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We start off this week’s show with a look at the announcement of the creation of NXT UK and the WWE UK Title tournament. We see William Regal’s announcement of the tournament and the participants.
Your host is Andy Shepherd.
He mentions that we will take a look back at the early days of NXT UK.
We go to Blackpool, England for the quarterfinals of the WWE UK title tournament.
Tyler Bate says the first WWE UK title tournament was important for him since he was nineteen years old. They were thrown into the deep end but they knocked it out of the park. He says he is honored to be the first WWE UK Champion.
Jordan Devlin says the first tournament was important but not because of the crowning of the first champion, it was the debut of the Irish Ace. He was the only Irish representative and now he is the first Irish Cruiserweight Champion.
Match Number One: Jordan Devlin versus Tyler Bate in a WWE UK Tournament Quarterfinal Match (Here is Mike Johnson’s coverage of the match from his report)
Devlin attacked Bate from behind as he worked on his mustache. Devlin was sent to the floor. Bate hit a nice suicide dive to the outside. Devlin gained control and stomped Bate's arm and tried to muscle him down for pinfall attempts. Bate nailed a monkey flip to escape and came off the ropes with a springboard flying uppercut.
Bate called for the Airplane Spin but Devlin drilled him with elbows. Bates caught him and nailed the Airplane Spin. It left both of them dizzy. Bate approaches Devlin, who was outside on the apron. Devlin snapped the top rope in his face and worked him over with a big knee lift for a two count. Devlin went for a moonsault but Bate rolled out of the way.
Bate went for the Tiger Driver 97 but Devlin rolled through with a rana for a two count. Devlin kicked Bate in the back of the head. Bate acted like he was hurt and held his head, playing off of Danny Birch being busted open in the first round. Bate got up and held his head and checked his hands for blood. He then caught Devlin with one of his fists, bang and nailed the Tiger Driver 97 for the pin.
Your winner, advancing, Tyler Bate!
We move on to the seminfinals when Tyler defeated Wolfgang to advance to the finals.
On the other side of the bracket, Pete Dunne defeated Mark Andrews to see who would face Tyler Bate.
Tyler would go on to defeat Pete Dunne to become the first WWE UK Champion.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Andy talks about the resurgence in British Wrestling and the next generation of British superstars.
In 2018, we had another tournament from Royal Albert Hall.
Jack Gallagher says what you are about to witness is a historic event. It took place at Royal Albert Hall and was the first match in the second UK tournament. He faced a decade old enemy in Zack Gibson. This was one for the books.
Zack Gibson says in 2018, he was invited to participate in the WWE UK title tournament. Not even Jack Gallagher was going to stop him from showing the WWE Universe that he is everything that he says he is.
Match Number Two: Zack Gibson versus Jack Gallagher from the 2018 WWE UK Title Tournament (Here is Mike’s coverage from his report)
Gallagher offered a handshake before the bell, but Gibson blew him off. They went back and forth with some fun grappling before Gallagher was trapped in a head scissors. Gallagher escaped, and they faced off. The crowd was all over Gibson, who took Gallagher down on the mat and worked him over in an armbar. Gallagher used the ropes to escape, flipping over and took him down with a rollup for a two count.
Gallagher wrapped himself up like a turtle and used it to trick Gibson into a false sense of security, taking him down and cinching in a deep chinlock. Gibson escaped after a punch of the kidney and mounted Jack for a series of right hands. Gibson nailed a low dropkick for a two count. He cinched in a half nelson chinbar. Gallagher tried to hit a sunset flip, but Gibson snatched his arm and snapped it.
Gallagher locked in a wrist lock and worked over Gallagher, who fired back. Gibson cut him off with an armbar suplex. Gibson worked him over in the corner with forearms and uppercuts. Gibson snapped him hard into the buckles.
Gallagher fired back but Gibson took him down by the ankles and drilled him with a low clothesline. Gibson went back to the chinbar. Gallagher was rallied by the crowd and fought his way to his feet. He drilled a right hand as Gibson charged him in the corner and came to life with punches and knee strikes. Gallagher reversed a suplex and nailed it.
