WWE UK Championship Tournament: Saturday Winners, Grades, Highlights, Reaction

Saturday marked the start of WWE's first international tournament and the first step toward crowning the inaugural United Kingdom champion.

WWE has been touring around the world for years, but this is the first time the company has truly started expanding its footprint outside of the United States.

Triple H kicked off the show by talking about how every empire has a beginning before a spotlight shone down on the beautiful new UK Championship in the middle of the ring.

The 16 men competing in the first round of the tournament came to show the world why the British wrestling scene deserves more attention.

Most of the matches were good, but a few stood out as exceptional. Let's take a look at the first eight bouts from the United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

Trent Seven vs. H.C. Dyer

WWE wasted no time getting right into the first-round matches. After two quick video packages introducing both competitors to the WWE Universe, Trent Seven and H.C. Dyer got things going.

These two men couldn't be more different. Dyer had a new-school approach, while Seven's style is more like a throwback to the brawlers of the past.

The crowd was hot for both men from the moment the bell rang, and a good audience will always make a good match better. 

After a solid back-and-forth contest, Seven picked up the first win of the tournament with a brutal clothesline.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Putting a 15-minute time limit on the matches adds a greater sense of urgency.
• Seven looks like what would happen if Jack Gallagher joined The Wyatt Family, and I mean that in the best possible way. His beard is spectacular. 
• Hearing the impact of Seven hitting the ring post with his hand after Dyer moved out of the way made my hand hurt.
• Speaking of the ring posts, painting them gold was a nice touch by WWE.

Danny Burch vs. Jordan Devlin

Danny Burch is going to be the most familiar name to the WWE Universe after having spent a few years in NXT and a short stint in TNA. His opponent for the first round was Jordan Devlin, who WWE made sure to plug as Finn Balor's protege. 

Burch used his size and power advantage to control the first few minutes of the match, but Devlin's technical expertise kept him in the fight.

They worked a slightly slower style than we saw in the first bout, with Devlin taking a lot of time to talk trash to the crowd between short bursts of offense.

One too many rest holds kept this from getting a higher grade, but it was a good exhibition of who both men are as performers. They gained back some momentum with an exciting last few minutes.

The ending was controversial because it looked like Burch may have kicked out in time, and the crowd was sure to voice its displeasure. Burch tried to be the bigger man and offer his hand, but Devlin kept his heel persona intact with a superkick to the face.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• I have always liked Burch and was happy when WWE announced he would be in the tournament. It seemed like he was never used properly in NXT.
• Devlin is one of the smallest competitors in this tournament, and after seeing how he works, he would make a great addition to the cruiserweight division.
• Michael Cole sounded like he was having a great time calling this match. Not having Vince McMahon screaming in his headset all night probably had something to do with it.
• Burch was busted open toward the end of the match, and it looked like a gusher. 

Saxon Huxley vs. Sam Gradwell

Saxon Huxley and Sam Gradwell battled in the third first-round match of the night. Up to this point, this was the best representation of European wrestling exhibited in the tournament.

The crowd was chanting from start to finish for both men, which can add a lot to the story being told in the ring and make both men work a little harder to give the fans what they came to see.

Neither competitor dominated the other for a long period of time. This match was competitive and hard-hitting, and when it was all said and done, Gradwell secured the win with a flying headbutt that Dynamite Kid would be proud of.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• Huxley is another competitor in this tournament who looks like he could be in The Wyatt Family. He even looks like he could be related to Luke Harper.
• I never thought I would hear "Let's go Jesus! Jesus sucks!" chants during a WWE match. 
• Either of these wrestlers would do well in NXT, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Gradwell make it through at least one more round.
• It was nice to see Dave Taylor acknowledged in the crowd. He might be the most underrated wrestler in WWE history.

Pete Dunne vs. Roy Johnson

New-school and old-school styles clashed again when Pete Dunne took on Roy Johnson in the fourth match of the tournament. Dunne was one of the favorites heading into the event, but Johnson made sure nobody was going to overlook him in favor of an internet darling.

This was easily the most competitive contest up to this point. Johnson looked good for a rookie with roughly two years of experience, and Dunne was on top of his game.

Cole and Nigel McGuinness were invested in what was happening in the ring, and their commentary helped put the two competitors over. Dunne picked up the victory to advance to the quarterfinals in another entertaining match.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Dunne's outfit was a nice homage to Daniel Bryan, as was some of the offense he utilized.
• Something about Dunne reminds me of a young Tom Hardy. 
• "The Bruiserweight" might be my new favorite nickname in wrestling.

