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3 Superstars That Could Team With Braun Strowman at WrestleMania

When Braun Strowman faced both Brock Lesnar and Kane at this year’s Royal Rumble there was a palpable sense that Strowman was finally set to take his place atop the WWE as one of its biggest players. Fast forward to this week’s RAW and it looks as though Braun will e part of a mid-card Tag Team title match that no one really asked for…it’s easy to class this move as a major oversight on WWE’s part for a Superstar that has garnered himself a huge following over the past year.

But what’s done is done and now the talk will turn to who will be standing alongside Braun at WrestleMania when he competes for the RAW Tag Team Championship. Here are the three Superstars that we feel have a shot at challenging for the belts with Braun…assuming he even needs a partner:

Bray Wyatt

bray wyatt 1

Bray Wyatt (via Instagram @WWE)

Out of the three Superstars we will be listing, this one will be the most unlikely. It is ironic given that Braun was brought up to WWE’s main roster as a member of the Wyatt Family stable, where he was positioned as the muscle of a (somewhat) dominant group in an attempt to keep Bray Wyatt and his cult leader character fresh and relevant…yet the inexperienced and fairly uncharismatic early portrayal from Strowman was just one of the reasons that the ‘family’ faded into obscurity and eventually broke up.

With all of this in mind there is still an opportunity to be explored here, whilst Bray is in the midst of a lukewarm feud with ‘Woken’ Matt Hardy they are set to have their biggest and most extravagant bout yet at Ultimate Deletion next week on RAW. This could easily be the blow off to a feud that has not set the WWE universe alight and used to transition Bray into an intriguing pairing with his former ‘family’ member who has ascended far higher on the totem pole than the ‘Eater of Worlds.’

Lars Sullivan

Lars Sullivan

Lars Sullivan (formerly Dylan Miley)

Monster Among Men? Meet Lars Sullivan. This 6 ft 3 in beast made his debut appearance for WWE’s NXT brand back at WrestleMania 31’s Axxess event in March 2015, yet he only made his television debut in April 2017 in a losing effort to the former #DIY tag team of Johnny Gargano and Tommasso Ciampa. This unstoppable monster is not only a physical presence in the ring but he is also extremely eloquent, his promo work belying his build and destroying any sort of preconceived notion that he is purely a powerhouse and nothing more.

In terms of sheer spectacle a team consisting of Sullivan and Strowman would tower over all others and could be a very different way to introduce Sullivan to the main roster, it is fair to say that the landscape of NXT is not naturally suited to a performer such as Lars and a move to the main roster could be extremely beneficial.

Elias

elias

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Speaking of acts that work far better on the main roster…we get to our final name on the list: Elias. The ‘Drifter’ has been completely rejuvenated following his call up to the RAW brand and he has begun to build a following amongst the WWE fan base. There have been rumblings online that Elias is the early favourite to join Braun at WrestleMania and he would certainly be a good fit for the Monster, creating an odd couple dynamic and giving Elias to opportunity to hold a championship for the first time in his WWE tenure.

There are a plethora of ways in which to book an Elias/Strowman partnership, with the opportunity to help further establish Elias on the main roster before potentially building Strowman back into a program amongst the Universal Title picture.

Who would you like to see Braun team with at Mania? 

205 Live and NJPW Stars Announced for PROGRESS in New Orleans

PROGRESS has announced the latest names for their upcoming WrestleMania weekend show on April 6th from the Pontchartrain Convention Center in New Orleans.

205 Live Superstar Mark Andrews, NXT and inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Zack Sabre Jr and WWE United Kingdom Superstar Trent Seven will be joining the already stacked lineup. This will be the only opportunity that fans have to see Trent, Tyler and Mark at an independent show on that weekend.

Also announced for the show are Jimmy Havoc, Mark Haskins, WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, Jeff Cobb and loads more.

Joey Janela Challenging for OTT Gender Neutral Title

OTT Wrestling has announced that Gender Neutral champion ‘Session Moth’ Martina will be defending her belt as part of her namesake event ‘Martina’s Gaff Party 3.’

