10 Big Questions About Future Of WWE’s UK Brand
6. Will WWE Borrow Talent From PROGRESS, ICW, Etc.?
WWE have really opened up to the wrestling world in recent years. The first sign came at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn back in 2015, when NJPW star Jushin Thunder Liger made a one-off appearance to wrestle Tyler Breeze. It continued with last year’s Cruiserweight Classic, which featured an unprecedented number of unsigned freelancers, and the establishment of working relationships with smaller independent companies.
WWE’s relationship with EVOLVE has helped them sign talents like TJ Perkins and Drew Gulak, effectively giving them first refusal on all the company’s wrestlers. In the UK, meanwhile, WWE’s relationship with PROGRESS saw Finn Balor and Tommy End appear on the promotion’s Birmingham show this weekend, and promoters from Scotland’s ICW and Ireland’s OTT were shown in the crowd on Saturday night.
It remains to be seen how these agreements will function long-term, but there’s a real chance WWE will use them to help fill their UK shows. It makes sense, too: PROGRESS and OTT are stuffed to the gills with top quality talent who’d be well at home on a Network show, even for just a handful of appearances.
This could lead to a complicated contractual situation, as WWE’s UK retainers essentially allow the company to pick and choose which indies these wrestlers work for. Still, there’s a host of great wrestlers within these companies who’d do a great job for WWE, and the company probably recognise this.