# WWE in the United Kingdom

WWE (formerly World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut in the United States, owned by Endeavor. It has been promoting events in the United Kingdom (UK) since 1989. From 1989 to 2001, WWE was promoted under concert promoters, brothers Harvey and Martin Goldsmith, for UK and European shows.

## International broadcasts from the UK
### Pay-per-views

Over the years, World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment has run several broadcast events based in the UK. In 1989, the WWF held their First WWF UK event, which aired exclusively in the UK. From 1991 to 1993 similar UK exclusive broadcasts known as UK Rampage. In 1991 the WWF filmed the supercard event Battle Royal at the Albert Hall, in London.
SummerSlam 1992 was the first WWE pay-per-view broadcast from the UK on August 29 (aired August 31). In 1997 they returned to the UK with WWF One Night Only. In 1998 the WWF returned to the UK for WWF Mayhem in Manchester and WWF Capital Carnage, which aired exclusively in the UK. The following year they returned with No Mercy. From 1999 to 2002 they ran a fall pay-per-view from the UK known as WWE Rebellion. In addition from 2000 to 2003 they ran a spring pay-per-view from the UK known as WWE Insurrextion.
| Date | Name | Brand | Venue | City | Main event |
| 10 October 1989 | First WWF UK Event (1989) | | London Arena | London, England | Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| 24 April 1991 | UK Rampage (1991) | | London Arena | London, England | Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
| 3 October 1991 | Battle Royal at the Albert Hall | | Royal Albert Hall | London, England | 20-man battle royal |
| 19 April 1992 | UK Rampage (1992) | | Sheffield Arena | Sheffield, England | The British Bulldog vs. Irwin R. Schyster |
| 29 August 1992 Aired 31 August 1992 | SummerSlam (1992) | | Wembley Stadium | London, England | Bret Hart (c) vs. The British Bulldog for the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
| 11 April 1993 | UK Rampage (1993) | | Sheffield Arena | Sheffield, England | Lex Luger vs. Jim Duggan |
| 20 September 1997 | One Night Only | | NEC Arena | Birmingham, England | The British Bulldog (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF European Championship |
| 4 April 1998 | Mayhem in Manchester | | NYNEX Arena | Manchester, England | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. Triple H for the WWF Championship The Undertaker vs. Kane |
| 6 December 1998 | Capital Carnage | | London Arena | London, England | Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kane vs. Mankind vs. The Undertaker in a Fatal 4-Way match |
| 16 May 1999 | No Mercy | | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. Triple H vs. The Undertaker Anything Goes Triple Threat match for the WWF Championship |
| 2 October 1999 | Rebellion (1999) | | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England | Triple H (c) vs. The Rock in a Steel Cage match for the WWF Championship |
| 6 May 2000 | Insurrextion (2000) | | Earls Court | London, England | The Rock (c) vs. Shane McMahon vs. Triple H in a Triple Threat match for the WWF Championship |
| 2 December 2000 | Rebellion (2000) | | Sheffield Arena | Sheffield, England | Kurt Angle (c) vs. Rikishi vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock in a Fatal 4-Way match for the WWF Championship |
| 5 May 2001 | Insurrextion (2001) | | Earls Court Exhibition Centre | London, England | The Two Man Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) and Triple H) vs. The Undertaker in a Handicap match for the WWF Championship |
| 3 November 2001 | Rebellion (2001) | | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. The Rock for the WWF Championship |
| 4 May 2002 | Insurrextion (2002) | Raw | Wembley Arena | London, England | Triple H vs. The Undertaker |
| 26 October 2002 | Rebellion (2002) | SmackDown! | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England | Brock Lesnar (c) and Paul Heyman vs. Edge in a Handicap match for the WWE Championship |
| 7 June 2003 | Insurrextion (2003) | Raw | Telewest Arena | Newcastle, England | Triple H (c) vs. Kevin Nash in a Street Fight match for the World Heavyweight Championship |
| 3 September 2022 | Clash at the Castle (2022) | Raw & SmackDown | Principality Stadium | Cardiff, Wales | Roman Reigns (c) vs. Drew McIntyre in a Singles Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship |
| 1 July 2023 | Money in the Bank (2023) | Raw & SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England | Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos in a Bloodline Civil War Tag Team Match |
| June 15, 2024 | Clash at the Castle: Scotland | Raw & SmackDown | OVO Hydro | Glasgow, Scotland | Damian Priest (c) vs. Drew McIntyre in a Singles Match for the World Heavyweight Championship |

## Mayhem in Manchester

Mayhem in Manchester was a professional wrestling event exclusively for United Kingdom (UK), produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) that took place on 4 April 1998 at the Nynex Arena in Manchester, England. The event was released later in an edited form on VHS in North America and in the UK. With the exception of the "Old School" editions of WWE Raw on November 15, 2010, March 4, 2013, and January 6, 2014, along with the Raw 25 Years on January 25, 2018, and the Throwback SmackDown edition on May 7, 2021, this was the last ever WWF event to feature the WWF New Generation logo with the posts, ring skirt, floor mats and steps as light blue with the ropes colored red, white and blue.

