The True Lurid Story Of Free WWE UK Pay-Per-Views

by Michael Sidgwick
Vince McMahon Backlash 2000
WWE.com

The next pay-per-view Channel 4 carried, Backlash, was broadcast via 50 minute tape-delay.

This allowed for intra-show editing - the blood on X-Pac's forehead was digitised quite infamously - which pissed off the fans who weren't to receive the full allure of the Attitude Era experience. Staying up late was already an inconvenience. Staying up later for a diluted product in which the table bumps were freeze-framed was just untenable. Later showings weren't half as butchered - by then, any semblance or fear of outrage had faded from thought, and they didn't care - but the relationship never recovered.

Heat was later shunted to the small hours. Whether directed or just made in shame, the presenters of the youth-oriented 'T4' programming block in which it featured ripped the piss out of it all before the time slot change. None of this dented the WWF's popularity amongst wrestling fans. Business was so strong over here that the promotion ran several UK-exclusive pay-per-views, but the craze element that saw SummerSlam '92 move to Wembley Stadium just wasn't there.

Ironically, mainstream England - which had once embraced the WWF where the US had repelled it - was embarrassed by Vince's racket when it was white-hot on the other side of the Atlantic. The New Generation was always better, so consider us arbiters of taste.

We never embraced NXT UK, either.

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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!