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Welcome to PWInsider.com's ongoing coverage of the WWE UK Championship Tournament: Day One from Royal Albert Hall in London!
WHAT CAME BEFORE...
To read PWInsider.com's coverage of The January 2017 UK Championship Tournament events, click here for Day One and click here for Day Two!
Click here for the May 2017 UK Championship special coverage from Norwich.
WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT 2018 DAY ONE
Day One opened with a great video feature showing WWE UK GM Johnny Saint voicing over material putting over Royal Albert Hall as a historic 100 year venue that will showcase the future of professional wrestling. It was absolutely awesome.
The announcing team is Mauro Ranallo and Nigel McGuinness. Sadly, no Jim Ross this time around. They ran down the lineup of the tournament.
WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOUARNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL: Zack Gibson vs. Jack Gallagher.
Gallagher offered a handshake before the bell, but Gibson blew him off. Tey went back and forth with some fun grappling before Gallager was trapped in a head scissors. Gallagher escaped, and they faced off. The crowd was all over Gibson, who took Gallagher down on the mat and worked him over in an armbar. Gallagher used the ropes to escape, flipping over and took him down with a rollup for a two count.
Gallagher wrapped himself up like a turtle and used it to trick Gibson into a false sense of security, taking him down and cinching in a deep chinlock. Gibson escaped after a punch of the kidney and mounted Jack for a series of right hands. Gibson nailed a low dropkick for a two count. He cinched in a half nelson chinbar. Gallagher tried to hit a sunset flip, but Gibson snatched his arm and snapped it.
Gallagher locked in a wrist lock and worked over Gallagher, who fired back. Gibson cut him off with an armbar suplex. Gibson worked him over in the corner with forearms and uppercuts. Gibson snapped him hard into the buckles.
Gallgher fired back but Gibson took him down by the ankles and drilled him with a low clothesine. Gibson went back to the chinbar. Gallagher was rallied by the crowd and fought his way to his feet. He drilled a right hand as Gibson charged him in the corner and came to life with punches and knee strikes. Gallagher reversed a suplex and nailed it.
Gallagher continued the beat but was driven backwards into the buckles. On the rope, Gallagher nailed several strikes but had his knees taken down. Gibson yanked him off the ropes with a double knee lungblower for a two count. Gallagher was worked over but nailed a dropkick.
Gallagher was caught during an attempted dropkick in the corner and nailed with a Liger Bomb. Gallagher snatched Gibson in a triangle choke as he moved in, but Gibson pulled him up and nailed a powerbomb. Gallagher grabbed a submission out of a senton, but they ended up in the ropes. Gallagher locked in a rear naked choke, but Gibson placed his foot on the ropes to break the hold.
Gallagher nailed a dive to the outside on Gibson and hit a single leg dropkick inside the ring for a two count. Gibson reversed a whip into the corner and sent Gallagher into the ringpost shoulder-first. He went down to the floor in pain. Gallagher returned to the ring but was wiped out with a lariat and nailed with a lungblower out of a tombstone position (called the Ticket to Ride) for a close two count.
Gallagher nailed a big dropkick out of desperation. He went to the top rope and went for a diving headbutt, but Gibson kicked him in the shoulder as he went down. Gibson locked on yet another submission, this time to his shoulder and scored the submission win.
Your winner, Zack Gibson!
Really good opening match meshing grappling and striking with some submissions mixed in. Real fun.
WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL: Joe Coffey vs. Dave Mastiff
They showed Mark Coffey at ringside watching his brother.
They shake hands at the bell. Code of Honor, yo.
They each charged at the bell, bouncing off of each other. The announcers dropped references to Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy and other big burly types from the golden days of UK wrestling. It’s King Kong vs. Gojira.
Lots of big back and forth power moves. Coffey nailed an Avalanche in the corner on Mastiff and hit a big German suplex with a bridge for a close two count. Mastiff cut him off but missed a discus clothesline. He caught Coffey with a deadlift German suplex for a two count.
Mastiff missed a cannonball in the corner. Coffey nailed a big discus clothesline for the pin.
Your winner, advancing, Joe Coffey!