### Production
#### Background

The event was originally scheduled to be a UK exclusive pay-per-view, as a follow-up to the success of One Night Only. As the event drew closer, the WWF cancelled plans to broadcast the event, due to a profit sharing disagreement with the venue. In addition Davey Boy Smith and Shawn Michaels, who the WWF has planned to center the event around, were no longer with the company by the time of the event. The event would later be released on video rather than broadcasting live.

#### Storylines

The card consisted of eight matches, that resulted from scripted storylines and had results predetermined by the WWF.
The main event heading into the event was between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for the WWF Championship. After Austin defeated Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania to win the WWF Championship, Michaels retired from professional wrestling due to back injury (He returned to wrestling in 2002), and then Austin continued his feud with D-Generation X members. It was announced that Austin would face Triple H for the WWF Championship at Mayhem in Manchester.
Another main event heading into the event was between The Undertaker and Kane. After The Undertaker defeated his brother Kane at WrestleMania XIV, it was announced that the two would face each other again at Mayhem in Manchester.

### Event

Other on-screen personnel :
| Role: | Name: |
| Commentators | Michael Cole |
| Commentators | Kevin Kelly |
| Ring announcer | Tony Chimel |
| Referees | Gerald Brisco |
| Referees | Mark Yeaton |
| Referees | Mike Chioda |

#### Preliminary matches

During the opening match of the event Jeff Jarrett defeated Brakkus via submission, when Brakkus tapped out to the figure-4 leglock.
The second match saw The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) defeat The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball) in a strap match. Henry picked up the pinfall victory after hitting the Slop Drop on Skull.
Prior to the next match, Marc Mero sent Sable to the back, due to a series of issues leading up to the event. Mero however lost the match following Bradshaw hitting him with the lariat.
The following match saw Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart defeated The Nation of Domination (The Rock and D'Lo Brown), after brown tapped out to Shamrock's ankle lock.
The next match was between Cactus Jack and The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust. During the match, as Jack when to suplex Goldust, Luna Vachon tripped Jack. Following this, Goldust covered Jack and picked up the pinfall victory. Following the match, Sable came out to attack Vachon. Continuing with the issues from earlier in the night, Mero followed Sable out and pulled her off of Vachon. As Goldust and Vachon used this opportunity to escape, Sable turned around and attacked Mero, then left with Mero still on the ground in the ring.
The following match saw WWF Tag Team Champions, The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn), defend their titles against LOD 2000 (Road Warrior Animal and Hawk). As LOD attempted to hit the Doomsday Device on Dogg, Chyna entered the ring and hit Animal with a low blow. The referee awarded the victory to LOD via disqualification, allowing The New Age Outlaws to retain the titles.

#### Main event matches

In the first main event, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H held the WWF Championship and WWF European Championship respectively, however only Austin's title was on the line during the match. At the end of the match, Chyna attempted to interfere, however Austin hit her with the Stunner, followed by hitting Triple H with a Stunner as well, to pick up the pinfall victory. In some areas this turned out to be the final match.
The main event of the evening saw The Undertaker defeat Kane via pinfall, following a Tombstone.

### Results

| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
| 1 | Jeff Jarrett defeated Brakkus | Singles match | 7:38 |
| 2 | The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) defeated The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball) | Tag team strap match | 13:45 |
| 3 | Bradshaw defeated Marc Mero (with Sable | Singles match | 10:17 |
| 4 | Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart defeated The Nation of Domination (The Rock and D'Lo Brown) by submission | Tag team match | 7:43 |
| 5 | The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust defeated Cactus Jack | Singles match | 13:23 |
| 6 | LOD 2000 (Road Warrior Animal and Hawk) with Sunny defeated The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) (c) by disqualification | Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship | 12:51 |
| 7 | Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) defeated Triple H | Singles match for the WWF Championship | 29:13 |
| 8 | The Undertaker defeated Kane | Singles match | 21:32 |
| (c) – the champion(s) heading into the match ||||

