WWE announce UK Title and Tournament

[#BROKEN Hasney]

WWE UK have an announcement next week and after offering talent contracts wrestler in the UK are calling "mark" contracts (you get a little bit of extra money, but you can't work for promotions on TV), it looks like there's going to be a CWC style tournament exclusively with British wrestlers.

Why though? Why have a weird limited presence? The contracts were about trying to undermine World of Sport coming back so this seems like another step towards that. They're putting World of Sport on at prime time on New Years Eve so they have some confidence in it. UK could be some weird battleground of wrestling next year.

[ClockShot]

Nice idea. But really it's not.

Unless this is just for fan service and seeing what the United Kingdom has to offer, then cool.

But if this is another way of just adding to the talent pool, probably bad. Honestly think NXT is ready to bust at the seams with all the talent stashed away down there. Probably a lot of guys who should be on the main roster by now. And send a few from the main roster back down.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

It's not to add unless someone really impresses. The contracts that they were pffering gave them a little amount of money while they work the indies, but it stops them from appearing on promotions with TV. This is to try and get a smaller talent pool for World of Sport and the tournament is a way to give them a payday for signing the shitty contract they were offered. It does seem like they;re slightly worried it could take off in the UK alongside things like WCPW.

[Destor]

If they're showcasing traditional british style matches im down. Nlt down enough to pay for the network...but maybe a dvd

[Emperor Smeat]

Why though? Why have a weird limited presence? The contracts were about trying to undermine World of Sport coming back so this seems like another step towards that. They're putting World of Sport on at prime time on New Years Eve so they have some confidence in it. UK could be some weird battleground of wrestling next year.
Probably just to convince those wrestlers the WWE actually has future plans for them when the sheets are saying the opposite is going to end up being the reality. First time since the fall of WCW the WWE is legit worried about losing market share and top status in a region for wrestling since both ITV and WCPW are potential big threats.

I'd assume if this plan actually works, the WWE might try something similar in the future for both Japan and Mexico to snag more control in those markets.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Which wrestlers have actually agreed to those contracts? Anyone of note?

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Which wrestlers have actually agreed to those contracts? Anyone of note?

I saw some people asking, but no confirmations yet. I'm guessing they're hoping the tournament will make it more appealing.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I just read the WoS taping results, and I saw that Grado is champion. Oh dear god.

[Outsider]

http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-united-kingdom-championship-tournament/article/wwe-united-kingdom-championship-tournament

LONDON — At an historic press conference at the O2 Arena in London, Triple H revealed that WWE’s first-ever United Kingdom Champion will be crowned this January.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is a 16-competitor, two-day throwdown at Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom, airing live and exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network, featuring some of the best talent the U.K. has to offer. The last man standing at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion and awarded a title, which was also revealed at the conference.

Joining Triple H in London were former WWE Universal Champion Finn Bálor, General Manager of NXT William Regal and British wrestling icon Nigel McGuinness, who will be calling the tournament action on WWE Network alongside the voice of Monday Night Raw, Michael Cole. The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament competitors also took the stage.

Tickets for this historic two-day event at the Empress Ballroom will be available starting today at 12 p.m. GMT at livenation.co.uk.

Stick with WWE.com for more news on this incredible tournament as it becomes available, and don’t miss the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, January 14 & 15, live and exclusively on WWE Network!

Looks very interesting.

Some names I've seen at a local company before who are pretty good. Pete Dunne is a beast (has competed for PWG before). Tyler Bate is very similar to Jack Gallagher.

Booked ticket for the Sunday.

Wonder where they go from here with this. Could be some sort of partnership with Progress where the WWE UK Title is defended there maybe? Potentially with Progress on the Network?

[Outsider]

Also, the new belt is the best they've designed in years.

[Big Vic]

It is very nice.

[Evil Vito]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cztx1zRXAAALDyq.jpg:orig

• Trent Seven
• Jack Starz
• Pete Dunne
• Wolfgang
• Roy Johnson
• Sam Gradwell
• James Drake
• Jordan Devlin
• Tyler Bate
• Joseph Conners
• Tyson T. Bone
• HC Dyer
• Dan Moloney
• Chris Tyler
• Saxon Huxley
• Ringo Ryan
• Tiger Ali
• Tucker

[Ultra Mantis]

Surprised they didn't get Joe Hendry.

The guys from Moustache Mountain are Pete Dunne seem like the most notable names there, I guess you could throw in Connors and Wolfgang because of their WCPW / ICW championship runs. No idea who anyone else is.

[Simple Fan]

Pretty interesting. Will the UK Championship be brought to raw or Smackdown? Maybe they start a new promotion in the UK like NXT.

[Black Widow]

Title looks nice. Couldn't care less about this however

[Mercenary]

That belt looks better than the Raw and wwe one tbh

[Blue Demon]

Could be an NXT type of thing with European guys? Either that, or another "brand." I don't have a problem with this as of yet, and maybe see it as an expansion of sorts. They're perhaps offering some light contracts as a testing phase without much early investment to see if it works, then maybe signing them to better ones if it does?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

It's just a computer render.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

NIGEL!

[slik]

I donut get the title...will it be defended on a regular basis? If so, not a fan, we donut need more title belts.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Probably at IWC shows or some shit.

[Nicky Fives]

Great way to try out British guys and maybe grow the Network population in England and the surrounding areas.... Makes sense to me.... Throw in some vintage clips of former British talent and it seems like a decent series....

[Rammsteinmad]

Quite a few guys in there that I know/use to know personally. Jealously dictates that I hope they all fail miserably and don't get signed to WWE.

[ClockShot]

I'm hoping this is like tournament thing that gets held on a yearly basis.

In the words of Lance Storm: "If I can be serious for a moment."

IF this takes off and is a huge success, where's all this talent gonna go? Unless there's something in the cards like a WWE UK and they're gonna have a show and compete strictly in the United Kingdom, I think it could work.

But we just wrapped the Cruiserweight Classic and now WWE is moving rapidly to this. I think it's just too much all at once.


Also, 'member the European Championship?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

UK does not equal Europe.

WWE trying to kill the only place TNA does well in.

[Cool King]

Am I the only guy that thinks this all sounds terrible?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

The idea of it sounds great but the field feels like it's the XFL of talent.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

UK does not equal Europe.

