United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)
United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)
The 2017 United Kingdom Championship Tournament was a WWE event streamed on the WWE Network to crown the first WWE United Kingdom Champion. It took place over two days: round one on January 14, 2017, and the finals on January 15, 2017, at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England. The event drew 3,236 attendees and aired exclusively on the WWE Network. Tyler Bate won the tournament to become the inaugural champion.
Background
In December 2016, Triple H announced a 16-man tournament to crown the first WWE United Kingdom Champion. A preview show aired on January 9, 2017, on the WWE Network.
Format and participants
The tournament featured 16 wrestlers from the United Kingdom and Europe, including Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Wolfgang, Mark Andrews, Jordan Devlin, Joseph Conners, James Drake, Danny Burch, Saxon Huxley, Sam Gradwell, and others. Four alternates were named as backups: Tiger Ali, Ringo Ryan, Jack Starz, and Chris Tyler.
Results
- 14 January (opening round): Nine matches were held (one dark match). Notable outcomes included Trent Seven defeating HC Dyer; Jordan Devlin defeating Danny Burch; Sam Gradwell defeating Saxon Huxley; Pete Dunne defeating Roy Johnson; Wolfgang defeating Tyson T-Bone; Joseph Conners defeating James Drake; Mark Andrews defeating Dan Moloney; Tyler Bate defeating Tucker.
- 15 January (finals): The quarterfinals, semifinals, and final were contested. The final saw Tyler Bate defeat Pete Dunne to become the first WWE United Kingdom Champion. (The event also featured other scheduled matches and a dark match, but the key result was Bate’s victory.)
Time limits
First round: 15 minutes
Quarterfinals: 20 minutes
Semifinals: 30 minutes
Final: no time limit
Aftermath
In May 2017, WWE aired a follow-up special titled the United Kingdom Championship Special. In 2018, WWE announced a second United Kingdom Championship Tournament, held at the Royal Albert Hall.
See also
- Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
This page was last edited on 29 January 2026, at 11:12 (CET).