WWE News: WWE UK Championship Wrestlers Told To Tone Down Their Matches?


When the WWE announced the United Kingdom championship Tournament, there were a lot of feelings that went thru the minds of WWE fans. To the more hardcore viewer, they were curious as to the style of wrestling that would be on display. European wrestling is much different than that of American wrestling. Many WWE stars that come from the United Kingdom are more physical and display excelled grappling skills.

Wade Barrett and William Regal are fantastic examples. Regal is considered one of the best technical wrestlers of all-time. To the casual viewer, they were simply excited for more wrestling to watch when time permitted. The WWE’s United Kingdom championship Tournament gave opportunity for more wrestlers to get time with the best wrestling promotion in the world. It would maximize their exposure, thus providing chances for those who deserved the spotlight.

[Image by WWE]

With all the good that came out of WWE’s United Kingdom Tournament, there was some bad as well. For starters, many of the wrestlers lacked the definitive size the WWE likes out of its main superstars. So, the chances of them appearing on WWE television in a big capacity is rare. It definitely had a Cruiserweight Division feel, which isn’t succeeding like many WWE fans wished it would right out of the gate. In World Championship Wrestling, some say that was the best part of its programming. In 2017, it’s used as a bathroom break.

The second reason the WWE United Kingdom Tournament didn’t excite as many WWE fans as possible as its wrestling style. One would think that it would be a spectacle, but that wasn’t the case. According to a report by Allwrestlingnews.com, the wrestlers participating in the United Kingdom championship Tournament were told to tone down their wrestling style.

“We have been told by people within the business that have seen these guys wrestle previously, and they were visibly not performing to their regular standard. What was seen on Saturday’s show was basically at “toned down” version of how these performers really work. A lot of this contributed to the show being shorter and the matches were put together to get certain people over.”

That’s why some WWE fans are comparing to the Cruiserweight Division in that respect. What Brian Kendrick, Neville, TJ Perkins and Rich Swann can do in a ring is spectacular. However, WWE officials don’t want them doing too much, as I’m sure it would take away from the main event stars and their wrestling ability. Given the proper amount of time and freedom to do what they wanted, those WWE U.K. stars could’ve torn the house down in every match.

[Image by WWE]

In a recent article by the Inquisitr, there was a reason why Zack Sabre Jr., arguably the U.K.’s most popular wrestler, didn’t participate in the WWE’s tournament. The Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Heavyweight champion didn’t want to sign because the pay was very low. For folks that don’t share the same popularity he does, any exposure is necessary, no matter the monetary value. Sabre Jr. is already established and wanted by the WWE, so he decided to take it easy for a couple of days.

One man that was involved in the WWE’s tournament was Finn Balor’s protege, Jordan Devlin. He commented on why he believed he was picked to participate in the WWE’s U.K. tournament. “I hope it’s down to more than just looking like Finn! I am athletic and am very experienced for a guy who is just 26 years of age having been in the game for 14 years,” he said. Tyler Bate, the first United Kingdom champion, should be mentioned on WWE Raw. Hopefully he gets the chance to dazzle the fans.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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