Wrestling / British Strong Style

Kings of Kings. From left to right: Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate

"This is everything. Norwich was made famous. The WWE UK was made famous. British Strong Style; we run the universe."

British Strong Style is a Professional Wrestling Power Stable comprised of "The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne (born Peter England; November 9, 1993), Trent Seven (born Benjamin Webb; August 21, 1981) and Tyler Bate (born March 7, 1997). Originally, Trent and Tyler teamed together as Moustache Mountain, with Pete Dunne teaming with his Kayfabe brother Damien. However, at Progress Wrestling Chapter 33: Malice in Wonderland, Trent and Pete turned on their respective partners under the banner of British Strong Style. They claimed that the eponymous British Strong Style of wrestling (a mixture of Japanese strong-style and British catch wrestling which Progress is heavily associated with) was a creation of the West Midlands of the UK, where each group member is from, "long before Progress was even a thing". At Chapter 35, Tyler Bate joined the group as well by turning on Damien Dunne, his tag team partner that night.

Since then, British Strong Style have achieved worldwide notoriety. Trent and Tyler were former two-time Progress Tag Team Champions, an accomplishment shared by Peter and Trent, and the group as a whole won the Chikara King of Trios tournament in 2017. Individually, Pete Dunne was a former Progress World Champion, the current Future Shock Adrenaline Champion, the current DWW Champion, and the longest-reigning WWE United Kingdom Champion; Trent Seven was a former ICW World Heavyweight Champion and a former Fight Club: Pro Champion; and Tyler Bate was a former wXw Shotgun Champion and the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion as result of being the winner of the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

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British Tropes Style:

As a trio

Some of these tropes also (or only) apply to Moustache Mountain (Bate/Seven) as a duo.

• Arc Words: "Everything is mine/ours." Throughout their reign of terror in Progress, Pete and Trent repeated this phrase almost ad nauseam.
• Batman Gambit: Their plan to take the Tag Team Championships back from CCK at Chapter 51. The main event of that show was a six-person tag match between CCK (Travis Banks, Chris Brookes, and Kid Lykos) and British Strong Style. Before the match started, BSS added a stipulation to the match. If BSS won, Trent and Tyler would get the Tag Team Championships back. But if CCK won, BSS would never challenge them for the Tag Team Championships ever again. British Strong Style won the match via sledgehammer shot to Kid Lykos, thus becoming the Tag Team Champions once again. This entire plan would have failed completely had CCK simply refused to add the stipulation to the match.
• Evil Brit: Outside of NXT UK, that is.
• Evil Vegetarian: All three of them are vegans in Real Life, though the evil part only applies in kayfabe when they're heels.
• Face–Heel Revolving Door: Trent and Tyler between WWE and Progress via complicated canonicity:
  • From WWE's perspective, Pete was implied to be a former associate of Moustache Mountain purely via them all being from the same area, but not currently teammates (until Pete turned face in NXT by default of The Undisputed Era being bigger jerks, anyway). The fact that they were a heel stable in PROGRESS wasn't acknowledged.
  • From Progress' perspective, Trent and Tyler implied their rivalry with Pete in WWE was faked to get them more TV time and thus money, and it was more friendly competition. Neither Tyler nor Pete showed any jealousy after the other had won the WWE United Kingdom Championship from them.
• Freudian Trio: Pete is The McCoy; brash, arrogant and the most aggressive of the trio. Trent is The Spock; the most calm and well-spoken member, often taking up the most microphone time and never seeming to get more than a bit angry (although he often cries like a baby when he accidentally chops the ring post). Tyler is The Kirk, albeit a more subdued version; although he almost never speaks in their promos, he seems to be the most stable and polite of the group.
• Heel–Face Turn: With Pete Dunne implying he has limited time remaining in Progress before WWE calls him in full time, he came out to the ring with the rest of the stable at the start of Chapter 56 and gave an unofficial thank you and goodbye speech. Later in the show, Tyler and Trent wrestled a tag match as their likable face "Moustache Mountain" gimmick while still representing the full stable.
  • Reinforced at the next show, when he ran in to save Trent and Tyler from the Grizzled Young Veterans and Joseph Conners.
• Passing the Torch: The team adopted Triple H's signature sledgehammer as weapons after their NXT deal.
• Putting the Band Back Together: When each of the three debuted in NXT, not only were they largely kept away from each other, but Dunne and Bate spent the better part of a year as rivals fighting over the new NXT United Kingdom championship. By the time the NXT UK had started, though, Seven and Bate were performing as Moustache Mountain regularly and Dunne had turned face. When Moustache Mountain had some trouble in NXT UK with the newly-formed Gallus trio, who should come out to even the numbers but Pete Dunne himself.

