The 2017 United Kingdom Championship Tournament was a two-day professional wrestling livestreaming event and tournament promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was the inaugural United Kingdom Championship Tournament and aired exclusively on the WWE Network. The first round took place on January 14, 2017, while the finals occurred on January 15, with both nights airing at 8:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (3:00 p.m. Eastern Time). The tournament was held at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, England and crowned the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion, which was won by Tyler Bate. The event served as a soft launch for what would later become the NXT UK brand in June 2018.
Background In a press conference at The O2 Arena on December 15, 2016, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, an executive for the American professional wrestling promotion WWE and head of the promotion's NXT brand, revealed that there would be a 16-man tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion. A United Kingdom Championship Tournament: Preview show aired on the WWE Network on January 9, 2017, with a behind-the-scenes look at the creators of the event and the 16 competitors. The tournament was held over a two-day period, January 14–15, 2017, at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, with both nights livestreamed exclusively on the WWE Network at 8:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (3:00 p.m. Eastern Time). The championship later became the top championship of the NXT UK brand and its show, NXT UK, a WWE Network show produced in the United Kingdom that premiered on October 17, 2018.
Participants WrestlerHometownWeight (lb)Mark Andrews Cardiff, Wales159Tyler Bate Dudley, West Midlands, England175Danny Burch London, England190Joseph Conners Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England196Jordan Devlin Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland180 Blackpool, Lancashire, England181Pete Dunne Birmingham, West Midlands, England205H.C. Dyer Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England213Sam Gradwell Blackpool, Lancashire, England212Saxon Huxley Hartlepool, County Durham, England215Roy Johnson London, England206Dan Moloney Birmingham, West Midlands, England216Trent Seven Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England216 Belfast, Northern Ireland191Tyson T-Bone Malvern, Worcestershire, England245 Glasgow, Scotland255
Alternates These competitors were initially announced for the tournament, but were not selected as part of the final 16. They were backup competitors if there were any injuries to the final 16, which there were not. WrestlerHometownWeight (lb)Tiger Ali Swindon, Wiltshire, England185Ringo Ryan Liverpool, Merseyside, England198Jack Starz Leicester, Leicestershire, England172Chris Tyler Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England201
Results 14 January
15 January
Tournament bracket The following time limits were in place: First Round: 15 minutes Quarterfinals: 20 minutes Semifinals: 30 minutes Final: no time limit
Broadcast team Ring nameReal nameNotes Ring announcer Backstage interviewer Lead commentator Color commentator
Aftermath On May 15, 2017, a follow-up to the United Kingdom Championship tournament was announced by WWE, titled the United Kingdom Championship Special, which aired on May 18, 2017. In April 2018, a second WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament was announced, to be held from June 18–19, 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall.
See also Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
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