WWE trying to kill the only place TNA does well in.

TNA doesn't even have a TV deal here anymore. It's all about ITV's World of Sport.

[XL]

Not a fan of that belt. Would be alright if it was totally different.

[Fignuts]

Love british style wrestling. Pumped for this.

[Fignuts]

Would be cool if they used the the british rule set with the rounds and everything.

[Emperor Smeat]

According to WCPW, seems like the WWE got rid of the restrictions regarding the so called "mark deals" and promotions with tv/ppv coverage.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">William Regal confirmed to us that there are &quot;zero restrictions&quot; on any of the wrestlers working for other UK promotions.</p>&mdash; WCPW (@WhatCulturePW) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatCulturePW/status/809425113573707776">December 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Would be cool if they used the the british rule set with the rounds and everything.

I donut think rounds are good for pro wrestling. That TNA crap they have shows that perfectly. It's trash.

[Ultra Mantis]

UK does not equal Europe.

WWE trying to kill the only place TNA does well in.

Hey come on, TNA is just as unpopular over here as it is in the rest of the world.

[The CyNick]

I don't know all the future plans but I could see the idea of trying to start regional territories. They have a model that works with NXT. They could replicate that in markets where they want to grow their network subs and find new stars.

The average person is Des Moines Iowa may not care to follow this future UK promotion but someone in England might enjoy it. You hope you find a few guys who can be brought over to the US either for NXT or the main roster. If you're a hardcore fan you might know some of these guys and be willing to invest another hour a week to watch.

My guess is England is a test market, then they will try Japan, Mexico, and then growth markets like India and Brazil.

[DAMN iNATOR]

UK does not equal Europe.

WWE trying to kill the only place TNA does well in.

It does, at least for now. #BREXIT is far from official and could still fall apart.

Also, it's semi-interesting and all, but whatever, just bring back
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/wrestling-jat/images/5/54/Wwe_european_championship_2014_by_nibble_t-d8b8yk0.png/revision/latest?cb=20150614114456

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't know who many of these guys are. I've heard of Pete Dunne and, I think, Wolfgang. Good for them. I've wanted the WWE to do a proper territory system for a long time -- you need that for guys to get really good and work out how to change style. My bet is that it ends up that they all do the same matches like the cruiserweights anyway.

[Cool King]

I've only just realised that Finn Bálor was at the press conference.

Why was he there?

Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom.

[Ultra Mantis]

Probably because he's not on the road and has connections with the UK scene, he appeared on an ICW iPPV a few weeks ago.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

According to WCPW, seems like the WWE got rid of the restrictions regarding the so called "mark deals" and promotions with tv/ppv coverage.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">William Regal confirmed to us that there are &quot;zero restrictions&quot; on any of the wrestlers working for other UK promotions.</p>&mdash; WCPW (@WhatCulturePW) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatCulturePW/status/809425113573707776">December 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And that turned out to be a lie. WCPW even tweeted a deleted tweet saying "No restrictions!!".

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C005N8iWIAASYmb.jpg:large

[Evil Vito]

WWE have basically walked into the thriving garden that is the British pro wrestling scene and have decided to help "cultivate" it by taking down the fences, picking as much produce as they want whenever they feel like it, and dictating when it's okay for the owners of the garden to enjoy their vegetables.

[Outsider]

WWE have basically walked into the thriving garden that is the British pro wrestling scene and have decided to help "cultivate" it by taking down the fences, picking as much produce as they want whenever they feel like it, and dictating when it's okay for the owners of the garden to enjoy their vegetables.

But at the same time, providing a fuck load of fertilizer.

If it means more veg for everyone, is this a bad thing?

[#BROKEN Hasney]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPi2PzZFYa8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The salt and snark.

[Outsider]

Mark Andrews has now been added to the tournament. Not sure who he is replacing.

Didn't know he had left TNA.

Either way, that's three from Attack! Pro Wrestling which will be locally good news.

[Simple Fan]

Mark Andrews really didn't impress me in TNA. A lot of it probably has to do with them not knowing what to do with him. They didn't even know what to call him, came in as Mark Andrews and then they only called him Mandrews before going back to Mark Andrews again. Had just turn heel and was showing a bit more character.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Who do UK wrestling fans have pegged to win this thing? The guys have heard of don't really seem like the guys you'd go with as your top choice for a winner.

[Emperor Smeat]

According to PWI, the main reason why Zack Sabre Jr wasn't invited to this tournament was due to the WWE being petty he refused to sign a deal with them after the CWC tournament.

For those who have asked why Zack Sabre Jr. isn't in the WWE UK championship or the Cruiserweight division, it comes down to this - Sabre turned down WWE when they offered him a deal back during the CWC tournament

[Mr. Nerfect]

I was honestly not that impressed by Zack Sabre, Jr. in the CWC. He's a good looking kid, but he's a bit on the lanky side, which I think does make a difference when you're trying to do that style. His facial expressions were way over the top, which makes me think he would be a better heel that you want to see get the shit beat out of him.

I think the perfect gimmick for him would be a spoiled rich kid who has gotten the best catch-as-catch training money can buy, but he shows up and faces scrubs that are basically paid to humour him and get tied up so "Master Zack" can have his wrestler's lifestyle. He should have a rich butler who does a big hype-up for him. The pop for when one of the "scrubs" gets frustrated and decides to lash back could be huge. And if you ever decided to turn ZSJ babyface, you can have a heel take out the manager which leads to ZSJ finally showing the world he didn't need the easy outings.

[Ultra Mantis]

Who do UK wrestling fans have pegged to win this thing? The guys have heard of don't really seem like the guys you'd go with as your top choice for a winner.

I'd say Trent Seven, Pete Dunne or Joseph Conners.

They're stood closest to HHH so he obviously likes them the most.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That is very fair reasoning.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Is What Culture the Youtube site? They make some good stuff about how they would book historical wrestling feuds to make them better.

What is Wrestle Culture? Is that an ERROR?

[XL]

Yeah. WhatCulture is the pop culture site that produces a lot of wrestling content, including What Culture Pro Wrestling.

[Ultra Mantis]

That is very fair reasoning.

I'd narrow it down to Seven and Dunne in seriousness.