Wolfgang vs. Tyson T-Bone

WWE made an interesting choice when it booked two heels to face each other. Wolfgang and Tyson T-Bone made it clear in their pre-match video packages that they weren't here to make friends or follow the rules.

T-Bone hit a headbutt while shaking Wolfgang's hand, which immediately set the tone for what we were about to see.

Both men are bruisers in every sense of the word. Their offense was high-impact, and their styles were anything but technical.

As someone who wasn't familiar with either competitor going into this match, their performance left this writer impressed. After a fun encounter, Wolfgang got the three-count with a senton bomb from the top rope.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• Is T-Bone trying to be the Conor McGregor of pro wrestling, or is McGregor trying to be the T-Bone of MMA?
• T-Bone's character of a wrestler who despises wrestlers could do well in the U.S., especially in NXT, where there is a greater volume of hardcore wrestling fans in the crowd each week.
• Wolfgang hitting a moonsault out of nowhere and a senton bomb was a pleasant surprise.

Joseph Conners vs. James Drake

Joseph Conners and James Drake may be similar in size and appearance, but they use completely different wrestling styles.

Drake is more of a brawler, while Conners is the better technician. Their difference in styles didn't keep them from working well together.

This match would have fit right in on any episode of NXT. These are two young, hungry athletes looking to make good impressions on WWE officials, and they achieved their goal.

They used every second of their time to make sure everyone remembered this performance. It's just too bad this had to happen in the first round because now we don't get to see one of them wrestle again on Sunday.

Conners advanced to the next round, but Drake's performance opened a lot of eyes to his skills.

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• Drake could make a great tag team partner for Baron Corbin.
• Conners and Mick Foley are part of the exclusive club of wrestlers who are missing half an ear.

Dan Moloney vs. Mark Andrews

Out of all the first-round matches, this one featured the biggest size difference between competitors. Dan Moloney had a significant power advantage, but Andrews compensated with speed and agility.

While this bout had plenty to enjoy, it felt more choreographed than most of the previous matches on the card, which made it more predictable.

For a guy twice the size of Andrews, Moloney did a good job keeping up. However, he wasn't able to overcome a textbook shooting star press from Andrews.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Moloney taking a few moments to stare at the title belt during his entrance made it seem like this opportunity meant a lot to him. Little details like that help a lot.
• Andrews looks like he would fit right in with the cruiserweight division. 
• Andrews countering a suplex into a stunner was a thing of beauty.

Tyler Bate vs. Tucker

Tucker and Tyler Bate were given the task of closing out the first night of the UK title tournament, and they did a great job sending the fans home happy.

Bate used some unique tricks, but it was Tucker's brand of high-flying offense that made this an entertaining contest. For only being 19 years old, Bate seems to have a good grasp of wrestling psychology and how to pace a match. 

Seeing either of these men advance to the next round would have been a satisfying conclusion because they were both so entertaining, but someone had to win. When the dust settled, it was Bate with his hand raised in victory.

The UK fans helped make this a fantastic conclusion to the first night of the United Kingdom Championship tournament.

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• The mustache and unorthodox wrestling style are going to lead to people comparing Bate to Jack Gallagher, but his comment about being a man with two hands will also lead to James Ellsworth comparisons.
• Tucker looked like he could have hurt his neck during a hurricanrana outside the ring, but he kept going.
• It's nice to see someone keeping the airplane spin alive.
• Tucker's superkick was one of the most brutal I have seen in a long time.

Final Thoughts

The night ended with McGuinness and William Regal setting up the next round of matches by bringing the eight remaining competitors on the stage.

To add a little intrigue to the situation, Dunne attacked Gradwell, the man he will be facing in the second round on Sunday night.

If the plan was to get the WWE Universe interested in more UK talents, the goal was accomplished. A lot of people made great impressions, and it wouldn't be surprising to hear about a few of these guys being signed to developmental deals in the coming weeks.

The Cruiserweight Classic was unique, but this tournament is even more interesting because WWE is doing so much to draw attention to promotions like Progress, ICW and Revolution Pro Wrestling.

Cole seemed invigorated to be involved with such an important project, and having McGuinness on commentary added some legitimacy to the whole affair.

It's going to be interesting to see who WWE crowns as its first UK champion. What did you think of all the first-round matches?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.