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What's the story?
Following the news that Apollo Crews will be making an appearance for UK-based independent wrestling promotion Preston City Wrestling in 2018, it seems another current WWE Superstar is being allowed to make an appearance outside of the confines of the company. This time it's NXT wrestler Oney Lorcan.
In case you didn't know...
Oney Lorcan has just formed a tag-team with fellow NXT Superstar Danny Burch after the pair met each other in a series of matches and gained a newfound respect for each other, similar to the Sheamus/Cesaro storyline on the main roster.
The heart of the matter
Beyond Wrestling in Worcester, Massachusetts (not England, as I initially reported, sorry folks) has just advertised its New Year's Eve event by announcing that Oney Lorcan will be making an appearance at the show, even if it is for the live crowd only.
It's worth noting that Oney Lorcan hasn't been advertised for a match, but rather just a live appearance and autograph signing so it's possible this could be a similar situation to when the Hardy Boyz signed for the WWE but were still allowed to fulfil their indie obligations albeit without actively wrestling.
What's next?
Typically the WWE is incredibly strict with their in-ring talent, not allowing them to appear anywhere else outside of a WWE ring. But the recent announcement of Apollo Crews at Preston City Wrestling, and this one with Oney Lorcan at Beyond Wrestling seems to be signalling a shift in the attitude of the company.
This could be big news for the WWE as these are two current and active members of their roster who are being allowed to appear for other wrestling promotions. We could be seeing the start of several partnerships between the WWE and smaller wrestling companies.
Author's take
The argument could be made that Oney Lorcan and Apollo Crews aren't exactly crucial to WWE programming and that we're clearly not going to end up seeing Roman Reigns or John Cena appearing at the local sports hall, but why not?
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