What’s the story?
Following the success of The Cruiserweight Classic and the United Kingdom Championship tournament, WWE is now planning to conduct their first-ever championship tournament in Asia.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has reported that WWE scouts have reached out to wrestlers in Asia, trying to ascertain passport statuses and availability, as they’re very much keen to host a tournament in the eastern continent.
Vice President of Talent Relations Canyon Ceman and Creative Director Ryan Katz were also spotted at the recent Malaysia Pro Wrestling (MyPW) show and are rumoured to have been interested in two big MyPW names.
In case you didn’t know...
Founded in 1952 by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt as Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd, WWE is currently the world’s largest wrestling promotion conducting over 500 events a year.
The entertainment company is also planning to launch a WWE championship in Latin America if everything goes according to plans.
Also read: WWE Rumors: WWE Latin American Championship tournament coming soon
Wrestlers from this region have proven to be agile and exciting with their high-flying style and the company might be willing to invest in them and nurture them in the near future.
The heart of the matter
WWE has had a single country-based title in the form of the United States championship for a long time.
Thus, after observing steady growth in both talent and fandom in other countries, the US-based wrestling company has now decided to bring the best wrestlers from these regions to battle it out for a top prize in their highly respected promotion.
The growth of Japanese wrestling in the western markets has been a prime catalyst for the WWE investing in Asia. The company is also reportedly trying to rope in Kenny Omega from New Japan Pro Wrestling after his contract expires. Omega is also rumoured to make his WWE debut very soon.
Aside from developing and promoting wrestlers from all across the globe, the WWE has invested in local recruits as well, who have been steadily improving in the new "Performance Center" in Orlando, Florida.
What’s next?
WWE’s talent search in Asia will receive a major response due to the company’s expanding popularity and the tournament might take place some time in late-2017, going by the current schedule of things.
Sportskeeda’s take
WWE has long been working on building their viewership in Asia and the company even signed Ho Ho Lun for the CWC last year, as Lun was the owner of the only wrestling promotion in his part of the world.
Thus, the initiative creates a possibility of bringing in a higher number of competitors from Japan and other Asian countries and it would certainly be a refreshing and intriguing contest for the fans to witness.
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