WWE UK Tournament: The Participants & Their Chances (Part 2)
Earlier, we looked at the bottom half of the competitors in the WWE UK Tournament. This time lets look at the wrestlers that have a good shot at winning the tournament and challenging Pete Dunne for the WWE UK Championship
8: Jack Gallagher
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: WWE, Progress
CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2x FSW Champion (FutureShock Wrestling)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Jack can be very innovative and creative in the ring. Saw him do a suicide dive and transition into a Dragon Sleeper mid-impact. The only issue with him being innovative is that he is now a heel, so that may force him to lack off in the innovation department. Also a very good ground mat based wrestler, really focusing on submissions.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Gallagher is an interesting selection for this tournament. He along with Gulak are already established names in WWE, but this can provide him some time to develop some more as a character. The reason he is one of my favorites to win the tournament is because he is on the left side/weaker side of the bracket and is one of only 3 wrestlers on that side in the top 8. With that, he has Drew Gulak in the first round and this is one of the toss up matches of the tournament. I will be taking Gulak, but only slightly.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Drew Gulak (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2x FSW Champion (FutureShock Wrestling)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Jack can be very innovative and creative in the ring. Saw him do a suicide dive and transition into a Dragon Sleeper mid-impact. The only issue with him being innovative is that he is now a heel, so that may force him to lack off in the innovation department. Also a very good ground mat based wrestler, really focusing on submissions.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Gallagher is an interesting selection for this tournament. He along with Gulak are already established names in WWE, but this can provide him some time to develop some more as a character. The reason he is one of my favorites to win the tournament is because he is on the left side/weaker side of the bracket and is one of only 3 wrestlers on that side in the top 8. With that, he has Drew Gulak in the first round and this is one of the toss up matches of the tournament. I will be taking Gulak, but only slightly.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Drew Gulak (Lose)
7: Ligero
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: Way too many to name
CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2x HOPE King of Flight Champion (HOPE Wrestling) (Current), SWE Tag Team Champion (w/Joseph Conners) (Southside Wrestling Entertainment) (Current), SWE Heavyweight Champion, WCPW Internet Champion, 2x Progress Tag Team Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Ligero is very innovative and a phenomenal high flyer, but does know how to be a mat wrestler when needed. Unfortunately, we probably won’t see a Canadian Destroyer in this tournament. It is also worth mentioning that Ligero is one of the best sellers in the wrestling world today. The best comparison is Cedric Alexander’s selling, without as much facials due to the mask (also, love the mask).
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: What hasn't been said about El Ligero, or now apparently going by Ligero in WWE. He has done so much on the Indy Wrestling Scene, he has become somewhat of an Indy legend. When I saw he was in the WWE UK Tournament this year, I marked out. However when I saw he drew Travis Banks, I was very mad. Ligero vs Banks should be a Semifinal at least, if not the final of the whole tournament. I am so torn on this match-up in the first round, but I think Banks gets the better of him. I do hope however that on Day 3 of the tournament that Ligero is featured on the card in some way. I also hope that if the WWE can get its UK show started that Ligero is a key figure in the show.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Travis Banks (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2x HOPE King of Flight Champion (HOPE Wrestling) (Current), SWE Tag Team Champion (w/Joseph Conners) (Southside Wrestling Entertainment) (Current), SWE Heavyweight Champion, WCPW Internet Champion, 2x Progress Tag Team Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Ligero is very innovative and a phenomenal high flyer, but does know how to be a mat wrestler when needed. Unfortunately, we probably won’t see a Canadian Destroyer in this tournament. It is also worth mentioning that Ligero is one of the best sellers in the wrestling world today. The best comparison is Cedric Alexander’s selling, without as much facials due to the mask (also, love the mask).
