WWE made history by crowning its first ever UK Champion on Sunday night. Tyler Bate was the man to take that honour after defeating Pete Dunne in the finals. This two-day show was generally solid throughout, even offering two or three exceptional matches.
The drama was high and the crowd was hot, establishing a few wrestlers as the faces of this soon-to-be-brand in the WWE fold.
Even though the action was top notch, several negatives stood out. There were a few moments of unplanned bleeding, an unintentional backstage update that broadcast throughout the entire arena, and a Michael Cole attempt at using British lingo, that didn’t work all that great for him.
Five of the botchiest and most outrageous moments follow, so proceed to relive some of the moments that maybe WWE wish didn’t happen...
#5 Who loves head blood?
On the first night of the tournament, in only the second match, came the most controversial finish of this tournament. Jordan Devlin nailed Danny Burch with this kick to the head, then went for the cover. Burch kicked out before the count of 3 but the ref finished the pinfall anyway.
It wasn’t until Danny showed the back of his head to everyone that it was obvious he was bleeding from the head.
Even though the finish almost certainly wasn’t intended to go down the way it did, the right guy likely went over. Considering the post-match kick by Devlin to Burch, there was probably no worries that the ending was going to mess up later plans.
#4 “Greetings, grapple fans!”
If anyone is wondering why this line is on this list it’s because American and British English do have their differences, even in wrestling. The Brits like to use the word “grappling” and even the shortened version “graps,” but Americans just don’t use the term all that much. Not nearly to the degree that someone in the UK would, at least.
Before critiquing Cole too much on this one issue, it is important to mention how good he and Nigel McGuinnes were on commentary. They did fantastic work that should be revered as what quality play-by-play should sound like on a wrestling show.
But... for Michael Cole to kick off both nights of the WWE UK Tournament using that word in his opening remarks is just a tad out of place. It’s the most Michael Cole-est thing he did in a weekend during which he acted surprisingly un-Michael Cole-ish.
#3 Not quite a kick to the head
Mark Andrews attempted an Enziguri kick on his second round opponent but couldn’t quite connect with Joseph Conners like he was hoping for. Even Nigel McGuinness remarked about this misplaced kick, stating that he was “not sure where it landed...wherever it hit him, it was hard enough for Conners!” Good save, Nigel.
Joseph did simply go ahead and sell as if was given a stiff kick to the head, so good on him.
#2 Wolfgang’s bloody nose
Wolfgang defeating Trent Seven turned out to be one of the bigger surprises of the tournament. What was Equally surprising was his bloody nose, after he nailed ‘The Howling’ on Trent’s back and pinned him successfully. The announcers would later state that he actually suffered a broken nose, but how?
From what I can tell, this headbutt that Wolfgang hits Seven with prior to his finishing move is what did the damage. Wolfgang wrestled one more match after this and lost to the guy who won the entire tournament.
#1 A botch that the whole arena heard
While Neville and Tommy End battled in a non-tournament singles match, announcers Michael and Nigel had the opportunity to speak with their colleague backstage for an update on Tyler Bate. After Pete Dunne’s attack on the man slated to join him in the finals, the big question was whether he’d be cleared to compete.
Carly Caruso was mistakenly broadcast not just to the broadcast booth but the entire arena. There was a brief moment when she spoke on the loudspeakers, which was humorous. However, the live crowd would not forgive WWE for this. An immediate “You f***ed up” chant erupted, followed by the always affectionate “Botchamania” chant.
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