Gallagher continued the beat but was driven backwards into the buckles. On the rope, Gallagher nailed several strikes but had his knees taken down. Gibson yanked him off the ropes with a double knee lungblower for a two count. Gallagher was worked over but nailed a dropkick.
Gallagher was caught during an attempted dropkick in the corner and nailed with a Liger Bomb. Gallagher snatched Gibson in a triangle choke as he moved in, but Gibson pulled him up and nailed a powerbomb. Gallagher grabbed a submission out of a senton, but they ended up in the ropes. Gallagher locked in a rear naked choke, but Gibson placed his foot on the ropes to break the hold.
Gallagher nailed a dive to the outside on Gibson and hit a single leg dropkick inside the ring for a two count. Gibson reversed a whip into the corner and sent Gallagher into the ringpost shoulder-first. He went down to the floor in pain. Gallagher returned to the ring but was wiped out with a lariat and nailed with a lungblower out of a tombstone position (called the Ticket to Ride) for a close two count.
Gallagher nailed a big dropkick out of desperation. He went to the top rope and went for a diving headbutt, but Gibson kicked him in the shoulder as he went down. Gibson locked on yet another submission, this time to his shoulder and scored the submission win.
Your winner, Zack Gibson!
We see footage of Zack Gibson defeating Travis Banks to win the tournament.
Trent Seven and Tyler Bate won the NXT Tag Team championships at Royal Albert Hall against the Undisputed Era.
We see Triple H’s announcement of the WWE UK brand.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we move on to the debut of WWE UK in October 2018.
We take a look at the first match from that show.
Mark Andrews says after two years of traveling across America for WWE, he got to be part of the first match with NXT UK. He says he took an extra lap in the ring to take in the energy from the crowd. He is honored to have been in the first match against Joe Coffey.
Joe Coffey says the birth of a new brand. The birth of Gallus. Since the inception of NXT UK, this has been our kingdom and they made that statement in the WWE UK tournament. One of the casualties was Mark Andrews and on the premiere episode he did what he said he would. He left his mark.
Match Number Three: Mark Andrews versus Joe Coffey (with Mark Coffey)
Andrews with a waist lock and Coffey with a standing switch and take down. Coffey with an arm bar and wrist lock. Andrews tries for a reversal but Coffey maintains control. Coffey with a leg trip and he gets a near fall. Coffey gets a few more near falls as Andrews bridges. Andrews with an arm drag out of a wheelbarrow. Andrews has an arm drag blocked but Andrews with a head scissors. Andrews is sent to the apron and he hits an enzuigiri.
Andrews with a springboard head scissors take down. Andrews with a kick to the leg. Coffey blocks an Irish whip and connects with a forearm and chop. Coffey with European uppercuts and he misses a discus clothesline but Coffey with a POUNCE. Coffey with punches and he sets for a butterfly giant swing and then hits a butterfly suplex for a near fall. Coffey with a Japanese stranglehold and a knee to the back.
Andrews with an arm drag but Coffey with an elbow and he sends Andrews to the floor. Mark waits to attack Andrews but the referee sees what Mark is about to do. Joe with a Northern Lariat. Joe sends Andrews into the ring and Andrews blocks a discus clothesline. Andrews with strikes. Andrews with a thrust kick and knee. Andrews slides under a clothesline and hits an enzuigiri. Andrews with a double knee strike into the corner followed by a victory bomb and double stomp followed by a corkscrew moonsault for a near fall.
Coffey sends Andrews into the corner and Andrews with an enzuigiri. Coffey with a pop up European uppercut and then he hits a running head butt that sends Andrews into the corner. Coffey with a pop up power slam for a near fall. Andrews counters a suplex with stundog millionaire. Andrews goes up top and Mark pulls Coffey to the floor. Andrews with a moonsault onto both Coffeys.
Andrews sends Coffey back into the ring and Mark distracts Andrews and Coffey with an overhead belly-to-belly superplex. Coffey with a discus clothesline for the three count.