The ‘Moth From Da Flats’ will be taking on two ascending performers in the independent scene, PROGRESS star and member of the South Pacific Power Trip; TK Cooper and CZW’s Joey Janela. This will be one of Session Moth’s last appearances for the company before setting off to the Stardom promotion in Japan.

Martina was due to face WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne in a bout for her Gender Neutral title at OTT’s ‘Floating In A Most Peculiar Way’ event but unfortunately the bout did not go ahead due to increment weather in Ireland and the UK.

Pro Wrestling: EVE Announce WAR GAMES Match for Wrestle Queendom

Pro Wrestling: EVE will be hosting Europe’s biggest ever Women’s Wrestling event when they head to Bethnal Green’s York Hall for Wrestle Queendom on May 5th. Already announced for this stellar event is SHE-1 winning combatant Charlie Morgan taking on Sammii Jayne for the EVE Championship, Aja Kong vs Viper/Piper Niven and Meiko Satomora facing Kay Lee Ray.

But adding to the already stacked lineup is the announcement that EVE will be hosting their first ever WAR GAMES rules match! Rhia O’Reilly will be forming a team to take on ‘The Deserving’ (Charli Evans, Jamie Hayter and Jayla Dark) who attacked her during the recent ‘Sheroes’ event effectively costing her an opportunity at the Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship.

Tickets for the May 5th event are still available to purchase via evewrestling.com

https://twitter.com/ProWrestlingEVE/status/972659319614377984

UK Match of The Week – Chris Brookes vs Jonah Rock

Welcome back to our feature on the best independent wrestling that the United Kingdom has to offer. Once again we HAVE to feature an absolutely sterling match from the Brighton based RIPTIDE promotion featuring the ‘leader’ of #CCK Chris Brookes taking on UK scene newcomer Jonah Rock.

Brookes is especially impressive in this short bout, he is generally regarded as a tag team specialist alongside his CCK partners Travis Banks and Kid Lykos. As Banks has been tearing it up in PROGRESS as their World Champion and Lykos has once again been sidelined with injury Brookes has been carving a very nice run as a singles competitor, which culminated in a bout for the PROGRESS World Title against his stablemate.

Jonah Rock recently made the jump over to the UK scene after impressing massively in Australia, his work for Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW) and WR led to stints in PWG and most recently wXw’s 16 Carat Gold Tournament. His stature and quick pace set him apart from the rest of the pack and he is ready to become one of the best around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I9XW3mgGXo

https://twitter.com/RIPTIDEwres/status/972462955076911104

Matt Riddle vs Will Ospreay Announced for OTT ScrapperMania

Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) has announced the latest match for their upcoming Scrappermania show on May 12th. The already announced card features some absolute world beater matches in the form of IWGP Intercontinental Champion Minoru Suzuki taking on WWN World Champion Keith Lee and Tomohiro Ishii going one-on-one with Jeff Cobb…but this bout may well top even those.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay will be taking on the ‘King of Bros’ Matt Riddle. Both men are still extremely young but have to be considered veterans of the independent scene at this point, Ospreay especially has been stealing shows across the world with his performances in PROGRESS & Rev Pro, in Australia and New Zealand and of course his recent NJPW matches alongside the likes of Kazuchika Okada. This could easily make MOTY lists come December and can be found on OTT’s On Demand service soon after the fact.

The following talents have also been confirmed for the mega show on May 12th:

  • OTT No Limits Champion Jordan Devlin
  • Zack Sabre Jr
  • The Kings Of The North (Damien Corvin & Bonesaw)

Brandi Rhodes vs Tenille Dashwood/Emma Announced for ROH Anniversary Show

Ring of Honor has announced that Brandi Rhodes will be facing former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood/Emma as part of the Women of Honor Championship Tournament. The bout will be a quarter final match airing on the Facebook Live Pre-Show for the 16th Anniversary PPV event.

Brandi defeated Karen Q and Tenille eliminated Stacey Shadows to advance to this quarter final bout, other competitors still in for a shot at beginning the inaugural Women of Honor Champion include Mandy Leon, Kelly Klein, Mayu Iwatani, Deonna Purrazzo and Kagetsu.

