{"id":19027,"date":"2018-05-18T17:01:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T21:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=19027"},"modified":"2018-05-18T17:01:18","modified_gmt":"2018-05-18T21:01:18","slug":"united-kingdom-championship-tournament-meet-the-final-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/05\/18\/united-kingdom-championship-tournament-meet-the-final-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"United Kingdom Championship Tournament: Meet the Final Eight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/2018\/05\/16\/united-kingdom-championship-tournament-meet-the-first-eight-competitors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first eight competitors were announced on Wednesday<\/a>, <strong>WWE<\/strong> announced today the final eight\u00a0competitors for the second annual\u00a0<strong><em>United Kingdom Championship Tournament:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Jordan Devlin, Tucker, T-Bone,\u00a0<\/strong><strong>James Drake,\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Travis Banks, Flash Morgan Webster<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Ashton Smith<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>and America&#8217;s own\u00a0<strong>Drew Gulak<\/strong> (we&#8217;re definitely a little confused on that one too).<\/p>\n<p>Much like in the piece on the first eight, this article will provide details explaining just who these guys are and why you should be excited to see them. Let&#8217;s dive right in.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE U.K. Championship Tournament roster reveal - Part 2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uDkeo8Ickg4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>Jordan Devlin- Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Prot\u00e9g\u00e9 to <strong>Finn B\u00e1lor\u00a0<\/strong>and infamous for his sickening head kicks after the first UK tournament, Devlin is the best wrestler in Ireland right now.\u00a0 Fans got a glimpse of him in the inaugural UKCT last January but in the year since Devlin has gone on a tear en route to becoming the biggest star in Irish wrestling.\u00a0 The current\u00a0<strong>Over The Top Wrestling<\/strong>\u00a0World Champion is unbeaten since last November but has not been pinned since February\u00a02016.\u00a0 He exited this year&#8217;s\u00a0<strong><em>Super Strong Style 16<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>early but had an impact on days two and three including his ROASTING of\u00a0<strong>Roy Johnson\u00a0<\/strong>on day three.\u00a0 Over the last year, Devlin has grown into an amazing performer and he will fly the Irish flag proudly in this tournament.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"OTT FREE MATCH Aussie Open Vs Scotty Davis and Jordan Devlin\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/21FZ7K1FW7g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>Tucker- Belfast, Northern Ireland<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Tucker is also returning to the tournament after losing to eventual winner\u00a0<strong>Tyler Bate\u00a0<\/strong>last time around.\u00a0 The high flier impressed fans with his athleticism in his first showing. Since last year Tucker has been wrestling all over Ireland mainly for\u00a0<strong>Pro Wrestling Ulster\u00a0<\/strong>where he had a hellacious match with Scottish bruiser\u00a0<strong>Chris Renfrew<\/strong> as well as making numerous appearances in OTT.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tucker vs Big Damo - PWU Sun of a Beach\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iOUEWF0iF2E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>T-Bone- Worcester, England<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Tyson_T_Bone\/status\/997514323428888576<\/p>\n<p>T-Bone is a nasty brawler that fans should remember from the first tournament.\u00a0 Trained by British wrestling legend\u00a0<strong>Robby Brookside\u00a0<\/strong>it is no doubt he is so tough and nasty.\u00a0 The highly decorated T-Bone is a veteran of the scene and has had a very successful year since the last tournament capturing the\u00a0<strong>PCW <\/strong>Heavyweight Championship for the third time as well as the\u00a0<strong>FSW <\/strong>Tag Team Championship. What doesn&#8217;t\u00a0kill him only makes him stronger and he is not to be overlooked for this tournament.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Preston City Wrestling - Road To Glory - Part 7 - T-Bone v Noam Dar\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mNe3mG1h4h8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>James Drake- Blackpool, England<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesDrake_GYT\/status\/997530546480779264<\/p>\n<p>James Drake had a career year in 2018 alongside fellow tournament entrant\u00a0<strong>Zack Gibson\u00a0<\/strong>as part of the <strong>Grizzled Young Veterans<\/strong> tag team.\u00a0 The team managed to capture the\u00a0<strong>PROGRESS <\/strong>Tag Team Championship twice while becoming the most hated duo in the company.\u00a0 Drake has the look, the height, and the skills to be a success in the WWE and a good tournament performance would be hugely beneficial to his career.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Access Adrenaline Ep.1 - (WWE&#039;s) Jack Gallagher vs James Drake (c) (Full Match)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uTdo_12qZXQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>Drew Gulak- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrewGulak\/status\/997513544815038464<\/p>\n<p>Fans of\u00a0<strong><em>205 Live<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>are familiar with the technician Drew Gulak.\u00a0 Ever since the show&#8217;s debut, he has preached a more technical mat-based style to the high fliers.