Match of The Year Candidate
I have wanted this for quite some time and finally got it. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate for the WWE United Kingdom Championship took center stage and did not disappoint. In fact, move on over AJ Styles and John Cena from Royal Rumble earlier this year. This, in my opinion, is currently the best match of 2017 in WWE. It had absolutely everything you want in a professional wrestling match.
Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate put on a hell of a match. From the beginning, there was no lull in action. The 15 minute match was spectacular because every move mattered. There was not a waste of time, no slow motions and every move was important. The joint manipulation told the painful story of how Pete Dunne fights. The overcome of moves from Bate showcases how great of a face he can be.From the suplexes to the apron, to the running knees and then finishing off Bate with the Bitter End, both men can be viewed as two of the best performers the company has.
The mostimpressive part is that both men put everything out there and everything was executed to perfection. A true heel versus a true face and both men, combining their ages of 43 (less than Triple H’s age) gave us a reminder that WWE knows what to do when they give time to talented performers like this.
Moving forward, the UK Championship MUST be defended at NXT Takeover events. Similar to the US and Intercontinental Championships, they give credibility to more superstars and importance to an entire country and region of the world outside of America. I have watched this match three times and it gets better with each view. A 6 star match, even Dave Meltzer cannot argue. Wait, it wasn’t in Japan.
Bobby Roode retains his NXT Championship
The Glorious one defended, successfully, the NXT Championship over Hideo Itami in what was actually not the main event. NXT Takeover Chicago gave the fans a very good championship match, but one that is forgettable. First off, Hideo Itami is a bridge to another opponent. His ability in the ring is documented, but he has not fully had the opportunity to make a personal connection with the NXT Universe. As we know, when you are able to connect with the fans you are set for good.
For 17 minutes, there was never a real doubt in our minds that Bobby Roode would lose the title. I think that is one reason that this match really did not connect as much as it could. Breaking down the in-ring action would be simple. Hideo Itami hit some great moves, but Bobby Roode fired back and finished off his opponent with TWO Glorious DDT’s. Who is next in line? Luckily, WWE has three months to figure that out. They should not be having another Takeover until Brooklyn. Three months is plenty of time to accomplish what they could not in six weeks and that is a viable opponent for Bobby Roode.
