WWE Returns to the UK for WWE Live and Money in the Bank in 2023
Last year, Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales proved to be a rousing success for the WWE and brought fans from across the pond closer than ever to the high-octane action of America’s biggest wrestling company. So, just as the NFL, NBA, and strangely, the MLB continues to do, the WWE will be storming back to the UK’s shores in 2023 to further cultivate and amp up its overseas audience.
In 2023, WWE Live will be touring Britain and France in April, going to Birmingham (April 26), Manchester (April 27), Belfast (April 28), and then across the Channel to Paris (April 29). The star event on the slate, though, is Money in the Bank 2023, which will be at the O2 Arena in London on July 1. After that, the tour will be coming back to the UK to visit Sheffield (June 29), Newcastle (June 30), and Cardiff (July 2).
It’s a packed slate that’ll enable the US company to renew its ties to its most natural overseas audience. What many will be looking forward to, or perhaps dreading, is the additional activities that the WWE will send its superstars on to let them enjoy themselves in the new location and bring them closer to the fans. They certainly enjoyed this aspect of the trip last year and could do so again in 2023.
WWE superstars come to Cardiff
In the run to the September 3 showpiece event in Cardiff, the WWE went big on connecting superstars to the fans who perhaps wouldn’t ever get the chance to meet their wrestling idols. They were documented spending their time visiting volunteer childlines and learning Welsh to better identify with their fans across the sea.
Increasing the hype, the WWE also sent one of its more local stars to the Cardiff event. Scotsman Drew McIntyre headlined the Clash at the Castle event, which was huge for him as a long-time fan who remembers the last major stadium event of the WWE – 1992’s SummerSlam at Wembley Stadium. His arrival sent the crowd crazy. While Pete Dunne isn’t on the same level as McIntyre in the WWE, he was born in Birmingham and would be a great hometown send to promote the events even further.
Superstars of the WWE doing quintessentially British things
Whenever major sporting events visit from the US, a select few stars tend to venture out into the UK and try out weirdly British things or go to the classic sites. Given the larger-than-life profile of the superstars and the British sense of humor, a great stunt for the likes of Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, or anyone else coming would be to host one of the rowdiest British games going: bingo.
Bingo offers a great opportunity to send a WWE superstar out of their comfort zone, show them the weirdly enthusiastic side of British fun, and make for an excellent photo op. Better still, they don’t even need to go to a bingo hall as online live bingo streams real games of bingo to a whole community of bubbly players every day. Easier, convenient access to live games also means easier access to see your favorite wrestler take part. It’s hard to imagine a character like Bobby Lashley showing up to call the tongue-in-cheek numbers not going down well.
Of course, if it’s more of an out-and-about experience for the superstars to immerse themselves in personally, they’re going to some great cities to do so. In Birmingham, if they can fit, the Shakespeare Express steam train would make for an idyllic experience. Going to Manchester opens up a great many chances to experience a spot of afternoon tea, with the Richmond Tea Rooms being one of the top spots. Then, in London, rather than see Big Ben or visit the palace, they should have a jaunt down Little Venice instead.
However the WWE superstars choose to explore and promote, the events look set to be epic affairs that British wrestling fans will thoroughly enjoy.