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After Drew McIntyre vowed to be the first-ever Scottish WWE Champion, it was time to get thinking.
Of all the incredibly talented British wrestlers to compete in a WWE ring, it's pretty surprising that none of them have held the biggest prize in the company, so why have we never had a WWE Champion from the United Kingdom?
In late 2016, WWE announced the first ever WWE United Kingdom Tournament to crown the first ever United Kingdom Champion - with Tyler Bate winning the inaugural tournament and Pete Dunne later winning the Championship, but the much-rumoured weekly UK show seems to be on the backburner now.
WWE look to be investing heavily in British talent, though, with Paige (although her future is in question) on the main roster having won the NXT Women's Championship and the Divas Championship when it was around, Drew McIntyre returning to win the NXT Championship after a run in WWE that saw him hold the Intercontinental Championship previously, and UK talent being intertwined in NXT and 205 Live with Wolfgang, Mark Andrews, the aforementioned Tyler Bate appearing alongside CWC Tournament competitor Jack Gallagher.
Killian Dain from NXT may not be technically British, but he was born in the UK - hence his previous nickname The Beast from Belfast. Dain has also made his mark in WWE with a strong showing in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last year.
In fact, the last British Superstar to appear on RAW was Pete Dunne, when the Bruiserweight defeated now-released former Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore on the Manchester edition of Monday Night RAW.
So it begs the question, why are we just seeing such a strong influence now when there have been some incredible British wrestlers competing in the squared circle of WWE?
I'm going to take a look back at five British WWE Superstars who could have been the first ever British WWE Champion had things been a little bit different.
#5 Neville
Okay, so this is the one red herring in the list. Neville is technically STILL a WWE Superstar, and could indeed still win the WWE Championship in the future - although you'd have to think it's a very unlikely scenario, and not for lack of talent.
The only reason Neville is at No.5 in the list is precisely that, he's still contracted to the company, but it seems like we may possibly never see him in a WWE ring again, or at least not under this current contract.
Not too long ago, Neville was actually appearing on RAW on a weekly basis as a champion when he held the Cruiserweight Championship. The Man That Gravity Forgot lost his title to Enzo Amore and was last seen in a rivalry where, after a monstrous run as heel champion, he almost turned face to speak on behalf of the Cruiserweight Division against Enzo Amore and, if rumours are to believe, there was an underlying truth here that caused Neville to walk out on the company.
During his run in NXT, Neville was actually the top dog for a while - holding the NXT Championship in a record-breaking run that was eventually surpassed by Finn Balor, as well as being a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion.
After reaching the main roster, Neville was incredibly over as a face, but never quite got that push to see him reach even a mid-card title. Neville could have made an incredible Intercontinental Champion or even a great Money In The Bank winner.
It may seem farfetched now, but imagine the champion being laid out in the ring, Neville's music hits, and he cashes in and hits the Red Arrow to win the WWE Championship! What a moment that could have been.
#4 Fit Finlay
Okay, so this one may also count as a slight red herring but for a slightly different reason. Last one, I promise.
Fit Finlay is Irish but, being from Carrickfergus, he was born in Northern Ireland and thus part of the United Kingdom.
While Finlay may not identify as British as such, I think he's definitely worth mentioning here as possibly the greatest Northern Irish wrestler of all time. He's another talent WWE could have easily strapped the rocket to as his in-ring ability was always highly regarded, but his most memorable stint may be why he was paired with Hornswoggle.
Finlay is a former WCW Television Champion and WWE United States Champion but never quite broke into the main event picture. Finlay is, however, plays a massive role backstage - working as a producer and also a trainer at the Performance Center.
#3 British Bulldog
So, here's where the Superstars come thick and fast, and British Bulldog only making it to third place in this list may be met with some controversy.
He's undoubtedly the most British man on the list, and you could probably argue that he's even the best wrestler on the list - but there's one reason he's not top of the list, and it's purely down to timing.
The British Bulldog's career coincided with Superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man Randy Savage and Ric Flair during his first two stints in the company - and on his third run, he never quite reached the heights of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Davey Boy Smith, effectively, would have undoubtedly had a WWE Championship run had he wrestled in an era where there was a brand split, or possibly even if he'd been instantly pushed as a singles talent rather than a tag team wrestler.