\u00a0 For this reason, he is not as out of place as it would seem as he fits in perfectly with the technical British style of grappling.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak: 2-out-of-3 Falls Match: WWE 205 Live, July 18, 2017\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/slOkWj9OHIk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>Ashton Smith- Kingston, Jamaica<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>One of the newer faces is Ashton Smith who is originally from Jamaica but has lived in England for most of his life.\u00a0 Smith is a high flier that originally trained at a local school run by\u00a0<strong>Sovereign Championship Wrestling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>He would debut in 2005 before branching out in 2007 to<strong> Triple X Wrestling<\/strong> among others where he got to wrestle the likes of\u00a0<strong>Zack Sabre Jr\u00a0<\/strong>for the first time.\u00a0 He has an alter ego known as\u00a0<strong>Derice coffee\u00a0<\/strong>which is a happy go lucky comedy character which he created while in Triple X.\u00a0 Smith at one point quit wrestling for three years eventually returning in 2013.\u00a0 Smith has been building his name since then in promotions like\u00a0<strong>Preston Championship Wrestling, Future Shock Wrestling\u00a0<\/strong>and ICW.\u00a0 The current FSW Champion and former PCW cruiserweight champion is ready to make a splash on the biggest stage of his career.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chris Silvio vs Ashton Smith Futureshock England\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kQDlDOZxHE4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>Flash Morgan Webster- Abertillery, Wales<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The Modfather of professional wrestling previously lost a qualifier for the\u00a0<strong>Cruiserweight Classic\u00a0<\/strong>showing he was on the WWE radar back then before making his 205 Live debut for their UK based show.\u00a0 He suffered an injury in that match that caused some setbacks but he is now back and better than ever.\u00a0 The high flier from Wales also has a strong submission game and any unsuspecting opponents could tap out to his signature Guillotine choke.\u00a0 There are not many promotions in the UK that Webster has not worked for as the modfather has competed in OTT,\u00a0<strong>RevPro<\/strong><strong>, <\/strong>PROGRESS<strong>, Pro Wrestling Chaos<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Defiant\u00a0<\/strong>as well as\u00a0<strong>Pro Wrestling Guerilla\u00a0<\/strong>in the USA.\u00a0 The place Webster has found most success is <strong>ATTACK! Pro Wrestling\u00a0<\/strong>where he is the current ATTACK! Champion and former ATTACK! 24:7 Champion. The former\u00a0<strong>Natural Progression Series Winner\u00a0<\/strong>(Joining the likes of<strong> Will Ospreay<\/strong> and <strong>Toni Storm<\/strong>) is looking to bring the Mod to the WWE.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FREE MATCH! Zack Sabre Jr vs Flash Morgan Webster (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I_RvrxSdB5E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em><strong>Travis Banks- Auckland, New Zealand<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Travis_BanksPW\/status\/997509715268685824<\/p>\n<p>Banks was one of the first people to make the jump from Australia\/New Zealand to the UK in an attempt to carve out a career for themselves.\u00a0 Banks has found tons of success since moving to the UK.\u00a0 His tag team with\u00a0<strong>TK Cooper,\u00a0<\/strong>the\u00a0<strong>South Pacific Power Trip,\u00a0<\/strong>was one of the best teams in the UK as they ran rampant in PROGRESS.\u00a0 Not content with just one faction he is also a member of\u00a0<strong>CCK\u00a0<\/strong>alongside <strong>Chris Brookes\u00a0<\/strong>and <strong>Kid Lykos<\/strong>.\u00a0 In 2017 CCK were the hottest act in the UK causing each member to have success, this coupled with Cooper having to move back home temporarily saw Banks emerge as a singles star.\u00a0 He scooped up the gold claiming the\u00a0<strong>FCP <\/strong>Championship<strong>, Lucha Forever <\/strong>Championship<strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>PROGRESS World Championship and the\u00a0Revpro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship. Banks in 2017 wrestled all over the UK for OTT, PROGRESS, RevPro, FCP, Lucha Forever and many other places as both he and CCK worked more than anyone else in the UK.\u00a0 In PROGRESS, Banks oddly enough dethroned Pete Dunne after winning the SSS16 tournament. Will history repeat itself for the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Kiwi Buzzsaw?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WCPW Loaded #9: Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll vs Martin Kirby vs Travis Banks vs Pete Dunne\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/misppGEDrk0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the first eight competitors were announced on Wednesday, WWE announced today the final eight\u00a0competitors for the second annual\u00a0United Kingdom Championship Tournament:\u00a0Jordan Devlin, Tucker, T-Bone,\u00a0James Drake,\u00a0Travis Banks, Flash Morgan Webster,\u00a0Ashton Smith\u00a0and America&#8217;s own\u00a0Drew Gulak (we&#8217;re definitely a little confused on that one too). Much like in the piece on the first eight, this article will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2013,"featured_media":18931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,13,452,3],"tags":[814,1376,780,47,838],"class_list":["post-19027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-wwe-uk","category-wwe-universe","tag-flash-morgan-webster","tag-jordan-devlin","tag-travis-banks","tag-wwe","tag-wwe-uk-championship"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2013"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}