Csonka’s WWE UK Championship Special Review 5.19.17

Csonka’s WWE UK Championship Special Review 5.19.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Wolfgang defeated Joseph Conners @ 11:00 via pin [**½]
– TJP & The Brian Kendrick defeated Rich Swann & Dan Moloney @ 11:30 via pin [**¾]
– #1 Contender’s Match: Pete Dunne defeated Trent Seven @ 15:55 via pin [****]
– WWE UK Title Match: Champion Tyler Bate defeated Mark Andrews @ 24:20 via pin [****¼]

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– We get highlights from the UK tournament, all the way back in January, which feels like forever ago. We also get comments from Andrews, Seven, Wolfgang, Dunne and Bate.

– Jim Ross and Nigel McGuinness are on the call.

– We get a profile video on Wolfgang.

– Next is a profile video for Joseph Conners.

Wolfgang vs. Joseph Conners: They lock up and Conners works the arm and takes Wolfgang to the mat. Wolfgang fights back to his feet, shakes off the shoulder block and hits the leg lariat. Conners fights off a suplex, they battle for position and Wolfgang hits the delayed suplex, covering foe 2. The slam follows, Wolfgang heads up top but Conners cuts him off, sending Wolfgang to the floor. Conners follows with a baseball slide, and then slams Wolfgang to the apron. Clubbing strikes follow, and then the slingshot splash hits for 2. He lays the boots to Wolfgang, and then works him over with strikes in the corner. Conners then bends Wolfgang around the post, and follows with a dropkick. Conners follows with a slam, covering for 2. He then works the grounded abdominal stretch, keeping the big man down. Wolfgang gets back to his feet, whips Conners to the corner and hits a backdrop. The corner splash follows, Wolfgang up top and hits a double axe handle, and covers for 2. Wolfgang back up top, but opts to come back down and Conners uses his speed to hit kicks, but jumps into a lung blower, and Wolfgang covers for 2. Wolfgang looks to go up top, but Conners rolls to the apron, and then hits the slingshot flatliner for 2. Conners works strikes to the ribs, and then hits a sitout spinebuster for 2. Ground and pound by Conners follows, as he again focuses on the ribs. Conners of the ropes, but gets caught with the spear and Wolfgang then hits the senton for the win. Wolfgang defeated Joseph Conners @ 11:00 via pin [**½] This was an overall average match, and not the best choice for the opener. It was fine, but really lacked energy and a sense of urgency. They worked a very even back and forth match for the most part, which I felt was a mistake because Wolfgang got over big in the tournament, and that simply wasn’t capitalized on here. The crowd also seemed completely uninterested.

– We see Bate and Andrews warming up backstage.

Rich Swann & Dan Moloney vs. TJP & The Brian Kendrick: Moloney and Kendrick to begin. Moloney looks to over power Kendrick, but Kendrick quickly attacks the arm, TJP tags in and hits a snap mare and dropkick. He and Kendrick work quick tags, isolating Moloney in their corner. The crowd is more involved in this match early, Kendrick continues to attack the arm as he and TJP continue to work solid tag formula. Moloney outsmarts his opponents, causing TJP to accidentally attack the arm of Kendrick. Kendrick and TJP argue as Moloney then attacks TJP, slamming him to the corner and hits a boot to the face and covers for 2. Swann tags in, they double team TJP and dab to mock him. They then take both TJP and Kendrick to the floor, and Moloney backdrops Swann to the floor onto both. Kendrick cuts off Swann, stun gunning him off the ropes and then hitting knee strikes. Kendrick cuts off the tag attempt, but Swann fires back with a head kick. Tags to TJP and Moloney, Moloney runs wild and gets a near fall as Kendrick makes the save. Kendrick sent to the floor, he trips up Moloney allowing TJP to hit a spin kick. The crowd is chanting, “TJ’s a wanker” as he works over Moloney and tags in Kendrick. They isolate Moloney, slingshot senton by TJP and the cover gets 2. Moloney finally hits a suplex, gets the tag to Swann and he runs wild on both TJP and Kendrick. The front flip leg drop connects on Kendrick as Swann covers for 2. Kendrick and Swann now battle up top, but Swann hits an atomic drop off the ropes, it breaks down with Moloney sent to the floor. Moloney saves Swann from the captain’s hook. After an assist from TJP, Kendrick wins with a sloppy ass rollup. TJP & The Brian Kendrick defeated Rich Swann & Dan Moloney @ 11:30 via pin [**¾] Pretty good and largely fun match, with more energy and a more interested crowd. It featured mostly good work throughout, but I kept waiting for them to feed off of the crowd and pick up the action, but they just stayed in second gear.

