7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE UK Championship Tournament (Night 1)
Pete Dunne & co. set WWE's latest venture off to a fun start.
It seems like only yesterday that Michael Cole, Triple H, and William Regal were unveiling the WWE UK Championship Tournament to the universe.
The world's biggest wrestling promotion had scooped up 16 of the country's hottest talents in an effort to capitalise on the current British wrestling boom, and last night, just over four weeks removed from the original announcement, the first round came to pass.
WWE crammed as much action into the two-hour show as possible, and the matches produced few surprises. As with the Cruiserweight Classic, the favourites won, the underdogs were sent packing, and the first round felt like WWE were setting the scene more than anything else.
That's not to say the show was subpar: far from it, in fact. The first round revived the CWC's sleek production, atmosphere, and "real sport" feel, all before a raucous Blackpool crowd. For first-time viewers, it was a perfect introduction to some of the UK's biggest and brightest, and for seasoned British wrestling fans, the opportunity to see some of their local heroes shining on a bigger stage.
The likes of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate more than delivered, and WWE even gave us a number of big stories to look out for in night two. As with any other wrestling show, however, the WWE UK Championship Tournament had its fair share of ups and downs, so let's get into them.