The WWE crowned their first-ever United Kingdom champion last Sunday after a two-day tournament that saw hot prospects from all across the UK compete in a single elimination bracket not unlike last year's Cruiserweight Classic. Being mostly unfamiliar with the British wrestling scene (WWE, ROH, and NJPW are wear I hang my hat), it was a crash course for me on European style wrestling. From what I saw on the two-night WWE Network special, it seems to be a mix of Japanese "strong style" and old-school work-a-wristlock style grappling that used to be more pervasive in the NWA/AWA era. Wrestling purists and UK fans will find a lot to love on the UK Tourney, even if the product was altered slightly to fit the WWE's familiar programming model.
Basically, if you like NXT and 205Live, but didn't check out the UK Tournament for whatever reason, you're doing yourself a disservice. Also, ROH fans will appreciate the great Nigel McGuinness on commentary. He and Michael Cole made a great team and Cole really let Nigel get his two cents in and make the show feel like something new. As for the wrestlers themselves, let's take a look at some of the WWE's newest faces and what they bring to the table:
A 19-year old dynamo by the name of Tyler Bate won the inaugural tournament, following a hard fought victory over the "Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne and a huge upset in the quarterfinals against the much larger Wolfgang. Bate reminds me a bit of Jack Gallagher and Daniel Bryan, with a pugilist quality tacked on for added personality. Bate's finisher, the Tyler Driver, got the biggest response from the live crowd in Blackpool every time he hit it. As a finishing maneuver, it has the impact of a Batista Bomb combined with the sickening crunch of a Styles Clash. It's a cool finisher, and Bate's ability to hit it on much larger opponents is a boon to him in the musclebound world of the WWE. He's a young babyface who gets along well with the crowd and is a good choice for the first UK champ. The decision to put him over here reminds me of T.J. Perkins' victory at the CWC last year.
The wrestler to make the biggest splash at the event, however, was Pete Dunne. Dunne's acne scars and crooked grimace combine to give him a fearsome visage, and his diverse arsenal of heel-ish tactics in the ring (like stomping the fingers and joints of his foes) might remind you of Randy Orton. Dunne is a savage who likes to kick his opponents when they're down. His attack on local hero Sam Gradwell and his sneak assault on Bate prior to their match put over the fact that he is not the kind to wait for an opportunity. He's a visually striking brawler who does what the WWE wants us to think Baron Corbin can do, but at half the size.
While most of the 16 competitors in the UK tourney were mat-based technicians and brawlers, Mark Andrews stood out as the Sami Zayn/Evan Bourne of the group. Andrews unleashed a litany of moonsaults and shooting star presses, making even a young Rey Mysterio look weighted and sluggish by comparison. High-fliers aren't always my favorite, since a lot of what they do lacks the basic psychology in what I think a great wrestling match needs, but Andrews is a welcome addition just because of how different his style is when paired against a Dunne or a Wolfgang.
Speaking of "Wolfy", the man known as The Last King of Scotland had a good showing. He's the biggest of the lot by far, and his mix of barroom brawling and top rope flips and dives made him a joy to watch. Wolfgang is probably the purest babyface of the group, a clear fan favorite who plays the good guy quite well without coming off as corny. His standing in the tournament made his loss to Bate a huge upset and did wonders for the kid going into the semifinals. Keep an eye on this one: in a sea of cruiserweights, nothing will stand out more to WWE management than a big man who can fly like Wolfy. Think Bam Bam Bigelow or Vader.
Finn Balor's protege Jordan Devlin established himself as perhaps the division's biggest shitheel, thanks to a post match attack on Danny Burch, as well as a sniveling "I've arrived" kind of presence backstage and in his promos. Second only to Dunne in his unbridled villainy, Devlin is deceptively strong for his size. His controversial win over Burch combined with a demeanor that makes you want to slap his face means this kid has a big upside as a heel in WWE's future UK programming.
Prior to the finals, fans were gifted a bonus exhibition between Neville and a UK grappler not in the tournament, Tommy End. Neville got a hero's welcome from the crowd at the Empress Ballroom, even though he's playing his same villainous self from 205Live. Mr. End cut his rant short and engaged in a short little match. I suppose Tommy End is a long-term project for WWE-UK. He seems very over in that part of the world and his exclusion from the tournament has me wondering if there's a long game here. As for his wrestling, think CM Punk with a little bit of Fit Finlay.
Trent Seven, the man from Mustache Mountain, was hyped up as a shoe-in for at least the semifinals, but had his run cut short by Wolfgang in the quarters. Seven is a bit older than the others, and seems to have built quite a following. As far as I can tell, he did the classy veteran thing here and put over a newer wrestler. He's quite a persona, and I fully expect to see him on whatever show the WWE is planning to spin out of this. He reminds me of Flair and Rhodes in the ring, as much charisma as there is physicality, and his Seven Star Lariat is something to be feared. Much of the same things could be said about Joseph Conners, a hard-hitting ring veteran who came into the tournament with a huge chip on his shoulder. He put over Andrews in a similar way. Both Seven and Conners are already fixtures in the UK scene, so it made sense for them to be utilized this way.
There are nine others who participated, but a lot of them seemed like newer faces and guys that the WWE isn't ready to pull the trigger on. The guys I listed above are probably going to be the key figures of whatever UK-based show the 'E is working on. NXT, 205Live, and now this--what a time to be a wrestling fan! Hours of quality grappling per week with top-notch production values, and that's without even watching Raw or Smackdown.
Thanks for reading! For more insanity, follow me on Twitter @ChrisBComics
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