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: What hasn't been said about El Ligero, or now apparently going by Ligero in WWE. He has done so much on the Indy Wrestling Scene, he has become somewhat of an Indy legend. When I saw he was in the WWE UK Tournament this year, I marked out. However when I saw he drew Travis Banks, I was very mad. Ligero vs Banks should be a Semifinal at least, if not the final of the whole tournament. I am so torn on this match-up in the first round, but I think Banks gets the better of him. I do hope however that on Day 3 of the tournament that Ligero is featured on the card in some way. I also hope that if the WWE can get its UK show started that Ligero is a key figure in the show.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Travis Banks (Lose)
6: Joseph Conners
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: Defiant/WCPW, Southside Wrestling Entertainment, 3 Count Wrestling, ICW, Progress
CHAMPIONSHIPS: TCW Champion (Tidal Championship Wrestling) (Current), 3x SWE Tag Team Champion (w/El Ligero) (Southside Wrestling Entertainment) (Current), WCPW World Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Connors is very rough still and has shown flashes of being a good wrestler, but isn't consistent enough. Has a nice slingshot over the top rope DDT and a nice double foot stomp as a reversal out of the corner.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Conners is a tough wrestler to place. I've seen only 3 of his singles matches, 2 in the first WWE UK Tournament, and one in Progress at Chapter 61. If we get the Joseph Connors that wrestled Pete Dunne at Chapter 61, then we will see a wrestler that can be seen as a favorite in the tournament. Conners has Ashton Smith in the first round, which seems like a match that will showcase a lot of Conners offense. He would then run into Travis Banks in the Quarterfinals, and I just can't see Conners beating Banks considering how hot Banks is right now. Conners would repeat his efforts from last year's tournament and Conners would lose in the quarters.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: Ashton Smith (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Travis Banks (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: TCW Champion (Tidal Championship Wrestling) (Current), 3x SWE Tag Team Champion (w/El Ligero) (Southside Wrestling Entertainment) (Current), WCPW World Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Connors is very rough still and has shown flashes of being a good wrestler, but isn't consistent enough. Has a nice slingshot over the top rope DDT and a nice double foot stomp as a reversal out of the corner.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Conners is a tough wrestler to place. I've seen only 3 of his singles matches, 2 in the first WWE UK Tournament, and one in Progress at Chapter 61. If we get the Joseph Connors that wrestled Pete Dunne at Chapter 61, then we will see a wrestler that can be seen as a favorite in the tournament. Conners has Ashton Smith in the first round, which seems like a match that will showcase a lot of Conners offense. He would then run into Travis Banks in the Quarterfinals, and I just can't see Conners beating Banks considering how hot Banks is right now. Conners would repeat his efforts from last year's tournament and Conners would lose in the quarters.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: Ashton Smith (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Travis Banks (Lose)
5: Dave Mastiff
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: Big League Wrestling, ICW, Progress, Preston City Wrestling
CHAMPIONSHIPS: BLW Tag Team Champion (w/Big Grizzly), POW Tag Team Champion (w/ Doug Williams) (Power of Wrestling)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: I had heard the name Dave Mastiff passed around through the internet but I had never seen him till now. For a big guy, he has a good gas tank and he has an amazing front drop kick and cannonball into the corner. Plus he has wrestled some established WWE names like Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, and Kevin Owens, so he has some good experiences.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Mastiff weighs in at 315lbs. He is one big lad and we all know how WWE loves big lads. Mastiff also has a big upside. He is still rough around the edges, but the core requirements are there for a WWE superstar. He needs some small fine tuning on some things, and he is set. He is on the murderous row that is the right side of the bracket, where he should have some decent matches. Mastiff has Kenny Williams in the first round, and Williams is a perfect opponent for Mastiff, who can show off all of his power moves. In the Quarterfinals, Mastiff would face Joe Coffey. It would be to big men and hopefully that would mean they beat the ever loving piss out of eachother. I think Coffey would win and thus eliminating Mastiff.