WWE U.K. Tournament Day 2 Report

by John Pollock

The second day of the U.K. tournament features the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to crown the first U.K. champion.

Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness open the show standing next to the championship.

PETE DUNNE VS SAM GRADWELL IN THE QUARTER-FINALS

Gradwell won’t shake his hand at the start of the match. Gradwell has kinesio tape on his lower back to sell the suplex from Dunne on Saturday’s show.

Gradwell hit a suicide dive and a double underhook suplex on the ramp. Gradwell hit a big cross body to the floor.

Dunne shoved Gradwell, who was seated on the top rope and his injured lower back landed on the edge of the apron on his way down. Gradwell returned to the ring and Dunne scoop slammed Gradwell’s lower back onto the lower turnbuckle and pinned him.

Winner: Pete Dunne at 4:50

The match was more of a story that Gradwell was injured from Saturday’s show and Dunne exploited the injury. Dunne attacked Gradwell after the match as well.

Dunne didn’t feel his actions were controversial and said even Triple H told him that he made a name for himself and has two more to go.

MARK ANDREWS VS JOSEPH CONNERS IN THE QUARTER-FINALS

Andrews missed a moonsault off the apron to the floor and then took a drop toe hold into the steps.

Conners missed with a running boot into the steps. Andrews scaled the barricade and then hit a somersault senton to take down Conners.

Andrews lands on the knees of Conners when he attempted a standing moonsault inside the ring. Conners slingshots into the ring into a flatliner for a two-count that the crowd reacted well to.

Andrews came back with a top rope huracanrana but then Conner stopped a shooting star attempt. Andrews connects with the stun dog millionaire and then returns to the top and hits the shooting star press for the win.

Winner: Mark Andrews at 8:12

McGuinness was great pointing out the mistake of Conners going for a suplex and being susceptible to the stun dog millionaire.

Andrews meets Pete Dunne in the semi-finals.

Fit Finlay was shown in the crowd. McGuiness calls him the most talent wrestler ever from the U.K.

TRENT SEVEN VS WOLFGANG IN THE QUARTER-FINALS

The match started with an “ICW” chant.

Wolfgang lands a moonsault off the barricade to Seven on the floor and injures his knee in the process. Wolfgang turns his back and Seven nails him with a suicide dive under the middle rope.

Wolfgang hit a superplex back inside the ring. Wolfgang hits Wasteland and follows with a moonsault and lands on the knees of Seven.

Seven popped off of Wolfgang’s shoulders and hit Seven Stars (Rainmaker) and Wolfgang kicked out.

Wolfgang knocks Seven off the turnbuckle and hits a Swanton to the back of Seven for the win.

The announcers played this up as the biggest upset in the tournament.

Winner: Wolfgang at 6:42

The two had a very good match and Wolfgang is very athletic for his size.

TYLER BATE VS JORDAN DEVLIN IN THE QUARTER-FINALS

Bate landed a suicide dive, they return to the ring and Devlin rakes him in the eyes and the referee misses it.

Bate caught a reverse cross attempt and used an airplane spin on Devlin and both were dizzy. Devlin flung the top rope into the face of Bate and then climbed to the top and missed with a moonsault. He missed with a second one after posing to the crowd.

Devlin landed an enzuigiri to play off the finish to the Danny Burch match from Saturday. Devlin wants the referee to check to see if he can continue but Bate comes back and hits the Tyler Driver ’97 for a massive response and pins Devlin.

Winner: Tyler Bate at 6:06

I enjoyed this match a lot and Bate has an enormous wealth of charisma and could be a major standout one day. Devlin played a good heel in this match.

Robbie Brookside is in the audience.

PETE DUNNE VS MARK ANDREWS IN THE SEMI-FINALS

The semi-final matches have a 30:00 time limit.

Andrews spins into an arm drag that sends Dunne to the floor and follows with a somersault senton to Dunne.

Dunne grabs hold of the fingers and misses with a stomp on the steps.

Andrews teases a standing moonsault but rotates lands with the back of his head onto the chest of Dunne. Andrews hits a running shooting star press and gets a two-count. Dunne catches a moonsault off the apron and drops Andrews back first onto the edge of the apron with a X plex and delivers a second one on the ramp.

Dunne is stomping down on Andrews and then out of nowhere Andrews hits the stun dog millionaire. Andrews knocks Dunne off the turnbuckle with forearms and goes for the shooting star press but lands on the knees of Dunne.

