WWE U.K. Championship Special Review - May 19, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Wolfgang def. Joseph Conners

We really haven't seen too much of Wolfgang since the tournament back in January, which is weird because a video package or two talking about who he is aired on NXT TV not long ago. He's a tremendous talent, but I don't think he was the best choice to kick off this show, at least with Conners. They wrestled a solid match, but the crowd wasn't nearly for hot for this as they were for the matches that followed, nor was it all that exciting.

The Brian Kendrick and TJP def. Dan Moloney and Rich Swann

It's amazing how much of a difference a change of scenery makes. Kendrick, TJP and Swann don't receive strong reactions on the main roster/205 Live, yet they came across like stars here, the same way they did on NXT and in the Cruiserweight Classic. Combining 205 Live and the U.K. Championship competitors into one show might be the best thing for them at this point. Any any rate, this was a very fun match with the heels playing their roles well and Moloney making a good impression despite his quick elimination in the tournament earlier this year. Swann was enjoyable as always as well.

Pete Dunne def. Trent Seven in a WWE United Kingdom championship No. 1 Contender's Match

The biggest criticism of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament compared to the Cruiserweight Classic was how the different style of British wrestling bored fans, but I'd argue that when you have two exceptional British wrestlers such as Dunne and Seven in there, they can create magic like they did here. It's the little things storytelling-wise that make their matches so good, such as Dunne focusing on Seven's arm that he attacked backstage and that Seven needed to use to put Dunne away. In the end, it cost him the victory. Dunne is such a star and honestly belongs on the main roster right now.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate def. Mark Andrews

While this was equally as entertaining as the previous match, Bate and Andrews contested a matchup that featured more high octane offense and it paid off wonderfully. The crowd was engaged in the action and both competitors had strong showings here. What's extra impressive is that Bate and Andrews are babyfaces, yet the crowd was very much behind both of them. I'd love to see more of Andrews in the future. Additionally, the post-match angle with Dunne attacking Andrews was well done to hype the title match for TakeOver: Chicago.

Overall Show

The special clocks in at almost one hour and 40 minutes, yet it doesn't feel that long at all. The first match wasn't too memorable, but the tag team match was good and the next two bouts were fantastic. The right combination of these U.K. guys is pure money, and thus I'm looking forward to an eventual weekly show with them on it. Nothing is official as of now, but this was the right way to reintroduce the U.K. talent after the tournament from January. On a side note, I must mention how terrific of a duo Nigel McGuinness and Jim Ross were on commentary. Them combined with the awesome atmosphere made this a thumbs up show.