Triple H UK press conference: 5 possible announcements WWE chief could make in London

Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, one of WWE biggest cheeses, is making his way to the O2 Arena in London tomorrow to address members of the UK wrestling press over croissants and coffee.

But what is the ‘King of Kings’ and wrestling exec expected to announce? 

Could it be a tournament special featuring standout performers from Britain’s thriving independent wrestling scene? 

Or will he thrown dow the gauntlet to the stars of ITV’s new World of Sport one-off, expected to be watched by millions on New Year’s Eve?

Or maybe he could reveal the UK could host a future Wrestlemania?

Here’s a round up of some of the possibilities and the rumours swirling about on social media - as well as how likely there are to come to fruition.

Wrestlemania in the UK

WWE enjoy their regular jaunts to the UK, cashing in on the dedication of Brit fans with three ‘main roster’ tours, two NXT tours which included a TakeOver special and appearances at Download Festival and a one-off ‘Live in London’ show in just over the last twelve months alone.

And although there’s no doubt WWE’s annual jamboree would be a sellout in any part of the country and fans - internationally - are more conditioned to watching PPVs and other programming in an on demand context, it seems more likely WWE would test the waters with a different big show (the first since SummerSlam 1992) on this side of the pond rather than Wrestlemania.

Indeed, this year’s post-WM tour of the UK is in May, a little later than usual, and around the time WWE’s Payback event usually airs. Could Trips announce that show for the UK instead?

If so, it would go down on a Sunday, as is traditional for PPV events - and the May UK tour is currently scheduled to roll into Liverpool on the only Sunday WWE will be in the UK.

Unveiling a show for Liverpool at a press conference in London’s O2 Arena would make little sense… so forget that.

‘Big show’ announcement feasibility: Not a chance.

Another NXT tour/TakeOver show

Despite his legendary charm, Trips doesn’t get on a plane and shoot the breeze with wrestling journalists for the fun of it - he’s a busy chap with far more behind-the-scenes responsibility these days.

And so that makes it seem unlikely he’s jetting over ‘just’ for a NXT tour or TakeOver announcement, as fun as that would be. He could do that from the comfort of his office in Stamford, Connecticut in a conference call.

Don’t rule out further moves into the festival space for WWE and NXT this summer, however - Trips will no doubt be keen to defend his ’Spirit of Lemmy’ title he acquired last year (without pinning the dearly departed Motorhead ace, it must be noted).

‘NXT tour’ announcement feasibility: Maybe.

Linking arms with/'declaring war' on UK wrestling

British wrestling favourite, NXT onscreen general manager and WWE talent scout William Regal is also listed to appear tomorrow, as is Irish star Finn Balor. 

Both have ties with the critically-acclaimed and flourishing independent wrestling scene in the UK which is drawing thousands of fans to live shows every month, with a number of promotions such as PROGRESS, ICW, WCPW and Revolution Pro engaging even more fans worldwide with excellent streaming and social media operations.

A number of Brit stars recently had try outs for WWE in Glasgow - and WWE has been hoovering up talents based over here such as Jack Gallagher, Noam Dar, Tommy End, Big Damo for several months. 

And so, a ‘UK Classic’ tournament - with the format proving a relative WWE Network programming hit as the Cruiserweight Classic this year, and a similar set up is rumoured for a forthcoming ‘Women’s Classic’ - utilising domestic performers on a non-permanent contractual basis has also been mooted for tomorrow.

An added benefit of a tournament format from a storytelling perspective is that it doesn’t necessarily have to go anywhere. As a standalone event reaching a conclusion, it doesn’t have any impact or need to be incorporated into wider storylines.

The much-vaunted World of Sport nostalgia special on New Year’s Eve - Big Daddy will not be appearing, obviously - has the potential to be watched by more far eyes in the UK than WWE programming reaches on Sky or the WWE Network. 

WWE remains the market leader, and highly-competitive. Should ITV parlay a one-off ratings hit into a series, it seems ludicrous that WWE would take a challenge to their wrestling dominance over here for the last 25 years lying down.

While a similar, regular Brit-focused show on the WWE Network would not have the same kind of mainstream audience penetration, and runs the risk of getting lost in the vast swathes of original content already produced for the Network, it would divert and super-serve hardcore wrestling fans.

Pop culture website WhatCulture have also emerged as a credible rival in the digital arena, too, converting monster YouTube views into live events drawing thousands… and all within the last 12 months.

Might WWE look to link up with them - or any of the other British indies - to collaborate on shows away from the big arenas in the major cities to replicate success in venues with different atmospheres for opportunities that capitalise on the niches Brit promotions have carved out?

‘UK focus’ announcement feasibility: Decent. Expect something along these lines.

West Ham to WWE?

Triple H tends not to namecheck individual performers who aren’t under contract to WWE, but there is one Brit the avowed Hammers fan has his eye on: Andy Carroll.

But as such a big Irons supporter, would Trips fancy Andy swapping his footy shorts for grappling trunks?

Last time he spoke to members of the UK press in person, Triple H said of the striker’s potential as a wrestler: “Maybe a player like Andy Carroll. He is tall, likes to play it tough with the opposition and has the right looks with the long hair. He could be interesting.â€

Note also that Regal is one of his training lieutenants and WWE seemingly has a gap for a footy player looking to make the transition to the ring.

Former Port Vale and Burton Albion ‘keeper Stuart Tomlinson quietly moved back from the US a few months back, ending his dream of performing for WWE, and Tim Wiese is yet to follow up on his own WWE debut in Munich with another wrestling match.

Of course, reality has to invade and spoil matters as Carroll, despite his injury woes, is still a key part of Slaven Bilic’s West Ham squad. But, as WWE likes to remind fans in their oft-mentioned mantra that rejects reality but offers up enough wiggle room to keep them on tenterhooks… "anything can happen in WWE". (Apart from this, probably).

Shame that one of powerhouse Andy’s finest strengths might not be suitable for the WWE environment. Although he remains a first class headers of balls, a diving header from the top rope might not translate quite so comfortably to WWE, where they are very conscious of the implications of concussions. Related problems sadly brought an end to the career of fan favourite Daniel Bryan last year.

‘Andy Carroll training for WWE’ announcement feasibility: Nah. But we’d pay to see Andy lace up some wrestling boots and have a go.

Hulk Hogan comeback

WWE icon ’The Hulkster’ has been on the outs with the company ever since recordings of racial remarks made by the 1980s headliner emerged during his legal battle with Gawker. 

With those proceedings now over, 63-year-old Hogan - real name Terry Bollea - could very well feature on WWE programming once again. Last November, Levesque noted Hogan could return to the fold at some point.

‘Hulkster return’ announcement feasibility: Why would it happen in London? Don’t rule it out happening soon, though - and possibly in time for Wrestlemania in April.