6/25 WWE UK Championship Tournament: Gallagher, Gibson, Mastiff, Coffee, Devil, Webster, plus Undisputed Era vs. British Strong Style, Triple Threat women’s contender match

WWE UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
JUNE 25, 2018
TAPED AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON, ENGLAND
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY URSIN DEROCHE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuiness 

(1) Zack Gibson vs. Jack Gallagher – Quarterfinal Match

They tied up and worked wrist lock reversals.  Gibson applied a head scissors but Gallagher escaped.  They were at a standoff.  Gibson grounded Gallagher with an arm bar.  Gallagher escaped and rolled up Gibson for two.  They were at another standoff.  Gallagher applied a rear chinlock.  Gallagher fired off European uppercuts.  Gibson fought back with a kidney punch followed by a top rope arm drape move and a dropkick and then with some ground and pound.  Gibson covered for a two count.  A clothesline and dropkick received a two count for Gibson.  Gibson applied a chinbar.  Gallagher fought out of the chinbar and Gibson worked the arm.  Gibson hit an armbar suplex on Gallagher.  Gibson hit strikes in the corner.  Gallagher was fired hard into the corner.  Gibson hit a grounded clothesline and tried a pin but got two.  Gibson continued to work the arm.  Gallagher fought back with a flurry of strikes.  Gallagher hit a vertical suplex.  Gallagher hit a knee strike for a two count.  Gibson hit a second rope lungbuster for a two count.  Gibson hit a release powerbomb.  Gallagher locked in a desperation triangle choke.  Gallagher applied a sleeper hold but Gibson was able to make the ropes.  Gallagher hit a tope suicida and then a dropkick back in the ring for a two count.  Gibson tossed Gallagher into the post further working Gallagher’s arm.  Gibson hit another lungbuster for a two count.  Gallagher fought back with a dropkick.  Gallagher tried for a diving headbutt but hit his shoulder on the mat.  Gibson locked in his Shankly Gates submission hold and Gallagher tapped.

WINNER:  Zack Gibson at 13:30

(2) Joe Coffey vs. Dave Mastiff – Quarterfinal Match

They traded shoulder tackles but neither man went down.  They continued the shoulder tackle battle outside the ring with Mastiff eventually winning.  Coffey hit a missile dropkick from the top rope for a two count.  Coffey laid in strikes and then a double leg takedown.  Mastiff hit a senton for a two count.  Coffey hit a suplex on Mastiff and both were down.  Coffey hit a belly to belly suplex.  Coffey hit a bridging German suplex for a two count.  Mastiff hit a deadlift bridging German suplex for a two count.  Mastiff hit a shotgun dropkick sending Coffey into the corner.  Coffey ducked the cannonball.  Coffey hit a discus lariat for the pinfall victory.

WINNER:  Joe Coffey at 7:31

(3) Flash Morgan Webster vs. Jordan Devlin – Quarterfinal Match

They tied up and fought to the ropes but Devlin didn’t give a clean break.  They traded wristlocks.  Devlin worked a side headlock.  Webster hit a couple Japanese armdrags.  Webster hit an imploder standing somersault senton for a one count.  Devlin hit a standing moonsault for a two count.  Devlin worked a seated abdominal stretch on Webster.  Webster with a running high knee into the corner for a two count.  Webster dumped Devlin and hit two Tope Suicidas and one Tope Con Giro for a two count.  Devlin crotched Webster on the top rope and hit an avalanche spanish fly for two and then a superkick for two.  Webster ducked a moonsault and hit the Eaton Rifle for the pin.

WINNER:  Flash Morgan Webster at 7:05

(4) Travis Banks vs. Ashton Smith – Quarterfinal Match

Banks grounded Smith with a headlock but Smith escaped.  Smith hit a dropkick but Banks went to kick strikes.  Banks dropped Smith with a chop.  Banks continued to chop Smith in the corner.  Banks went to work on the arm of Smith.  Smith strung some quick offensive moves together but Banks went back to strikes and hit a dropkick in the corner for a two count.  Smith hit a diving leg lariat but Banks rolled outside.  Smith wiped out Banks with a Tope Con Giro.  Smith hit a superkick for a two count.  Banks delivered a shotgun dropkick and bridging German suplex for a two count.  They delivered forearm strikes to one another.  Banks hit an enzuigiri and then a sitout fisherman buster for the pin.