DEFIANT Announce Tag Team Title Match for Friday’s Loaded

DEFIANT Wrestling has announced a huge Tag Team Title match for their upcoming episode of Loaded this Friday. Champions Jimmy Havoc and Primate will be defending against arguably the best emerging team on the UK scene: Aussie Open.

This Friday marks the last Loaded show before DEFIANT’s ‘Lights Out’ pay per view on March 19th, which will be available to view via DEFIANT’s On Demand service. Some of the names already announced for ‘Lights Out’ are Christopher Daniels, Rampage, Jimmy Havoc, Martin Kirby, Joe Hendry, Primate, Mark Haskins, Aussie Open, Kay Lee Ray and Millie Mckenzie.

You can check out DEFIANT’s weekly Loaded show through their dedicated YouTube channel.

Mega WWE UK vs Lucha Underground/NJPW Match Announced for Dream Tag Team Invitational

UK promotion Fight Club: Pro has announced an absolutely huge match for Night 1 of their upcoming Dream Tag Team Invitational starting Friday March 20th.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be flanked by his British Strong Style compatriots Tyler Bate and Trent Seven to take on the team of Matt Riddle, Lucha Underground’s Angelico and NJPW’s Jeff Cobb.

Last year’s iteration of the DTTI saw British Strong Style take on The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega (then known as The Elite) and Fight Club will be hoping that this bout matches up to the precedent set on that night.

Tickets for the event are available to purchase via the official Fight Club: Pro site.

Kazuchika Okada Says He and Will Ospreay are “Money”

This past Tuesday saw New Japan present their 46th annual Anniversary show which was headlined by a huge match pitting the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay against his CHAOS stablemate IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in the main event.

The match received critical acclaim and New Japan’s long reigning Heavyweight champion Okada was quick to praise his opponent and face of NJPW’s new crop of Junior talents. He stated after the match “Everything will be fine as long as Ospreay is around, but Ospreay and Okada, we’ll make it rain in New Japan. Yes, we are money and New Japan’s got the two of us.”

This was the second time that the two have faced in singles action, the first coming at Rev Pro’s Global Wars event wherein Ospreay impressed Okada so much that he insisted on bringing him over to Japan.

You can catch the full event and this bout over on NJPWWorld.com right now.

https://twitter.com/rainmakerpose/status/971296850203508736

DEFY Announces Spring Tour ’18 feat. Riddle, Cage, Sydal & More

DEFY Wrestling has announced that they will be heading out on Spring Tour ’18 starting April 28th in Tacoma, Washington.

The company will be making 5 stops on the tour and debuting in some smaller towns alongside headline shows in Portland and Seattle in May and June respectively.

The full lineup of shows is as follows:

  • April 28th – PCC in Tacoma, WA
  • May 4th – Masc Studios in Missoula, MT
  • May 5th – Hub Sports Center in Spokane. WA
  • May 26th – Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, OR
  • June 9th – Washington Hall in Seattle, WA

Already announced for the tour are EVOLVE/PROGRESS star Matt Riddle, Lucha Underground’s Brian Cage, Ring of Honor’s Flip Gordon, Shane Strickland, Joey Ryan and Matt Sydal.

Tickets for these massive shows will be on sale this Friday from 10am through DEFY’s Official Website.

PROGRESS World Title Match Announced for Chapter 65 ‘Have Some Faith In The Sound’

PROGRESS has announced a World Title match for their next Chapter event ‘Have Some Faith In The Sound’ which takes place from Camden’s Electric Ballroom on Sunday March 25th.

PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion Travis Banks will be defending his belt against ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster. ‘Flash’ recently won the company’s ‘Thunderb*stard’ match to guarantee himself a shot at the belt at a time of his choosing…he opted to take his shot at the earliest possible time against the ‘Kiwi Buzzsaw.’

Flash’s win at Chapter 64’s ‘Thunderb*stard’ was not without controversy, his alliance with manager Vicky Haskins now seems all but confirmed and whether or not his former friends Mark Haskins and Jimmy Havoc will aid him in capturing the PROGRESS World belt will be on the minds of the PROGRESS faithful come Chapter 65. You can watch all of PROGRESS’ current and past events as part of their Demand PROGRESS VOD service.

