WWE UK Championship: 10 Things We Want To See

Despite the fact that the United Kingdom has long been one of the most lucrative foreign markets for WWE, the company has never really catered to its dedicated UK fan base, gearing its product much more towards North American audiences.

This, in conjunction with the rise of social media and YouTube, may help to explain why British wrestling has undergone a resurgence as of late, as it is now much easier for smaller UK promotions to attract a dedicated fan base by providing an alternative to the American-centric 'WWE Style'.

This all seems about to change with the announcement of the WWE UK Championship. Many fans are worried about the WWE's underlying motives for this, and how they intend to interact with UK promotions. Others worry about it in a more creative sense. The Cruiserweight Classic in 2016 showed us that WWE can fail to build on prior successes, and many worry that, as with most of their mistakes, the WWE haven't learnt from the purple brand's rocky transition to Monday nights.

We don't know all the details yet, and they likely won't be revealed until the tournament is close to starting, but here are a few things that the WWE should strongly consider doing once their new title is set loose upon the wrestling world.

When the UK Championship Tournament was first announced, speculation was rife as to why WWE were holding it. Many suspected they were trying to derail ITV's revival of World of Sport. Others assumed it was part of a more sinister plan to dominate a growing market, to push smaller promotions out and scupper potential future competitors. This of course, is something that we don't want.

However, comments made during and after the announcement made it pretty clear that the WWE intend to work with several notable UK promotions. This suggests that for the time being, they are more interested in just being involved in the British and Irish wrestling scenes, rather than wanting to dominate them.

The recent resurgence in British wrestling has likely piqued the WWE's interest. They obviously don't want to lose any market share, and the WWE Network makes it very easy for them to cater to British fans whilst still keeping their North American audiences happy. It is, as they would say, "good for business". They can work with existing promotions to produce a product many fans desire with minimal risk, but with big potential payoffs.

At present, if you want to watch British or Irish wrestling you have to go out and look for it. Soon, it is possible that regular ITV and WWE Network shows may bring it closer to the mainstream, with potential benefits for UK wrestling and all involved in it.