Pete Dunne Beats Tyler Bate to Win WWE UK Title at NXT TakeOver Chicago

Pete Dunne defeated Tyler Bate on Saturday night at NXT TakeOver: Chicago to become the new WWE United Kingdom champion, marking the first title change in the championship's brief history. 

Bate went for broke and attempted a leap over the top rope as Dunne stood outside the ring. Bate missed, though, hitting the floor.

With Bate dazed, Dunne rolled him into the ring and hit Bitter End for the victory. WWE showed the new U.K. champion:

The match received major praise on social media:

Powerbomb.tv's Dylan Hales sees a bright future ahead for Dunne:

The rivalry between Bate and Dunne began prior to the finals of January's WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament.

Dunne attacked Bate and left his status for the finals in doubt, but the then-19-year-old showed great resiliency in fighting through the pain to become the first UK titleholder in WWE history.

In the weeks and months that followed, both Bate and Dunne made sporadic appearances on NXT programming with each of them turning in impressive performances and picking up big victories.

Bate successfully defended the United Kingdom Championship against the likes of Jack Gallagher and Trent Seven, while the Bruiserweight beat Mark Andrews in a match that helped position him for another shot at the title.

Saturday's match was officially set during a recent WWE UK tour that saw Bate retain over Andrews and Dunne defeat Seven in a No. 1 contender's match.

As seen in this tweet courtesy of WWE's official Twitter account, NXT general manager William Regal helped set the stage for the rematch between Bate and Dunne:

Leading up to and during their bout in the UK Championship tournament, Dunne threw everything he had at Bate only to come up short.

Despite that, Dunne displayed the utmost confidence during the build toward his second opportunity at the strap:

While details remain scarce, it has been mentioned numerous times in recent weeks on NXT programming that a weekly show focused on the United Kingdom Championship is in the works for WWE Network.

The tournament to crown the first champion was a major hit, and Saturday's clash between Bate and Dunne was a reminder of why the United Kingdom wrestling scene is hot right now.

Provided they bring the same intensity to the upcoming weekly show, it could become one of the best and most popular parts of the WWE Network lineup.

Dunne picking up the victory suggests the Bruiserweight will continue to feud with Bate moving forward, and it is precisely the type of linchpin rivalry the UK title needs in order to ensure that the weekly show will be a success.

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