In a press conference at The O2 Arena on 15 December 2016, Triple H , an executive for the American professional wrestling promotion WWE and head of the promotion's NXT brand , revealed that there would be a 16-man tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion .[ 1] A United Kingdom Championship Tournament: Preview show aired on the WWE Network on 9 January 2017, with a behind-the-scenes look at the creators of the event and the 16 competitors.[ 2] The tournament was held over a two-day period, 14 and 15 January 2017, at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool , Lancashire , England and aired exclusively on the WWE Network.[ 3] [ 4] The championship later became the top championship of the NXT UK brand and its show, NXT UK , a WWE Network show produced in the United Kingdom that premiered on 17 October 2018.[ 5]
Wrestler
Hometown
Weight (lb)
Mark Andrews
Cardiff , Wales
159
[ 6]
Tyler Bate
Dudley , West Midlands , England
175
[ 7]
Danny Burch
London , England
190
[ 8]
Joseph Conners
Nottingham , Nottinghamshire , England
196
[ 9]
Jordan Devlin
Bray , County Wicklow , Ireland
180
[ 10]
James Drake
Blackpool , Lancashire , England
181
[ 11]
Pete Dunne
Birmingham , West Midlands , England
205
[ 12]
H.C. Dyer
Cambridge , Cambridgeshire , England
213
[ 13]
Sam Gradwell
Blackpool , Lancashire , England
212
[ 14]
Saxon Huxley
Hartlepool , County Durham , England
215
[ 15]
Roy Johnson
London , England
206
[ 16]
Dan Moloney
Birmingham , West Midlands , England
216
[ 17]
Trent Seven
Wolverhampton , West Midlands , England
216
[ 18]
Tucker
Belfast , Northern Ireland
191
[ 19]
Tyson T-Bone
Malvern , Worcestershire , England
245
[ 20]
Wolfgang
Glasgow , Scotland
255
[ 21]
These competitors were initially announced for the tournament, but were not selected as part of the final 16. They were backup competitors if there were any injuries to the final 16, which there were not.
On 9 January 2017, WWE.com announced the full bracket for the tournament.[ 25]
The following time limits were in place:
Round one: 15 minutes
Quarterfinals: 20 minutes
Semifinals: 30 minutes
Final: no time limit
^ a b c Melok, Bobby. "First-ever United Kingdom Champion to be crowned in January" . WWE . Retrieved 15 December 2016 .
^ "Watch the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Preview Show tonight after Raw on WWE Network" . WWE . Retrieved 9 January 2017 .
^ Currier, Joseph (15 December 2016). "WWE to crown first United Kingdom Champion in January" . Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Retrieved 15 December 2016 .
^ Keller, Wade (December 15, 2016). "WWE announces new UK-based brand, holding tournament to crown UK Champion, Nigel McGuinness on announce team" . Pro Wrestling Torch . Retrieved 15 December 2016 .
^ "NXT UK joins WWE Network's already packed Wednesday line-up" . 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018 .
^ "Mark Andrews" . WWE.com .
^ "Tyler Bate" . WWE.com .
^ "Danny Burch" . WWE.com .
^ "Joseph Conners" . WWE.com .
^ "Jordan Devlin" . WWE.com .
^ "James Drake" . WWE.com .
^ "Pete Dunne" . WWE.com .
^ "H.C. Dyer" . WWE.com .
^ "Sam Gradwell" . WWE.com .
^ "Saxon Huxley" . WWE.com .
^ "Roy Johnson" . WWE.com .
^ "Dan Moloney" . WWE.com .
^ "Trent Seven" . WWE.com .
^ "Tucker" . WWE.com .
^ "Tyson T-Bone" . WWE.com .
^ "Wolfgang" . WWE.com .
^ "WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament - Tag 1" . Cagematch . Retrieved 2017-09-22 .
^ "WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament - Tag 2" . Cagematch . Retrieved 2017-09-22 .
^ a b c d Soucek, Andrew. "SOUCEK'S WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REPORT 1/15: Ongoing coverage of night two of UK Championship tournament" . Pro Wrestling Torch . Retrieved 15 January 2017 .
^ WWE.com Staff. "WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament bracket and First Round matches revealed" . WWE.com . WWE. Retrieved 9 January 2017 .
^ Soucek, Andrew. "SOUCEK'S WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REPORT 1/14: Ongoing coverage of night one of UK Championship tournament" . Pro Wrestling Torch . Retrieved 14 January 2017 .
^ Bobby Melok (10 January 2017). "Meet Andy Shepherd, ring announcer for WWE's United Kingdom Championship Tournament" . WWE . Retrieved 10 January 2017 .
^ "UPDATED: WWE UK Championship Special to air on WWE Network on Friday with legend Jim Ross on commentary" . Daily Mirror . May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2016 . The 90-minute show, starring the company's top UK and 205 Live cruiserweight talent, will feature action from tapings in Norwich on 6 and 7 May
^ "WWE United Kingdom Championship Special premiere today" . WWE . May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2016 .
^ WWE.com staff (April 13, 2018). "WWE U.K., NXT championship matches announced for Royal Albert Hall" . Retrieved April 21, 2018 .