January 14, 2017
(aired live)
#WWEUKCT
City: Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Venue: Empress Ballroom
Commentary: Michael Cole, Nigel McGuinness
Ring Announcer: Andy Shepherd
Theme Song: “Dusted” by Astroid Boys
>> Read the Recap & Review for night two of the tournament. >>
Video
WWE had has a very special relationship with the UK over the years. This video package shows clips to prove it. But now, the gap between the UK and WWE will be bridged.
Ring Area
Triple H comes out to the stage. He says that tonight an empire will be built in the UK.
After the lights come up in the arena, Michael Cole introduces his broadcast partner for the night, Nigel McGuinness! They take a quick look at the tournament brackets and make some quick picks for who might win the UK Title.
Video
Introducing Trent Seven and moustache mountain. Also introducing H.C. Dyer and his fists.
Match 1
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Trent Seven vs H.C. Dyer
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Trent Seven wins via pinfall after a Seven Stars Lariat
Time: 5:27
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. There were some strong moves by both guys in this match, but Seven was clearly the more experienced of the two. Dyer was fine, but he pulled his face around in too many overly exaggerated expressions for my taste. It’s a small quibble, but it bugged me a little. As for the action, it was good. It didn’t get terribly competitive, but it’s still the first round so I didn’t expect it to.
Video
A look at Danny Burch and Jordan Devlin.
Ring Area
Finn Balor and Joey Cabray are in the crowd.
Match 2
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Danny Burch vs Jordan Devlin
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Jordan Devlin wins via pinfall after a jumping corkscrew enzuigiri
Time: 8:53
Match Thoughts
This was a good match, but it was somewhat marred by a strange ending. It started off very fast paced, then Devlin slowed it down with an extended amount of time in a reverse chinlock. Burch then made a comeback and looked very good. He had some nice chains of moves and was quite impressive.
Unfortunately, the finish seemed like a miscue. There was one awkward pin attempt which was broken up, then you could see the referee hesitate and say something before the next pin attempt. Three was counted even though a shoulder clearly came off the mat. Even Michael Cole initially called it as a kick out. It was an unfortunate ending to a good match.
Perhaps it was part of the story. The finish actually works really well for the characters and adds some intrigue for the next round. It just looked odd as it was happening.
Ring Area
After the match, a bloodied and frustrated Danny Burch offers to shake Devlin’s hand. Devlin responds by kicking Burch in the face.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Devlin why he kicked Burch. Devlin says he’s a thoroughbred horse and he’s here to win.
Video
Saxon Huxley will stand out because of his mind. Sam Gradwell didn’t have an easy upbringing.
Match 3
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Saxon Huxley vs Sam Gradwell
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Sam Gradwell wins via pinfall after a diving deadbutt
Time: 6:08
Match Thoughts
This was okay, but like McGuinness even said late in the match, Saxon looked a little lost at times. Gradwell looked pretty good with his power moves and strikes, and I look forward to seeing more from him. The crowd did start to become a bit obnoxious with their chants in this one. They were giving Saxon a hard time, and it was amusing at first, but it became one of those times when the constant chants didn’t have much to do with the action in the ring and became distracting.
Ring Area
Dave Taylor is in the crowd.
Video
Pete Dunne is unique. Roy Johnson is wavy.
Match 4
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Roy Johnson vs Pete Dunne
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Pete Dunne wins via pinfall after a Bitter End
Time: 7:45
Match Thoughts
Good match. Dunne was the more interesting of the two. Johnson looked fine, but Dunne did a ton of little things that make him interesting to watch. He’s a mean and dirty wrestler, but he also seems smart in the ring. The commentators mentioned that Johnson has only been wrestling for two years while Dunne has been at it for eleven. The difference really showed in the match.
Video
Wolfgang is looking for validation. Tyson T-Bone isn’t a wrestler.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Tyson T-Bone about his mindset. He’s ready to knock out Wolfgang and move on in the tournament.
Ring Area
Jon Briley and Jim Smallman of Progress Wrestling are in the crowd.
Match 5
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Wolfgang vs Tyson T-Bone
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Wolfgang wins via pinfall after a Swanton Bomb
Time: 6:15
Match Thoughts
Good match. T-Bone started early with a headbutt before the opening bell, and the first part of the match was pretty much a brawl. The match settled down somewhat, and Wolfgang started to show his agility. Wolfgang looked good with his combination of size and speed.
Ring Area
Carly Caruso asks Wolfgang about facing Trent Seven in the next round. Wolfgang says he’s taking the UK Title back Scotland.
Video
Joseph Conners has been applying his craft for ten years. James Drake is honored to be in the tournament.
Match 6
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
James Drake vs Joseph Conners
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Joseph Conners wins via pinfall after Don’t Look Down
Time: 7:17
Match Thoughts
Good match, though it did take a while to get going. The final portion of the match was pretty fast-paced and had some interesting moves. Both guys seemed fairly even throughout, and they looked and wrestled so similarly that it would be easy to lose track of who was who if you weren’t paying close attention.
One thing that stood out was the odd choice for Drake (and the commentators) to pay a lot of attention to Conners’ ear. Conners is missing half an ear, but to focus on that as part of a game plan is just silly, and the fact that everyone made such a big deal about it was strange. I mean, I get it, it makes him stand out, but they seemed to harp on it a little too much.
Video
Mark Andrews is Welsh. Dan Moloney doesn’t come from a good place.
Backstage
Charly Caruso asks Mark Andrews how he stacks up to the competition. Andrews has been an underdog his whole life, but he shouldn’t be underestimated.
Match 7
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Dan Moloney vs Mark Andrews
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Mark Andrews wins via pinfall after a Shooting Star Press
Time: 5:43
Match Thoughts
Good match. Andrews is a lot of fun to watch. He started fast with some high flying, but Moloney managed to slow him down. Eventually Andrews was able to get some space to move and hit another burst of offense towards the final part of the match. This was maybe the most exciting match of the night so far, and it definitely had the crowd the most invested.
Video
Tucker is coming back from knee surgery. Tyler Bate has nothing to lose.
Ring Area
Mark Dallas and Duncan Gray from ICW are in the crowd.
Match 8
WWE UK Title Tournament First Round Match
Tucker vs Tyler Bate
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Tyler Bate wins via pindfall after a Tyler Driver 97
Time: 10:38
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was easily the best match of the night. Bate and Tucker were able to put together a match that was fun, compelling, and hard-hitting. There were some pretty spectacular moves in this one, and it felt like the most complete match of the night.
Ring Area
William Regal and Nigel McGuinness run down the list of matchups for the quarter finals of the tournament. While the eight men are lined up on the stage, Pete Dunne attacks Sam Gradwell, his opponent for tomorrow night. William Regal pushes Dunne away and gets in his face as the show ends.
Show Impressions
I liked the show, but I feel like part two is going to be a lot batter. The matches were fine, but it took until the last two of the night before it really started to get exciting. Looking at the matchups for the quarter finals, I expect the next round will be tons better. The Cruiserweight tournament was largely the same way too. The first round had some matches that weren’t great, but it set up the personalities so that round two was more consistently good.
Match of the Night
Tucker vs Tyler Bate
This was far and away the best match.