12. The Debut of the UK Title
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Besides the US, wrestling is extremely popular in Mexico and Japan. But it was from the UK that WWE faced their biggest challenge of the year. With the rise of several indie promotions on the British Isles, WWE took advantage of the buzz by recruiting some of the realm’s best to crown the first WWE United Kingdom Champion. Britain’s best put on a great show. Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and Trent Seven became instant stars here and abroad, and WWE secured their foothold in the region in the process.
In 2017, WWE showed their willingness to evolve, but some old tricks still really worked as we’ll see in the next item.