The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) began globally expanding in the late 1980s, holding its first European event inFrance in 1987 before holding events inItaly and then in Britain, where the first show was on 10 October 1989 at theLondon Arena, in front of a crowd of 15,000, and broadcast exclusively onSky One.[1][2] The main event in this match featuredHulk Hogan (withMiss Elizabeth) defeatingRandy Savage (withQueen Sherri). From 1989 to 2001, WWE was promoted under concert promoters, brothers Harvey and Martin Goldsmith, for UK and European shows.[citation needed]
Dates of the WWF's European Rampage Again Tour shown on a t-shirt
The WWF's first tour of events in Europe was held in the United Kingdom and Ireland, called UK Rampage, between April and May 1991. The first Rampage was held in London on 24 April and was televised byBSkyB to British and Irish viewers.[3][4] Four more events were held in the country later in 1991 as part of the WWF European Rampage Tour, including the supercard eventBattle Royal at the Albert Hall, in London.[5][6] Nine events were held in the country as part of the European Rampage Again Tour in 1992, including one televised event atSheffield Arena (seeUK Rampage (1992)).[7] The final televised Rampage event in the country was again at Sheffield Arena on11 April 1993 as part of the WWF European Spring Tour.[8] Over the years, the WWF continued hosting various untelevisedhouse shows in Britain, including Mayhem in Manchester in 1998.[9]
Mayhem in Manchester was aprofessional wrestling event exclusively forUnited Kingdom (UK), produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) that took place on 4 April 1998 at theNynex Arena inManchester, England. The event was released later in an edited form onVHS inNorth America and in the UK. With the exception of the "Old School" editions of WWE Raw on November 15, 2010, March 4, 2013, and January 6, 2014, along with theRaw 25 Years on January 25, 2018, and the ThrowbackSmackDown edition on May 7, 2021, this was the last ever WWF event to feature theWWF New Generation logo with the posts, ring skirt, floor mats and steps as light blue with the ropes colored red, white and blue.
The event was originally scheduled to be a UK exclusivepay-per-view, as a follow-up to the success ofOne Night Only. As the event drew closer, the WWF cancelled plans to broadcast the event, due to a profit sharing disagreement with the venue. In additionDavey Boy Smith andShawn Michaels, who the WWF has planned to center the event around, were no longer with the company by the time of the event. The event would later be released on video rather than broadcasting live.
The card consisted of eight matches, that resulted from scripted storylines and had results predetermined by the WWF.
The main event heading into the event was betweenStone Cold Steve Austin andTriple H for theWWF Championship. After Austin defeatedShawn Michaels at WrestleMania to win the WWF Championship, Michaels retired from professional wrestling due to back injury (He returned to wrestling in 2002), and then Austin continued his feud withD-Generation X members. It was announced that Austin would face Triple H for the WWF Championship at Mayhem in Manchester.
Another main event heading into the event was betweenThe Undertaker andKane. After The Undertaker defeated his brother Kane atWrestleMania XIV, it was announced that the two would face each other again at Mayhem in Manchester.
Prior to the next match,Marc Mero sentSable to the back, due to a series of issues leading up to the event. Mero however lost the match followingBradshaw hitting him with the lariat.
The next match was betweenCactus Jack andThe Artist Formerly Known As Goldust. During the match, as Jack when to suplex Goldust,Luna Vachon tripped Jack. Following this, Goldust covered Jack and picked up the pinfall victory. Following the match, Sable came out to attack Vachon. Continuing with the issues from earlier in the night, Mero followed Sable out and pulled her off of Vachon. As Goldust and Vachon used this opportunity to escape, Sable turned around and attacked Mero, then left with Mero still on the ground in the ring.
In the first main event,Stone Cold Steve Austin andTriple H held theWWF Championship andWWF European Championship respectively, however only Austin's title was on the line during the match. At the end of the match, Chyna attempted to interfere, however Austin hit her with the Stunner, followed by hitting Triple H with a Stunner as well, to pick up the pinfall victory.In some areas this turned out to be the final match.
The main event of the evening sawThe Undertaker defeatKane via pinfall, following a Tombstone.
WWE started to broadcast their weekly arena showsRaw andSmackDown! from the UK in 2004. Due to the time change, all broadcasts were recorded and aired on tape delay. Beginning in 2005 WWE would record twice per year in the United Kingdom, once in the spring and once in the fall. From 2006 to 2009, WWE's recording schedule in the United Kingdom included episodes ofECW.[26] As of May 2019[update] all recordings have occurred in England, with the exception of November 2016 which took place at theSSE Hydro inGlasgow, Scotland.[27]
When the championship was unveiled in December 2016, it was announced to be the top championship of a new WWE Network show, produced in the United Kingdom.[37][38] However, it was not until mid-2018 when WWE formally establishedNXT UK as the brand for their United Kingdom division.[39][40] The brand's show, also titledNXT UK, had its first tapings in July, which began airing on October 17.[41] On January 12, 2019, the first live special episode ofNXT UK aired, calledNXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.[36][42]
WWE programming were originally broadcast (then as WWF) in Britain on theSky network of premium television channels beginning in the 1980s, with a small selection of shows (includingSunday Night Heat and four pay-per-views a year) briefly being broadcast onChannel 4 in 2000 and 2001.[43][44] In 2014, WWE renewed a 5 year deal with Sky to carry programmes through the end of 2019, which includedMain Event being added to the schedule.[45][46]
In June 2019,BT Sport (known as TNT Sports since 2023) announced that they had gained the broadcasting rights forWWE in the UK; their deal began in January 2020.[47] The broadcasting deal with TNT Sports expired at the end of 2024,[48] after whichRaw andSmackDown broadcast live onNetflix in the country.[49]
WWE's onlinestreaming service,WWE Network, launched on 19 January 2015 in the United Kingdom.[50][51] The service closed in the country in January 2025 as part of the global WWE-Netflix deal.[52]
Current domestic transmissions of WWE TV programming
^"Action-packed grunt 'n' groan WRESTLE your way to a video bonanza with Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant and Hacksaw Jim".Daily Mirror. 1 October 1991. p. 18.
^"Historical Cards: Rebellion (October 2, 1999. Birmingham, England)".PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 155. 2007 Edition.
^"Historical Cards: Rebellion (December 2, 2000. Sheffield, England)".PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 156. 2007 Edition.
^"Historical Cards: Rebellion (November 3, 2001. Manchester, England)".PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 156. 2007 Edition.
^"Historical Cards: Rebellion (October 26, 2002. Manchester, England)".PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 157. 2007 Edition.
