WWE UK Championship Tournament: Sunday Winners, Grades, Highlights and Reaction

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament came to a conclusion Sunday night after Tyler Bate defeated Pete Dunne to become the first WWE UK champion.

Everything about this tournament was outstanding, from the presentation and having Nigel McGuinness on commentary to picking the 16 talents to fill up the brackets.

Michael Cole seemed like a new man calling this tournament alongside McGuinness, and with any luck, this won't be the last time we see them at the table together.

The first-round matches produced some great moments, but Night 2 upped the ante and put on what is sure to be remembered as one of the most exciting shows of 2017.

Let's take a look at the final three rounds of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

Pete Dunne vs. Sam Gradwell (QuarterfInals)

The first night of the tournament ended with Pete Dunne attacking Sam Gradwell, so WWE wasted no time putting them in the ring together in the first match of night two.

Gradwell was the aggressor from the opening bell. He did a good job showing more anger than he did in his first-round win over Saxon Huxley, and both men upped the intensity to make their encounter entertaining.

Dunne picked up the win, but Gradwell looked good in defeat. This match could have been even better with a few more minutes, but it was good enough to get the crowd amped up for the rest of the show.

Just to put an exclamation point on his performance, Dunne proceeded to attack Gradwell after the match was over.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• WWE treated Dunne's attack on Gradwell at the end of night one as its own storyline, which gave the tournament a different feel at the start of night two.
• Dunne's post-match interview was short but effective. This guy has the potential to be popular outside of Europe, but he might be better off in the cruiserweight division than with the rest of the roster. His size will limit how WWE will portray him against guys twice his size.
• Gradwell is like the bully everyone hated the most in school because he could actually back up his trash-talking.

Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners (Quarterfinals)

The second match of the evening provided something completely different than the first. Dunne and Gradwell were all about brutality, but Joseph Conners and Mark Andrews like to be more exciting in the ring.

Either one of these wrestlers would fit in well with the NXT roster, but Andrews would be better suited for the cruiserweight division.

They would have been able to steal the show with a few more minutes, but they still managed to put on an outstanding contest.

After both men came close to finishing the other off multiple times, Andrews was able to secure the pin with a beautiful shooting star press.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• Andrews looks like someone combined Enzo Amore and TJ Perkins in a genetic experiment.
• These British wrestlers sure do like punching each other right in the mouth. It's surprising more people aren't getting busted lips.
• For some strange reason, WWE did not upload this match to YouTube, which is ridiculous because it was so good.

Trent Seven vs. Wolfgang (Quarterfinals)

Each match in the tournament's second round had a different feel. Trent Seven and Wolfgang were the perfect opponents to put together for a stiff brawl after the high-flying contest between Andrews and Conners.

Even though Wolfgang takes to the air regularly, this encounter was more about stiff strikes and big slams, which is exactly what you would expect just by looking at these guys.

They were great at playing the crowd, so you never knew who would come out on top, and we all know it's more fun to be surprised by the outcome of a good match.

After kicking out of Seven's signature clothesline, Wolfgang advanced to the semifinals with an impressive swanton bomb from the top rope.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• For being a generic rock song, Seven's entrance music is good.
• It's hard to explain why Wolfgang is so much fun to watch. He has no physique to speak of, a boring outfit and a relatively standard look, but he has the X-factor.
• Cole has done a great job plugging the promotion each of the competitors works for. It's too bad the guys who hold titles weren't able to bring their belts to the ring with them.
• Wolfgang was bleeding a bit after the match, which has been the case with a lot of the competitors in this tournament.

Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin (Quarterfinals)

Jordan Devlin and Tyler Bate were both impressive in their first-round victories, and a lot of fans were excited to see they were being paired up in Round 2.

Bate showed a little disrespect by turning his back on Devlin during the pre-match handshake, and Devlin made him pay for it with some stiff shots to the back.

As two of the smaller competitors in the entire tournament, Bate and Devlin were able to complement each other in ways they couldn't with larger opponents. There was no clear advantage for either man, and it made things a lot more interesting.

They weaved together a few different wrestling styles, and it allowed them to change their pace at a moment's notice. It was impressive to see two young wrestlers have such a good understanding of how to work a crowd.

After a fun exchange at the end, Bate scored the pin to move on to the next round.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• Bate may have a lot in common with Jack Gallagher, but he doesn't feel like a knockoff. He is way ahead of the curve for a 19-year-old.
• Is Devlin's head too big for his body, or is his body too small for his head?
• I want to see Bate wrestle Cesaro so that we could see how the airplane spin stacks up against the big swing.

Pete Dunne vs. Mark Andrews (Semifinals)

Dunne and Andrews met in the first of the third-round matches. You couldn't ask for a greater difference in wrestling styles, but they meshed well to create a good performance.

As good as Andrews has been in each outing, it was almost too obvious that he wouldn't be advancing past Dunne to the tournament's final round.

Despite being predictable, this bout was still one of the tournament's major highlights. Both competitors worked together to make each other look like stars.