Dunne is already Progress champ, was in their CWC "qualifier" against Jack Gallagher, has worked PWG & was in last years BOLA (which Regal is a huge fan of).

Seven is currently main eventing ICW as their top babyface and is a bit of throwback to old style British wrestling. He's very charismatic, not really an amazing promo but better on the mic than Dunne.

They were the only two guys WWE interviewed for youtube channel and I'd expect them both to make the final unless they see big things for somebody else.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I could see Seven vs. Dunne being the finals too. I'd probably go with Seven as the first champ, with him dropping it to Dunne on the WrestleMania Kickoff show. Wolfgang is a guy I'd like to see go a long way in the tournament before getting knocked out by a babyface and starting a feud with them.

[Outsider]

Seven vs Dunne seems inevitable as the final.

I think it will be Dunne. He just seems to have that bit about him that has the potential to one day go places. The whole 'bruiserweight' gimmick works well for him as well.

Having seen him live a few times, he can go well in the ring as well. Hopeful this is the start of big things.

Think it will be him vs Mandrews in the semi as well, which given these two have a lot of history should be a good match.

[Phenomenal 1]

William Regal is a suprise entrant and wins in the finals with The Fingerpoke of Doom

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I think Dunne is as good as signed. He's the biggest name they managed to get and he was sitting at the corporate table on the bracket breakdown show.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think the semi-finals will end up being Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven and Joseph Conners vs. Pete Dunne. Trent Seven will be in the finals, I'm fairly sure, but I'm honestly not sure who goes against him. I could see it being Conners that takes the whole thing, to be honest.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The belt looks better than the Universal Title and already has about as much history.

[Emperor Smeat]

Small update in regards to the production side of the tournament. Pretty much going to be handled the same way the CWC was.

Paul Levesque, Scott Armstrong and Marty Miller will be overseeing the production of the U.K. shows this weekend. David Finlay is a producer. There will be no Vince McMahon at the show nor his fingerprints on the show. The talent, if left to their devices, want to do all kinds of blow away high spots so we'll see how it turns out.

[Evil Vito]

Quite enjoying this so far. Danny Burch looked fantastic despite the unfortunate ending to his match. Wouldn't mind him getting another shot in NXT.

[Evil Vito]

:lol:

"Let's go Jesus!"
"Jesus sucks!"

[Evil Vito]

The crowd are absolutely crucifying Huxley out there.

[Evil Vito]

I would be stunned if Pete Dunne didn't get signed.

[Outsider]

Was fairly entertaining. A couple of average matches but a couple of pretty good matches too. Expect they will ramp it up a notch tomorrow night.

Am heading up tomorrow and am very much looking forward to it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'd rather not all the matches be absolute slammers. It'll help the more exciting matches stand out more.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Watched the first two matches at work but watching it over again now. Guess 3pm start wasn't conducive for a thread.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Pete Dunne is such a great fucking heel.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Are Gladwell and Regal related? Have somewhat similar face and both from Blackpool.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Regal fucked everyone in Blackpool, so probably.

[XL]

Caught up with Day 1 today. Really impressed with the characters of Tyson T-Bone (needs a new name) and Tyler Bate (albeit similar to Jack Gallagher) who at 19 was really impressive. Trent Seven has a bunch of charisma but I'm not sold on his look. Pete Dunne could be a star in the Cruiserweight Division tomorrow. Jordan Devlin looks like a dwarf (his head is too big).

[Evil Vito]

Pete Dunne is amazing.

[Evil Vito]

Trent Seven looks pretty fat for his weight.

Good wrestler though, and very charismatic.

[Evil Vito]

I actually saw Seven or Bate losing as soon as Cole mentioned the possibility of the tag team partners having to face each other during Seven's entrance. It was almost too much of a giveaway.

Thought Bate was the more likely of the two to lose though since Devlin can properly heel it up. Quite surprised at Seven going out. Fun match.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Did anybody think of the guys who sold their territory to Vince the 80s when they showed the faces of the promoters of all the other companies in the crowd last night?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

This Devlin kid has to be related to Finn right? Or did Finn search Bray for a replica to train?

[Evil Vito]

Tyler Bate is fucking great, btw. I've loved Pete Dunne but Bate has blown me away. So much poise for a 19 year old.

[Evil Vito]

Tyler Bate has been my favorite so far. I think the only thing stopping him from being signed will be his age. WWE supposedly have a rule now where they don't sign anybody under 21, although they've brought in younger wrestlers in for tryouts and such.

Might be a better thing for Bate though. It'll give him time to hone his craft in other parts of the world. He'll be WWE bound someday surely.

[slik]

To anyone watching, how is the #WWEUKCT? I haven't watched it yet b/c I think we have too many titles already and don't need another one.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

It's all defended in England so its ok.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Great match rn

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Pete Dunne V @MAndrewsTNA is the second best match I've seen this year. Fuck me.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Best one of the year I've seen.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Looks like they trying to end it before football.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Footballs already been on

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Man Tyler is over.

[Innovator]

Tyler is legit

[#BROKEN Hasney]

SOMEONE DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIS MANIAC

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Regal! Regal! Regal! Regal!

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Footballs already been on

4:40pm.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

YES! NEVILLE!

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

"Why wasn't I booked in this shit?"

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Sweet, Tommy End.

Cole also confiming that Hero was re-signed at NXT.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

RIP Tommy End.

Allistaire Black lives.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

FINN BALOR

[#BROKEN Hasney]

"Seperated AC? Put a Z-PAK on it and get out there."

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Dunne: Thank you, random stranger telling me how bad I damaged mustache guy.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Rocktape should sponsor Pete Dunn.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

BRAINBUSTAHHHHHHHHHHHH

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Watch that final folks, it's fucking great. Now the number 2 match of the year beating out the last one.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Keep having to remind myself Tyler is only 19 and he's already that good though.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

That might be the best match all year and today.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Certainly not all year as it's already been beaten, but man it was good.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

People who have matches with children and dolls are disqualified.

[Evil Vito]

Michael Cole is going to be miserable tomorrow night. Not sure if it's because of jet lag or because he has to call Raw after watching this.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Alot of people on WWE's facebook saying they didn't watch on a list of "best matches" poll.

