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Bron Breakker vowed to hold all WWE superstars accountable just a few weeks ago and called out new World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins in hopes he would accept his challenge for NXT Gold Rush.
Rollins accepted the challenge last week, setting up a star-studded match between the new blood of NXT against the old guard. Rollins became the first NXT Champion in 2012. Breakker is a two-time NXT champion with his second reigning ending with a loss to Carmelo Hayes after 362 days.
Now, Breakker gets ready to face off against Rollins on what the champion called the "House that Seth built."
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Bron Breakker unleashes his spear on NXT. (WWE)
"It’s a truthful statement," Breakker told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "He was the first-ever NXT Champion. Seth is phenomenal. He’s a phenomenal sports entertainer. He’s the best. All those things are true. But since I’ve stepped on the scene, this has been my brand – that’s just the way it is.
"He’s been a superstar on ‘Monday Night Raw’ and he’s been on top of the world. He’s this huge superstar and I’ve been on top of NXT since the day I stepped foot in the door. I just want a bigger and better challenge. I’m ready to see what Seth Rollins is about and Tuesday night, I’m ready to become the new World Heavyweight Champion."
Breakker admitted he did not know whether Rollins would respond when he challenged him two weeks ago.
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"It’s just one of those things like, ‘Hey, why not?’" Breakker said. "I’m confident in my ability. I’m the best in NXT. There’s no doubt about it and I felt like I, you know, I’m the two-time NXT Champion, the most dominant champion that there’s ever been, so I was like, ‘you know what? Why not take a crack at the World Heavyweight Champion? See what he’s about.’"
Breakker added that "this is the most focused and locked in for anything that I’ve ever been in my entire life."
Seth Rollins during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium on April 1, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
"I know the task at hand is a tall task, and it’s going to be a tough one, and it’s going to be a battle," he explained. "Seth Rollins is the best in the world. He’s the World Heavyweight Champion, and he’s been on top for over 10 years now. I’m aware of how tall this task is and everything. But I’m hungry. I’m ready to go, confident in my ability, my body. I’m just I’m ready. Locked in."
Breakker vowed to hold the entire WWE roster from the top down regardless of brand. He said, after he beats Seth Rollins on Tuesday night, he may have to step back and look at his options.
"I think after I win the World Heavyweight Championship … you know, Ilja Dragunov opens his mouth one too many times, and I’ve already been in the ring, and I’ve already beaten him before. So, at that point, I got to take a step back and look at my options because come Wednesday morning, after I win the World Heavyweight Championship, it’s a whole different landscape for me now," he said.
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Bron Breakker will face Seth Rollins for the championship. (WWE)
Breakker is among the reasons why NXT has emerged as a formidable third brand within WWE along with superstars like Hayes, Dragunov, Wes Lee, Tiffany Stratton, Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne.
NXT’s ratings are up 15% in the key 18-49 demographic and up 50% in the 18-34 demographic compared to this time in 2022. The brand could be a key aspect as WWE’s broadcast rights are reportedly being negotiated.
"We’re constantly getting better each and every week and growing as a brand," Breakker told Fox News Digital. "I definitely think NXT, right now, we’re hot. We can stand alone as a third brand. We’re moving right along. "I think a lot of progression has been made from when I started in NXT, how it’s different from now that it’s 2.0, and I think we’re rolling right now as a brand.
"We’re hot. We’re killing it. We’re doing great."
NXT Gold Rush is slated to be a two-week event. Tuesday night’s event can be seen on USA Network at 8 p.m. ET.
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Here’s the card.
- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Bron Breakker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
- Wes Lee (c) vs. Tyler Bate for the NXT North American Championship.
- Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs vs. Edris Enofe & Malik Blade vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger to determine the No. 1 contenders for the NXT Tag-Team Championship
- Dana Brooke vs. Cora Jade in a singles match
- The Meta-Four vs. Valeinta Feroz and Yulisa Leon in a tag-team match.