The WWE reportedly is offering contracts with unique language to talents in the United Kingdom, with the goal of keeping those performers from working with other promotions in their home country.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the WWE has offered a variety of wrestlers in the UK contracts with a fairly low guarantee. Wrestlers who sign could remain in the UK and take independent dates, but those dates would be subject to approval by WWE.
WWE is offering contracts with these specific terms because ITV recently taped a pilot of World of Sport, attempting to revive the long-running UK_based promotion. ITV is the second-largest TV network in the United Kingdom, offering the new World of Sport show a much broader reach in the UK than WWE programming, which airs on Sky Sports.
The WON also reported that ITV sent World of Sport talent an amendment to their existing contracts, forbidding anyone under contract from appearing on TV for any other major networks.
The identities of those who were offered WWE contracts with these terms have not been reported yet, but the WON did say the list included wrestlers with a following in what was described as "the UK hardcore community." Several of those offered contracts also participated in the WWE tryouts in Glasgow last month, which were held during the WWE's two-week tour of Europe.
The taping for the World of Sport revival took place Nov. 1 in Manchester. It also has been announced that former longtime WWE commentator Jim Ross would be calling the action on the pilot episode.