[Rebecca Reigns]

Roman Reigns could all these assholes

[Evil Vito]

Roman Reigns could all these assholes

could what?

[slik]

watching highlights of this r/n

love the setting/atmosphere in Blackpool

[Emperor Smeat]

Decide to wait till the whole thing was done and watch it all at once afterwards.

Really like the CWC-type intros done for each wrestler. Was very helpful for both the CWC and UK tournaments on getting some background for the majority of wrestlers involved.

Seven being billed from Mustache Mountain is hilarious. Him having a Rainmaker finisher was cool.

:lol: at a shenanigan finish for the 2nd match. Thought at first it got called off because of Burch's busted head. Devlin looks like the main actor from the Mr. Robot tv show.

Moloney could probably pass off as a Bonds villain with the way he looked in his preview video.

Dunne-Johnson, Andrews-Moloney, and Tucker-Bate were great overall for the Day 1 matches. Cole and Nigel as the commentary team were good and Cole seemed to get a lot more comfortable as the tournament went on.

[slik]

Michael Cole/Nigel Mcguinness work well together on commentary.

[Jordan]

Cole was great

[Emperor Smeat]

Day 2 was really great overall.

:lol: Mustache Mountain still being hilarious for a hometown name. Wolfgang got really lucky he didn't blow out his knee from the moonsault done outside.

Watching Bate's entrances made me realize if he ever tagged with Gallagher, it could be the most gentlemen team ever in WWE history.

:lol: crowd cheering when Neville trashed the tournament and not being invited to it. Neville-End match was good. Nice of Neville to provide the tournament with its Flying Nothing moment.

Andrews-Conner, Wolfgang-Seven, Andrews-Dunne, and Dunne-Bate were great overall for the Day 2 matches. WWE signing all the guys before the tournament started was a big improvement compared to the CWC since they weren't handicapped when it came to crowning the first UK champ.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

https://media.giphy.com/media/l0ExogeEwpayvVpfi/source.gif

I feel like this event will be sold out now:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2PqiXnWEAIYFfz.jpg

[#BROKEN Hasney]

https://68.media.tumblr.com/64dd3355b352a61ba6254013f2b67005/tumblr_oipkgd8LKm1s0zdtdo1_1280.jpg

[hb2k]

Have been on shows with Pete and Tyler and am very happy for both of them. Tyler is a total prodigy, and Pete's entire life is dedicated to getting better, so them being the final two is not only totally surreal to me, but feels justified. If the idea is the UK-only WWE brand, they've got themselves a good top few guys.

That said, the promos were mostly horrible and you can tell not many of them have had to do a ton of character work outside of the ring before. Regal's expressions and mannerisms being so world class just spotlights how far away most of the are.

Also, Regal and HHH standing out there at the end made them look like the adults at the kids amateur wrestling meet.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2S4Ol3WQAA6rmG.jpg:large

No-one tell Cornette #ExposingTheBusiness

[Innovator]

Dunne was fantastic. You can tell they trusted him to be the main character focus on the show, probably getting signed.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Dunne was fantastic. You can tell they trusted him to be the main character focus on the show, probably getting signed.

Yeah. Him, Tyler Wolfie and @MAndrewsTNA are the stand-outs that if they aren't getting a deal, then they weren't interested in signing anyone.

[Outsider]

Fucking loved that.

Was there for second night. Had seen Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews before (Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews run Attack Pro Wresting here) and was amazing seeing them in front of such a big audience.

Atmosphere was great, crowd clearly big fans. Town afterwards was good fun as well. Was in a pub which rang a bell for last orders just to hear 'ONE FALL' being shouted by most of the people there.

Also turned out a mate of mine knows someone who works for WWE and got us into VIP. Free bird and mini-cheeseburgers on the company dime. Fuck yeah.

Not sure where they go from here but clearly British Wrestling looks like it's in a decent place. Hopefully the beginning of something good. One concern is which talent they keep in the UK and who gets sent to NXT or 205. If they send some of the bigger names to America it could risk damaging what has been achieved so far.

[XL]

Yeah they need to establish the "brand" whatever that might end up being. Then there's no reason they can't keep their pieces moving with trades between 205, NXT, and WWEUK. I'd be really interested in Jack Swagger coming into the UK promotion.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Not sure where they go from here but clearly British Wrestling looks like it's in a decent place. Hopefully the beginning of something good. One concern is which talent they keep in the UK and who gets sent to NXT or 205. If they send some of the bigger names to America it could risk damaging what has been achieved so far.

Honestly, with ITV being "happy" with World of Sport and considering making it a full series, 5* Wrestling getting a UK TV deal and WCPW being live on YouTube along with RevPro & PROGRESS, UK wrestling is arguably bigger in terms of a ratio with the population than it is in America at the moment. Hopefully all these efforts stick.

[Outsider]

Honestly, with ITV being "happy" with World of Sport and considering making it a full series, 5* Wrestling getting a UK TV deal and WCPW being live on YouTube along with RevPro & PROGRESS, UK wrestling is arguably bigger in terms of a ratio with the population than it is in America at the moment. Hopefully all these efforts stick.

Suspect some will fall by the wayside unfortunately as these things tend to do. Cold unforgiving hand of the market etc. However hopefully some of these survive and create a solid on-going core that lasts further than just the current peak in interest.

Either way, anything which gives more people the opportunity to show what they can do and turn their hobby into something resembling a job is always a good thing.

[KIRA]

I'll be godamned I actually enjoyed Cole on commentary

[Simple Fan]

http://www.inquisitr.com/3891452/wwe-news-wwe-close-to-bringing-icw-promotion-to-wwe-network-so-the-wwe-uk-title-can-be-defended/

ICW could becoming to the WWE Network so the UK Championship can be defended while they work on starting their own UK brand.

[Evil Vito]

I'll be godamned I actually enjoyed Cole on commentary

Cole's work on the creative black hole that is Monday Night Raw is not indicative of his actual ability as a wrestling announcer. In my opinion he was always gold on SmackDown with Tazz, JBL, Foley, etc. Move someone to Raw and start having Vince yelling in your headset and forcing lines to the audience and anybody will sound like a bad announcer.

