Over the course of the last few months, Great Britain has been struck by three devastating terrorist incidents. First, there was the attack in Westminster, then the bombing at the Manchester Arena, and then just this past weekend, seven people were killed in a vicious attack near London Bridge.
It’s heartbreaking, it’s gut-wrenching, and most painfully it’s starting to feel like the norm. We as a society are being forced into a corner with these vicious individuals attempting to strike fear into our hearts when in reality all their pitiful attempts are doing is bringing us closer together. Nobody defines this country, and we’re stronger than they’ll ever know.
World Wrestling Entertainment have always had a strong relationship with the United Kingdom, with a number of superstars already paying their respects to those who have lost their lives throughout the course of these tragedies. Now, we’d like to see the company go one step further by honouring the victims and those who have been affected in a way that will never be forgotten.
So with all of that being said, and with resilience in all of our hearts, here are five ways WWE could honour the UK following the recent terror attacks.
#1 Raw is Britain
Given the scheduling of how far in advance the company book venues for shows, getting this entry done would be quite difficult. The entire premise would be returning an episode of Monday Night Raw into a British tribute show, ramping it up from the usual ‘putting a cab and a telephone box in the corners of the stage’.
While it doesn't necessarily have to emanate from the UK per say, it’d make it feel that much more special, and you can just imagine how intense the atmosphere would be. The likes of William Regal could even appear briefly on the show, with superstars taking a few moments to give their thoughts on the recent events in backstage interviews.
Also read: 10 things British WWE fans know to be true
Long live the king.
#2 Barrett returns
Wade Barrett is certainly up there with the best of them when it comes to the most underrated WWE talents of the last few years, with the company not opening their eyes to the potential that the former Intercontinental Champion had. With quality mic skills, solid in ring work and a great look all in his back pocket, it’s mind boggling to consider how quickly his career plummeted down into mid-card obscurity.
So, if only for one night only, why not have Barrett return as a babyface and cut an impassioned promo? We’d obviously prefer for him to come back on a more permanent basis, but the guy has a lot of outside projects that he’s working on right now – so we’ll settle for yet another top quality promo from the former bare-knuckle boxer.
Stand back; there’s a gentleman coming through.
#3 Gallagher wins the title
To say Jack Gallagher is over with the crowd would be like saying John Lennon was popular on Merseyside. It’s a statement that’s beyond obvious, and if you put the northern lad in front of a lively British crowd in a match for the Cruiserweight Championship, it’s going to be like capturing lightning in a bottle.
Some may see this as a bit of a charity title reign, and there is already a Brit holding the purple belt, but Neville is doing such a good job as a heel that we wouldn’t want to tarnish that in any way. Plus, you can always have the King of the Cruiserweights win the belt back after we get the feel good moment with Mr Gallagher.
Insurrextion, anyone?
#4 UK PPV
Back in the early noughties, a pay per view in the UK was the norm, with shows like Insurrextion being formed exclusively for the British market. Nowadays, however, the closest thing we’d had to a PPV was an NXT Takeover special at the end of 2015. While it was a good show, it wasn’t quite on the level of a main roster card.
This wouldn’t be an ‘obvious’ tribute so to speak, but it would be a nice way to honour not only the victims but also the thousands upon thousands of British fans that have been watching the product for years. It would make us feel that little bit more important, which should be a high priority given how valuable the market is over here.
The right thing to do.
#5 10 bell salute
Simple, classy, and memorable. Whenever there’s a large scale event or a big superstar passes away, the company tends to issue a 10 bell salute with members of the roster standing on the ramp to pay their respects.
Now would be as good of a time as any to do this once more, proudly displaying the Union Jack on the titantron in the process. It’s one of the best ways in which WWE can stand side by side with us, their brothers from over the pond. One thing is for sure – we’d certainly appreciate it.
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