Triple H announces the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament. (Photo : YouTube/WWE)
The recently concluded 16-man WWE United Kingdom championship tournament was wildly successful, with the WWE further developing their fan base and discovering new talent along the way. Because of this, the wrestling promotion has announced that they will be developing a new show to air on a weekly basis in the UK.
"I can't say enough good things about the talent over there [in the UK]. I knew it watching them, I knew it as we were recruiting them, but the talent that we had in that tournament were amazing," said WWE vice president Triple H in an interview with the Mirror. 19-year old prodigy Tyler Bate notably won the inaugural UK championship against a more experienced wrestler in Pete Dunne.
Triple H added that the WWE has good working relations with fellow promoters based in the UK. This would make it easier for top talent in the region to make their way to the WWE's developmental center, to NXT, or even to the main roster. He also revealed that a number of participants from the UK tournament have signed on with the WWE.
Upcoming wrestlers may be hesitant to sign with the WWE though, as it is understood that they are prevented by their contracts from plying their trade with other wrestling promotions. This includes Chat Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW), Lucha Forever, and Ring of Honor, to name a few.
Triple H was quick to clear up this issue, stating that wrestlers who are under contract with the WWE can perform in other promotions, as long as the distribution of these shows does not go beyond the live show. He added that the company's plans in the UK does not mean that they will take over the wrestling scene there, rather they aim to cultivate the talent in that region before shipping over deserved stars.
NXT general manager William Regal has also spoken about whether the WWE's UK championship tournament and plans for a weekly show there was a response to ITV's possible wrestling show. He stated that the competition was not just a spur of the moment decision due to ITV's plans and that a lot of planning went into it. He added that many of the competitors in the UK championship tournament were actually a part of WWE tryouts held last November 2016 in Glasgow, Wrestle Zone reported.
Watch highlights from the inaugural WWE UK championship tournament in the video below:
