WWE United Kingdom Championship: 5 Breakout Performers in Part One
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The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament was an opportunity that was seized by five men.
A revolution started in Blackpool, England on Saturday. The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is aopening a door to a region that needs it, as they are overflowing with great talents.
There has been a lot of buzz about the UK wrestling scene for the past few years. In the past, guys would have to leave their homes to truly establish themselves. Guys like Sheamus, Wade Barrett, and Drew Galloway did it by going to America, and Finn Balor did it by going to Japan. There are many examples of that, while guys in the US and Japan could stay at home and build their global brand to get themselves noticed.
However, it appears that all that has changed.
The UK Championship Tournament was a showcase of talent that have built a camaraderie together, as they have worked to, not only make names for themselves, but also break the entire UK wrestling scene through the glass ceiling.
The two-hours of wrestling on WWE Network on Saturday was the culmination of years of work. Some of the guys in this tournament have been at it for over 10 years, only achieving measured levels of success. Some of them are very young, like 19-year-old Tyler Bate. Together though, they make British wrestling what it is, and they are the representatives for it on a global stage.
I knew very little about any of the men involved when I sat down to watch Part One, andhile all 16 guys represented their countries well, five of them stood out above the rest. They made their case that the UK region belongs in the same conversation as countries like the United States, Japan, and Mexico at the top of the wrestling world.
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Honorary Mention to the Color Commentator, Nigel McGuinness
Nigel McGuinness has wrestled all over the world. He is a forefather of the wrestling rebirth in the UK, and a big reason these men were given this opportunity.
McGuinness made his name in Ring of Honor, and is one of the greatest world champions in ROH history. He also enjoyed a bit of success in TNA and Pro Wrestling Noah, but it all came crashing down to health issues.
However, McGuinness was given an opportunity in his own right with this tournament.
McGuinness, who has some experience at a wrestling announce table, sat alongside Michael Cole to call this tournament. Both men did a tremendous job and deserve a ton of credit for helping make the performers in the ring come across as stars.
McGuinness brought a British feel to the broadcast that none of the other WWE announcers could have done justice to. Plus, he brought out something in Cole that we don’t always get to see when he gets lost in all the extra stuff that comes along with announcing Monday Night Raw.
I’m very excited to see what they have next for McGuinness when this tournament is over.
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5. In defeat, Roy Johnson Proved Himself Against “The Bruiserweight”
Going into this tournament, some of the participants garnered more buzz than others. Pete Dunne was one of the guys at the top of that list.
However, his opponent Roy Johnson went out and dominated much of their match, seeming determined to be the guy that people would be talking about.
WWE’s hands are slightly tied when booking a tournament like this or the Cruiserweight Classic. They have to concede their thoughts on a guy and his character to what has been established in other companies. Johnson is a former powerlifter who is new to wrestling. Realistically, the winner of this tournament has to be an established name, but if a UK weekly show materializes out of this, expect Johnson to be a star of that show.
The level of ability he has reached in two years of training is nothing short of incredible, and his character and natural charisma jump off the screen. He has WWE written all over him and that weekly show could be all his, if it happens, with a chance to take his career well beyond that.
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4. In a World Flooded with Them, Tucker’s Superkick Helped Him Steal the Show with Tyler Bate
From Northern Ireland, Tucker is a 26-year-old who throws the best superkick that I have ever seen. Unfortunately for him, he only got to use it once, and it was so good, it knocked his opponent Tyler Bate out of the ring. Tucker was then unable to capitalize, and Bate would rally to be victorious and eliminate Tucker from the tournament.
Still, Tucker put on a good show, and he was a winner before he even stepped in the ring, as him and Bate were chosen to main event the show.
Just look at some of the guys that Tucker and the 19-year-old Bate were chosen over: Pete Dunne (current Progress World Champion), Trent Seven (), and Wolfgand (current ICW World Heavyweight Champion). Plus, Mark Andrews and Danny Burch, two guys with some United States work on their resumes.
Tucker and Bate delivered when they got out there and went and had the best match on the show. So, while it’s rough for Tucker to have fallen out so quickly, expect to hear from him again soon.
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3. Trent Seven Had a lot of Buzz and He Showed Why in the Opening Match
Trent Seven and H.C. Dyer were put in a tough spot. The anticipation for this show had been building, the crowd was red-hot, and it was all coming to a head, as Seven and Dyer stood in the ring and the bell rang to start it all off.
Dyer got a nice bit of offense in, but this was a showcase match for the 35-year-old Seven.
Seven is one of the older guys in this tournament, but with only 8 years experience in the ring, he has less wear and tear than most of the other participants. That fact will definitely be to his benefit when WWE looks at picking a winner and the original face of the potential weekly Network program.
Plus, when looking at the angle that they ran with Pete Dunne at the end of the show, it’s clear that they are trying to make him the lead heel of the tournament and could be sending him to the finals. With how over Seven was with the crowd, he could be the perfect face for Dunne to lock up with and put a bow on the tournament.
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2. Pete Dunne Made his Statement When Nobody was Suspecting it
Pete Dunne defeated Roy Johnson in the first round, and as stated earlier, it was more of a showcase for Johnson than it was for “The Bruiserweight” Dunne.
However, at the end of the night, Nigel McGuinness and William Regal made their way to the stage to bring out all 8 first round winners and hype the matches that would take place in round two. Dunne and his opponent Sam Gradwell went face-to-face and line up with the other competitors, but then Dunne went rogue and attacked Gradwell, even after they went off the air.
It appears that Dunne is poised to breakout as a heel and really work heavily that way in Part Two. It’s something that this tournament could use, with all 16 guys receiving positive receptions during Part One, and it could bring some heat to his second round match tomorrow.
He carries himself with a bit of a cocky attitude, so it could work out well, and help them start the potential weekly UK show with an already hot rivalry, something that WWE failed to do with 205 Live.
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1. The Star of the Show from Blackpool was the Youngster, Tyler Bate
Bate, accompanied by his fists, which he has named Bop and Bang, main evented Part One at the age of 19. It was a spot that easily would’ve overwhelmed most 19 year olds, but Bate isn’t like most 19 year olds. Bate already has five years of experience in the ring. Plus, he has a really nice mustache.
He stands at only 5’7” 175 pounds and would seem to have the odds stacked against him, but his charisma leaves the word “superstar” written all over him.
Charisma just oozes out of his pores, and makes him a must-watch performer going into Sunday’s Part Two.
His selling was incredible and he really helped to put over Tucker, while still picking up the victory, as the two of them earned a standing ovation in the main event.
His performance left a good taste in the mouth of everybody in the building and watching at home, and helped heighten the anticipation for Part Two even more, where he has to be one of the favorites to be the first WWE United Kingdom Champion.
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