WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne are scheduled to meet Saturday night at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, but both have their UK title match opportunities on the line at the WWE UK Championships Special. Bate defends against Mark Andrews in the main event, while Dunne fights to keep his #1 contender status against Trent Seven! All that and more at the WWE UK Championship Special!
Video preview of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Special.
We are on tape from Norwich, England. Jim Ross and Nigel McGuinness have the call for tonight.
Video packages for Wolfgang and Joseph Conners..
Wolfgang vs. Joseph Conners
Conners takes the back and Wolfgang grabs the side headlock. Conners with a wristlock and side headlock, but he bounces off the bigger Wolfgang on a shoulder tackle. Wolfgang with a dropkick and a back elbow. Corner splash misses for Wolfgang and Conners tries a suplex. Wolfgang blocks and gets a stalling suplex of his own for a nearfall. Slam from Wolfgang and he goes up top, but Conners knocks him down to the floor. Baseball slide from Conners lands and he runs Wolfgang into the apron. Slingshot splash inside from Conners gets a nearfall and he stomps the chest of Wolfgang. Conners works him in the corner and he lands a baseball slide dropkick to drive the ribs of Wolfgang into the ring post. Back suplex from Conners gets another nearfall and he locks in an abdominal stretch. Wolfgang fights out with Irish Whips into the corner and a back bodydrop. Corner crossbody on Conners and Wolfgang with a double axhandle for a nearfall. Conners escapes Wolfgang on a German Suplex and goes up top. Conners comes down into a Codebreaker by Wolfgang for a nearfall.
Wolfgang up top and Conners rolls to the opposite side of the ring. Conners with a slingshot DDT inside from the apron and he gets a nearfall. Wolfgang tries a military press, but Conners with a spinebuster variation for a nearfall and he continues to work the ribs. Conners up top, but he comes down into a spear from Wolfgang and The Howling lands.
Winner by pinfall: Wolfgang
(Commercials)
TJP & The Brian Kendrick vs. Dan Moloney & Rich Swann
Moloney and Kendrick start and he tries to cheap shot Moloney, but he catches Kendrick and he backs off. Kendrick with a kick to the midsection and a side headlock, but Moloney throws him off. Kendrick works the left arm of Moloney and TJP in with a dropkick to the arm. Moloney worked in the Kendrick and TJP corner. TJP with a suplex on Moloney for a nearfall as they continue to work Moloney over. Moloney reverses as TJP turns his back on the apron and he puts Kendrick’s arm in the armbreaker from TJP. TJP pulls the arm down over and over until he sees Moloney at ringside. Moloney works TJP down back inside and lands a big boot from the apron for a nearfall. Swann in with a double-team attack and he sends Kendrick out. Swann flipped over the top by Moloney on top of TJP and Kendrick. Nearfall inside for Swann and Kendrick sneaks a tag to snap the head of Swann down on the top rope. Suplex nearfall for Kendrick and he lands an Irish Whip into the corner that knocks Swann down. Swann looks for the tag and he fights away from Kendrick. Head kick knocks Kendrick down.
Hot tag to Moloney and he comes in like a house of fire on TJP. Pop-up drops TJP on the mat for a nearfall and Kendrick tries to break it, but lands an elbow drop on his own partner. Kendrick sent out, but he trips Moloney. TJP with a spinning back kick to the head and he works Moloney down. Kendrick does the same as they exchange tags to work Moloney. Moloney knocks TJP down and Kendrick fails to prevent the tag. Swann in like a house of fire on Kendrick and a somersault leg drop gets a nearfall on Kendrick. Swann up top and TJP distracts for Kendrick to meet him. Super inverted atomic drop for Swann gets a nearfall. Moloney sent out by TJP and Kendrick gets the Captain’s Hook on Swann. Moloney breaks the submission and gets the tag to work Kendrick. Kendrick lifted and TJP holds Kendrick from the apron. The referee tries to separate the two and Kendrick with a cradle and a handful of tights.
Winners by pinfall: The Brian Kendrick & TJP
(Commercials)
WWE,com exclusive from night one with Charly Caruso sees her interview an injured Trent Seven. Seven says there are no injured tendons and he won’t give up a #1 contender’s opportunity against Pete Dunne for a UK title shot at TakeOver: Chicago. Dunne walks up and Seven says he will see him tomorrow night. Dunne slams Seven’s right arm against the wall and walks away.
Video packages for Pete Dunne and Trent Seven.
WWE United Kingdom Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Pete Dunne vs. Trent Seven
Dunne smirks as he reaches out for a handshake. Seven keeps his taped right arm behind his back and tries to lock-up with the left arm on Dunne. Dunne gets between the ropes to avoid Seven in the corner and he gets a takedown with the knuckle lock on Seven. Seven gets away and they reset. Seven chops Dunne with the right arm and lands more in the corner, but Dunne kicks away. Dunne comes off the top into a left-arm clothesline from Seven and Seven with a rear chinlock. Dunne takes Seven down and he kicks the arm. Forearm outside and he kicks the steps against the post with Seven’s arm in between. Dunne works him down inside and focuses on the arm, uncovering the arm and slapping at it in a submission. Stomp on the arm and a kick to the head get Dunne a nearfall. Seven with chops from the injured right arm and he fakes one to land a DDT. Suicide dive from Seven runs Dunne into the barricade. Dunne rolled inside and he kicks the arm as Seven rolls in. Bitter End blocked and Dunne with a forearm, but Seven drops him with a left-arm lariat for a nearfall.