– Trent Seven gives an interview about having an inured arm, but he’s cleared to compete. Dunne arrives and attacks him, because he’s a proper villain.

#1 Contender’s Match: Pete Dunne vs. Trent Seven: Dunne is out with the PROGRESS Championship; wrestling in 2017 is awesome. Right away JR discusses the injured arm of Seven, which is his lariat throwing/man killing arm. Seven looks to keep his arm away from Dunne early. Spirited crowd here, Seven tries to protect his right arm so Dunne attacks the left arm. Seven fires up with some chops, pulls Dunne off the ropes and hits a left armed clothesline. Dunne quickly fights back, attacking the right arm and hitting a PK. They brawl to the floor, with Dunne trapping the arm between the steps and ring, and then kicks at the steps. Back in and Dunne is being an awesome dick here, looking to dismantle the arm of Seven; great focus by Dunne. The work is methodical without being slow or boring, completely focused on destroying the arm of Seven. Seven looked to throw a right, but stopped, faking out Dunne and spiking him with a DDT. Dunne to the floor and Seven then hit a suicide dive. Back in and Dunne right back to the arm, but Seven counters the bitter end, looks for the Seven star lariat, but has to use the left arm, which is not as strong, so Dunne kicks out at 2. Dunne fires back with a German, but Seven fights back hitting an emerald flowsion. Dunne sidesteps Seven, who posts himself. Dunne then hits the Xplex for a near fall. Dunne works the kimura, but Seven makes the ropes. They work to the floor, with Dunne whipping Seven into the barricade and keeps attacking the right arm. They work to the apron; Seven tries to fire back as they trade strikes and kicks and Seven then hits a desperation dragon suplex onto the apron! They tease the double count out, but they make it back in. Dunne heads up top, Seven cuts him off but Dunne attacks the arm again. Seven again looks for another dragon suplex, but Dunne backflips onto his feet and lays in kicks, fires up but runs into the lariat for a great near fall. Seven used the bad arm, but is now down, clutching at it; it wasn’t full power, so Dunne kicked out and Seven paid for giving into his instincts. Dunne now works a hanging kimura, but Seven powers up and hits another dragon suplex, dumping Dunne on his head. Dune then rakes the eyes, hits the bitter end and picks up the win, earning the title shot tomorrow night. Pete Dunne defeated Trent Seven @ 15:55 via pin [****] This was a really great match, with some smart work from both guys. The pre-match attack by Dunne set the stage for the match, which they followed up on very well. It was the little things that allowed this to thrive, Seven’s desperation, going to his left arm for signature moves, but them continually not working because his left arm is weaker. Dunne being a proper dick and trying to dismantle him, Seven digging deep and using his dominate arm, the inured one, out of desperation and in the end he lost for giving into his instincts, and also because Dunne never gave a fuck about his well being. Seven is the ultimate mechanic; he can work with anyone and is extremely consistent. Dunne has amazing command in the ring, of his character and just comes across as a star. I think some will sleep on this one, but I thought everything was on point (I love good limb work and great selling) and Dunne comes off not only as a star but as a major threat to Bate.

– Dunne says he promised people would get hurt and tomorrow night, he takes what is rightfully his, by any means necessary.

