On Saturday, January 14th and Sunday, January 15th, WWE will be holding a two-day tournament that will air only on the WWE network. The special tournament will crown the first ever WWE United Kingdom Champion.
For a number of years, there were very few wrestlers to come out of Ireland and Scotland to achieve success in North America. That is no longer the case, as wrestling is growing in popularity in Europe, especially in the UK and Ireland. Finn Balor, Sheamus, and Becky Lynch have managed to create a name for themselves in the WWE.
The UK independent wrestling scene has developed some of the finest talents in the world. Having young up and coming talent in the WWE Cruiserweight division such as Noam Dar and Jack Gallagher proves that the number of talented stars is plentiful.
Performers from the UK are also making a name for themselves in TNA, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Who will walk away as the inaugural WWE UK champion? Who will be the one to walk away the champion, from this group of sixteen?
Here are our choices for whom may earn a WWE contract after the WWE UK championship tournament comes to an end.
#5 Jordan Devlin
If the career path of another current wrestler from Bray County Wicklow in Ireland is any indication, Jordan Devlin appears to be a force to be reckoned with. Devlin has had the good fortune of being trained by former NXT and WWE Universal champion Finn Balor, who comes from the same area.
Much like Balor, Devlin is a high-flyer, but with less focus on the technical aspect that The Demon tends to bring to the ring. A moonsault is his most notable move, but he is capable of being very physical as well. His physical style was honed while he supplemented his training in Japan, much like his mentor Balor, adding stiff kicks and punches to his arsenal of moves.
He had initially wanted to pursue an amateur wrestling career, but when introduced to professional wrestling, he didn't turn back. It was the Vince McMahon-Stone Cold Steve Austin feud that drew him towards the business. Among Devlin's most notable friends are acclaimed English wrestling star Zack Sabre Jr and WWE Cruiserweight stars Noam Dar and Jack Gallagher.
#4 Tyler Bate
At the tender age of nineteen years of age, it's hard to quantify how good he is until you see him compete. He only began wrestling in 2012 and was first was seen in a notable independent promotion when he teamed alongside Trent Seven – who also trained him – in Chikara in 2015. He has continued to compete with them since then.
Bate has faced a number of notable names in wrestling, in particular, the current WWE Cruiserweight champion, Rich Swann, while being part of Preston City Wrestling. He was called 'The Iron Master" and faced Swann as part in his debut for the promotion in a four-way matchup. Bate has also faced two others that merit strong considerations to win the WWE UK championship, Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews.
Much like a number of others on this list, Bate has been very successful throughout his career. During his brief time, he has been a multiple-time tag team champion in the Chikara, Attack! Pro Wrestling and Kamikaze Pro wrestling promotions. While he has his whole career ahead of him, he could certainly make a name for himself before turning twenty years of age.
#3 Trent Seven
While he is one of the older competitors in the tournament, Seven has only been competing since 2009. What is most notable about him is his time with current UK promotion, Progress Wrestling. As part of Progress, he is a two-time tag team champion, having teamed with both Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne on separate occasions.
What has made UK talents so popular is the hybrid of styles and adaptability that they demonstrate. In Seven's case, he competes using a strong style element. Much like other members of the tournament, he stands just under six feet, but fans shouldn't be fooled by his height. His intense and fierce strikes are frightening to see, let alone receive.
Seven has also competed for Chikara, and in the process captured that promotion's tag team championship. Still, fans need not worry about how a two-time tag team champion it will fare in this special singles tournament. He has some notable singles experience. Seven is proving that at thirty-five years of age, it is still possible to achieve your wrestling dreams, and this tournament could very well be it. Could a WWE contract be soon to follow?
#2 Mark Andrews
At 24 years of age, Mark Andrews has pretty much seen and achieved it all. He remarkably began competing at thirteen years of age, and thus is experienced well beyond his . On the UK independent scene, Andrews has competed for such promotions as NWA Hammerlock. While this promotion is likely less familiar to WWE fans, it is among the biggest promotions in the United Kingdom. Andrew's popularity in the UK is incredible.
One of the most remarkable things to note about Andrews was his success as part of the PROGRESS promotion. While he was there, he earned notoriety for his matches against Will Osprey. Andrews also held significant roles within the Attack! Pro Wrestling promotion as one of its co-founders; his main role within the company consisted of creative direction.
In North America, Andrews has competed in Chikara and Pro Wrestling Guerilla, as well as TNA Impact Wrestling of course. North American audiences became familiar with him when he debuted with TNA and showed his support for fellow UK wrestler Rockstar Spud. His incredibly versatile and high-flying move set is a force to be reckoned with during this two-day tournament and potentially beyond in the WWE.
#1 Pete Dunne
The twenty-three-year-old Dunne has been working at his craft since he was twelve years old. Over the course of the last eleven years, he has trained near his home in Birmingham, England. He earned a name for himself traveling the UK independent circuit where he became friends with fellow WWE UK championship competitor Mark Andrews.
Their collaboration also included creating the 'Defend Indy Wrestling' clothing brand. At one time, Dunne wore a mask and competed under the alias Tiger Kid, but returned to his unmasked ways after losing it in a 'mask vs hair' match up.
Dunne's ambitions aren't restricted to just competing in the ring; he is a visionary as well. He co-founded ATTACK! Pro Wrestling promotion, with the intent of not only furthering his career but that of others as well. Dunne has faced some of the greatest wrestlers in the world today, including Zack Sabre Jr. At just under six feet, Dunne's move set consists of a number of short and intense spots that hit the mark each and every time. He is someone that is sure to impress during and after this tournament.
