10 Wrestlers Who Turned Down Triple H

Around the time NXT UK began to first gather steam, it felt as though just about every talent plying their trade on the European independent wrestling scene had been convinced to hop aboard the new extension of all things black and gold.

Yet, there was still the odd worker who wasn't all that keen on committing some of their most crucial years to a project that was still somewhat unclear, with Chris Brookes in particular not being all that sure about the concept of being denied the chance to fulfil his dreams of working in Japan or in other respected independent promotions towards the backend of his 20s.

As the eventual DDT Pro-Wrestling performer would admit to POST Wrestling, after reluctantly attending a tryout in 2017, Brookes was offered a deal to work on Trips' NXT UK. But far from being over the moon to work in The Game's European side-project, Brookes opted to steer clear of the NXT spin-off and bet on himself on the indies instead.

And while many claimed he was "crazy" for choosing to spend his "critical years" of developing as a wrestler on the independents rather than under the biggest promotion in the world's banner, the fact Brookes went on to break into the Japanese wrestling scene and eventually become a two-time DDT Universal Champion highlighted how things "all worked out in the end, fortunately", as he put it.