Seven charges Dunne, but bounces off the ropes into a German Suplex from Dunne. Dunne gets him up, but Seven counters into a powerslam for a nearfall. Seven charges Dunne in the corner and connects with the ring post. Back suplex from Dunne sets up the X-Plex for a nearfall. Kimura in on Seven, but he gets to the bottom rope and rolls outside. Dunne runs Seven into the barricade and snaps his fingers. Dunne kicks him on the apron and Seven with a slap. Both fight for position on the apron and Seven lands a dragon suplex on the apron. Both men barely beat the count to get back inside. Dunne goes up top back inside. and Seven meets him, but Dunne attacks the arm and snaps the fingers to put him back down momentarily. Dragon suplex off the top from Seven sees Dunne land on his feet. Forearms and a pump kick from Dunne followed by an enzuigiri. Seven comes back with a right-arm lariat on Dunne for a nearfall. Seven Stars Lariat blocked as Dunne gets bodyscissors and the Kimura. Seven able to maneuver out and land a dragon suplex. Seven gets Dunne up, but Dunne slips out and lands Bitter End.
Winner by pinfall: Pete Dunne
Post-match, Dunne with the microphone and he says he told them people would get hurt. Dunne says he will take what is his at NXT TakeOver: Chicago by any means necessary.
(Commercials)
Video packages for WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate and Mark Andrews.
WWE United Kingdom Championship: Tyler Bate (c) vs. Mark Andrews
A handshake and Andrews rolls Bate up for a nearfall. Bate spins into a knuckle lock and Andrews counters to take an armbar. Bate counters with a side headlock takedown and Andrews with headscissors to force the reset. Bate with an ankle lock and armbar and Andrews counters with an arm wringer into the front facelock on Bate. Bate lifts Andrews and puts him on the top rope to get out of the submission as they continue to feel each other out. Full nelson applied by Bate and Andrews gets his arms under his leg to counter. Andrews with the hammerlock and Bate escapes to a drop toehold and grapevines the leg. Andrews escapes the submission with the rope break. Arm drag exchange from both and Bate with a headscissors takedown, but Andrews cartwheel counters and both miss on dropkicks at the same time to the stalemate. Shoving match and a sunset flip from Bate sees Andrews roll through to a dropkick for a nearfall. Andrews continues to chain armlocks on the left arm of Bate and he turns it into an octopus stretch. Andrews rolls him for a nearfall. Bate rolls out for a back elbow nearfall. Somersault senton from Bate gets another and he applies a reverse Boston Crab. Scorpion crosslock from Bate applied and he works Andrews in the corner. Leg kick from Bate as he continues to work Andrews in the corner. Andrews kicks out of the corner and lands a hurricanrana to send Bate out.
Flip dive over the top connects for Andrews. Wheelbarrow into a double stomp from Andrews connects inside on Bate. Knees in the corner and a Northern Lights Suplex from Andrews. Standing moonsault attempt sees Bate roll him for a nearfall. Bate tries a drop-down and Andrews fakes him out to land the standing moonsault for a nearfall. Bate leapfrogs Andrews as he charges in and sends him out. Suicide dive lands for Bate. Tyler Driver ’97 from Bate blocked for a suplex variation from Andrews for a nearfall. Tyler Driver ’97 gets Andrews up, but Bate stumbles back and Andrews with a hurricanrana for a nearfall. Slingshot attempt from Andrews sees Bate land a European uppercut. Bate to the apron with Andrews and Andrews lands an Asai DDT on the apron. Bate rolled inside, but he rolls back outside. Moonsault from Andrews caught by Bate, but Andrews spins off to the tornado DDT. Andrews struggles to get Bate in the ring and only gets a nearfall. Bate with a running European uppercut in the corner and he goes up top, but Andrews meets him with an enzuigiri. Andrews up top, but he gets crotched on the top rope. Bate with a European uppercut to knock him off the top rope for a nearfall.
Bate with uppercuts and right hands on Andrews. Andrews comes back with rights and chops of his own. Jab from Bate drops Andrews and Andrews with a 619 kick to the midsection. Bate catches him rolling inside for an uppercut. Airplane spin lands and he pops Andrews up, but Andrews falls back to land the reverse hurricanrana for a nearfall. Andrews up top and Bate gets him with an enzuigiri. Bate lifts Andrews to his shoulders up top, but Andrews with a hurricanrana counter. Standing shooting star press gets a nearfall on Bate. Bate with a superkick and springboard lariat. Tyler Driver ’97 sees Andrews counter for Stundog Millionaire and a shooting star press lands on the knees of Bate. Rolling kick from Bate and Tyler Driver ’97 connects.
Winner by pinfall and STILL WWE United Kingdom Champion: Tyler Bate
Post-match, Pete Dunne drops Andrews as an official tries to help him to the back. NXT General Manager William Regal runs out and gets in the ring as Dunne gets in. Regal stands over as Bate and Dunne stare each other down to close the show.
Nolan Howell can be reached at nth993@gmail.com for any questions or comments.