January 15, 2017 – Blackpool, Lancashire
Pete Dunne def. Sam Gradwell {Quarterfinal Match}
Michael Cole says that Gradwell took Dunne to the limit, but that’s really not true. Dunne was a monster here, shoving a seated Gradwell from the top rope to the floor and then slamming him into the turnbuckle for the win. I dig the little bully. He hits his finisher after the match. **¾
Mark Andrews def. Joseph Connors {Quarterfinal Match}
I don’t understand why some are so high on Connors. I found him pretty boring overall. Andrews is a fun little spitfire and I’m glad he went over. **½
Wolfgang def. Trent Seven {Quarterfinal Match}
I don’t know what I would have thought of this match without Nigel McGuinness’s commentary. Wolfgang hurt his knee and nothing came of it, so Nigel explained it away. Seven shouted peculiar things at the crowd, Nigel explained it away. Between that and the clubbering they gave each other, this was pretty fun. ***
Tyler Bate def. Jordan Devlin {Quarterfinal Match}
The way they played up the finish of Devlin’s opening round match was cute, but I’m just so out on the weird-looking lad that I couldn’t wait for him to be off my screen. Thank you for that, Mr. Bate. **
Pete Dunne def. Mark Andrews {Semifinal Match}
Cole was trash on commentary here, screwing up move names, calling Dunne “Peter Dunne,” and saying things that contradicting things he said earlier in the show. Luckily, it was only a minor distraction from an otherwise wild match. It wasn’t polished and it felt a little rushed, but it was crazy to see some of the things they did here. ***½
Tyler Bate def. Wolfgang {Semifinal Match}
At one point, Nigel called a pop-up powerslam a powerbomb, and Cole defended him. I’m done with these guys. Bring is Mauro Ranallo. This match was solid, but told a confusing story. At first it seemed as though Wolfgang’s knee injury and a new nose injury would factor into this, but then they just dropped that and went with a back-and-forth indy main event style match. Not bad, but probably could have been something more. After the match, Dunne runs out and attacks Bate. William Regal flips out again and roughs up Bate. The commentators then talk about this tournament being a six-month project of Regal’s, which makes me wonder why it was never once mentioned on NXT TV. **¾
Neville def. Tommy End
Heel Neville is a serious shock to the system if you’re like me and you haven’t watched any of the main roster or 205 Live stuff to see the transition. He’s also amazing and one of the best cases for how much someone can improve by going through the WWE system. He’s going to make so much money on the indies/in Japan now. He and the future Amsterdam Black put on a heck of a little match, though they were clearly not trying to upstage the tournament finals. Part of the match was obscured because of a sound issue during which a voice that was meant to just be heard on commentary was played for a moment in the arena, and the crowd got distracted. ***¼
Tyler Bate def. Pete Dunne {WWE UK Championship Match}
This match was an excellent affair, with a super hot crowd and good back and forth wrestling but missing a little something to put it over the top. You want me to say more about it? I just watched 1,000 British matches I don’t have any words left. Regal, Fit Finlay, Triple H, and Finn Balor all congratulate Bate on the win. ***¾