What’s the story?
WWE has found a great deal of success with their WWE Network programming over the past year or so. While shows such as the cancelled Legends with JBL may not have been quite what wrestling fans were tuning in for, they have been successful with their past two tournaments: the Cruiserweight Classic and the United Kingdom Championship Tournament.
According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is looking to go three-for-three as they prepare for a Women’s Tournament this year.
In case you didn’t know...
The Cruiserweight Classic was the highly successful, critically acclaimed tournament that aired exclusively on the WWE Network last summer. Thirty-two Cruiserweight competitors from all over the world participated in the tournament until a winner was crowned in T.J. Perkins. Winning the tournament also meant that Perkins was the first WWE Cruiserweight Champion under the new iteration of Cruiserweights.
The United Kingdom Championship Tournament followed and got the success and critical acclaim as well. Sixteen wrestlers from the United Kingdom took part in the tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion. This tournament introduced talents such as Mark Andrews, Trent Seven, Pete Dunne, and Tyler Bate to a much wider audience than they may have ever had. Nineteen-year-old Tyler Bate won the tournament and has since defended the title on NXT.
Also read: The Rise of The Women’s Revolution
The heart of the matter
Based on the report from the Observer, the WWE is already contacting female wrestlers for a taping in the middle of May. The taping is believed to be for the long-rumoured Women’s Tournament.
It is believed that this tournament will be more akin to the Cruiserweight Classic, as it’s said that WWE has been in contact with talents from all over the world for this event.
What’s next?
It may not happen imminently with WrestleMania right around the corner, but we should expect an official announcement on the Women’s Tournament sometime after the show of shows is in the books.
Sportskeeda’s take
Anything that brings more talent into the WWE from previously untapped places is only a good thing for the company. We believe that WWE understands the lack of depth in their Women’s Divisions on Raw, Smackdown! Live, and NXT at the moment.
While nothing’s confirmed, Candice Larea (Johnny Gargano’s wife), Tessa Blanchard, Thea Trinidad (Austin Aries’s girlfriend), Jessicka Havok and Evie are some of the top names that WWE could reach out for the tournament. We also expect quite a few of the women that participate in this tournament to possibly be offered contracts if they perform well during the tapings.
Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops.
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