Velveteen Dream, Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne unleash a flurry of vicious strikes during their battle for the NXT North American Title. Video courtesy of WWE Network.

In a wild Triple Threat Match, NXT North American Champion The Velveteen Dream fought off both Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong to retain his title.

The Velveteen Dream made his presence felt immediately, as he made a Canadian-style entrance, accompanied by the North Side Crew dance team of the NBA Champion Toronto Raptors. After the bell rang, Dunne was not in any mood for the champion’s antics, as The Velveteen Dream tried to get into his head. But after an exchange of offense from The BruiserWeight and the champion, it looked as though Dream was solely focused on Dunne, forgetting the third man in the battle. Strong drove the NXT North American Champion into the ring post, then showed the world why they call him The Messiah of The Backbreaker, driving both Dream and Dunne into the ring apron, the guardrail and each other.

The action was fast and furious from there on out, as Dream brought Toronto to its feet with a Sharpshooter, then Strong took the bout to the arena floor, where Dunne turned the tides of the bout with a picture-perfect moonsault. Back in the ring, the match turned into a straight-up fight, as all three Superstars exchanged punches and kicks.

Strong took control of the bout temporarily as Dunne focused on Dream atop the ropes, climbing up and slamming both men to the canvas. The BruiserWeight was not incapacitated, though, as he trapped Strong in a triangle hold, but inadvertently positioned them perfectly for Velveteen Dream to leap coast-to-coast with an elbow drop to break the hold. Afterward, Strong went on a tear, clobbering his two opponents with a flurry of elbows, then locking both men in the Stronghold simultaneously. Dunne escaped, then targeted the fingers of his rivals, snapping their digits to the delight of the NXT Universe.

The battle was back-and-forth as it wore on, with it looking as though any of the three Superstars would emerge victorious. Strong came closest, as he devastated Dunne with End of Heartache. However, The Velveteen Dream came crashing down as Strong attempted to make the pinfall, connecting with the Purple Rainmaker, then pinning Dunne to retain his title.

Though Dunne and Strong both looked primed to take the title, the NXT North American Champion made sure their dreams stayed just that, showing that as long as he’s champion, there’s one inevitable thing: Dream Over.