## Weekly television shows

Insurrextion in 2003 at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle, England marked the last of WWE's UK exclusive pay-per-views. However, WWE started to broadcast Raw and SmackDown! from the UK in 2004. Due to the time change, all broadcasts were recorded and aired on tape delay. The first Raw broadcast from the United Kingdom was October 11, 2004, with a SmackDown! recording the following day. Beginning in 2005 WWE would record twice per year in the United Kingdom, once in the spring and once in the fall. In November 2008, WWE recorded two episodes of SmackDown. As of May 2019 all recordings have occurred in England, with the exception of November 2016 which took place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
From 2006 to 2009, WWE's recording schedule in the United Kingdom included episodes of ECW.

### 2004–2010

| Date | Name | Brand | Venue | City |
| 11 October 2004 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 12 October 2004 Aired 14 October 2004 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 25 April 2005 | Raw | Raw | NEC Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 26 April 2005 Aired 28 April 2005 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | NEC Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 21 November 2005 | Raw | Raw | Hallam FM Arena | Sheffield, England |
| 22 November 2005 Aired 25 November 2005 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | Hallam FM Arena | Sheffield, England |
| 24 April 2006 | Raw | Raw | Wembley Arena | London, England |
| 25 April 2006 Aired 28 April 2006 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | Wembley Arena | London, England |
| 13 November 2006 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 14 November 2006 | ECW | ECW | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 14 November 2006 Aired 17 November 2006 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 23 April 2007 | Raw | Raw | Earls Court | London, England |
| 24 April 2007 | ECW | ECW | Earls Court | London, England |
| 24 April 2007 Aired 27 April 2007 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | Earls Court | London, England |
| 15 October 2007 | Raw | Raw | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 16 October 2007 | ECW | ECW | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 16 October 2007 Aired 19 October 2007 | SmackDown! | SmackDown! | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 14 April 2008 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 15 April 2008 | ECW | ECW | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 15 April 2008 Aired 18 April 2008 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 10 November 2008 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 11 November 2008 | ECW | ECW | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 11 November 2008 Aired 14 November 2008 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 11 November 2008 Aired 21 November 2008 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 20 April 2009 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 21 April 2009 | ECW | ECW | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 21 April 2009 Aired 24 April 2009 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 9 November 2009 | Raw | Raw | Sheffield Arena | Sheffield, England |
| 10 November 2009 | ECW | ECW | Sheffield Arena | Sheffield, England |
| 10 November 2009 Aired 13 November 2009 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Sheffield Arena | Sheffield, England |
| 12 April 2010 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 13 April 2010 Aired 16 April 2010 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 8 November 2010 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |
| 9 November 2010 Aired 12 November 2010 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Manchester Evening News Arena | Manchester, England |

### 2011–present

| Date | Name | Brand | Venue | City |
| 18 April 2011 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 19 April 2011 Aired 22 April 2011 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 7 November 2011 | Raw | | Echo Arena | Liverpool, England |
| 8 November 2011 Aired 11 November 2011 | SmackDown | | Echo Arena | Liverpool, England |
| 16 April 2012 | Raw | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 17 April 2012 Aired 20 April 2012 | SmackDown | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 5 November 2012 | Raw | | Birmingham LG Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 6 November 2012 Aired 9 November 2012 | SmackDown | | Birmingham LG Arena | Birmingham, England |
| 22 April 2013 | Raw | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 23 April 2013 Aired 26 April 2013 | SmackDown | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 11 November 2013 | Raw | | Phones 4 U Arena | Manchester, England |
| 12 November 2013 Aired 15 November 2013 | SmackDown | | Phones 4 U Arena | Manchester, England |
| 19 May 2014 | Raw | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 20 May 2014 Aired 23 May 2014 | SmackDown | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 10 November 2014 | Raw | | Echo Arena | Liverpool, England |
| 11 November 2014 Aired 14 November 2014 | SmackDown | | Echo Arena | Liverpool, England |
| 13 April 2015 | Raw | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 14 April 2015 Aired 16 April 2015 | SmackDown | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 9 November 2015 | Raw | | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 10 November 2015 Aired 12 November 2015 | SmackDown | | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 18 April 2016 | Raw | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 19 April 2016 Aired 21 April 2016 | SmackDown | | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 7 November 2016 | Raw | Raw | SSE Hydro | Glasgow, Scotland |
| 8 November 2016 | SmackDown | SmackDown | SSE Hydro | Glasgow, Scotland |
| 8 May 2017 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 9 May 2017 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 6 November 2017 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 7 November 2017 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 14 May 2018 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 15 May 2018 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 5 November 2018 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 6 November 2018 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 13 May 2019 | Raw | Raw | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 14 May 2019 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 8 November 2019 Aired 11 November 2019 | Raw | Raw | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 8 November 2019 | SmackDown | SmackDown | Manchester Arena | Manchester, England |
| 30 June 2023 | SmackDown | SmackDown | The O2 Arena | London, England |
| 14 June 2024 | SmackDown | SmackDown | OVO Hydro | Glasgow, Scotland |