Moustache Mountain (Bate/Seven)

Tropes applying only to both Seven and Bate as Moustache Mountain.

• Aborted Arc: They were set to win WhatCulture Pro Wrestling's WCPW Tag Team Championship, but left due to signing with WWE.
• Expy: In some promotions, they were compared to the Vaudevillains, both seeming to be throwbacks to start of the 20th century wrestlers.
• Put on a Bus: At the tail end of 2016 from Chikara, though they continued to be mentioned through a good portion of the abbreviated Season 17 and it took until May 2017 for them to be removed from the roster page.

New Catch Republic (Bate/Dunne)

Tropes applying only to both Dunne and Bate as New Catch Republic.

Pete Dunne / Butch

• Aborted Arc: As a result of Dunne entering the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, his Tag Team with Travis Banks, "Strong Style Collective" had to part ways.
• Arch-Enemy:
  • Mark Andrews, from Progress to NXT to the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament to Pro Wrestling Guerilla.
  • The Undisputed Era in middle 2018 though he mainly targets Adam Cole and Roderick Strong, the latter for betraying him in during their tag team match and joining the Era. He initially allies himself with his British Strong Style teammates against them before forming an Enemy Mine with the War Raiders and his other rival, Ricochet, which eventually cultivate in a WarGames match. He continues to feud with them for the next two years, from challenging Adam Cole for the NXT Championship and allying with Matt Riddle to take on Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Later in 2020, Dunne still hasn't forgiven the Era despite them now being face and allied with Pat McAfee's faction against them.
  • The New Day in 2022, who Sheamus and Ridge were already feuding with them when they called in their boy Butch. After losing his first main roster TV match against Xavier Woods, Butch took it personally as he flew off the handle, then ambushed both Woods and Kofi Kingston backstage the following week.
• Berserk Button: Because he bears a slight resemblance to Jack Swagger, crowds have chanted "Cheap-ass Swagger". He is not amused.
• Big Bad: As the PROGRESS champion. He nearly killed Travis Banks with a sledgehammer, held Dahlia Black and Vicky Haskins hostage (separately) to win matches, kicked Callum Leslie in the nuts a couple of times...
• Blood Knight: He really does love a good fight.
• Book Ends: His 685-day reign as WWE United Kingdom Champion began and ended in hard-hitting, acclaimed matches that were rated 4.75 by Dave Meltzer.
• Canon Name: Pete Dunne was relegated to the background "real name" of the Butch character on SmackDown due to Vince McMahon hardening his stance against debuting newly signed or called-up talent with their real life or preexisting independent names.^note Vince has long alternated his position on this over the years, relaxing the policy when the original names were marketable and/or the talent reliable enough business-wise that merchandising them would still be safely profitable while strictly enforcing it when logistical costs proved otherwise. The 2022 reenforcement of this position reportedly was caused by legal challenges over merchandise royalties on the part of both Keith Lee and Chelsea Green. He finally got his name back in 2024, long after Vince's reign had ended.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Became known in the original United Kingdom Championship Tournament for a vicious sneak attack upon another competitor and rising through the brackets to become one half of the championship match, which he lost to Tyler Bate. Later, he became the United Kingdom Champion by defeating Bate.
• Combat Pragmatist: His moveset includes finger breaking and stiff shots to the ribs to beat up his opponent.
• Composite Character: Following Clash at the Castle 2022, Butch has largely reverted to the ring gear and mannerisms of Pete Dunne while still retaining the trappings of The Brawling Brutes.
• Determinator: The dude can take an ungodly amount of punishment, face or heel. But especially as a face in NXT UK. You can weaken him, even wound him; but typically in a battle of attrition, Pete Dunne will give out second - and that's why he's kept his title for a year and a half.
• Establishing Character Moment: One of the first thing that Pete Dunne did in the WWE United Kingdom Tournament was crack his quarterfinal opponent Sam Gradwell with an elbow, firmly establishing himself as The Bruiserweight.
• Evil Versus Evil: He wrestled against Ludwig Kaiser at SmackDown.
