10 Insane Revelations From Secret WWE Leaks

9. Tom Phillips Ribs Vince McMahon On NXT UK

TOM PHILLIPS VINCE NXT UK
WWE.com

NXT UK is similar to NXT proper in that it takes itself very seriously.

Some of the wrestling is very good - the brand produced a Match of the Year candidate at TakeOver: Cardiff - but the storytelling is functional. It all feels dry and solid and, yes, soulless, but there is a sense of humour within NXT UK - it just isn't adapted to television.

The show's producer, whom Bixenspan deduced is likely Jon Briley, needs to become an on-air presence. His boy-popping instincts are superb. Tom Phillips is an on-air presence, and in the time-honoured tradition, he is exponentially more engaging when he isn't on air. In announcing a rehearsal segment with Tyler Bate, his old training kicked in when he politely asked Briley to use "pronouns as much as possible". "Godd*mn pal!" he says, to lighten the mood. Vince is an object of ridicule within the company, and that is Such Good Sh*t. It's probably affectionate, but it's funnier to believe otherwise.

Briley has a wonderfully quick, British deadpan on him. "That is not how that works," he said drily, when Amir Jordan made a pig's ear of a splash, which is far preferable to Vince's approach of "banishing them the f*ck to Main Event".

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!