Cole was great on this and also the Japan Network special last year.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

http://www.inquisitr.com/3891452/wwe-news-wwe-close-to-bringing-icw-promotion-to-wwe-network-so-the-wwe-uk-title-can-be-defended/

ICW could becoming to the WWE Network so the UK Championship can be defended while they work on starting their own UK brand.

Yeah, heard them, PROGRESS, OTT and one other that I forget are in negotiations right now. Hope the back catalogue comes with.

[Simple Fan]

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxsports.com/wwe/story/wwe-triple-h-womens-tournament-plans-confirm-rumors-reveal-summer-011817%3Famp=true

HHH talking about possibly having a women's tournament this summer.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2S4Ol3WQAA6rmG.jpg:large

No-one tell Cornette #ExposingTheBusiness

:n:

Exposing and embarrassing are different things.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Well either way, don't tell him. I wouldn't want to make trouble for the nurses in the care home once he gets all riled up.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

http://www.inquisitr.com/3891452/wwe-news-wwe-close-to-bringing-icw-promotion-to-wwe-network-so-the-wwe-uk-title-can-be-defended/

ICW could becoming to the WWE Network so the UK Championship can be defended while they work on starting their own UK brand.

ICW deal seems near final

http://i.imgur.com/5Udvatu.png

Amount is said to be $50k a year.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

As we broke on Monday afternoon in the Elite section of PWInsider.com, the landscape of the WWE Network is expected to change as all signs are that Scotland's Insane Championship Wrestling will soon debut as programming on the WWE Network and that other promotions could follow. The belief is that ICW has a multi-year deal (depending on who is talking, the deal is believed to be 2 or 3 years) and that PROGRESS Wrestling in Great Britain and potentially others will soon follow.

The move is one that WWE has been discussing internally since last year, with the idea of adding independent wrestling material to a new tier of the WWE Network that would be available for a higher price point (believed to be $14.99) with discussions internally within WWE about everything from licensing indy content from existing television shows to paying promotions to create content. We are told feedback and viewing numbers for last weekend's the UK Championship Tournament were going to be a strong factor in determining how WWE moved forward with that plan. With the WWE Network about to hit it's three year anniversary next month, it makes sense that an announcement could be timed sometime soon.

Over the course of last weekend, the talk overseas was that WWE had all but completed a deal with Mark Dallas' Insane Championship Wrestling. The belief is that it's weekly "Fight Club" series would migrate to the WWE Network and air via VOD with disclaimers and a parental warning on the content, similar to how WWE Attitude Era material and the original ECW are featured on the Network. Fight Club currently streams on the Fite App, but the belief among many over the past week is that a deal is completed and could be announced at any point. There is no word whether the deal would also bring the company's major events, such as their annual Fear and Loathing show (which was carried via streaming platforms last year) to the WWE Network as well.

The step forward is a major one for WWE as they could not only be a content producer on the WWE Network but would take a step towards being a content distributor. All the talk of WWE being a monopoly could be shut down by WWE simply pointing to smaller promotions that they work with - and pay for - as a way to show that they are not elbowing everyone else out of the equation. Now, not only would they get to sign and groom talent but they would have the ability to curate independent wrestling by legitimizing the promotions that are streamed on their Network. The WWE connection pretty much saved WWNLive, which was slowly dying on the vine, but legitimizing it to an entirely new group of fans that discovered it and began supporting it. WWE can do that for any independent promotion it decides to showcase on their Network - and there isn't an independent promotion in existence that doesn't want the rub from WWE. WWE means the greatest potential revenue and when you are an independently funded company, it isn't often you are finding the greatest potential revenue in your coffers at the end of the month.

The deals with ICW and PROGRESS make a lot of sense from the WWE perspective. They are two distinctly different promotions that utilize a lot of the talent that appeared on the UK Championship Tournament and each have a lot of buzz of their own. While undoubtedly WWE will look to continue to run their own branded material in Great Britain - after all, Triple H himself said that the plan here was to have a weekly series out of the UK - forging deals with ICW and other promotions will give WWE partner promotions that can showcase the talents who were signed to the WWE UK contracts. WWE can easily have Tyler Bate defending his UK championship in partner promotions as they work out plans for their own weekly series on the Network.

There have been discussions of all sorts of other promotions potentially being part of the WWE Network, but the one that has been primarily discussed beyond ICW has been The UK's PROGRESS Wrestling, which is believing to be in discussions with WWE currently. What makes that interesting is the timing that PROGRESS will be making its United States debut over Wrestlemania weekend in Orlando, Florida as part of the WWNLive.com events there with a number of talents from the UK Championship tournament already announced. There are also plans for an EVOLVE vs. PROGRESS event that weekend, obviously on Flosports' streaming service.

What will also be interesting in the months to come is that PWInsider.com has heard that WWE's contracts with UK talents that appeared on the UK Championship Tournament will prevent those talents from appearing on streaming material that would be considered opposition to the WWE Network (Flosports immediately comes to mind here), so there will be changes to the UK scene because of this. We will start to see contractual obligations and promotional boundaries appear that the local UK scene did not have to deal with prior to 2017. Sure, there were always promotional rivalries but this will be an entirely different animal. There are absolutely going to be cases where Tyler Bate, for example, can no longer appear for promotion X because Promotion X is going to be streamed live. After all, WWE is not going to have their contracted talent appearing on opposing streamed events. We've seen that already. When WWE talents appear at EVOLVE, they aren't on the EVOLVE iPPV broadcasts. So, there will be talents who won't be able to appear for certain promotions beyond dark segments and that will start to change things for those promotions in terms of talents they will be willing to book and how those talents can be utilized when they are booked. So, things will be changing locally in the scene.

It's important to note that both ICW and PROGRESS have existing on demand subscription channels, so it will be interesting to see if they are maintained and continue to be updated or if WWE deals will mean the end of those platforms for either of those promotions or any others who sign up with WWE.

The other promotion that is major to the scene that has been talked about a lot when it comes to a potential WWE deal is Over the Top Wrestling in Ireland. OTT promoter Joe Cabray was in attendance at the first night of the WWE UK championship tournament, but beyond a buzz locally that a deal is imminent, we have yet to hear that there has been any actual offer. It should be noted that OTT had been working with Flosports on a per-event basis, so if they continue on with that deal, it's likely WWE contracted talents will no longer be able to appear on OTT iPPVs. The promotion - and any others that want to work with WWE - will have to weigh the positives and negatives of having access to WWE talents and the money that will come with a WWE partnership vs. the ability to remain completely independentand making money via other platforms, their own or a third party like Flosports, while also losing access to a number of talents they have been regularly using.

