50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s
49. Tyler Bate Vs Pete Dunne, NXT TakeOver: Chicago
2017 reflected the brief boom of WWE's UK flirtation rather than the fatalistic bust of the fully-fleshed out NXT UK. As ITV's World Of Sport offering predictably faded into obscurity, so too did Vince McMahon's interest in his new toy. One dimly-lit Network special did leave hopes high for the weekly show, but this contest was a faint light in the middle of a long tunnel.
The British Strong Style partners performed as the most amplified versions of their other selves, creating a beautiful contrast in how they set about the task at hand. Pete Dunne was deliciously vicious, whilst Bate refused to be drawn beyond his skilled array of moves. Their holds and counter-holds dragged a guttural reactions from the Chicago crowd, with a rare "Fight Forever" call topped by an almost unheard-of "UK! UK! UK" chant that would have been trotted out in the 1980s if Jim Duggan was from a small town in Yorkshire.
Dunne's dethroning of his fellow Dudley boy emphasised his mental and physical win. Pushed to breaking after 'The Bruiserweight' kicked out from a beautiful corkscrew senton, Bate whiffed on a dive to the floor, making him easy pickings for a Bitter End. In reality, it couldn't have been any sweeter.