• Expy: The British background and penchant for fighting dirty and brutally evoke a young William Regal, although certain elements of his game also remind one of one of Regal's students, Daniel Bryan. Perhaps not coincidentally, his blood red/black/white color scheme for his WWE ring gear◊ is very similar to the ones Bryan◊ and Regal◊ wore at various points in their careers.
• Face–Heel Turn: On October 28 on NXT: Halloween Havoc, Dunne returned to NXT and turned heel by attacking Kyle O'Reilly and aligning himself with Pat McAfee, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan.
• Fingore: Dunne usually goes for the wrists and fingers to weaken his opponents. He's so effective at it that he's gotten guys that have tanked several of his Finishing Move (see below) to tap from the pain of the joint manipulation. See Man Bites Man below.
• Finishing Move: The Bitter End, a complicated-looking move best described as a Pumphandle Flatliner. Outside WWE he has another variation called the Better End, ending the move with a Tombstone Piledriver rather than a Flatliner. Or sometimes... (see above)
• Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed. He never really had the turn 'moment' associated with most turns in pro wrestling (unless you count his getting caught in the middle of the conflict between NXT's The Undisputed Era and several other stars). His character also didn't change all that much, still being an extremely smug, standoffish, prize fighter who is brutal to the point of near sadism and doesn't tend to get along well with others (with the exception of his two best friends). But while he is still all of those things, he's also very much not a coward, and while he tends to bend a lot of rules (and appendages), he seldom, if ever, cheats outright. It allows him to operate in something of a gray area where he can be booked as a heel by default against more classic babyface roles, but is most definitely a face against classical heels. Although, in NXT UK, he's pretty unambiguously a face and has been from the jump, probably because NXT writers are smart enough to not make things impossible for themselves by trying to cast him as a heel. (See A Hero to His Hometown) This would become played straight at Clash at the Castle 2022, with the Cardiff crowd giving Sheamus and the Brawling Brutes (of which Dunne/Butch was a member of) a standing ovation after a grueling match with Gunther.
• A Hero to His Hometown: While most of the NXT UK roster originate from the UK or Western Europe in general, Pete Dunne is one who's accrued so much respect in his home territory that he simply cannot be booked as a heel long term when representing WWE there.
• Man Bites Man: Pete Dunne takes an almost sickening pleasure in biting his opponents fingers during a match.
• Noble Demon: After losing the belt in Progress, he never really turned into a good guy like the rest of the stable, but he did stop being a smug dick and just let his wrestling skills do the talking, which also carried over into his WWE appearances.
• Now That's Using Your Teeth!: Has an odd quirk of posing with the WWE United Kingdom Championship belt by clenching one end of the strap between his teeth as opposed to carrying it or holding it up in his hand(s).
• Only Known by Their Nickname: When Sheamus and Ridge introduced him to SmackDown, they mention that he's been known by another name, but to them he's always been Butch. Pat McAfee would reinforce this on commentary during their match against Kofi Kingston and Big E with him at ringside. This has stuck as his name going forward.
• Oral Fixation: Whenever he has a belt, he usually poses with it holding one end in his teeth.
• Perpetual Frowner: In NXT in particular. His face isn't even simply neutral. Most of the time, he's outright scowling.
• Power Stable: Aside from British Strong Style, he became part of an alliance briefly called "The Kings of NXT" with the initial goal of destroying The Undisputed Era. Said alliance has included Pat McAfee, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, and Ridge Holland, before ultimately disbanding due to call-ups and releases.
• Power Trio: He and Ridge upon joining the SmackDown roster would both be connected to Sheamus as part of his Peaky Blinders-inspired "Brawling Brutes" stable, where he goes by their nickname for him as Butch. McAfee, oddly enough, would nickname them "The Eastie Boyz" during their feud with New Day.
• Red Baron: "The Bruiserweight".
• Smug Snake: Pete genuinely does not give a fuck about what anyone wants or does not want, and will do whatever he likes with a cheeky grin (and usually an obscene hand gesture).
• Tag Team:
  • "Strong Style Collective", with Travis Banks in WCPW.
  • "The Dunne Brothers" with kayfabe brother Damian Dunne, who went on to become "No Fun" Dunne.
  • The BroserWeights with Matt Riddle.
• Would Hit a Girl: Would also kick her in her broken ankle.

