United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)

United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017) was a two-day professional wrestling event and tournament promoted by the American-based WWE promotion, that aired exclusively on the WWE Network. The first round took place on 14 January 2017, while the finals occurred on 15 January 2017. The tournament was held at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, England and crowned the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion.[1]

United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)
Promotional poster featuring various tournament participants
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)United Kingdom
Date14 January 2017 (first round)
15 January 2017 (finals)
CityBlackpool, Lancashire, England
VenueEmpress Ballroom
Attendance3,236
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2018

Background

In a press conference at The O2 Arena on 15 December 2016, Triple H revealed that there would be a 16-man tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion. A United Kingdom Championship Tournament: Preview show aired on the WWE Network, on 9 January 2017, with a behind-the-scenes look at the creators of the event and the 16 competitors.[2] The tournament was held over a two-day period, 14 and 15 January 2017, and aired exclusively on the WWE Network.[3][4] The championship is now the top championship of the NXT UK WWE Network show, produced in the United Kingdom, that premiered on 17 October 2018.[5]

Participants
Wrestler Hometown Weight (lb) Ref
Mark Andrews Cardiff, Wales 159 [6]
Tyler Bate Dudley, West Midlands, England 175 [7]
Danny Burch London, England 190 [8]
Joseph Conners Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England 196 [9]
Jordan Devlin Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland 180 [10]
James Drake Blackpool, Lancashire, England 181 [11]
Pete Dunne Birmingham, West Midlands, England 205 [12]
H.C. Dyer Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England 213 [13]
Sam Gradwell Blackpool, Lancashire, England 212 [14]
Saxon Huxley Hartlepool, County Durham, England 215 [15]
Roy Johnson London, England 206 [16]
Dan Maloney Birmingham, West Midlands, England 216 [17]
Trent Seven Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England 216 [18]
Tucker Belfast, Northern Ireland 191 [19]
Tyson T-Bone Malvern, Worcestershire, England 245 [20]
Wolfgang Glasgow, Scotland 255 [21]

Alternates

These competitors were initially announced for the tournament but weren't selected amongst the final 16. They were backup competitors if there were any injuries to the final 16, which there were not.

Wrestler Hometown Weight (lb)
Tiger Ali Swindon, Wiltshire, England 185
Ringo Ryan Liverpool, Merseyside, England 198
Jack Starz Leicester, Leicestershire, England 172
Chris Tyler Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England 201

Results

14 January
No. Results Stipulations
1D Chris Tyler and Jack Starz defeated Ringo Ryan and Tiger Ali Tag team match[22]
2 Trent Seven defeated HC Dyer WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
3 Jordan Devlin defeated Danny Burch WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
4 Sam Gradwell defeated Saxon Huxley WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
5 Pete Dunne defeated Roy Johnson WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
6 Wolfgang defeated Tyson T-Bone WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
7 Joseph Conners defeated James Drake WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
8 Mark Andrews defeated Dan Moloney WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
9 Tyler Bate defeated Tucker WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament first round match
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

15 January
No. Results Stipulations
1D Saxon Huxley and Tucker defeated Dan Moloney and Nathan Cruz Tag team match[23]
2 Pete Dunne defeated Sam Gradwell WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament quarterfinal match
3 Mark Andrews defeated Joseph Conners WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament quarterfinal match
4 Wolfgang defeated Trent Seven WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament quarterfinal match
5 Tyler Bate defeated Jordan Devlin WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament quarterfinal match
6 Pete Dunne defeated Mark Andrews WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament semifinal match
7 Tyler Bate defeated Wolfgang WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament semifinal match
8 Neville defeated Tommy End Singles match[24]
9 Tyler Bate defeated Pete Dunne Tournament final for the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Championship
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

Tournament bracket

On 9 January 2017, WWE.com announced the full bracket for the tournament.[25]

The following time limits were in place:

  • Round one: 15 minutes
  • Quarterfinals: 20 minutes
  • Semifinals: 30 minutes
  • Final: no time limit
First Round
14 January 2017[26] 		Quarter-Finals
15 January 2017[24] 		Semi-Finals
15 January 2017[24] 		Final
15 January 2017[24]
        