WWE UK Title Match: Champion Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews: They shake hands and we’re all friends to begin. Bate looks to ground Andrews early, they both look to work the arm and then work into a slick grappling exchange and into a standoff. Bate picks the leg and takes Andrews down, and then tries to rip off Andrews’ arm. Bate has a great subdued aggression, never really looking angry, but allowing his body language speak volumes. Bate sets Andrews up top, and we get a clean break. Back to the mat and Bate works a full nelson. Andrews with a slick escape but Bate slips out, and works the Indian death lock and then a modified Romero special. Andrews escapes to the ropes, and then picks up the pace, hitting arm drags and then cartwheels out of a Bate RANA; they both miss dropkicks, kip up and stand off. Andrews tries to show off his grappling ability, works the octopus hold, but Bate manages to walk him to the ropes. Bate cuts off Andrews with clotheslines and a slam, the senton follows for 2. Bate then works the reverse Boston crab, grabs the arms and had Andrews struck in the pendulum. Bate transitions into a pinning combo for 2. Bate then works Andrews over in the corner with strikes/uppercuts, but Andrews hits the enziguri and RANA, sending Bate to the floor. The tope follows, and Andrews then rolls Bate back in and hits a roll up into a double stomp, the northern lights follows, but Bate stops the moonsault with an uppercut. Andrews hits a kick, taking Bate down and now hits a standing moonsault for 2. Bate fires back, sending Andrews to the floor and hitting a suicide dive. Andrews fights off the Tyler driver 97, they work into a counter sequence, Bate almost loses Andrews but Andrews turns it into a spiked RANA for 2. Bate cuts off Andrews with uppercuts, to the apron and Andrews kicks him in the face. Andrews then hits a sliced bread on the apron, but Bate rolls away and to the floor to avoid being pinned. Andrews looks for a moonsault off the apron, caught by Bate, but turns it into a tornado DDT. Andrews rolls Bate back in. Andrews looks to go up top, but Bate grabs his leg to stop him. Bate up on the ropes, eats an enziguri, and Andrews follows him up and Bate crotches him onto the top rope and follows with a diving uppercut for 2. Both men are down, they start to trade strikes from their knees, Bate starts to land more and they start to light each other up on the feet, but Bate hits the left. Andrews rolls back in and eats an uppercut and airplane spin. Andrews then hits the reverse RANA, scoring a great near fall. Andrews now heads up top, but Bate is up and hits an enziguri and then follows him up top. Bate snags up Andrews onto his shoulders, buy Andrews counters with the RANA and running shooting star press for a close 2. Andrews then walks into a superkick, and a lariat followed for bate. Bate manages to counter the suplex into stundog millionaire! He heads up top, but the shooting star press eats knees. Bate then hits the rolling front kick, hits the Tyler Driver 97 and retains the title. Champion Tyler Bate defeated Mark Andrews @ 24:20 via pin [****¼] This was another great match, worked in a completely different style than the previous match. Face vs. face matches can be really rough to pull off, but I thought that they made it work excellently here. The hot crowd helped, and they just worked the right pacing, layout and peaked at the right time. Andrews more than held his own and came off great here, and is a guy I wish we’d see more on WWE TV. Bate is amazing to watch, the kid is 20 (yes I am old enough to call him a kid he could be my son), but works with such confidence and poise that you’d think he was a 10+ year veteran. He and Dunne will look to capture greatness again and provide a worthy sequel to their UK Tournament final tomorrow night.

– Post match, Pete Dunne wants to remind everyone he’s an asshole and attacks Andrews. UH OH, DAD’S HOME because William Regal in here and tells Dunne to chill the fuck out, and Dunne and Bate have a stare down to close the show.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

The WWE UK Championship Special was a tale of two shows, with the first half being solid/average, and the second half being great. Dunne, Seven, Andrews and Bate all delivered, as did JR & Nigel on commentary. The co-main and main event were great matches to hype us up for tomorrow’s Takeover title match, which was the goal. The real negative as far as takeaways go is that we have no new information on the “WWE UK TV show” for the Network; we waited four months for this special and are still in the dark, I hope that they get it sorted out soon, especially since we have the title match happening tomorrow. That would be a great place to announce the plans for the show.