Roderick Strong and Tyler Bate fight for the right to challenge WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

Roderick Strong outlasted Tyler Bate in a classic heavy-hitting matchup to become the No. 1 Contender to Pete Dunne’s WWE United Kingdom Championship.

Having brazenly called out Lars Sullivan two weeks ago, Strong seemed determined to earn an opportunity to face The BruiserWeight for the WWE U.K. Title. The Messiah of the Backbreaker pulled out a plethora of backbreaking slams on Bate, but the young Brit showed true grit with each spirited comeback.

Strong remained committed to keeping his opponent down, however, unleashing a string of maneuvers that even Bate couldn’t overcome.

After connecting with back-to-back knees on Bate’s chin, Strong forcefully spiked the former WWE United Kingdom Champion face-first to the mat. Then he hit the End of Heartache on Bate’s already-tender back for the win and earned himself a WWE U.K. Championship Match against Pete Dunne.