Tyler Bate Becomes WWE's First United Kingdom Champion
Tyler Bate defeated Pete Dunne in the finals of WWE's United Kingdom Championship tournament to become the company's first ever titleholder. The match was hard fought, with both men giving their all, but ultimately it was the 19-year old Bate that came out on top.
Not only did the bout deliver on the hype, it's also an early match of the year candidate.
While fans expected the final contest to be a good one, they may not have expected the artistry that Bate and Dunne provided. Instead of going through the motions with one high spot after another, Bate and Dunne took their time and told the story.
The viciousness of Dunne set the stage for the confrontation that was to come. While other competitors in the tournament talked a good game and worked some great matches, it was Dunne that was given the key spot to get over as the top heel of the night.
The pressure was on him to make it work, and he did just that.
Dunne could have come across as too unbelievable, too much of a character to draw the audience in. But instead he became the impossible obstacle, the one roadblock on Bate's path to immortality.
Bate was the embattled hero, the man that had more heart than he had a chance. He was in bad shape, and there was no way he could overcome the odds to be the last man standing. The fans knew it. Dunne knew it.
But Bate did not.
The beauty of the match was in the story and the effort put forth by everyone to make it a success. Dunne knew how to play his part, and he did it with full confidence in his abilities.
Bate had to look defeated before the opening bell rang, but he also had to look determined. The fans had to see that despite everything, Bate was not going to give in. He may not have had a chance to win, but he was going to go down fighting.
All of that was perfectly conveyed in the match itself, which was expertly narrated by Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness. They brought energy to the match, while the men in the ring proved they deserved the opportunity to tell the story.
The United Kingdom Championship is off to a great start.
The only question is, how does WWE follow it up? The Cruiserweight Classic was the precursor to 205 Live; will the same be true for the UK tournament? If WWE does indeed move forward with another network show, will it succeed if it takes place exclusively in the UK?
More importantly, is WWE prepared to fully spotlight its 10th major championship?
The company appears to be on the right track in terms of assembling the right talent for the right programs. NXT is perhaps the best assortment of young and veteran stars that WWE has, while SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw are fairly even when it comes to balancing starpower.
205 Live may have its challenges, but those challenges can be overcome with time. Would the same be said of a UK program?
Perhaps Bate will be used on the main roster and if so, maybe some of the UK tourney competitors will follow with him. If that's the case, then Raw and SmackDown could soon be littered with more new faces to bolster the rosters, thus creating a more diverse product.
The fact is WWE has created a situation in which it has options moving forward, which is always a good thing for fans.
Despite where the company goes from here, it's obvious that WWE remains the best in the industry when it comes to promoting and presenting big events. The WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament worked because the right talent had the right showcase in which to perform.
Thanks to the final match, it's also obvious that the right man won the gold.
