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What’s the story?
As confirmed by WWE, Professional Wrestling legend Johnny Saint has been announced as the first and new General Manager for the WWE UK brand.
Saint, who has also previously served as a guest trainer in the WWE Performance Center for six months back in 2017, will administer the upcoming WWE UK Title tournament in London, UK.
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In case you didn’t know…
76-year-old UK wrestling legend Johnny Saint is a semi-retired English Professional Wrestler who initially worked around the United Kingdom during the World of Sport era.
After finishing school at the age of 15, Saint started training under the guidance of the father of former NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Billy Robinson. Saint eventually made his debut in 1958 and was defeated in his first wrestling match against Colin McDonald and by the year 1976, Saint finally won his first World Lightweight Title.
In the past, Johnny Saint has also competed for promotions such as Michinoku Pro Wrestling and famous Independent promotion Chikara, where he shared the ring with the likes of Daniel Bryan and Cesaro as well.
The heart of the matter
Considered as one of the greatest competitors of British Wrestling history, former 10-time World Lightweight Champion Johnny Saint has been named and confirmed as the first ever General Manager of the WWE UK brand.
It was initially reported by UK outlet Daily Star that Saint is apparently set to take over the WWE UK brand as the entire division is finally starting to come into pieces and is growing together as an overall brand.
Below is WWE’s full announcement of Saint’s appointment as the new General Manager of WWE’s UK brand:
Johnny Saint appointed General Manager of WWE's United Kingdom brand
Johnny Saint, one of the most revered competitors in British wrestling history, has been named the General Manager of WWE's United Kingdom brand.
As first reported by the Daily Star, Saint will lead the charge as WWE grows its U.K. division, including the back-to-back United Kingdom Championship Tournament events being held later this month at London's world-famous Royal Albert Hall.
Beginning in the 1950s, Saint's remarkable in-ring career spanned more than five decades. A protégé of the legendary Billy Robinson, Saint is considered a pioneering force in the U.K. scene, and he is widely hailed as one of the most technically gifted grapplers of all time.
In a 2013 interview with WWE.com, Daniel Bryan cited Saint as a true "wrestlers' wrestler." Though perhaps best known for his elaborate and aesthetically pleasing counter-wrestling, Saint also brought a hard edge to the ring, according to Bryan.
"Johnny Saint is somebody who does fancy reversals, but what made him a wrestlers' wrestler is when he'd get gritty with his wrestling," Bryan said. "He entertained people through wrestling. He knew a million different holds. He'd go out there and always have fantastic matches. I wrestled him when he was 60-something years old and was still absolutely phenomenal in the ring. He was so good at what he did, technique-wise."
Once his wrestling career ended, Saint turned his attention to tutoring the next generation of British grapplers. In 2017, he spent six months as a coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., where he shared his knowledge with NXT Superstars and other WWE recruits.
As he gets set to help WWE embark on a new frontier — including at the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament events, which will stream on WWE Network on June 25 and 26 — Saint is excited about the future of WWE's U.K. brand and the platform it offers to wrestlers in the region.
"For the guys who are in the wrestling scene here in the U.K., the worldwide exposure is a wonderful thing," Saint said. "It's something that we never really had before, so the new product is going to be tremendous for them."
What’s next?
The second edition of the WWE UK Tournament will kick-start on the 18th of June at the Royal Albert Hall in the UK.
What is your opinion of this move by WWE? Tell us in the comments below!