Mae Young Classic Competitors Set To Collide in Japan

The Stardom Wrestling promotion in Japan has announced a mega bout between two of the hottest free agents in women’s wrestling. PROGRESS and SWA Women’s Champion Toni Storm will be taking on ICW Women’s Champion Piper Niven/Viper on March 28th in Korakuen Hall as part of Dream Slam in Tokyo.

There have been rumors surrounding both women and their WWE statuses for quite some time, Australian star Toni Storm is expected to be heading to WWE in the very near future whilst news surrounding Piper Niven has been more sparse of late.

You may remember that these two fought during the Mae Young Classic on episode 7 of the series, Storm took the victory on that occasion but went on to lose to eventual winner Kairi Sane in the Semi-Finals.

https://twitter.com/missviper91/status/970994237650161666

Katsuyori Shibata To Be Head Coach of New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that Katsuyori Shibata will be the Head Coach of their new Dojo in Los Angeles. New Japan recently revealed that they will be running a camp on March 19th to scout for future talent in the United States and now ‘The Wrestler’ has been confirmed as the head of the training school.

Speaking to NJPW1972.com, Shibata had this to say about his new position:

“With rehab and training, I’ve been sensing it’s time to move past the struggle of finding what I am capable of doing. These days, I’ve had a burning desire to take on a new challenge… What can I do in my current state? I thought a change of pace was needed, and the next thing I knew, I found myself in Los Angeles.

By some twist of fate, my thoughts happened around the time the new NJPW dojo was being set up in LA. While getting the dojo ready, I had the chance to assemble the ring with some of the young wrestlers and train with them, and I found myself doing wrestling moves I haven’t been able to do before. 

The good, classic Japanese pro-wrestling is starting to disappear from the current wrestling world. But we must never lose that fighting attitude and spirit of traditional Japanese pro-wrestling. I have accepted the mission to open the gates and transcend the cultural differences to pass down our knowledge to the younger generation. As the NJPW dojo opens in Los Angeles mid-March, I wanted to share my thoughts as I announce that I, Katsuyori Shibata, will lead the LA dojo as the head coach.”

 

Pete Dunne Announced for Exclusive Independent Date on WrestleMania Weekend

PROGRESS has announced that WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be making a very special one-off Independent appearance on WrestleMania weekend as part of their April 6th show at the Pontchartrain Convention Center in New Orleans.

Whilst the announcement is in no way confirmation of a WrestleMania spot for the ‘Bruiserweight’ it is likely that he will be at the very least appearing on the weekend’s NXT show…this also indicates that the “special relationship” between PROGRESS and WWE is very much in fruition, there were rumblings of a Video on Demand agreement between the two parties that would see PROGRESS appear on the WWE Network, however these have not yet been substantiated.

Jimmy Havoc UK Speaking Tour Announced by Kayfabe Events

Kayfabe Events has announced a two date speaking tour for the longest reigning PROGRESS World Champion in history and the winner of the 2017 Tournament of Death…Jimmy Havoc.

You may have seen our recent post highlighting the 3 PROGRESS Stars That You Need to See in New Orleans this April, if you didn’t here is what we had to say about Havoc:

The longest reigning PROGRESS Champion in history and the winner of CZW’s Tournament of Death 2017…Jimmy Havoc is one of the premier death match performers on the planet, but to simply just refer to the Camden based star as a “deathmatch guy” is almost a disservice, he is a complete all-rounder. Since returning from a career threatening knee injury Havoc has been reinventing his style and can be slotted anywhere on a card with ease, be it in an epic back and forth main event or alongside his Tag Team partner Mark Haskins earlier in the show. Havoc also has a penchant for the humorous (albeit a fairly dark humour) and when he decides to bring that to the forefront in his bouts it kicks up a level and sets him apart from others in the deathmatch field. Again a true veteran on the UK scene and someone not to be missed.

Havoc will be appearing at the Brunswick Cellar Bar in Brighton on May 25th and in Manchester’s Chethams Library on May 26th, tickets for the shows will be available to purchase this Wednesday from 9am GMT.

https://twitter.com/KayfabeEvents/status/969889806917529600

PROGRESS Add Lucha Forever Archive to VOD

PROGRESS has announced that Lucha Forever will be joining their Demand PROGRESS Video on Demand library. The short lived company co-owned by British wrestling stars Ryan Smile and Will Ospreay ran their first show on April 17th 2017 and eventually closed their doors in November of last year.