Winner: Joe Coffey
After the match, Mark and Joe attack Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster comes to the aid of Andrews and forces the Coffeys from the ring.
Andy mentions the cities that NXT UK ran.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we will have Superstars pick their favorite matches next week.
Andy mentions that between tournaments, they had a special event in Norwich. There was a number one contender match between Pete Dunne and Trent Seven.
Pete Dunne says British Strong Style are the pillars of NXT UK. They were good friends, but part of their history is their ability to fight each other. He needed a match to prepare for Tyler Bate and this helped him win the WWE UK Championship.
Trent Seven says this is a trip down memory lane. He says this was before NXT UK when British Strong Style running high. The winner was going to face Tyler at Takeover Chicago.
Match Number Four: Pete Dunne versus Trent Seven in a Number One Contender Match
Trent keeps his arm away from Dunne and he pushes Dunne into the corner. Seven continues to only use his left arm and they lock up. Seven with a clean break. They have a single arm Greco Roman Knuckle Lock and Dunne with the advantage and Dunne goes after the injured arm. Pete tries to work the fingers. Seven escapes and goes into the ropes. Trent with a chop but it is with his injured arm. Seven with another chop. Dunne with a boot as Seven charges into the corner. Seven with a clothesline and a reverse chin lock. Dunne with a waist lock and Seven gets to the ropes. Dunne hits Seven in the injured arm and then Dunne kicks the injured arm.
They go to the floor and Dunne with a forearm and he puts the injured arm in the steps and Dunne kicks the steps. Dunne with a kick to Seven. Dunne punches Seven while he has his knee on the injured elbow. Dunne with his boot on the head and then he removes the bandage from the injured elbow. Dunne rubs his elbow against the upper arm of Seven. Dunne chops and punches the injured elbow and he applies a top wrist lock. Seven gets to the ropes.
Dunne kicks Seven and then kicks in the head and gets a near fall. Seven with a chop using the injured arm. Seven thinks about another chop and instead he gives Dunne a DDT. Seven with a suicide dive. Dunne kicks Seven and then he stomps on the head. Dunne sets for the Bitter End but Seven escapes and Dunne with a forearm. Seven with a clothesline for a near fall.
Dunne with a German suplex as Seven hits the ropes. Seven with a power slam and he gets a near fall. Dunne sends Seven into the ring post shoulder first and Dunne with a Saito suplex and a suplex throw. Dunne sets for the kimura but Seven gets to the ropes. Dunne Irish whips Seven into the ringside barrier and he hits the injured arm. Dunne works on the fingers and then they go to the apron. Dunne kicks Seven and then adds to the intensity of the kicks. Seven kicks Dunne but Dunne with a kick and forearm. Seven with a Dragon suplex on the apron.
The referee makes his count and they both get back into the ring at the same time. Dunne goes up top and Seven stops him. Seven climbs the turnbuckle as well. Dunne with elbows to Seven and he elbows the injured arm. Seven with a chop and Seven sets for a Dragon superplex but Dunne lands on his feet. Dunne with a forearm and Seven with a back fist. Dunne with an enzuigiri and Seven with a clothesline for a near fall.
Seven sets for the Seven Star Lariat but Dunne applies a Kimura and body scissors. Seven does not tap out and he gets out of the hold. Seven with a Dragon suplex and he hits a back fist. Dunne hits the Bitter End for the three count.
Winner: Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne says being the number one contender into NXT Takeover Chicago was a chance for him to prove himself and prove that British Wrestling is some of the best in the world. Tyler was the perfect opponent for him. To hear the crowd chant UK and to be crowned the WWE UK Champion was the most important day of his career.
He says being able to travel the world and defend the UK title meant a lot. He got to go to the US to defend the title against some of the best and to elevate the UK brand. He takes a lot of pride in helping to build NXT UK. It meant a lot for him to main event the first UK Takeover in Liverpool because things came full circle.
It was inevitable that he would clash with WALTER. He said that he was excited to see WALTER come to the ring because it meant that the Bruiserweight would meet the Ring General.
We go to credits.
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