Views from the Hawke’s Nest: UK Championship Tournament – Night 2

January 15, 2017
Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Commentators: Michael Cole & Nigel McGuinness

Quarterfinal Round

Pete Dunne vs. Sam Gradwell

This was a amazingly well-done tournament match. So much of UK wrestling feels like dicking around as the crowd drunkenly sings and chants that it was downright jarring to see such a subtle match executed here.

(That’s going to come off like a HEAVY SHOT, but it’s really just a matter of tastes. A lot of UK wrestling is targeting to the live audience which is an understandable decision. There was a clear difference in the way this match was worked, and it deserves attention/analysis/discussion/whatever.)

Dunne ended night 1 attacking Gradwell to make a name for himself. Gradwell, not happy with that, came into this match guns blazing. It was such a simple story, but that was why it was effective.

Gradwell really had all the momentum early, and it seemed like he was well on his way to victory. Every time Dunne managed to fight back a little, Gradwell kept firing back.

Dunne’s immoral actions the night before paid off in spades though. Dunne managed to just drop Gradwell to the floor though. What happened on that move? Gradwell crashed on the apron and re-injured his lower back…which Pete Dunne had injured the night before on his unwarranted attack.

From there, Dunne gave him a Michinoku Driver into the turnbuckle, and it was all over for Pasty BJ Whitmer.

This was very fucking good and one of the best Pete Dunne performances. He sold a ton to make Gradwell look good but managed to win by being smart instead of just hitting more movez.

This was a great match to make Gradwell look far more talented than he actually appeared to be. He’s a bit awkward in the ring, but he showed a ton of fire and consistently sold his back in key moments to set up the finishing sequence.

Between all of that, the fun environment and excellent commentary by Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness, we had ourselves a bloody great start to this show. My gawd. (****)

 

Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners

This was a very solid contest that wisely took advantage of the size difference to tell the story for them. Connors had the advantage late in the match, but Andrews hit the Stun-Dog millionaire to set up the SSP. Fun stuff. (***)

 

Wolfgang vs. Trent Seven

This match ended up being surprisingly effective. They quickly established that neither man had much of a strategy. They just started going for big stuff early on with both guys just hoping to keep the other one down first. It was not an especially nuanced match, but it worked as a compact battle in a tournament setting. Wolfgang won with the swanton. (***)

 

Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin

Tyler Bate is quite great. Jordan Devlin looked like a jabroni. Devlin’s selling was so hilariously over the top at times that it was completely impossible to take him seriously in any way. The fact that he actually controlled the match did everyone involved no favors. It just made everything look poor, and it didn’t really give Bate a chance to salvage this one. At least the far superior talent won. (**)

 

Semifinal Round

Mark Andrews vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne is really close to being quite good, and this match was a strong step in the right direction. They did the bruiserweight vs. cruiserweight match here which is awesome in theory.

The key to this one working better than some other Dunne matches in 2016 was that he really got a bit more brutal. It goes to show that the methodical pace of his matches is not an issue. How he uses that time is where he has struggled.

There is still room to grow, but Dunne was in good form here.

Andrews was his usual good self here. He sold like a mother fucker. His flippy stuff looked great like always. He’s a genuine star in the making.

After winning his first two matches with the SSP to start the tournament, he kept going for it late in the match here when he was desperately behind. Dunne knew it was coming though and kept avoiding it.

Andrews was really left with no other choice but to go big or go home. The SSP failures though allowed Dunne to eventually put him away. (***1/2)

 

Tyler Bate vs. Wolfgang

This was okay. It was a compact match with Wolfgang taking most of it. Bate just had to sell and be his charming self. It worked well enough, and Bate’s clean win came off strongly as a result. The journey there just was not particularly compelling. (**1/2)

 

Non-Tournament Match

Neville vs. Tommy End

This felt like a 2009 PWG match. There was not a ton of substance to what happened in the ring, but it was a solid exhibition match. It did not go too long. They packed in some fun action. We got ourselves a clean finish. This was basically exactly what you would have wanted from a non-tourney match on this show. Neville won with British Airways. (***1/4)

 

Tournament Final

Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne

This was the finals of Paul’s UK tourney thing with the winner becoming the first WWE United Kingdom Champion.