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Kenny Williams (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Joe Coffey (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: BLW Tag Team Champion (w/Big Grizzly), POW Tag Team Champion (w/ Doug Williams) (Power of Wrestling)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: I had heard the name Dave Mastiff passed around through the internet but I had never seen him till now. For a big guy, he has a good gas tank and he has an amazing front drop kick and cannonball into the corner. Plus he has wrestled some established WWE names like Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, and Kevin Owens, so he has some good experiences.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Mastiff weighs in at 315lbs. He is one big lad and we all know how WWE loves big lads. Mastiff also has a big upside. He is still rough around the edges, but the core requirements are there for a WWE superstar. He needs some small fine tuning on some things, and he is set. He is on the murderous row that is the right side of the bracket, where he should have some decent matches. Mastiff has Kenny Williams in the first round, and Williams is a perfect opponent for Mastiff, who can show off all of his power moves. In the Quarterfinals, Mastiff would face Joe Coffey. It would be to big men and hopefully that would mean they beat the ever loving piss out of eachother. I think Coffey would win and thus eliminating Mastiff.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Kenny Williams (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Joe Coffey (Lose)
4: Drew Gulak
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: WWE, EVOLVE
CHAMPIONSHIPS: EVOLVE Tag Team Champion, CWFH Heritage Tag Team Champion (Baja Star's Wrestling)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Very big matbased wrestler. Has a ton of submissions and ability to manipulate a body part at will.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Gulak is on the left side of the bracket and has a great shot to at least get to the semifinals. Gulak being a submission specialist has a distinct advantage over some of the others in this tournament. Gulak will first have to get through fellow 205 Live competitor and seemingly friend Jack Gallagher. I think Gulak gets past Gallagher and has a good submission showing. After that, he would face Zack Gibson. Gibson shows a different threat than Gulak. Gibson is a hard hitter and someone who doesn't seem like the type of wrestler to tap out to a submission. Drew may have to use some sneaky heel tactics to win this match and advance to the semis, which I think he will. That would lead to the semi match being Gulak vs Webster. Webster is a rather flexible wrestler which would allow Gulak to have some creative submissions and have Webster look like the underdog who may not have a chance to beat the more experienced Gulak, but I think Gulak will drop the match to Webster, falling one match short of the finals.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Jack Gallagher (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Zack Gibson (Win)
Semifinals: vs Flash Morgan Webster (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: EVOLVE Tag Team Champion, CWFH Heritage Tag Team Champion (Baja Star's Wrestling)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Very big matbased wrestler. Has a ton of submissions and ability to manipulate a body part at will.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Gulak is on the left side of the bracket and has a great shot to at least get to the semifinals. Gulak being a submission specialist has a distinct advantage over some of the others in this tournament. Gulak will first have to get through fellow 205 Live competitor and seemingly friend Jack Gallagher. I think Gulak gets past Gallagher and has a good submission showing. After that, he would face Zack Gibson. Gibson shows a different threat than Gulak. Gibson is a hard hitter and someone who doesn't seem like the type of wrestler to tap out to a submission. Drew may have to use some sneaky heel tactics to win this match and advance to the semis, which I think he will. That would lead to the semi match being Gulak vs Webster. Webster is a rather flexible wrestler which would allow Gulak to have some creative submissions and have Webster look like the underdog who may not have a chance to beat the more experienced Gulak, but I think Gulak will drop the match to Webster, falling one match short of the finals.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Jack Gallagher (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Zack Gibson (Win)
Semifinals: vs Flash Morgan Webster (Lose)
3: Joe Coffey
