Hey. Only one of these matches was any good.
The Download Fest matches admittedly were in front of a small crowd and surrounded by bigger stars, but most of these are just heatless, nothing matches that go anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
At least they had a cool atmosphere, what with everybody under a tent looking bored while thousands of people walk around in the fresh air behind them.
The dates listed below are the airdates of when the matches were put up on YouTube. Gallagher vs. Gulak happened on 5/10 at a Full Sail NXT taping, and the rest happened on 6/8 and 6/9 at Download Fest.
WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak (6/13/18)
This was very cool. It’s a completely mat-based match, with both guys just locking up, applying a hold, and either manipulating said hold or fighting out of it. It was nice to see Gallagher showing of all the submission expertise that caused us all to fall in love with him in the first place. After 7 minutes or so of transcending matwork, someone finally throws a strike and they throw some cracking elbows and kicks and chops at each other until Jack throws a headbutt that ends it. Like I said – very cool. ***1/4
2. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Flash Morgan Webster vs. James Drake (6/14/18)
Despite having an actual gimmick, which puts him ahead of half these guys, nothing Flash Morgan Webster does feels legitimate. Somebody might find the armdrags kind of neat – I think they suck. Drake meanwhile at least has some oomph to him, but reads as the most generic possible WWE wrestler, a guy who WWE would possibly invest in if it was 2008. If these two guys somehow combined, there might just be something. *1/2
3. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Joseph Conners vs. Ashton Smith (6/14/18)
Ashton Smith sells well, is athletic, and looks cool. Based on the 5 minutes or so this went, he seems alright. Conners meanwhile seems solid enough to where it makes sense they brought him back for year two, but does nothing interesting. Was pleasantly surprised when Smith advanced. **
4. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Dave Mastiff vs. Kenny Williams (6/15/18)
This wasn’t much and everything didn’t hit clean, but at least it had a hook to it – big fella vs. small speedy fella. Both guys seem to still be finding themselves though and they didn’t fully take advantage of a pretty easy dynamic. Enjoyed Kenny hitting a crossbody and Mastiff brick walling him, as well as Mastiff’s fat boy senton. *1/2
5. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Ligero vs. Travis Banks (6/15/18)
Travis Banks is the truth. This was a short match but to the point – Ligero got in a few spots but this was Banks’ match and he seems ready for something. Ligero is a guy I have heard about forever but have never seen. He feels like a seasoned pro despite the flubbed springboard, though even that led to my favorite part when he tried a tornado DDT out of it and Banks just threw him away. **
6. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Amir Jordan vs. Zack Gibson (6/18/18)
Zack Gibson exudes a special kind of angry confident charisma, like Stone Cold Steve Austin if his alcoholism continued well past his wrestling prime. Jordan – The Bhangra Bad Boy – is pretty green though and it probably shouldn’t have taken Gibson 10 minutes to put him away. It’s a decent showcase for Gibson, but it is rare to see such hesitance on a WWE product. *1/2
7. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Tucker vs. Joe Coffey (6/18/18)
This was my favorite of the Download Fest matches – it was just so SOLID. Tucker might still need a last name but the guy was over and they pulled off a fine little underdog match. Loved Coffey’s fat boy dropkick and spinning lariat at the end. **1/2
8. WWE U.K. Title Tournament – Round 1: Jordan Devlin vs. Tyson T-Bone (6/19/18)
Tyson T-Bone not much of a worker, but he has the most ideal “this fucking UK shite is different, innit?” type of look so I 100% approve his presence. This was like 5 minutes, mostly Devlin taking stiff shots from T-Bone and selling them before he won with a weak spin kick. *1/4
I mean – last year’s Round 1 sucked too. This just seemed like a weird way to introduce all of these guys.