### NXT/NXT UK

On December 16, 2015, the WWE held their first NXT event in the UK, NXT TakeOver: London. In January 2017, they returned for the first United Kingdom Championship Tournament, with the second tournament in June 2018. In May 2017 they also hosted a United Kingdom Championship Special from the UK.
In a press conference at The O2 Arena on December 15, 2016, Triple H revealed that there would be a 16-man tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion. The tournament was held over a two-day period, January 14 and 15, 2017, and aired exclusively on the WWE Network. Tyler Bate won the inaugural tournament to become the first WWE United Kingdom Champion. In August 2018 Rhea Ripley became the first NXT UK Women's Champion. In January 2019, James Drake and Zack Gibson became the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
When the championship was unveiled in December 2016, it was announced to be the top championship of a new WWE Network show, produced in the United Kingdom. However, it was not until mid-2018 when WWE formally established NXT UK as the brand for their United Kingdom division. The brand's show, also titled NXT UK, had its first tapings in July, which began airing on October 17. On January 12, 2019, the first live special episode of NXT UK aired, called NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
| Date | Name | Brand | Venue | City | Main event |
| 16 December 2015 | NXT TakeOver: London | NXT | SSE Arena, Wembley | Wembley, London, England | Finn Bálor vs. Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship |
| 14 January 2017 | United Kingdom Championship Tournament | NXT UK | Empress Ballroom | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | Tyler Bate vs. Tucker |
| 15 January 2017 | United Kingdom Championship Tournament | NXT UK | Empress Ballroom | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne for the WWE United Kingdom Championship |
| 7 May 2017 Aired 19 May | United Kingdom Championship Special | NXT UK | Epic Studios | Norwich, Norfolk, England | Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews for the WWE United Kingdom Championship |
| 18 June 2018 Air date 25 June | United Kingdom Championship Tournament | NXT | Royal Albert Hall | Kensington, London, England | Zack Gibson vs. Travis Banks |
| 19 June 2018 Air date 26 June | NXT U.K. Championship | NXT UK | Royal Albert Hall | Kensington, London, England | Pete Dunne vs. Zack Gibson for the WWE United Kingdom Championship |
| 12 January 2019 | NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool | NXT UK | Empress Ballroom | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey for the WWE United Kingdom Championship |
| 31 August 2019 | NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff | NXT UK | Motorpoint Arena Cardiff | Cardiff, Wales | Walter vs. Tyler Bate for the WWE United Kingdom Championship |
| 12 January 2020 | NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II | NXT UK | Empress Ballroom | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | Walter vs. Joe Coffey for the WWE United Kingdom Championship |

## Broadcast

WWE was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on the Sky series of television channels beginning in the 1980s, with a small selection of shows (including Sunday Night Heat and four pay-per-views a year) briefly being broadcast on Channel 4 in 2000 and 2001. In 2014, WWE renewed a 5 year deal with Sky to carry programmes through the end of 2019, which included Main Event being added to the schedule.
In June 2019, BT Sport announced that they had gained the broadcasting rights for WWE in the UK; their deal began in January 2020. In April 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that BT Sport would be rebranded to TNT Sports starting from 18 July, 2023.
WWE's online streaming service, WWE Network, launched on 19 January, 2015 in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom version of the WWE Network closed on 1 January, 2025 as all content including Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Premium Live Events moved over to Netflix in January 2025. As a result the broadcasting deal with TNT Sports expired at the end of 2024.
| Programming | Day | Notes |
| WWE Premium Live Events | Dates vary (Live) | Netflix |
| WWE Raw | Mondays (Live) | Netflix |
| WWE NXT | Tuesdays (Live) | Netflix |
| WWE SmackDown | Fridays (Live) | Netflix |
| WWE Evolve | Wednesdays | YouTube |
| Saturday Night's Main Event | Saturdays Quarterly (Live) | YouTube |

## WWE Performance Center

The second WWE Performance Center branch opened on 11 January 2019 in Enfield, London.