Tyler Bate

• Bookends: Bate was the first and last NXT United Kingdom Champion.
• Butt-Monkey: Pete pulled him into a chop by WALTER at Chapter 47, while Trent snatched the mike away from him when he was about to speak at Chapter 54. During their group promos, Pete and Trent always do the majority of the talking while Tyler stands awkwardly in the background (as seen here and here); Tyler was even left behind by the others in the former video. So far, he doesn't seem to mind.
• Catchphrase: Uses "b i g s t r o n g b o i" on social media a lot.
• Dork Knight: In his initial WWE appearances, comes off as... well, an awkward teen, whose dorkiness belies his toughness. Downplayed later as he comes off more confident in subsequent appearances, particularly when teaming with Mustache Mountain teammate Trent Seven.
• Finishing Move: Tyler Driver '97, a sit-out double underhook powerbomb, made famous by Mitsuharu Misawa. For much bigger opponents, he uses a corkscrew senton bomb that he calls the Spinny Boi.
• Improbable Age: Won the WWE United Kingdom Championship as its first-ever champion a few months short of his 20th birthday, making him only the second individual to win a title associated with WWE before his twentieth birthday and the youngest ever WWE singles champion.^note The youngest champion ever was WWE referee John Cone's 10-year son Nicholas, who won the Raw Tag Team Titles with Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 34. This is a huge departure from WWE's usual MO, particularly as it pertains to 'indy' stars, who typically have to toil for a lot of years before WWE so much as looks at them. Many of WWE's biggest acquisitions from the indy and international circuit, in recent years, have been closer to 40 than 20. AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Asuka, Finn Bálor, Bobby Roode were all well into their thirties before they got WWE contracts, and Bate has not just a contract but a championship to his name representing a region with a lot of experienced wrestlers. That's pretty impressive.
• Kid Hero: He's well-known for being incredibly accomplished for someone so young.
• The Rival: Has had numerous title matches with Pete Dunne since their WWE debuts.
• Spectacular Spinning: He's known for spinning his opponents around, similar to how Cesaro would. His Airplane Spin is truly a sight to behold.
• Stronger Than They Look: Despite weighing only 174 pounds, he's able to perform an Airplane Spin and a Giant Swing at the same time against two different opponents, and perform a deadlift German Suplex on the 310 pound WALTER.
• Token Good Teammate: He was still a babyface in the WWE while he was in the stable, and he retained many of the same characteristics (waving to the crowd, slight awkwardness) between the two companies. Aside from certain moments of Jerkassness in some of his matches, he's probably the least heelish out of the three men.
• Tournament Arc:
  • He was first introduced as WWE held a tournament to crown the first ever United Kingdom champion. He won.
  • After several sporadic NXT appearances, resurfaced in another one on 205 Live in 2018 with the vacated Cruiserweight Title up for grabs. Didn't go so well this time, as he went down in the first round (ironically, to the winner of the Cruiserweight Classic, which was the division's introductory Tournament Arc)
• Ur-Example: The inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion.

Trent Seven

• Big Brother Mentor: He trained Tyler Bate, who is over a decade his junior (almost sixteen years, to be precise), and as Moustache Mountain the two very much have a big brother/little brother dynamic.
• Butt-Monkey: He had it even worse since Super Strong Style 16, having been beaten in 6 seconds by Matt Riddle, he then moped melodramatically the rest of the weekend about what a bad time he was having, and everyone including Jim Smallman started calling him "Trent Six"
• Crowd Chant: After he lost to Riddle in six seconds, the crowd had endless amounts of fun making up a wide variety of chants based around the number six. They also came up with 'Wanker with a towel, with a towel! Wanker with a towel!'
• Finishing Move: The Seven Star Lariat, a Rainmaker lariat,^note He doesn't usually hit this when he tries it in Progress, because it's also the finisher of more serious Progress contender Jimmy Havoc as the "Acid Rainmaker" and the Seventh Heaven, a Spinning Piledriver. He also uses the Burning Hammer, which is invented and made popular by Kenta Kobashi.
• Rich Bastard: He takes great pleasure in reminding the Progress fans that he is "extremely rich" thanks to his WWE deal.
• Sell-Out: After he signed with WWE, he'd mention it constantly in PROGRESS, including getting Smallman to announce things like 'and soon to be appearing in a sticker album'.
• Signature Move: His chops.
• Too Dumb to Live: He cut a promo about how Matt Riddle was a useless stoner who couldn't make it in either UFC or the WWE, and called him a pussy. Riddle proceeded to knock him out with one move and won the match in six seconds.
• Unrelated Brothers: An inverse example - Clint Margera is his legit little brother, but while Margera has appeared in Progress, no mention has been made of his relation to Seven.

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