WWE United Kingdom Championship Special

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Special was a special event put on by the WWE. It was taped on May 7, 2017 and aired on the WWE Network on May 19, 2017.

Summary
Wolfgang used his strength to tear down Joseph Conners in the early goings, but a fateful shove off the ropes to the floor turned the match in Conners’ favor.

Sensing vulnerability, Conners began targeting Wolfgang’s ribs, baseball-sliding the burly Scotsman broadside into the ring post. Wolfgang endured the onslaught and nearly speared Conners in half as Conners jumped off the ropes. Holding his side all the while, Wolfgang then flew off the top turnbuckle with his picturesque finisher, the Howling, for the 1-2-3.

In their battle against The Brian Kendrick & TJP, Rich Swann and Birmingham’s Dan Moloney had the clear support of the passionate WWE Universe inside Epic Studios. The slugger Moloney and the always-electrifying Swann turned out to be a cohesive unit, combining to frustrate their veteran opponents.

Yet, Kendrick & TJP’s ability to rule-bend allowed them to ultimately come out on top. At the height of the action, Kendrick was able to hold onto his tag team partner as TJP stood on the apron. With The Duke of Dab’s help, Kendrick maneuvered Moloney into an inside cradle for the pin.

With his right arm heavily bandaged following an attack by Pete Dunne, Trent Seven appeared willing to lose a limb against The Bruiserweight if it meant earning a WWE U.K. Title opportunity in Chicago at NXT TakeOver. Though Seven’s arm remained attached to his body, barely, Dunne left Norwich with a guaranteed championship match following the exceptionally ferocious duel.

The battle ran wild both inside and outside from start to finish, with both competitors fighting tooth-and-nail. This included Seven executing an earth-shattering Dangerous Dragon Suplex on the apron that nearly resulted in a double count-out.

In the height of the action, after another series of big hits, The Mustache Mountain representative shook Dunne with a back fist, but the persistent brawler forged ahead and ultimately locked Seven into the Bitter End, splattering him face-first onto canvas to snare the victory.

Few athletes can keep up with Mark Andrews, the ballistic 160-pounder with world-renowned speed and agility. WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate just happens to be one of them.

Bate matched Andrews move-for-move through countless momentum swings, though it seemed like Andrews had crafty and often brutal reversals for many of the titleholder’s attacks, too. If Andrews wasn’t dodging Bate’s rolling wheel kick, he was slamming the titleholder's head into the ringside floor with a devastating DDT or spiking it into the canvas with a reverse hurricanrana.

Bate’s prodigious ring awareness nonetheless won out in the end. When Andrews soared through the air with a GIF-friendly shooting star press, Bate welcomed him harshly to earth, stabbing him with a pair of knees. Bate then secured the W after clobbering Andrews with a rolling kick and planting him with the Tyler Driver ’97.

Looking to send a message to the champion he faces at TakeOver: Chicago, Pete Dunne re-emerged. The Bruiserweight shoved down a fatigued Andrews, much to NXT General Manager William Regal’s protest, before offering his hand to Bate in a supposed sign of goodwill. With Regal standing between them, Bate refused the handshake, instead choosing to stare a hole through his brash challenger.

Results

 * Wolfgang defeats Joseph Conners
 * The Brian Kendrick & TJP defeat Dan Moloney & Rich Swann
 * Dark Match: Tyson T-Bone defeats Saxon Huxley
 * Dark Match: Akira Tozawa defeats Tony Nese
 * Dark Match: Sam Gradwell defeats James Drake
 * Pete Dunne defeats Trent Seven in a #1 Contendership Match for the WWE United Kingdom Championship
 * Tyler Bate (c) defeats Mark Andrews to retain the WWE United Kingdom Championship