In a press conference at The O2 Arena on 15 December 2016, Paul "Triple H" Levesque revealed that there would be a 16-man tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion. The tournament was held over a two-day period, 14 and 15 January 2017, and aired exclusively on the WWE Network. The championship was intended as the top championship of a new WWE Network show, produced in the United Kingdom (the show and its premiere date had yet to be revealed by the WWE at the time). Tyler Bate won the inaugural tournament to become the first WWE United Kingdom Champion.