11 Things WWE Got Right With UK Championship Tournament
The best of the best from two great nights on the Irish Sea coast.
British wrestling fans could have been forgiven for approaching the first WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament with a little trepidation. For all the positives of exposure, many saw this as a desperate move on WWE's behalf to quell the growing momentum of the British wrestling scene. Those fears may well prove legitimate, but from the perspective of a wrestling fan, the tournament could not have been better.
Day one started off somewhat slowly, as most tournaments tend to, but day two could end being one of the best WWE shows of 2017. The quarter final matches all brought something different to the table, the semi finals brought tension and story, and the final will be on many WWE Match Of The Year lists come December 2017.
19-year-old Tyler Bate ended the night with the championship around his waist, a feel-good ending to a two-day tournament that provided quality wrestling aligned with WWE's penchant for story-heavy grappling. The organisation got it spot on over the past weekend, and there is a lot for the company to build on from here.
Here are 11 things WWE got right at the United Kingdom Championship tournament.
11. The Right Place At The Right Time
The show took place at Blackpool's Empress Ballroom, a 3,000 capacity venue situated within the coastal town's famous Winter Gardens. When it was built in 1896, it was one of the largest ballrooms in the world, and the owners claim that every single British Prime Minister since World War Two has addressed an audience there. It is a venue full to the brim with history, in a town with a long pro wrestling pedigree.
It would have been easy for WWE to hold the venue in London, or even a larger city like Manchester or Birmingham. By choosing the relatively cosy surroundings of the Empress Ballroom and the town that forged the careers of William Regal and Robbie Brookside, WWE showcased a respect and appreciation for the long history of British professional wrestling.
History aside, the Ballroom is aesthetically stunning. The setting immediately set the tournament aside from the usual WWE arenas, giving the entire production a far more regal (pun intended) aura. The venue is one of historical value, the sort of surroundings in which history is made.