At on 12 January 2019, the inaugural NXT UK TakeOver event, Dunne retained his title against Joe Coffey in the main event. Two weeks later, Dunne appeared as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match at the namesake pay-per-view on 27 January. He would fail to win however, as he was eliminated by Drew McIntyre. At , Dunne lost the UK Championship to Walter, ending his record setting reign at 685 days.