10 Big Questions About Future Of WWE’s UK Brand
3. Who Will Make It To Full Sail?
WWE’s retainer contracts with these UK talents essentially gives them a pathway to NXT. It provides WWE with the opportunity to assess them “on the job,” and aid their growth under their own banner before taking a risk on them in developmental. In theory, it should afford new opportunities that might not have previously existed, and give the wrestlers even greater incentive to hone their craft and work on their skills.
Pete Dunne has made no secret of his desire to one day make it to WWE. In his first promo after becoming PROGRESS Champion, Dunne stated that the belt was "simply something to lean on when I sign a contract." Out of all the UK Tournament participants, Dunne is probably the most WWE-ready, but the likes of Tyler Bate, Mark Andrews, and Trent Seven could likely hope into NXT tomorrow without missing a beat.
It seems inevitable that some of these wrestlers will make it to Florida eventually, and Dunne will likely be among the first. Andrews’ TNA experience makes him another leading candidate, but could Seven’s age (35) prove a stumbling block, and would WWE prefer Bate (19) stays on the independent circuit before making the full-time jump?
There’s every chance that WWE will immediately snap up the tournament’s top performers and send them to Full Sail. This would represent a huge hit to the UK indies, but this has always been how wrestling works. The smaller promotions “feed” the larger companies with waves of talent, and in time, they’re replaced. WWE’s UK expansion may just expedite that process.