While there have been rumors of Rev Pro (which will be running it's own debut event in the United States as part of Wrestlecon in April), we are told that they were not part of the current discussions with WWE.

It's also important to point out that we are told by multiple sources that ITV, coming off their 12/31 two hour pilot broadcast, is currently trying to formulate what their plan is for the World of Sports revival as they have had discussions of doing a weekly series in both a one hour and a two hour format, as well as potentially doing quarterly specials. Once the financials are worked out (we are told that there is no final decision even made on where the series might air), the plan is to try and offer talents contracts for that series if and when it is officially picked up, which means that those contracts will only make things even more complicated for the UK scene. The ITV pilot led to WWE pushing their plans for the UK tournament up several months and certainly there will be talents that play two ends - WWE and ITV - against the middle to see where they can get the best possible deal.

So, the scene may be going from one where everyone could work for anyone they want to a scene riddled with obstacles due to where talents are signed, where those talents can appear, who talents can face, who they can lose to, etc. It could very easily become very complicated. That's what happens when competition arises. While it's a completely different animal on a greater scale, it reminds me a lot of the Philadelphia indy war of the early 2000s.

Over the last several years, the European scene has gone from an under-reported and underestimated source of great professional wrestling talent to becoming ground zero for one of the biggest stories as we enter 2017. What has been a golden age for the UK, Ireland, Scotland and other countries will soon evolve and change - it will be impossible to predict every move and how every ripple effect will play out, but as Bob Dylan famously sang, indeed, "times they are a-changing."

http://pwinsider.com/article/107204/major-changes-coming-to-the-wwe-network-and-the-european-wrestling-scene-breaking-it-all-down.html?p=1

[Emperor Smeat]

ICW deal seems near final

http://i.imgur.com/5Udvatu.png

Amount is said to be $50k a year.

$50k seems small overall considering the potential money the WWE could be making off of ICW (and other British indies) with the Network.

Then again don't know how much money ICW spends in expenses and stuff so maybe its a pretty hefty deal for them in the end.

[Emperor Smeat]

WWE already starting to get wrestlers pulled from indie events because of certain promotions having ties with FloSlam.

Two promotions in the United Kingdom have announced changes to upcoming cards for FloSlam broadcasts as it seems WWE is setting guidelines for where their UK contracted talent is allowed to appear.

IPW:UK, who will be airing a supershow on FloSlam live on Sunday, posted on Facebook that Pete Dunne will now face Tom Dawkins in a bonus match for the live crowd that won't be streamed on the service. Dunne had been scheduled to face Matt Riddle, who will now face Ryan Smile instead. Joseph Conners has been pulled from the show entirely.

The promotion posted, "Unfortunately in the early hours of this morning we learnt that due to contractual obligations with the WWE, certain wrestlers will be unable to appear on our FloSlam live broadcast this Sunday, namely in this instance, Pete Dunne and Joseph Conners."

In a move that seems to be related given a tweet they posted, Lucha Forever also announced that the main event of their debut show on April 17th would now be Shane Strickland vs. Travis Banks after Strickland had been scheduled to face Dunne, who will still be appearing on the show in some capacity. The promotion recently signed a deal to broadcast events on FloSlam.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

$50k seems small overall considering the potential money the WWE could be making off of ICW (and other British indies) with the Network.

Then again don't know how much money ICW spends in expenses and stuff so maybe its a pretty hefty deal for them in the end.

It's probably not a huge amount, but I think WWE is helping to get their infrastructure sorted as well. They just got super fast broadband installed a couple of days ago :lol:

The thing is, if WWE is getting multiple promotions on a similar deal, all they need is five and suddenly it's a $250,000 a year bet for three years. For the indies that are signed, I think they must feel that exposure is worth it and in lieu of a TV deal (which ICW or PROGRESS will never get unless they change their content), it's the only real way to do it.

[XL]

I also can't see many people buying the Network to get access to UK indies so I'm not surprised the initial outlay is small.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I also can't see many people buying the Network to get access to UK indies so I'm not surprised the initial outlay is small.

Yeah, that post also states that it's $15 for the indie content instead of $9.99.

I think NXT taking off as a touring brand has forced their hand on this as it's not great for development. With these deals, they can have content with the guys they sign, have them develop naturally on the indies and have NXT be the ultimate indie fed it's turned into as a polishing ground for the main roster.

I doubt they'll make their money back directly with these deals, but it means they can start developing new talent for only $20,000 a year per wrestler and have another tier to their system and more content on the network.

Apparently this is all HHH and Vince is just signing off the costs, so we'll see if he can pull it off.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Looks like they're already blocking dates and throwing their weight around though. Pete Dunne V Riddle is off IPW's stream and Dunne will be on the pre-show instead. Some of the contracted guys have just been pulled off of a podcast too....

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Spoke to one of the writers of my local indie as he's also a barman. They get some of the bigger names in the UK, like Jimmy Havoc is there in the Feb event, but they're really worried about this. They have no TV or streaming as they're small, but they've been growing every year so if these contracts take off and WWE aren't interested in picking them up, then what? The cream talent will be locked to these WWE deals.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Well either way, don't tell him. I wouldn't want to make trouble for the nurses in the care home once he gets all riled up.

Huh? It's not even that bad. It's very easy to imagine that the WWE ordered a photo of those guys standing around for promotional reasons and that they took it and then went their separate ways. Don't be a douche. It's not the same as working with children or doing dick spots.

I don't really care if people like Cornette or not. I'm not his fucking keeper and he's done way too much in professional wrestling for a few backyard marks to tear down his work. But what fucking pisses me off to no end is the lack of god-damn comprehension of what he actually says.

