Or, the introduction of the Three Tier System

So last week I wrote a post defending WWE’s entrance into the UK. I suggested that they weren’t out to monopolise British wrestling, and that it would ultimately benefit everybody involved.

This week they made a liar of me.

Before I go on, I should stress that this post is not going to be a rant against WWE or their corporate strategy. From a business perspective, I understand their logic – but that doesn’t change the fact that British wrestling is now changing because of their presence here.

I’m calling this outcome the Three Tier System (3TS), and it’s not something we’re used to here the UK, so let’s have a look at what it all means.

Tier 1: WWE

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament was met with huge critical acclaim. Even Jim Cornette liked it, and that guy hates everything.

Just like ITV’s World of Sport, it was widely believed that this special event was being used more as a pilot for a potential UK show than anything else. Following it’s success, that has been all but confirmed following a survey WWE shared online in which they explicitly asked if viewers would be interested in weekly UK show (along with asking about ticket prices and the like).

Now, I’m of the opinion – given the performance of NXT and 205 Live – that a weekly show is a bad idea. A big quarterly event, even a monthly show could work. A weekly show may end up doing more harm that good – but that all remains to be seen.

The important thing here – and the reason I’ve been made a liar of – is that the “no restrictions” contracts that have been talked about so much do, in fact, contain many restrictions, which is what will lead to the creation of my 3TS.

While WWE UK talent are still free to perform elsewhere, it has emerged this week that they cannot do so if their performance will be streamed or filmed on television or (crucially) online. Given that the vast majority of reputable promotions in the UK offer some sort of video-on-demand service, this will make WWE UK guys incredibly unattractive to outside promotions.

WWE’s perspective is perfectly understandable. They want to keep a tight grip on the characters and storylines of everyone that works for them. If one of their stars can be seen doing other things on other shows, then it makes what they’re doing at WWE less believable.

A promoter could run a WWE UK talent in a dark match of course, but there’s a cost-benefit ratio to consider. Without potential revenues from VOD, the higher wages that WWE UK wrestlers will undoubtedly be seeking may be deemed unfeasible.

PWInsider reported yesterday that appearances from Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Mark Andrews scheduled for the Working a Resthold podcast have had to be cancelled as a result of this, and more such occurrences are likely to follow.

Tier 2: WWE affiliates

Good news, then (maybe), that the UK’s leading promotions (Progress, ICW, and OTT) are set to announce that they will be producing content for the WWE Network.

It’s expected that the UK’s leading promotions will soon announce a partnership with the WWE. Indeed representatives of both Progress and ICW management were shown on camera as special guests as the UKCT.

This is great news for fans, who may be able so consolidate their various subscriptions, and for these promotions who will be able to show their product to a much wider audience.

It’s also good news for WWE UK signees who, presumably, will still be able to perform on these WWE-affiliated shows as the VOD content will end up on a WWE owned platform.

There are questions to be raised about what this means for these promotions in terms of how much change will have to made to become WWE brand compliant.

Copyright infringement in music and trademarks will have to be addressed for sure, but will levels of violence have to be toned down? Will bad language have to be reduced? Will WWE have an influence on storylines? Again, this all remains to be seen.

What it means for the British wrestling scene though, is the introduction of a new tier somewhere between independent and professional.

It’ll stand as a massive opportunity for wrestlers to demonstrate their abilities to WWE recruiters as well as a vast audience – allowing them to build up their individual followings.

It’ll bridge the gap between dreaming of success and the genuine possibility of achieving it, creating a tangible career ladder. Soon, having regular appearances on Progress or ICW will mean just the same as being signed to NXT (career-wise, not money-wise).

Tier 3: Everyone else

The above follows nicely onto the third tier; everyone else who isn’t signed to WWE and isn’t yet making regular appearances for the affiliates.

This will be the truly independent scene, still as diverse as the one we know and love today.

With a hefty portion of the bigger British names moving up to WWE/WWE affiliates, a new independent scene will enjoy a breath of fresh air as a wave of new talent and promotions have an opportunity to develop.

That’s not to say anybody’s getting replaced here – all those names and brands we’ve been following for years are still going to be there, they’re just moving up the ladder a bit, leaving room for new and exciting stuff to happen at the grassroots level.

The future of British wrestling

It would be very easy for me to sit here and decry that the end times are coming. That this American corporate giant is coming to wreck a sweet thing that we’ve built for ourselves, putting various contracts in place to stifle any further growth.

But I’m choosing to look at it a different way.

Yes, WWE coming here means British wrestling is about to change. There is about to be a genuinely professional element of professional wrestling, and that’ll come with a litany of legal headaches – some of which are already being observed.

But it also means that our top promotions are about to be thrust into worldwide brands, which we’ll get to enjoy right on our doorsteps.

It also means that a whole space is about to be opened up to new wave of grassroots talent who couldn’t have competed with the existing indy brands before.

So I’m choosing to look at the changing landscape as the incredible opportunity that it could be, and marvel at the unparalleled achievements of British wrestling a whole.