WINNER:  Travis Banks at 6:20

(5) Toni Storm vs. Killer Kelly vs. Isla Dawn – Triple Threat Match to determine #1 contender to NXT Women’s Championship

Kelly and Dawn attacked Storm but storm fought back.  Dawn hit a wheelbarrow DDT on Storm and Storm rolled out of the ring.  Dawn rolled up Kelly for a two count.  Dawn hit Kelly with a knee strike that received a two count.  Kelly fought back with a suplex.  Kelly laid in some knee strikes to Dawn and then a dropkick in the corner.  Storm came back into the ring with a release German suplex on Kelly.  Dawn delivered a back suplex to Storm.  All three women traded forearm shots.  Dawn hit a floatover suplex on Storm into the cover but Kelly broke up the pin.  Dawn ran at Kelly.  Kelly pulled down the top rope and Dawn fell to the outside.  Kelly hit a kick on Dawn but Storm hit a kick of her own on Kelly.  Storm delivered a snap German suplex and then a neckbreaker she calls Storm Zero for the pin.

WINNER:  Toni Storm at 4:20

Triple H cut a promo introducing NXT UK, announcing the first dates of taping, and announcing general manager Johnny Saint.

(6) Zack Gibson vs. Flash Morgan Webster – Semifinal Match

Webster dropped Gibson with a knee and some ground and pound.  Webster hit a missile dropkick on Gibson for a two count.  Gibson delivered snake eyes and put the boots to Webster.  Gibson delivered forearms and a lariat and then applied the half nelson wristlock.  Webster dumped Gibson with a forearm and then hit a Tope Suicida.  Gibson caught Webster on his second attempt and delivered Helter Skelter on the entrance ramp.  Webster made the 10 count but was caught in Shankly Gates and tapped.

WINNER:  Zack Gibson at 4:20

(7) Travis Banks vs. Joe Coffey – Semifinal Match

The tied up and fought to the corner for a break.  Coffey took banks down with a wrist lock but Banks escaped and took Coffey down with an arm drag.  Coffey slapped Banks and they went toe to toe with strikes.  Banks took Coffey down with a kick to the knee but Coffey shot off the ropes with a shoulder tackle.  Coffey pounded away with punches.  A swing followed by a butterfly suplex got two for Coffey.  Coffey kicked and punched Banks in the corner.  Banks tried to fight out with chops.  Coffey locked in the single leg crab but Banks made the ropes.  Coffey applied a straightjacket.  Coffey spun Banks out of the straightjacket and delivered a forearm to the back.  Banks fought back with a series of chops and kicks.  Banks hit a knee strike for a two count.  Coffey hit a pop up uppercut and then pushed Banks hard into the corner.  Coffey delivered a pop up powerslam that received a two count.  Coffey delivered a German suplex with a bridge for two.  Banks hit a dropkick in the corner to Coffey that got a two count.  Coffey missed a double springboard high cross.  Coffey had Banks in a wheelbarrow position but Banks rolled through for the pin.

WINNER:  Travis Banks at 9:20

After the match Coffey attacked Banks.  Coffey rammed his shoulder into the ring post and then hit Banks with a discus lariat.

(8) “The Undisputed Era” Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong vs. “British Strong Style” Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate & Trent Seven

