A Look Back at the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament II
This past Monday and Tuesday fans were able to witness the must-see second WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament recorded only a week prior. The two-day event brought brilliant wrestling/in the competition, surprise title changes, and big-time announcements set to change the wrestling scene here in the UK. In today’s blog post we are going to be taking a look back at the past couple of days and I will be revealing my honest thoughts on the second WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament and discussing what we can expect to see in the coming months from the UK division.
The Seeds have Been Planted
One of the biggest pieces of news we have gotten over the past week came from the WWE UK Tournament where it was revealed on night one that the WWE will be launching NXT UK. A brand focusing on the talent here in the United Kingdom, dedicated to the stars on the scene here in the UK and Ireland held in, of course, the United Kingdom. Johnny Saint was revealed to be the UK general manager and it was later announced that we will soon be seeing a United Kingdom women’s Championship and tag team titles debut for the fresh new brand. The news, of course, has gone down amazingly well and there has been great discussion as to what we can expect and what the UK roster will bring to the table. During night two the Coffey Brothers made an impact kick-starting the conversation regarding the tag team division here in the UK as well as the female talent being provided time to show what they are about and effectively introducing brand new names that many may not have been aware of. So far, its clear that there is plenty of work to be done and fans will need time to get used to the new faces but things as of right now are looking very very promising.
Flash Morgan Webster Stole the Show
Both Monday and Tuesdays show were amazing, proving fantastic wrestling and several must-see bouts that are likely to even go down as highlights of the year so far. Everyone both apart of NXT and the UK division was on fire and had an excellent all-around performance but for me personally, there was one man who really did standout far greater than anyone else, one man I could not get enough of, Flash Morgan Webster. While he may not have been the man I or many others expected to see in the finals and while he didn’t quite get there he was a true underdog/dark horse in this tournament and he in my opinion really did steal the show. He held his own amazingly well against those slightly older, more experienced, and even more popular. Quick, intense, and owning a true modern style, Webster had fans hooked and his performance both in the tournament and in the fatal four-way number one contender's match were simply outstanding its evident he has a very bright future ahead of him!
NXT Takeover
The introduction of NXT UK has further pushed the idea that the developmental territory or in fact anywhere outside the Main Roster is where you want to be. The standard we saw from shows this past Monday and Tuesday was ridiculously high an impossible for this week's RAW and Smackdown LIVE to top. I have mentioned before that I did feel as though these shows felt like an NXT Takeover event. We had NXT Titles including the women’s and tag team championships on the line as well as a title change and performances from top talent including Aleister Black, EC3, Ricochet, and Velveteen Dream. There is a part of me that felt as though all those matches and that feeling of this being another Takeover event took away from what this week's shows were all about, however, I also believe that the way Monday and Tuesday’s shows were done showed the world what to expect from the UK brand. We will be seeing the NXT and the UK roster work very closely together and these shows were an insight as to what to expect Cole defending his title against Wolf Gang, Moustache Mountain dethroning the Undisputed era and the general involvement of NXT talent made for two must-see shows that allowed NXT to take over once again and introduce a whole new concept to the brand and the UK shows.
Match Quality
The overall quality if the matches we got this week was fantastic. Nearly every single bout was deemed a must-see and I can honestly say that I was entertained and hooked throughout most of the matches presented. Tuesday’s main event between Zack Gibson and Pete Dunne was hands down one of my personal favorite matches of the year so far and fitting in the bracket was the fatal four way from night two as well as the tag team matches on both nights. The bar once again rose even higher and yet again we have seen the UK and NXT talent put the main roster guys and girls under serious pressure. It’s also key to note that Shayna Baszler arguably worked her best WWE match to date this past Tuesday against Toni Storm.
A very Bright Future for British Wrestling
One thing we can most certainly take away from this week’s UK Tournament shows is that there is a very Bright future for British Wrestling. I’ve spoken about World of Sport in a recent article and what that will do for British Wrestling, however, the NXT UK brand is sure to open plenty more doors for UK talent and the scene as a whole. Other promotions are sure to generate more attraction and the demand for British Wrestling is very likely to increase also. This week we go an insight as to what to expect from the roster, the relationship the UK brand will have with NXT, the top talent, and the standard of wrestling we can expect. There is, of course, a concern that the UK roster and the brand as a whole could, unfortunately, follow in the footsteps of 205LIVE but if this week is anything to go by we have some excellent few months ahead of us and British Wrestling is about to change forever.
Below I have linked another recent review where I dive much deeper into the UK shows and what they have taught us. Any other recent blog posts will also be linked below, and you can get involved and tell me what you thought of The WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament II by leaving a comment or by tweeting me over @TezangiVictoria.
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