The main event of NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff was more than a contest for the WWE United Kingdom Title; it was a battle for the very heart and soul of NXT UK, pitting the leader of Imperium WALTER against Moustache Mountain’s Tyler Bate.

The match was a true battle of intestinal fortitude and pure guts as both competitors kept the pedal to the metal from start to finish and gave every bit of themselves for 40 minutes of pure mayhem.

At the start, Bate stayed with the physically imposing titleholder with maneuvers like the big slam -- the first of many incredible feats of strength by the challenger -- and an electric hurricanrana. When he dove at the massive Ring General through the ropes, however, WALTER caught him, hurled his prey onto the ring apron with a massive powerbomb and began decimating Bate inside and outside the ring.

After a series of quick countermoves, Tyler Bate sends WALTER flying from the ring in a battle for The Ring General’s WWE United Kingdom Championship: Courtesy of WWE Network.

No matter what was thrown at him, the relentless Bate fought back with incomparable desire. The leader of Imperium continued to punish his challenger with an arsenal that included countless vicious chops and submissions like the Boston crab, a crossface and a three-quarter nelson from the back.

The remorseless champion continued to punish his foe with a series of excruciating sleepers and a sleeper suplex that served as a precursor to WALTER dropping down on his prey from the top rope, the same sequence that nearly destroyed Pete Dunne. Still, Bate refused to quit, firing back with efforts like an exploder suplex off the apron that sent WALTER crashing down to the ringside floor, a superhuman suplex, the airplane spin, the Burning Hammer, another exploder suplex off the off the top rope and the Tyler Driver, all of which nearly allowed him to become the first two-time United Kingdom Champion.

Finally, after both competitors left every bit of themselves on the canvas, a thunderous clothesline from WALTER finally brought down Bate for the three-count in a struggle that will go down as a match for the ages.

Now that WALTER has conquered Bate, who will oppose the dominant champion and the rest of Imperium, who have taken full control of NXT UK?