Dunne put Andrews up for the X plex and Andrews countered with a huracanrana for a big near fall. Dunne gets out of the way of a shooting star press, German suplexes Andrews into the turnbuckle, hits a X plex and follows with the Bitter End for the win.

Winner: Pete Dunne at 10:38

This was the best match of the tournament up to this point. Both were outstanding in different ways and Andrews really shined in losing.

TYLER BATE VS WOLFGANG IN THE SEMI-FINALS

The announcers say Wolfgang may have broken his nose in the match with Trent Seven.

Wolfgang is also selling the left knee from the moonsault he missed on the floor in the match with Seven.

Wolfgang presses him into the air and Bate comes down into a powerslam from Wolfgang.

Wolfgang missed with the Swanton, Bate recovered and the crowd got to their feet cheering him on. Wolfgang comes back and spears Bate for a two-count. The crowd is singing as Wolfgang puts Bate on his shoulders, Bate blocks and hits the Tyler Driver and wins the match.

This audience was in love with Bate and felt like a big deal when he won.

Winner: Tyler Bate at 6:00

After the match, Dunne storms the ring and attacks Bate and drives him shoulder first into the corner. William Regal comes out furious and sends Dunne to the back. The officials tend to Bate and the injury to his left shoulder.

Eorl Crabtree is shown, the nephew of Shirley “Big Daddy” Crabtree.

Neville comes and addresses the crowd and gets a big reaction. He says he has been forgotten yet again. He says he should be the U.K. champion by default. He says he is the greatest talent this country has ever produced and no one deserves to be standing across the ring from him.

Tommy End comes out and is identified under that name.

NEVILLE VS TOMMY END

End is attacking with kicks as the announcers go over his background extensively.

Neville attacks with his own series of kicks to the body and head. Neville comes off the top into a head kick from End.

End sends Neville to the floor and lands a moonsault off the second turnbuckle to the floor. End hits a series of strikes and ends with a knee for a two-count.

End hits a spinning wheel kick and follows with a bridging German for a two-count.

Neville stops End on top with a super Frankensteiner, goes to the opposite side and hits the Red Arrow and wins the match.

Winner: Neville at 8:42

Very good and above your typical 205 Live main event. End got to showcase a lot of his offense in this match.

Charly Caruso says Bate has suffered a separated AC joint in his shoulder but has been cleared to compete in the final.

Finn Balor comes out, he thanks the fans for making this tournament happen and they cheered.

PETE DUNNE VS TYLER BATE IN THE FINAL OF THE U.K. TOURNAMENT

William Regal is holding the title inside the ring during the introductions. Regal is staring a hole through Dunne. Bate has kinesio tape over his left shoulder.

Dunne helped train Bate early in his career.

The crowd is singing for Bate after he lands a dropkick.

They trade forearms on the floor and Bate drops Dunne with one final strike. Dunne keeps going for the injured left arm and drives it into the turnbuckle when they return to the ring. Bate turns the table and sends Dunne shoulder first into the post.

Bate hits an exploder suplex and goes for the Tyler Driver but his shoulder gives out and Dunne capitalizes. Bate counters the Bitter End with a small package for a two-count.

Dunne goes for a triangle off his back while attacking the shoulder, Bate postures up and lifts Dunne to slam out of the submission.

Dunne goes to the floor and Bate hits a Fosbury Flop, rolls Dunne into the ring and Bate hits a 450 splash with his feet dropping on Dunne and he kicks out.

Dunne removes his mouthguard and hits the Bitter End but Bate kicks out for a massive pop. Dunne applies a kimura to the injured arm and rolls into the middle of the ring, Bate counters out of the hold and hits a brainbuster and Dunne kicks out.

They trade slaps, Bate bounces off the ropes with a koppo kick and follows with a second one and hits the Tyler Driver and wins the tournament.

Winner: Tyler Bate at 15:12

I would place the final match and the Dunne vs. Mark Andrews as the two best of the tournament. Bate could be a big star and Dunne already feels like an excellent heel to the WWE audience over his work in the two-day tournament. These two and Mark Andrews felt like the nucleus of the crew in this tournament and the key standouts.

Triple H, Finn Balor, William Regal and Fit Finlay are in the ring and present the U.K. championship to Tyler Bate. He received a tremendous ovation and this felt like a big deal as a result.