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: Discovery Wrestling, Defiant Wrestling/WCPW, Scottish Wrestling Alliance, Over The Top Wrestling,British Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Elite, ICW
CHAMPIONSHIPS: Y Division Champion (Discovery Wrestling) (Current), 2x Scottish Heavyweight Champion (Scottish Wrestling Alliance), 2x ICW World Heavyweight Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Coffey is a very versatile for a big guy, in the footage I watched Coffey did a nice double jump cross body. He is also predictably strong, and performing deadlift Germans and slow gutwrench suplexes are always tough for wrestlers to pull off.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Joe is one of my favorite Heavyweights not currently signed to the WWE full-time, yet. He used to be one-fourth of the stable known as The Prestige with BT Gunn, Joe Hendry, and Travis Banks. Coffey is on the right side of the bracket with a lot of the other favorites. Coffey has Tucker in the first round, and as I said in the bottom 8 portion of the UK Tournament preview, Coffey should win this match up. This would set up a match up of big men in Coffey and Dave Mastiff. Coffey, having the experience edge and the bigger name should get the win there. This would set him up for a Semi-Final match with former Prestige running mate Travis Banks, where I believe Travis will get the better of him. I do expect Coffey to be a standout in this tournament
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Tucker (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Dave Mastiff (Win)
Semifinals: vs Travis Banks (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: Y Division Champion (Discovery Wrestling) (Current), 2x Scottish Heavyweight Champion (Scottish Wrestling Alliance), 2x ICW World Heavyweight Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Coffey is a very versatile for a big guy, in the footage I watched Coffey did a nice double jump cross body. He is also predictably strong, and performing deadlift Germans and slow gutwrench suplexes are always tough for wrestlers to pull off.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Joe is one of my favorite Heavyweights not currently signed to the WWE full-time, yet. He used to be one-fourth of the stable known as The Prestige with BT Gunn, Joe Hendry, and Travis Banks. Coffey is on the right side of the bracket with a lot of the other favorites. Coffey has Tucker in the first round, and as I said in the bottom 8 portion of the UK Tournament preview, Coffey should win this match up. This would set up a match up of big men in Coffey and Dave Mastiff. Coffey, having the experience edge and the bigger name should get the win there. This would set him up for a Semi-Final match with former Prestige running mate Travis Banks, where I believe Travis will get the better of him. I do expect Coffey to be a standout in this tournament
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Tucker (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Dave Mastiff (Win)
Semifinals: vs Travis Banks (Lose)
2: Flash Morgan Webster
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: Progress, ATTACK! Pro Wrestling, 5 Star Wrestling, Battle Pro Wrestling, Southside Wrestling Entertainment
CHAMPIONSHIPS: ATTACK! Champion (Current), Dragon Pro Tag Team Champion (w/Wild Boar) (Dragon Pro Wrestling) (Current), HOPE Kings of Flight Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Delivers a nice Knee strike. Webster has a ton of arm drags in his arsenal, some of which are very funky. Has a nice somersault splash over the top rope. A nice standing inverted 180 splash, and a great frankensteiner (I think it is a frankensteiner) off of the middle rope.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Morgan Webster joins Gallagher and Gulak as a tournament favorite on the left side of the bracket. Morgan Webster is someone that doesn't seem like the typical WWE Superstar. He doesn't have a ton of abs, or long hair and tattoos. What he does have is a great work ethic and a high work drive to prove that he is a good wrestler. He has done that for me and is my favorite to advance to the finals on the left side. Webster has James Drake in the first round and was on the victorious side of a 6 man tag team match on 205 Live over Drake so expect the same result. Webster would then face Jordan Devlin in the quarters and then Drew Gulak in the semis. This would lead to a finals match up against Travis Banks and that would be a hell of a match. A clash of styles as Webster is more of a high flyer while Banks is a more mat based wrestler, unfortunately I think Webster falls in the finals.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs James Drake (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Jordan Devlin (Win)
Semifinals: vs Drew Gulak (Win)
