v Roderick Strong

NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream will have to deal with not one, but two potent contenders at TakeOver: Toronto, when he faces Roderick Strong and the newly returned Pete Dunne in a Triple Threat Match.

Strong has been hot on Dream’s trail since pinning him in six-man tag team action in June and appeared to be in line for a one-on-one title opportunity until The BruiserWeight reared his head (and snapped Strong’s fingers) in his monumental return to the black-and-gold brand on July 24. With Dunne, a former WWE United Kingdom Champion, making his North American Title aspirations clear to all, NXT General Manager William Regal thought it only fitting to insert him into the picture, paving the road to TakeOver: Toronto’s explosive Triple Threat Match.

It might not be the title opportunity that Strong envisioned, but The Messiah of the Backbreaker no doubt remains mission-focused on helping The Undisputed ERA fulfill its prophecy of being “draped in championship gold.” Dunne, on the other hand, is hungry to capture his first title since losing the WWE U.K. Championship to WALTER in January.

Then there’s the defending champion, Velveteen Dream, who is arguably under the greatest pressure of all. Defending the title against either Strong or Dunne would be a tall task in its own right, but fighting both Superstars in a Triple Threat Match — where there are no disqualifications or count-outs and the champion doesn’t even have to be involved in the decision to lose the title — makes title retention an exceedingly difficult proposition.