Whilst the company had a short run it certainly was eventful, with the likes of the aforementioned Ospreay, WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Matt Riddle, Naomichi Marufuji, Marty Scurll, Zack Sabre Jr., CCK (Chris Brookes & Travis Banks), Mark Haskins and Jimmy Havoc having all made appearances across the UK for the start up company.

You can subscribe to Demand PROGRESS for $7.49 per month and this gives you access to all of PROGRESS’ past and upcoming events, including their WrestleMania weekend shows as well as Smash Wrestling in Canada, AAW Pro, Melbourne City Wrestling, Southern Pro Wrestling NZ, EPW and Demand Lucha. You can find more information using the tweet below:

Former TNA X Division, Tag Team and ROH World Champion Announced for DEFIANT ‘Lights Out’

DEFIANT Wrestling has announced that Christopher Daniels will be taking part in their ‘Magnificent 7’ match as part of the ‘Lights Out’ PPV on March 19th. The show will be taking place from the O2 Academy in Leeds, England and tickets are available to purchase via the tweet at the bottom of this article.

The Magnificent 7 match originated in DEFIANT’s previous incarnation WCPW. DEFIANT sent out the following press release confirming the return of the gimmick bout on March 19th:

Following the chaos of the five-on-five main event at Chain Reaction, Stu Bennett had plenty of business to take care of at the start of Defiant #10. After declaring that Austin Aries would defend his Defiant Championship against Martin Kirby at Defiant #11 on March 2nd, the GM noted that a new number one contender would be required to battle whichever of the two men emerged victorious. 

Bennett then revealed the Magnificent Seven briefcase – looking somewhat worse for wear after the battering it took from former holder El Ligero – and announced that the Magnificent Seven match would return at Light’s Out on March 19th. The winner of that match earns the briefcase, which contains within it a contract for a Defiant Championship shot.

You can check out the first ever Magnificent 7 match via the YouTube video below:

NJPW Announce Dates for Best of The Super Juniors 2018

New Japan has revealed the dates for this year’s Best of The Super Juniors. The 25th iteration of the prestigious round robin tournament will see the top Juniors competitors from NJPW take on stars from CMLL, ROH and the UK scene. Previous winners of this iconic tournament have been KUSHIDA, Will Ospreay, Jushin Thunder Liger, Ricochet, Kota Ibushi and WWE’s Finn Balor.

New Japan’s English language site NJPW1972.com sent out the following press release confirming the dates of BOSJ 2018:

Dates have been decided for the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors, and this year, the world’s premier junior heavyweight tournament will be bookended by huge shows in Korakuen Hall.

As announced on January 3 at Fan Festa, this summer will see a major collaboration between New Japan and Spike Chunsoft’s “Fire Pro Wrestling World”, and this kicks off with the game being the title sponsor for BOSJ 2018.

The tournament starts with two days in Korakuen Hall, on May 18 and 19. From there we go around Japan, with shows in Shizuoka, Tokyo, Shiga, Osaka, Aichi (for two nights), Tochigi, Fukushima, Aomori and Gunma before returning to Korakuen for the finals on June 4. Who will prove themselves to be the best junior heavyweight wrestler in the world?

Pete Dunne’s Gender Neutral Title Match Cancelled

Due to the weather conditions currently plaguing travel across the UK and Ireland OTT Wrestling have had to unfortunately cancel an event that would’ve seen WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne challenge for the company’s ‘Gender Neutral’ title. Dunne had been confirmed as the next challenger to the OTT Wrestling Gender Neutral Championship when he was set to face current Champion ‘Session Moth’ Martina on March 3rd from The Arena in Suir Road, Dublin.

OTT first introduced the Gender Neutral title back in 2017, ‘Session Moth’ Martina was crowned the first ever Champion at OTT’s Being The Elite event and has successfully defended her title twice in multiple person matches against the likes of Adam Maxted, Charlie Sterling, Angel Cruz and Chuck Taylor.