Smith is often spoken about as one of the greatest wrestlers to never win a WWE Championship, but he didn't actually get much in the way of a run in the main event scene - with his most famous singles victory coming in 1992 at SummerSlam where he went on to defeat Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship.
The British Bulldog is definitely the most decorated wrestler on the list, boasting two European, two Hardcore and two Tag Team Championship reigns alongside his Intercontinental Championship run.
There's no doubt that, one day, the British Bulldog will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, too.
#2 William Regal
This is another one that may be met with raised eyebrows. William Regal has been heralded as one of the most underrated and underutilised Superstars of all time.
Regal is also one of the most decorated British Superstars of all time, having held the Intercontinental Championship twice, the European Championship four times, the Hardcore Championship five times and the Tag Team Championships four times with three different partners.
Regal is also a former King of the Ring winner, taking the crown in a tournament where he became the first man to make CM Punk submit in a WWE ring.
The Blackpool born gentleman has been just as memorable outside the ring as inside it, having previously been a RAW general manager in a run where he was the centre of a load of hysterical segments, and more recently being the NXT general manager and a mainstay on the brand, and even played an important role in the WWE United Kingdom Tournament where his interaction with Pete Dunne firmly strapped a rocket to both The Bruiserweight and Tyler Bate.
William Regal is a man who will undoubtedly find himself in the WWE Hall of Fame, and it's a real shame he never won the WWE Championship.
#1 Bad News Barrett
I know this selection won't be everyone's cup of tea, but do allow me to explain.
In terms of having it all - the look, the ability, the timing AND the immediate push, Wade Barrett had everything. There are three notable points in his WWE career where I firmly believed Barrett would be delivering bad news for the rest of the roster for years to come.
Even from his debut on RAW, Barrett looked like he was heading straight for the top when he led a group of rookies, later to be named Nexus, in an invasion where they interfered in the main event and destroyed everything in sight - including the announce team, ring announcer, John Cena and CM Punk - with Cena feeling the brunt of the attack before Nexus destroyed the ring and surrounding equipment.
During the Nexus run, Barrett even pinned John Cena in a multi-man World Championship matchand defeated Randy Orton in World Championship match - but it was due to John Cena interfering when the Nexus leader won via disqualification, so never got his hands on the main prize.
In fact, Barrett even had a Championship match against Randy Orton where he chose John Cena to be the special guest referee, where John Cena would be fired if Barrett lost...and Barrett lost after Cena caused him to get RKOd by Orton. The "fired" Cena also caused him the rematch.
After being eliminated from the Elimination Chamber WWE Championship match and feuding with CM Punk for the rivalry with Nexus, Barrett would turn his attention to the Intercontinental Championship - a title he eventually went on to hold a monumental five times.
In perhaps his most memorable and popular run, Barrett portrayed a character called Bad News Barrett where he defeated Rey Mysterio in Mysterio's last ever WWE singles match. While Intercontinental Champion, Barrett was placed in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match, but a shoulder injury saw him pulled from the match and vacating the championship.
In his fifth reign as Intercontinental Champion, Barrett would be part of an angle where several Superstars such as Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, R-Truth and Daniel Bryan would steal his belt. Barrett lost the Championship to Daniel Bryan in a ladder match but never received a rematch.
Towards the end of his time in WWE, Barrett yet again should have been close to the Championship after winning the King of the Ring tournament. Traditionally, the winner would receive a major push and usually a title shot. Instead, Barrett's reign saw him face King What's Up in R-Truth with a tinfoil sceptre and eventually team with Stardust.
In what would be his final few months in the company, the Englishman was part of the League of Nations, where he would help Sheamus retain the WWE Championship and help Alberto Del Rio win the United States Championship.
It always seemed like Wade Barrett was inches away from winning the WWE Championship and becoming the first ever British Champion, but it just never seemed to happen.
Wade Barrett took a break from wrestling after being released by WWE in a move that was said to be due to a mutual agreement, he's now pursuing a career in acting and has recently confirmed a return to the squared circle with his role as general manager for Defiant Wrestling.
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