For those unaware, William Regal appeared at the latest EVOLVE 56 iPPV to announce that the promotion would house the “U.S. qualifying matches” for WWE’s Global Cruiserweight Tournament. The tournament will begin airing on the WWE Network in the summer.
Obviously, this EVOLVE development is very exciting. However, I believe the more interesting part is the use of “U.S”. This gives us reason to believe that WWE really will be touring the world for prime talent. This could involve wrestlers from Lucha Underground, New Japan or AAA. For the first time in 20 years, the wrestling industry could begin working together for the better good.
When this tournament was announced, it sounded mildly interesting. Many assumed that it would just involve unearthed NXT talent, with a small handful of names signed to contracts from the independants. A fun concept, but nothing revolutionary.
But over the last couple of months, Triple H continued to hype up the series and WWE quietly strengthened their relationship with EVOLVE. The best thing about this is that everything has been kept simmering, nothing has been rushed as a foundation was being built.
And now, we could be on the cusp of something truly special. If this series does really draw from every courner of the globe, it could be the catalyst for unifying a fractured fanbase. If Zack Sabre Jr does well, Evolve fans will likely feel compelled to follow his progress. If Kota Ibushi creates waves in the tournament, New Japan viewers will be more tempted to subscribe to the Network.
In an era where WWE are struggling to grasp the passion of their viewership, embracing the “World” portion of their name could both galvanize their business and reinforce an entire industry for a generation.
Of course, I will admit that this is all pie in the sky at this point. I am still fabricating theories from only partially educated rumours. Even if lightning is trapped in a biottle and a perfect talent pool is amassed, poor booking could doom everything from the very first moment.
The point of this article though is not to declare that we WILL see something extraordinary happen during the summer, but merely to point out that all the pieces seem to be shifting into the right places. As a community of fans crying out for innovation, we need to pay attention when that innovation (on such a global scale) could very well be bubbling under the surface. As the saying goes: watch this space.
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