It's incredible to me. The guy will say "The sky is blue" and people will take photos on a cloudy day and post it on his wall and say "SEE!". He criticizes Omega as a human being (actually KNOWING him, unlike most fans) and says that whilst being a great athlete the match with Okada was not a perfect match and he couldn't give a shit because fuck Kenny Omega, and the responses are "He can't even say one nice thing," "I guess you can't have Match of the Year if you made a mistake ten years ago," and "Cornette is so out of touch." None of those actually respond to the points he actually fucking made.

It's the stupidity against Cornette. I've been racking my brain trying to work out why everyone looks so fucking stupid when they hurl the straw-men out and it finally dawned on me: They sound fucking stupid because a lot of the time they are taking up a losing position right from the start because Cornette is right. It confuses people when he says something like "Sami Zayn is a good talent, but a pain in the ass to work with and couldn't understand that you don't jump through a ladder on the second match on the card because it makes the boys going on after him have to work that much harder to follow it" so they have to say things like "Cornette said Zayn likes skinning kittens and will never make it as a professional wrestler in the WWE ever because he's ginger and a Muslim."

You don't have to like Cornette -- I don't agree with him on EVERYTHING. I think Titus O'Neil should be kicked out of wrestling before Kenny Omega on the basis of being the drizzling shits, for example -- but for God's sake try and rationalize what you are saying and respond to what he actually says. Not what you imagine the tone around what he is saying could be paired with on a different day if it weren't coming from one of the best minds in professional wrestling history. The straw-men and generalizations are just annoying at this point.

"He's out of touch." No, you are off point, you fucking morons. Saying someone is "out of touch" contains no actual evidence or supportive arguments. It's like saying "The President is stupid." Okay. Why? And every single spotfest mark that is asked that question can never answer with anything other than "He's stuck in the 80's" or "Well, he doesn't like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn." All of which have been dismissed as conclusive points.

The very best one I've heard is the ROH argument. I recommend listening to his shoot about that. He denies being the actual booker, and while that is true, it's naive to think that he didn't have pull and power. And Cornette talks as if he did anyway. But he points out a lot of the structural problems ROH faced. That being said, it was a directional change from ROH that perhaps didn't feel necessary to fans at the time. He was not the guy to run that place. He'd do much better in an NXT, which is basically Smoky Mountain Wrestling with good production value, and where the fans are marks for what they are seeing (whatever they're seeing) and not for a certain cult style.

Anyway, rant over. I just wanted to respond to the anti-intellectualism I perceive to be thrown Cornette's way -- with his big words and sentences that are hard to follow.

[Mr. Nerfect]

These expansion plans should have short-term positive effects on the UK scene, but once the WWE cherry-picks what they want after cultivating it for a bit, it could eventually dry up and be quite barren.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

The thing with ICW and Progress is that they would never get a TV deal in a million years, because their content is aimed at adults. For them, even short term exposure is probably a bonus, but a two tiered indie scene isn't that great.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

And I mean, the president is stupid.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yes, but you can explain why he is stupid, surely.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I think the evidence speaks for itself.

I rest my case

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yeah, okay, you got me there.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Dunne vs Bate was really good stuff. Just wish Bate sold the shoulder a bit more and wasn't nailing t bone suplexes and shit but FUCK me he cold cocked Dunne with one of the best worked punches I've EVER seen.

I also hate the near fall syndrome. I honestly wish it was a touch more realistic with near falls. But that's me being nitpicky because everyone does it.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Corny loved it. :-o

I guess he only hates people who lie to him and shit on the business.

Smokey Mountain is one of the only times he could have enough considered out of touch. He was trying to keep the old way alive. It was a great promotion though. Rus so is a piece of shit who created a real fight tournament just to shut Bradshaw up.

Winner of Brawl4All Joey Styles.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

He told them to stay away from video games though. Clearly he's never seen ATTACK

http://i.imgur.com/ddb1PLl.gif
http://i.imgur.com/RqvFFZP.gif

[A.J.K]

I was really impressed with Pete Dunne , Wolfgang, Joseph Connors and Tyler Bate. The others were pretty good but those 4 above are the ones that i look forward to seeing more of.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

GO Team Rocket!

[Ultra Mantis]

This thread needs more Trent love

http://www.ewbattleground.com/uploads/monthly_2016_08/Trent-Seven-750x499.jpg.6b75a90936a234c23f817bb2c6b41fc2.jpg

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

https://rdamon1982.wordpress.com/2017/01/22/review-wwe-united-kingdom-tournament/

Quick writeup at work (bored)

[Outsider]

He told them to stay away from video games though. Clearly he's never seen ATTACK

http://i.imgur.com/ddb1PLl.gif
http://i.imgur.com/RqvFFZP.gif


Love Attack! Pro Wrestling. They do a lot of stuff near me so pretty much how I've got interested in the British Indy scene.

Think Pete Dunne is one of the owners so hope he stays involved.

[mike adamle]

I doubt anyone will be THAT bored that they'll click on that

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Love Attack! Pro Wrestling. They do a lot of stuff near me so pretty much how I've got interested in the British Indy scene.

Think Pete Dunne is one of the owners so hope he stays involved.

Yeah, Dunne and Andrews I think.

[XL]

I doubt anyone will be THAT bored that they'll click on that

I did!

6/10

[A.J.K]

I did!

6/10

Broken Matt- "The Hitman of Harts rates this wonderful mastery a stunning 4 out of 10.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Meltz is saying a few of the UK guys might be in the Rumble. Good exposure for them and their UK plans.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Thank Meltz for fucking spoiling shit again. What a dipshit this fucking goof is.

[Evil Vito]

*posts on internet wrestling message board*
*gets upset when "spoilers" are posted despite nothing being confirmed and the event not happening yet*

[Evil Vito]

I was actually thinking Tyler Bate would be in the Rumble as the "face" of the UK division, but Pete Dunne could be involved as well.

I assume one or two cruiserweight division guys will be in as well to promote that.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

#thanksmeltzer could replace #thanksobama

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I mean, it was about to become very obvious anyway

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C24XdW3XgAAG2Gs.jpg

[Outsider]

That means bugger all for the Royal Rumble as there is also NXT Takeover the night before.

I think there is a chance of Dunne or Bate appearing in the Rumble, but think they might do something else. Could have Bate and Seven appear as a tag team at NXT until they finalise whatever they are doing with the UK (or even just as a one off) and have Dunne join the cruiserweight division where I think he would really bring something different.

