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Following the launch of NXT UK in 2018, the independent scene in the United Kingdom has been affected.
In an appearance on this week’s edition of WWE After The Bell, Triple H spoke on how NXT UK’s arrival affected other companies in the area, admitting that some promotions “are going to go away”.
“People misunderstood what we were trying to accomplish over in the UK because of small thinking or short sightedness. Yes, some of these indies are going to go away. The ones that are going to go away are the ones who are paying you $25 bucks when they promised you $75. The ones that have a ring that doesn’t hold up. The ones that don’t have medical there. The ones that didn’t care about you, they were just booking you because they were hoping to sell some tickets, and you might have a bit of buzz. So they were hoping to sell some tickets, and they could care less what you do.
WWE has agreements multiple independent organizations in Europe, including PROGRESS and ICW. Triple H spoke on why the WWE has allowed to work with certain organizations over others.
“We wanted to work with the ones who were cultivating talent. The ones that were encouraging them to become better, working with them on their promos or giving them guidance, right or wrong on their matches. Ones that had equipment that was functioning, or medical care if you were injured, instead of waiting 45 minutes for an ambulance or trying to figure out if they were going to call you an Uber.”
Many NXT UK talent signed new deals in November 2018, which had various restrictions on other promotions they were allowed to work for.
In the past, NXT UK talent could work with various promotions, but that changed in 2018, with WWE only allowing talent to be booked for companies approved by WWE.
WWE wants to have exclusive rights to any talent they have signed, and would rather not have injuries occur, want to ensure the talent are only working approved matches with any promotion affiliated with WWE.
Check out the full episode of WWE After The Bell below