This was one of the most interesting, entertaining, and objectively successful main events for WWE in the last couple of years. That’s not to say there haven’t been better main events, but few in recent memory have been as interesting to see unfold as this one.

From just an in-ring storytelling perspective, this match basically had the ambition of a Sasha Banks vs. Bayley NXT special match (basically the highest compliment one can give for in-ring storytelling).

After Bate had won his semifinal bout, Dunne came out and attacked him. That attack continued the excellent “Pete Dunne is a massive dickhead” storyline that was going on all weekend. Dunne’s actions left Bate with an injured shoulder, and there was a tease that he would not be able to compete in the final.

Bate managed to get medically cleared though (and in RECORD time I might add) but needed to have his shoulder taped up. Based on what we learned about Dunne in the quarterfinal round, we knew he was going to target and exploit that injury. Sometimes though knowing what’s to come makes everything a little bit sweeter in wrestling.

The first half of the match was what you expected, but the execution was so good that predictability of it did not matter one bit. Dunne knew he had the upper-hand and patiently waited to aim for the bulls-eye. He got firm control of Bate by targeting the shoulder eventually, and he seemed well on his way to victory.

Bate picked the classic strategy for making an effective and exciting comeback: he went big. Bate essentially used three huge spots to even things up in the match: reversing a triangle into a Rampage Powerbomb, a fucking Fosbury Flop, and then a 450 double stomp. (Yes, I just used a colon twice in that two-sentence paragraph. It’s a free blog. Get over it.)

Basing your comebacks around big moves when you’ve been underneath for a while is just great pro wrestling psychology. They all stand out as important AND maintain the basic logic of pro wrestling that connecting on a handful of big maneuvers should pay big dividends.

The Rampage Powerbomb spot was certainly questionable though. They probably JUSSSSST got away with it, but it was a strange decision all the same given that the match and tournament had such a high attention to detail. Why not do something that did not involve a deadlift-one-armed-move with an injured arm?

From there, the match took another odd path. They made the mistake of having Bate sit in a number of arm submissions that Dunne applied to the injured area. This is is classic pro wrestling psychology mistake. There is so much more drama to be had from conditioning fans to believe that submissions nearly always mean instant victory. Sitting in them for long stretches of time is basically the equivalent of finisher kickouts. How bad is Dunne’s submission game that he can’t make Bate submit to fully applied holds on a very damaged limb?

The last two bits did not come anywhere close to ruining the match, but they definitely took some juice out of the story. The emotion of the match was thankfully not derailed though. Bate won the title shortly after surviving the arm submissions in one of the most emotionally satisfying finishes in recent WWE memory.

 

This match (and the tournament as a whole) was a tremendous success that frankly just causes a million questions to go through one’s head. How does WWE produce something like this and not chase that feeling all the time?

When I write that, I don’t mean ALWAYS pushing indie dorks and wee lads in small venues. I mean, why don’t you put on a product that your paying audience clearly wants to see? It’s really not that hard. This can be what Raw is, right? It’s what #SDLive is right now! It’s what NXT has inconsistently been for the last couple of years! It’s what the CWC was in its first year! Chase that feeling. Make a product that actually does make people happy. It’s a wonderful thing and far easier to do than you realize.

Speaking of chasing feelings: indie wrestlers, you’re not getting off on this one either. Why aren’t you this good when Uncle Paul isn’t watching? Why aren’t you exhibiting this high level of attention to detail when you’re not on the Network? It’s not that you’re not working hard. It’s not that you’re not putting your body through hell. Your mental effort though on your indie shows is just not where it needs to be. Simple psychology touches and storytelling decisions increase in-ring quality and audience satisfaction a hundred-fold. It’s possible. You just proved it here. Chase that feeling. You know it’s more satisfying. I can see it in your eyes.

(****)

9.0

The final score: review Amazing

The 411

This will likely be the show of the year, and Pete Dunne will probably have given the best one-night performance of anyone this year. It was just so consistent, and everything they did was effective in one way or another. Go check this out (oh wait, I was the last person to check this out).