Finals: Travis Banks (Lose)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: ATTACK! Champion (Current), Dragon Pro Tag Team Champion (w/Wild Boar) (Dragon Pro Wrestling) (Current), HOPE Kings of Flight Champion
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Delivers a nice Knee strike. Webster has a ton of arm drags in his arsenal, some of which are very funky. Has a nice somersault splash over the top rope. A nice standing inverted 180 splash, and a great frankensteiner (I think it is a frankensteiner) off of the middle rope.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Morgan Webster joins Gallagher and Gulak as a tournament favorite on the left side of the bracket. Morgan Webster is someone that doesn't seem like the typical WWE Superstar. He doesn't have a ton of abs, or long hair and tattoos. What he does have is a great work ethic and a high work drive to prove that he is a good wrestler. He has done that for me and is my favorite to advance to the finals on the left side. Webster has James Drake in the first round and was on the victorious side of a 6 man tag team match on 205 Live over Drake so expect the same result. Webster would then face Jordan Devlin in the quarters and then Drew Gulak in the semis. This would lead to a finals match up against Travis Banks and that would be a hell of a match. A clash of styles as Webster is more of a high flyer while Banks is a more mat based wrestler, unfortunately I think Webster falls in the finals.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs James Drake (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Jordan Devlin (Win)
Semifinals: vs Drew Gulak (Win)
Finals: Travis Banks (Lose)
1: Travis Banks
PROMINENT PROMOTIONS HE'S WRESTLED FOR: Progress, Rev Pro, Defiant/WCPW
CHAMPIONSHIPS: Progress World Champion (Current), Defiant Internet Champion (Current), RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Champion (w/Chris Brooks)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Banks has one of the best springboard kicks in wrestling today with the Slice of Heaven. Banks is more of a ground based wrestler and has a lot of moves that reflect this. Banks also has a great suicide dive. His submission finisher, The Lion’s Clutch, is similar to Chris Benoit's Crippler Crossface, but with the arm trapped behind Banks head instead of trapped between his legs like Benoit.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Banks may be one of the best kept secrets in the Independent Wrestling world. He won the Super Strong Style 16 Tournament in 2017 and went on to win the Progress World Championship in the process, which he has yet to relinquish. Banks has the ability to make most of his matches special and has been delivering chapter after chapter in Progress. Banks is my favorite to win this tournament and look at the road he would have to take. He has to beat Ligero in the first round, Conners in the quarters, and Coffey in the semis just to make it to the final. In the final, I think he will be taking on Flash Morgan Webster and have a fantastic match where Banks wins and advance to face Pete Dunne in a rematch from Progress Chapter 55.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Ligero (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Joseph Conners (Win)
Semifinals: vs Joe Coffey (Win)
Finals: vs Flash Morgan Webster (Win)
TOURNAMENT WINNER: TRAVIS BANKS
CHAMPIONSHIPS: Progress World Champion (Current), Defiant Internet Champion (Current), RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Champion (w/Chris Brooks)
BREAKDOWN OF SKILLS: Banks has one of the best springboard kicks in wrestling today with the Slice of Heaven. Banks is more of a ground based wrestler and has a lot of moves that reflect this. Banks also has a great suicide dive. His submission finisher, The Lion’s Clutch, is similar to Chris Benoit's Crippler Crossface, but with the arm trapped behind Banks head instead of trapped between his legs like Benoit.
WILL HE WIN THE TOURNAMENT?: Banks may be one of the best kept secrets in the Independent Wrestling world. He won the Super Strong Style 16 Tournament in 2017 and went on to win the Progress World Championship in the process, which he has yet to relinquish. Banks has the ability to make most of his matches special and has been delivering chapter after chapter in Progress. Banks is my favorite to win this tournament and look at the road he would have to take. He has to beat Ligero in the first round, Conners in the quarters, and Coffey in the semis just to make it to the final. In the final, I think he will be taking on Flash Morgan Webster and have a fantastic match where Banks wins and advance to face Pete Dunne in a rematch from Progress Chapter 55.
TOURNAMENT ADVANCEMENT:
Round 1: vs Ligero (Win)
Quarterfinals: vs Joseph Conners (Win)
Semifinals: vs Joe Coffey (Win)
Finals: vs Flash Morgan Webster (Win)
TOURNAMENT WINNER: TRAVIS BANKS
