A 19-year-old from Dudley, England named Tyler Bate is the first ever WWE United Kingdom Champion, outlasting four opponents in four matches, in just two days to capture the gold, broadcast live on the WWE Network.
Bate did not have an easy route getting to the title. While he emerged from the first round relatively unscathed, his path on night two was arguably the most grueling of any man in contention. In the quarter-finals Bate moved past Jordan Devlin, the protege of Finn Balor, who was somewhat of a dark horse pick for many fans. In the semi-finals he faced his largest test in the form of the dominant, powerful Wolfgang.
Following his bout with Wolfgang, Bate was attacked by the man he would go on to meet in the finals, Pete Dunne, suffering a storyline injury in the form of a partially separated ACL. Despite the odds stacked against him, and wrestling his third match in just two hours, the young Brit shook off a massive beating from Dunne in the finals of the tournament, and was crowned the first ever WWE UK Champion.
In the closing moments of the show, Tyler Bate was presented with his title by none other than Triple H, alongside UK legends William Regal, Fit Finlay, and current WWE Superstar Finn Balor.
“Tonight, he built an empire! … @Tyler_Bate is the KING of the United Kingdom!” – @MichaelCole #WWEUKCT pic.twitter.com/I1jBd67D3y— WWE UK Championship (@WWEUKCT) January 15, 2017
History has been MADE! @TripleH, @FinnBalor, @RealKingRegal, & @ringfox1 help #WWEUK Champion @Tyler_Bate celebrate his victory! #WWEUKCT pic.twitter.com/U0SYb35IAA— WWE (@WWE) January 15, 2017
— WWE UK (@WWEUK) January 15, 2017