Whether or not the match will be rescheduled has not yet been confirmed.

wXw Announce First Round Matches for 16 Carat Gold

Germany’s biggest independent promotion wXw has announced the first round matches for their upcoming 16 Carat Gold tournament. The confirmed bouts for March 9th in Oberhausen are as follows:

  • Jonah Rock vs Timothy Thatcher
  • Chris Brookes vs Alexander James
  • Travis Banks vs Mark Haskins
  • Matt Sydal vs Lucky Kid
  • Avalanche vs Keith Lee
  • Da Mack vs Matt Riddle
  • Absolute Andy vs Marius Al-Ani
  • Jurn Simmons vs David Starr

https://twitter.com/wXwGermany/status/969226767977328641

https://twitter.com/wXwGermany/status/969225943750529024

The 2017 iteration of the tournament is widely regarded as one of the greatest in European wrestling history, you can check it out now on wXw’s on demand service, it certainly matches up to the annual New Japan G1 and PROGRESS Super Strong 16 tournaments on quality.

 

Kota Ibushi Announced For WrestleMania Weekend

Revolution Pro has announced an absolutely huge name for their WrestleMania weekend show on Friday 6th April at WrestleCon.

NJPW star Kota Ibushi will be making his way over to New Orleans to compete alongside the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, Zack Sabre Jr and Minoru Suzuki. Rev Pro have a long standing relationship with New Japan and this could potentially lead to a UK appearance for the ‘Golden Star,’ who was last seen on UK shores setting fireworks on himself for XWA UK.

Kota’s opponent has not yet been named however the current rumor is that Will Ospreay will be facing his NJPW colleague…a match that could easily steal the match of the weekend plaudits should it happen, Ospreay himself addressed the potential dream match with the following tweet:

Pro Wrestling EVE Announce Main Event for #Sheroes!

UK based All-Female promotion Pro Wrestling EVE has announced the main event for their upcoming sold out #Sheroes! event. The EVE Championship will be on the line as reigning champion Sammii Jayne will face Rhia O’Reilly on March 10th at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, London.

This will be O’Reilly’s shot at revenge as exactly 1 year ago Sammii broke the ankle of the ‘Fightin’ Irish star, forcing her to relinquish what is regarded as the top honor in European Women’s wrestling.

You may have read our recent report on the XWA UK vs EVE show where Rhia O’Reilly defeated then XWA Champion Cara Noir to become the first ever Woman to hold the title…which makes this bout for the EVE title even more intriguing as the XWA and EVE titles could be unified for the very first time.

https://twitter.com/ProWrestlingEVE/status/968930209671020544

Keith Lee To Address WWE Rumors?

You may have seen recent reports linking independent stars Keith Lee and WALTER with a possible move to WWE. WALTER has recently rebuffed these claims and categorically stated that WWE has had no contact with him recently regarding any potential contract. The initial report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that; both performers have been offered spots at the Performance Center starting in May but it is unknown if WALTER will accept. Lee is expected to accept WWE’s offer.

WWN, PWG and PROGRESS star Keith Lee has remained silent thus far on the rumor but he recently took to Twitter to state that he will be addressing “a rumor I’ve been asked about most recently.”

Whether this refers to WWE remains to be seen, this could easily be a rouse and an intriguing way to push his upcoming independent dates, which include PROGRESS’ Super Strong Style 16 tournament in May.

WWE UK Division Star Announced for PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16

PROGRESS has announced the latest name for their upcoming Super Strong Style 16 tournament in May. WWE United Kingdom division star Jordan Devlin will be making his return to the company at Alexandra Palace on May 5th, this will be first time that the Irish native has set foot in a PROGRESS ring since January 2017.

Devlin will be joining the already announced WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, David Starr and rumored WWE signee Keith Lee in Europe’s biggest tournament this May.

Jordan Devlin hails from Bray in County Wicklow Ireland, also home to WWE’s Finn Balor. The Irish superstar took part in WWE’s inaugural United Kingdom Championship tournament back in January of 2017, where he defeated Danny Burch in the first round but ultimately lost to eventual winner Tyler Bate.