Tyler Bate Pin
Tucker 10:34
Tyler Bate Pin
Jordan Devlin 6:05
Jordan Devlin Pin
Danny Burch 8:55
Tyler Bate Pin
Wolfgang 5:55
Trent Seven Pin
H.C. Dyer 5:25
Trent Seven 6:35
Wolfgang Pin
Wolfgang Pin
Tyson T-Bone 6:20
Tyler Bate Pin
Pete Dunne 15:10
Mark Andrews Pin
Dan Maloney 5:35
Mark Andrews Pin
Joseph Conners 8:10
James Drake 7:12
Joseph Conners Pin
Mark Andrews 10:33
Pete Dunne Pin
Pete Dunne Pin
Roy Johnson 7:30
Pete Dunne Pin
Sam Gradwell 4:50
Saxon Huxley 6:00
Sam Gradwell Pin

Broadcast team
Ring name Real name Notes
Andy Shepherd Andrew Shepherd Ring announcer[27]
Charly Caruso Charly Arnolt Backstage interviewer
Michael Cole Michael Coulthard Lead commentator[1]
Nigel McGuinness Steven Haworth Color commentator[1]

Aftermath

On 15 May 2017, a follow-up to the United Kingdom Championship tournament was announced by WWE,[28] titled the United Kingdom Championship Special, the event aired on 19 May 2017.[29] In April 2018, a second WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament was announced, to be held on 18 and 19 June 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall.[30]

See also

References
  1. Melok, Bobby. "First-ever United Kingdom Champion to be crowned in January". WWE. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  2. "Watch the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Preview Show tonight after Raw on WWE Network". WWE. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  3. Currier, Joseph (15 December 2016). "WWE to crown first United Kingdom Champion in January". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  4. Keller, Wade (December 15, 2016). "WWE announces new UK-based brand, holding tournament to crown UK Champion, Nigel McGuinness on announce team". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  5. "NXT UK joins WWE Network's already packed Wednesday line-up". Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  6. "Mark Andrews". WWE.com.
  7. "Tyler Bate". WWE.com.
  8. "Danny Burch". WWE.com.
  9. "Joseph Conners". WWE.com.
  10. "Jordan Devlin". WWE.com.
  11. "James Drake". WWE.com.
  12. "Pete Dunne". WWE.com.
  13. "H.C. Dyer". WWE.com.
  14. "Sam Gradwell". WWE.com.
  15. "Saxon Huxley". WWE.com.
  16. "Roy Johnson". WWE.com.
  17. "Dan Moloney". WWE.com.
  18. "Trent Seven". WWE.com.
  19. "Tucker". WWE.com.
  20. "Tyson T-Bone". WWE.com.
  21. "Wolfgang". WWE.com.
  22. "WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament - Tag 1". Cagematch. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  23. "WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament - Tag 2". Cagematch. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  24. Soucek, Andrew. "SOUCEK'S WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REPORT 1/15: Ongoing coverage of night two of UK Championship tournament". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  25. Staff, WWE.com. "WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament bracket and First Round matches revealed". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  26. Soucek, Andrew. "SOUCEK'S WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REPORT 1/14: Ongoing coverage of night one of UK Championship tournament". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  27. Bobby Melok (10 January 2017). "Meet Andy Shepherd, ring announcer for WWE's United Kingdom Championship Tournament". WWE. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  28. "UPDATED: WWE UK Championship Special to air on WWE Network on Friday with legend Jim Ross on commentary". Daily Mirror. May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2016. The 90-minute show, starring the company's top UK and 205 Live cruiserweight talent, will feature action from tapings in Norwich on 6 and 7 May
  29. "WWE United Kingdom Championship Special premiere today". WWE. May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  30. WWE.com staff (April 13, 2018). "WWE U.K., NXT championship matches announced for Royal Albert Hall". Retrieved April 21, 2018.
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