In Early 2017, WWE put on the very first UK Championship tournament with some of the best from across the pond. All three members of British Strong Style competed, Mark Andrews, Jordan Devlin and other well known and loved talents did too. Tyler Bate would face Pete Dunne in the finals and while Bate proved victorious, the two would bout for the title in epic matches afterward.

Dunne has been reigning champion for the last several months, breaking fingers, jaws, and hearts all around the globe working for numerous promotions. Earlier last week, all the participants for the 2018 tournament were released. This year, the winner will face Dunne on June 19.

Joe Coffey was in the first group announced, he is a Scottish wrestler and a former ICW world champion. Coffey is 29 years old and has been wrestling for seven years. He's no stranger to big names. He's faced the like of Dunne, Seven and Ohno during his reign as ICW champion. Coffey departed from the company after losing his belt to BT Gunn and now finds a home in Defiant/What Culture Professional Wrestling.

He can also be seen tagging frequently with his brother, the two competed in the WCPW tag tournament but lost to the team of Johnny Moss and Liam Slater in the final round. Joe Coffey is no stranger to tournament type wrestling, but it seems he's never been able to capture that final round victory. Will this prove different than the rest?

Zack Gibson is another entering the tournament. Gibson is known mostly for his time in PROGRESS wrestling where he has wrestled since 2012 on and off. He has faced off with Osperay multiple times and even rose to the top contenders before losing to Mark Haskins. He made it to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Strong Style Tournament. Gibson has been wrestling in the tag team Grizzled Young Veterans with partner James Drake, also a member of this year's tournament, and making quite the waves in PROGRESS's tag team division.

The two won the titles in December 2017 from Chris Brooks and Kid Lykos. While losing the titles for a short time to Havoc and Haskins, the two would reclaim the gold and have since defended it against the likes of Mustache Mountain, David Starr and jack Sexsmith, Havoc and Haskins, and Ethan and Rickey Shane Page. Gibbson seems to have found his niche in tag team division. Will this work for the team or against them in the UK Tournament?

Jack Gallagher is no stranger to the UK Tournament, WWE, or Pete Dunne. He has been wrestling since sixteen and is an astounding performer in the wrestling world. Gallagher made his way to the WWE by defeating Pete Dunne in a qualifier match at a PROGRESS event, earning him a place in the Cruiserweight Classic.

While he made it to the second round, Gallagher did not win the classic but found a home in the division. He has since aligned himself with Brian Kendrick, as well as feuded with Cedric Alexander and Davari. Gallagher has been in a bit of a rut as of late, but maybe the tournament will be enough fuel to help him get to stand toe to toe with the Bruiserweight once again.

Kenny Williams, another Scott, is experiencing his first real exposure in the tournament. Williams has won the tag team championships with Grado in the Premier British Wrestling promotion. On the May 15th 205 Live, Williams made his WWE debut in a fatal four way alongside Tyler Bate, TJP, and Kalisto.

El Ligero has been on the scene since 2001 and wrestles as a British luchador. He has been all over the world wrestling in countless promotions such as Pro Wrestling Noa, Southside, PROGRESS, WCPW, and Grand Pro. He is a world known traveler and has spent a long time honing his craft. Ligero has won numerous titles in his time, maybe the UK Championship will be next?

Dave Mastiff started wrestling in 2002 and has an attitude for days. The 300 lb competitor is one of the largest on this list and has one of the smallest track records considering his time in the wrestling world. He has held championships for IPW and Revolution among other indy companies, maybe this tournament will be his time to break out?

Joseph Conners was in the tournament last year, where he made it to the quarterfinals before being taken out by Mark Andrews. He is known most notably for his time in WCPW, where he is a former champion and NGW.

Amir Jordan is fresh to the wrestling world, only debuting in 2015. He freelances across the UK and hasn't really had the time to break out, but if someone at WWE has his number, he has to be making waves. Ashton Smith is a similar story, but nonetheless, I am excited to see what he brings to the table.

The other eight were announced on Friday, starting with a banger. Current PROGRESS champion, Travis Banks, is set to participate in this year's tournament. Personally, he is my pick to win it all. While Banks does have a wrestling legacy worth talking about, I want to address his history with Pete Dunne. It was Banks who ended Dunne's 287-day title run in PROGRESS by cashing in his SSS16 title shot at Chapter 55. Travis Banks has torn Pete Dunne off his high horse before, will he be able to do it again this summer?

Flash Morgan Webster, another PROGRESS regular, will be making his way into the hearts of WWE fans in the tournament. He had a match last week on 205 Live, sort of hinting this would happen. Webster has been aligning himself with Havoc and Haskins as of late in the British wrestling world and has been wrestling since 2009.

Jordan Devlin is making sure the world knows his name. He recently competed in the SSS16 Tournament PROGRESS holds every year. Starting at 12, Devlin was trained by Fergal Devitt (Finn Balor) and Paul Tracey before heading over to Japan at 21 to hone his craft. Devlin made it to the quarterfinals last year, let's see where this year takes the 28-year-old Irish born.

Tucker is another Irish born athlete who competes in Pro Wrestling Ulster where he is a triple crown champion. Last year he also entered the tournament, losing to Tyler Bate in the first round.

Drew Gulak is representing the US in the tournament. Gulak is one of my favorite cruiserweights and I truly feel WWE doesn't know what they have with him. But the CZW bred campaigning Gulak will head to the tournament this June. Thinking logically, these guys all possess styled Gulak hasn't faced in a very long time and I'm worried that maybe his demise. Prove them all wrong, Drew. Fight for a better UK Champion. #Gulak2020

Tyson T-Bone was another participant in last year's tournament, being eliminated by Wolfgang in the first round. Tyson is known for his rough brawling style that isn't pretty as much as it is effective.

Last year's tournament brought attention to so many worldly competitors that now reside on NXT or have pulled audiences home to their indy promotions in the UK. It also gave us historic matches, unlike anything we had ever seen before. The bracket will be officially announced next Wednesday and the tournament takes place June 8-10 at the Download festival.