O’Reilly starts with Bate taking him into the corner for a series of strikes and then trying for an armbar.  Bate escaped and grounded O’Reilly but O’Reilly was able to drag Bate into his corner and tag out to Strong.  Bate was able to make the tag to Dunne who came in with a forearm shot and then boots in the corner to Strong.  Dunne hit a clothesline and grounded Strong with a hammerlock.  Dunne tagged out to Trent Seven.  Strong was able to get to his corner to tag in Cole who put the boots to Seven in the corner.  Seven chops Cole and then delivers a chop to O’Reilly and Strong before hitting Cole with a DDT.  Cole kicks Seven to the outside and Strong slams Seven into the barricade.  Seven gets isolated in the wrong corner and worked over by quick tags from Undisputed Era.  Seven made the hot tag to Pete Dunne who fired away with a series of strikes on Strong in the corner.  Dunne released a barrage of offense on Strong and then an X-Plex to O’Reilly onto Strong and the cover got two.  Strong tried to fight back but Dunne made the tag to Bate.  Bate hit an exploder suplex on O’Reilly onto Strong in the corner and then a combo airplane spin/swing to Cole and Strong.  Bate made the tag to Dunne.  Dunne tried a top rope move but was dropkicked in the air by Strong who then tagged Cole.  Cole delivered a suplex into neckbreaker that got two before tagging out to O’Reilly.  PK from O’Reilly on Dunne received a two count.  O’Reilly applied a guillotine choke to Dunne but Dunne was able to tag Bate.  The match broke down and everyone ended up on the ground to the roar of the live crowd.  Strong and Seven were tagged in.  Strong kicked out of a pin after the Seven Stars Lariat.  Strong tagged Cole and Undisputed Era used some triple team offense but Pete Dunne broke up the pin.  Dunne hit a moonsault to the outside that took out Strong and Cole.  Seven and O’Reilly were the legal men.  Bate and Seven hit a combo clothesline/dragon suplex to O’Reilly for the pin.

WINNERS:  Pete Dunne and Trent Seven and Tyler Bate at 12:20

HBK came out to cut a promo about the new NXT UK brand

(9) Zack Gibson vs Travis Banks – Tournament Final

Banks had his shoulder taped.  Commentary explained he was injured.  They tied up and Gibson immediately tried to attack the shoulder of Banks but Banks made the ropes.  Gibson continued to try and find ways to attack the injured shoulder but Banks always found a way to fight out.  They fought on the outside and Gibson slammed Banks’ injured shoulder into the barricade.  Gibson applied a hammer lock to the injured shoulder and rammed Banks shoulder first into the ring steps.  Gibson delivered some ground and pound and tried for a cover that received two.  Gibson grounded Banks and worked on the injured shoulder.  Banks fired up and delivered a dropkick to Gibson’s back in the corner.  Banks hit a Tope Suicida and then a knee strike in the ring for a two count.  Banks delivered a double stomp from the second rope for a two count.  Gibson came back with the lungblower for a two count.  They worked to the outside of the ring and Banks hit Slice of Heaven off the barricade.  They traded forearms center ring that turned to fists.  Then they traded slaps to the face.  Banks hit Gibson with a series of kicks and stomps.  Gibson took Banks down by using Banks’ injured forearm.  Gibson applied Shankly Gates but Banks made the ropes.  Banks hit Slice of Heaven in the ring but Gibson kicked out at two.  Gibson tried to use the ropes for a pin but the ref saw it.  Banks hit the Kiwi Crusher but Gibson kicked out at two.  Gibson hit Helter Skelter but Banks kicked out at two.  Gibson applied Shankly Gates and Banks tapped.

WINNER:  Zack Gibson at 17:05

After the match, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Johnny Saint congratulate Banks on the ramp and made their way to the ring to congratulate Gibson.  Pete Dunne came out for a staredown as the show went off the air.

FINAL THOUGHTS: First off, London’s Royal Albert Hall is an AMAZING venue for anything and that includes pro wrestling.  What an amazing venue and a great crowd!  This show itself was better than Round 1 on YouTube which is what I was hoping for.  Gibson looked great here as the heel and his performance was believable.  The problem was, I never really understood why Gibson was a heel.  None of the characters were fleshed out very well throughout Round 1 and this show.  Similar to Round 1, most of these matches suffered from almost no time.  If you’re going to rely on character to carry the tournament and the show, which is the calling card of the WWE, at least help your audience to understand the characters and their motivations more through promos and/or vignettes.  The final match between Gibson and Banks was a decent enough match but someone needs to give Mauro Ranallo a raise because he took an otherwise decent, mostly storydriven match (Banks has an injured shoulder) and turned it into something really entertaining.  Also, the 6-Man tag featuring Undisputed Era vs British Strong Style is really fun and worth going out of your way to check out if you are a network subscriber.

I’ll have more opinion and analysis of the entire tournament in audio form tomorrow!

Follow me on Twitter @UrsinDeRoche

READ ABOUT THE QUALIFYING MATCHES FROM YOU TUBE HERE: UK TOURNAMENT QUALIFYING ROUND 1 REPORT 6/13-6/19: Who looked good and who didn’t in Round 1 matches available on WWE’s You Tube Channel