This was just awesome. I missed some of the early PBP because I got caught up enjoying it. Really, really good, hard-hitting match.
Cathy Kelley interviewed Coffey. He said he came here to win and tomorrow, he was going to beat Pete Dunne for the WWE UK Championship. He said this is opportunity and the Iron King came to make an impact. He would do that by any means necessary. Good promo.
Two for two so far.
Flash Morgan Webster vs. Jordan Devlin.
The announcers explained Webster was influenced by the likes of the Who and Oasis. They went nose to nose as soon as Devlin entered the ring.
At the bell, Devlin backed Webster into the corner and slapped him. Webster grabbed an arm, but Devlin made the ropes. Webster broke the hold but was slapped again. Devlin grabbed a side headlock but was shoved off into the ropes. Webster caught him with an armdrag and locked in an armbar.
Devlin drilled him with a kick and scored a two count. Devlin locked in a submission. Webster escaped but was nailed with a hard uppercut and sent into the corner. Webster avoided him and nailed a leaping rana. Webster nailed a running high knee to the jaw for a two count. That looked impressive.
Webster attempted a Tiger Driver, but Devlin escaped. Devlin was sent to the floor. Webster hit a dive to the floor, the followed up with a second. Webster tossed him back into the ring and went to the top but was caught in the corner with several forearms. Webster clotheslines him off but was crotched on the ropes and hit with a standing Spanish Fly for a two count, then a superkick for another,
Devlin went for a move off the top, but Webster moved out of the way of a moonsault. Webster charged and drilled him into the mat for the pin.
Your winner, Flash Morgan Webster!
A very babyface vs. heel type of match with some great wrestling throughout. Another good bout.
WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINALS: Travis Banks vs. Ashton Smith.
It was all Banks early on with big kicks and strikes. He worked over Smith with kicks and fired off with strikes. Smith's arm worked was over with a double wristlock. He broke it and nailed several kicks and a lariat. He missed a high knee in the corner and Banks attacked with elbows and an evil delayed dropkick to the back of the neck.
Smith comes back with a tope con hilo to the floor. He tosses him back in and went for a move off his shoulders. Banks escaped but ate a superkick. They fired back and forth with Smith had some impressive, explosive, intense facial expressions. He worked over Banks, who made a comeback and scored the pin with a Kiwi Krusher, a fisherman’s buster variation.
Your winner, Travis Banks!
Good, competitive bout, although the shortest match of the first round.
Toni Storm vs. Killer Kelly vs. Isla Dawn to earn a NXT Women's Championship match on tomorrow's special.
They edited out the original match with Jinny in a Four-Way that was halted when Jinny suffered a concussion. I don't blame them. That's not how they want to debut Jinny to the audience.
They showed female competitors Charlie Morgan and Nina Samuels in the crowd.
Dawn and Kelly attacked Storm at the bell but she fired back. They overwhelmed her and used a doubleteam wheelbarrow into a DDT for a two count. Dawn and Kelly turned on each other. Dawn nailed some nice kicks and a running knee strike to Kelly for a two count. She went for a suplex but Kelly broke the attempt and nailed a suplex of her own.
Kelly grabbed her in a cravate and began working her over with knee strikes. She nailed a big dropkick in the corner but Storm returned and nailed a back suplex. Dawn snatched Storm with a suplex as well. All three were down as the crowd rallied them. All three made it to their knees and began brawling.
Dawn nailed a snap suplex on Storm but was attacked by Kelly. Kelly drilled her in the face . Dawn missed a charge and was sent sailing over the top to the floor. Kelly drilled her with a kick from the apron. Kelly was kicked off the apron by Storm, who then suplexed Isla. She nailed the Air Raid Crash into a neckbreaker, which she called Storm Zero, and scored the pin.
Your winner, Toni Storm.
Storm will face Shayna Baszler tomorrow for the WWE NXT Women's Championship. They showed her at ringside smiling and confident.
OK match. Everyone had moments were they looked solid but not a blowaway match, possibly because they had to redo everything on the fly after Jinny was injured. You have to give them a pass for that. Still, solid.
They plugged the Extreme Rules PPV.
Coverage continues on Page 2!
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