Alternatively it could just be a triple threat title defence on the pre-show or at NXT.

Basically, until they actually appear in the Royal Rumble match, I'm not going to assume anything.

Also, Travis Banks is worth checking out if you haven't watched him before.

[Evil Vito]

With the Rumble being a huge event now, is there an expectation of there being a ton of Brits in the audience like with WrestleMania? Or at least a smarkier than usual crowd?

I mean no offense to any of those three - they're awesome, but I have no idea how many casual fans actually sat and watched the tourney. Feel like those guys might all run out to crickets in the Rumble match, which would be a bit of a shame.

[Simple Fan]

I don't really think having them appear in the Rumble does anything for them. No one will know who they are and will only last a couple of minutes before they are thrown out. I think the pre show or the NXT idea is the best as it gives them their own segment that they can make something out of instead of a wasted spot in thed Royal Rumble.

[Evil Vito]

Maybe do a Bate/Seven/Dunne triple threat at Takeover or the Rumble pre-show with the winner getting a Rumble spot? They've done stuff like that for NXT entrants before.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I'd rather see these guys in the Rumble rather than some washed up "legend" who is going to waste a spot too.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Might be something to the NXT thing as PROGRESS haven't announced they're not going to be there on Sunday yet. Since PROGRESS are on the approved list, maybe they'll fly them in and then back out again?

[Outsider]

Might be something to the NXT thing as PROGRESS haven't announced they're not going to be there on Sunday yet. Since PROGRESS are on the approved list, maybe they'll fly them in and then back out again?

Rather them than me. Would take about 12 hours each way.

[Danny Electric]

I'm guessing they will be in the audience or something at Takeover

Or I would love it if they gave a lovely brummie/ yam yam interview , they would need subtitles to accompany them.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

So the UK show on the Network was pretty good

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7buapjqaKTpK32zm/giphy.gif

[Outsider]

http://www.wwe.com/article/triple-h-announces-return-of-united-kingdom-championship-tournament?sf186472479=1

Wonder what this is going to look like. Hope there is some new talent there as so much of it in the UK right now but am guessing some of the currently signed stars will be involved as well.

Although why put it on a bloody Monday and Tuesday. Now I have to come up with some sort of bullshit reason to go to my works head office those days :mad:

[Outsider]

Names announced so far for the UK tournament:

Joe Coffey
Joseph Conners
El Ligero
Zack Gibson
Jack Gallagher
Amir Jordan
Dave Mastif
Kenny Williams

Mastif and Ligero were part of the World of Sport reboot last year so am guessing whatever their contract issues were last time have now expired.

Am guessing Flash Morgan Webster will be part of it after last night. Read rumours of Eddie Dennis and Travis Banks as well. Banks would be notable just for being not from the UK but don't think that would matter.

Would love to see Chief Deputy Dunne, Ryan Smile and Mike Bird but haven't read anything about them unfortunately.

Either way, hopefully will be a good tournament and things hopefully moving in the right direction for the UK Show actually starting at some point.

[#1-norm-fan]

Does the winner get a title shot? Also, who the fuck is the UK champion and is it ever defended?

[Emperor Smeat]

Pete Dunne and he's defended it a few times so far. Seems WWE changed their mind on having him and not Tyler Bate be the "face" of the division.

[Outsider]

Seen rumours on reddit of both members of CCK signing. Which would be pretty neat.

The downside appears to be that the new contracts seem to include much stricter restrictions on WWE UK talent appearing on indie promotion streaming services. Not sure how much some of the Indys depend on the income from this but suspect it is an important revenue stream.

May even see the bizarre situation where promotions like Attack are owned by WWE UK guys who can't then appear on their own shows.

[Evil Vito]

The next names for the tourney:

Travis Banks
Flash Morgan Webster
Jordan Devlin
Tucker
Drew Gulak
Ashton Smith
James Drake
Tyson T-Bone

lollllllllllllllllllllll random Drew Gulak appearance

[Outsider]

Disappointed there aren't a few more new names in there, but do like Travis Banks.

Don't get Gulak being involved though. No benefit to either him or the tournament.

[Evil Vito]

Well, from a pure match quality standpoint there is a benefit to Gulak being there. He’s excellent. But if the goal is to feature UK talent his inclusion doesn’t make sense.

Maybe he’ll claim to be from an obscure part of the country.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I always have to remind myself that Drew Gulak is American. I don't know why, but something about him has just always seemed British. Maybe it's his style or name? I dunno.

[Emperor Smeat]

Well, from a pure match quality standpoint there is a benefit to Gulak being there. He’s excellent. But if the goal is to feature UK talent his inclusion doesn’t make sense.

Maybe he’ll claim to be from an obscure part of the country.

Could pull a gag of him representing a city in the UK that has the same name in the US. Like he could claim to be competing in honor of Oxford and then diss UK's Oxford and praise the US's Oxford in Pennsylvania.

[Evil Vito]

Gulak stated on Twitter that the US Athletic Commission wants him to win this tournament as a step towards incorporating the UK as the 51st state.

[Outsider]

Gulak stated on Twitter that the US Athletic Commission wants him to win this tournament as a step towards incorporating the UK as the 51st state.

I've also thought that if the UK were to join the United States (which will never happen) then it would actually be as four additional states rather than one. Not that this is relevant to the conversation in any way.

But yeah, Gulak is fantastic, but just don't see how adding him benefits the tournament really. Not that bothered though because he is good and I can imagine it means he'll end up working both nights anyway.

I only have ticket for the second night of the tournament but don't see him winning (as that would be pointless) so still want to see him.

[Evil Vito]

Johnny Saint has been appointed General Manager of the upcoming UK brand

Bring back Wade Barrett or somebody to replace Kurt Angle and then all of WWE's GMs will be British

[Outsider]

No British WWE Champions but four out of five GMs.

We know where our talents lie.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I had to think really long and hard about where the fifth GM was. Forgot 205 Live had one.

[Outsider]

Surprised to see Ligero out in first round, although saying that would have been surprised to see Banks out that early as well.

Looking forward to the tournament. Have tickets for the second night so hoping they give a bit more detail on the card soon.

[Outsider]

Nixon Newell has been renamed Tegan Nox.

That is the least Welsh name ever.