As a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic,
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin was unable to travel to the United States. An
interim champion was then crowned to serve as titleholder in the U.S. until Devlin could return.
Santos Escobar became the interim champion, and over the course of the following year, Devlin defended the title on
NXT UK (when shows resumed in October 2020) while Escobar defended the title on
NXT. After the travel ban was lifted in March 2021, Devlin made his return to the U.S. on the March 17 episode of
NXT and confronted Escobar over who the real champion was. Escobar then challenged Devlin to a match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver to determine the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion.