The WWE introduced the Cruiserweight Classic Tournament this year and it was very successful. The company will follow it up with another tournament but this time, it is to crown the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Champion.
As announced on WWE.com, the tournament is a two-day event from January 14 to 15 at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England. 16 wrestlers from the United Kingdom will participate with the winner being crowned as champion.
The competitors will be coming from all four nations in the United Kingdom, as well as Ireland. Here is the list of wrestlers the WWE signed to compete in the tournament.
- Pete Dunne
- Dan Maloney
- James Drake
- Sam Gradwell
- Jordan Devlin
- Chris Tyler
- Tyler Bate
- Wolfgang
- Saxon Huxley
- HC Dyer
- Jack Starz
- Ringo Ryan
- Roy Johnson
- Tyson T-Bone
- Tucker
- Joseph Conners
- Tiger Ali
- Trent Seven
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Triple H explained how the UK tournament will be part of the WWE programming. He pointed out that the company is hoping that it becomes a weekly show in the UK if it becomes a success.
"The hope is it becomes its own weekly show, based out of the U.K., with U.K. talent. Those talents will still be able to perform within the (independent companies) RevPros, ICWs and Progress's," Triple H said.
"As those talents are working and moving up, we're helping RevPro, ICW and Progress to grow and help cultivate their talent pool as well. Before it was a pipedream that you'd make it beyond the U.K. or the indie scene to the WWE. Now there's a clear path to do it," he added.
The Game also noted that the WWE is planning to have more live events and house shows in the UK in the coming years. The company currently has 30 shows scheduled for 2017 and the tournament is a big start.
The main goal for the WWE right now is to expand its product globally. The UK market is their second biggest market to date. The wrestling scene in the country has boomed in the past several years and it will only get more popular.
The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is can be seen live on the WWE Network. Check out the video below for the official announcement from Triple H.