After a third release vertical suplex, Dunne got the win with the Bitter End to move forward to the final round.

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• This match confirmed that Dunne needs to be on 205 Live. His style makes him a great bully against smaller opponents. He could be a top heel in the division within a week of his debut.
• Andrews did a couple of things I have never seen before. It's hard to come up with something original in wrestling these days, but people keep finding ways to come up with new moves.
• Andrews took some hard bumps in this match.

Tyler Bate vs. Wolfgang (Semifinals)

Dunne and Andrews had different styles, but Bate and Wolfgang were even more of an odd couple due to their size difference.

There is an 80-pound weight gap between these two competitors, but Bate didn't feel like an underdog because his unique brand of offense can be adapted to face anyone.

The crowd helped make this bout feel special right away because everyone was on their feet chanting for both men before they even made contact with each other.

Bate overcame the larger Wolfgang to advance to the final round, but both he and Wolfgang left this match with some new fans in the U.S.

Dunne attacked the man he would end up facing for the United Kingdom Championship to give himself an unfair advantage heading into the final round.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• Wolfgang's music sounds like it would accompany a Texan to the ring, not a Scotsman.
• Both competitors used different moves than they did in their previous matches, which is more impressive than it sounds.
• After seeing a few sneak attacks in this tournament, it was a nice change of pace to see Wolfgang show the man who beat him respect by offering his hand to Bate. Then Dunne came out of nowhere and attacked Bate, so the feeling of mutual respect went out the window.
• An angry William Regal is the best William Regal.

Neville vs. Tommy End

Neville made a surprise appearance to vent his frustrations with once again being left out of an important tournament and wrestle a non-tournament match against NXT newcomer Tommy End.

It was nice to see WWE add a special contest to the card so that Bate could have some time to regroup between matches, but it served an even greater purpose.

End has yet to make his televised debut in NXT, and having his first WWE match in front of a crowd that is familiar with his work gave him a better introduction than a video package could have.

Neville is usually the guy who impresses with his speed and agility, but he took a backseat so that End could show off his impressive skills to the WWE Universe. Once it was time to wrap things up, Neville hit the Red Arrow to get the win.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• It was great to see WWE use the name Tommy End instead of his new name, Aleister Black.
• Turning heel has made Neville so much better on the mic.
• WWE should have made this a three-night tournament and sprinkled in a few more matches featuring main-roster and NXT stars from Europe.

Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne (UK Championship)

Finn Balor came out to greet the crowd. He credited the passionate UK fans for making the whole concept of a United Kingdom Championship. William Regal was in the ring with the UK title during the official introductions.

Not only did WWE pick two talented competitors to close the tournament, but it also did a great job adding a storyline for Dunne to look like such a nasty heel.

When Dunne came out for his first match on Saturday, the fans gave him a warm welcome. By the time he worked his fourth bout, the fans had turned on him. It speaks to Dunne's ability that he was able to get people to root against him.

Dunne had a significant size advantage over Bate, and he used it to punish his 19-year-old opponent from bell to bell. However, Bate would continue finding ways to stay alive.

After the most competitive contest of the entire tournament, Bate picked up the win to become the first WWE United Kingdom champion.

The post-match celebration WWE put on YouTube should have been included in the live broadcast because it was such a nice moment. A few guests came back out with the 15 other competitors and embraced Bate in a show of unity and respect.

Grade: A+

Notes and Highlights

• WWE could not have picked a better heel to put over Bate than Dunne. He brutalized Bate, which made the upset that much more unexpected.
• Dunne needs to be in NXT. He is unique and has a lot of talent for someone who isn't even 30 years old yet.
• Hopefully Bate gets a surprise entry in the Royal Rumble to give him a little more exposure to the fans who didn't watch the tournament.
• Bate has impressive hidden strength. Lifting Dunne off the mat with no leverage is something I never expected him to do, let alone turn a guillotine choke into a suplex.

Final Thoughts

Wrestling is basically acting with punches and body slams, but the emotion on Bate's face when he won the tournament was as real as it gets.

The look on his face as Triple H, Finley, Regal and Balor helped him strap the title around his waist is something you only see when someone's dreams come true.

This entire tournament has been fantastic from top to bottom. So many great talents were given a chance to show their abilities to the world, and everyone stepped up to make it a success.

The fans in attendance were exactly the kind WWE was hoping for, and their appreciation for what was happening in front of them bled through the screen. If WWE plans to continue holding international tournaments, the United Kingdom set the bar high for the other regions of the world.

Special attention also needs to be paid to the commentary team. McGuinness was the perfect choice to call this tournament next to Cole because he is so familiar with these talents and the U.K. wrestling scene.

Cole gets a lot of trash talk from WWE fans, but this tournament proved he is better than many give him credit for. His enthusiasm was infectious, and being in a new environment likely reminded him why he loves this business.

Hopefully WWE finds a way to use Tyler Bate and the UK title until there is a more concrete plan in place for how to feature the championship overseas.

What did you think of the United Kingdom Championship Tournament?

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