WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament 2017 - Night 2

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament 2017 - Night 2 was an event produced by WWE. It took place on January 15, 2017 at Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England.

Summary[]

The Quarterfinals of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament kicked off with a contentious matchup between Sam Gradwell and the controversy-engulfed Pete Dunne. The match had a cloud over it after Dunne's sucker punch on Gradwell at the close of Part 1 of the tournament. However, Gradwell insisted that Dunne not only face no punishment, but also requested that their Quarterfinals match kick off Part 2 of the tournament.

The contest was back and forth and Gradwell took Dunne to his limits, but in the end it was Dunne who was able to pick up the victory after systematically wearing down Gradwell's back before finally pinning him after bodyslamming his prone back into the turnbuckles.

After the match, “The Bruiserweight” took advantage of the hurt Gradwell and delivered The Bitter End as he advanced onto the Semifinals.

Mark Andrews and Joseph Conners both brought the heat in the Quarterfinals with a contest that had the WWE Universe in Blackpool thoroughly enthralled.

It ultimately was Andrews who was able to break through, defeateding Conners with an incredible Shooting Star Press to advance to the Semifinals to face off with Pete Dunne.

In this battle of behemoths, Wolfgang and Trent Seven laid it all on the line in the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals.

In the height of an absolute slugfest, it was Wolfgang who was able to get the victory, defeateding Seven with the Swanton Bomb to move on in the tournament.

In the final Quarterfinals Match of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, Tyler Bate and Jordan Devlin provided a heart-pulsing contest in front of the UK faithful in Blackpool.

After a thrilling series of exchanges, it was the mustached Bate who was able to secure the win after connecting with the Tyler Driver 97. Bate advanced to take on Wolfgang in the Semifinals

With only four competitors left, Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews battled it out knowing they were only two wins away from becoming the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion.

The clash was intense, but “The Bruiserweight” was able to prevail again, defeateding Andrews with The Bitter End to advance onto the Finals.

In the final WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Semifinals Match, Tyler Bate and Wolfgang (who was rumored to have possibly broken his nose in the Quarterfinals) had an incredibly memorable contest. It would appear that the size and strength advantage would put Wolfgang in prime position to secure the victory, but the 19-year-old Bate was able to tough it out, defeateding Wolfgang in amazing fashion with the Tyler Driver 97 to advance to the final round.

However, Bate's celebration would be short lived, as Pete Dunne blindsided him, leading to questions about Bate's condition heading into their showdown in the Finals. William Regal aggressively escorted Dunne off the stage as "The Bruiserweight" made his exit.

In a surprise appearance, Neville came out to disparage the WWE Universe in the United Kingdom, but new NXT Superstar Tommy End attempted to silence “The King of the Cruiserweights.” The two then engaged in an impromptu match.

The action was furious, but in the end it was Neville who defeated End with The Red Arrow.

Finn Bálor made his way out in front of the WWE Universe in Blackpool to thank them for all their incredible support and enthusiasm over the duration of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

Then, Pete Dunne and his former pupil Tyler Bate clashed in the Finals of the inaugural event. Dunne certainly seemed to have the upper hand, with his attack at the end of Bate's Semifinals match causing the mustached 19-year-old to have a partially separated AC joint as he headed into this last match.

However, Bate fought valiantly as he and Dunne had an absolute thriller that completely captivated the WWE Universe. “The Bruiserweight” continuously attempted to wear down Bate, but the 19-year old would simply not quit and finally broke through, beating Dunne with the Tyler Driver 97 to become the first WWE United Kingdom Champion in history.

After the match, WWE Executive Vice President Triple H, William Regal, Fit Finlay and Bálor presented Bate with the WWE United Kingdom Championship in an incredible scene as the WWE Universe heaped him with much deserved praise as the confetti fell.