Former WWE Wrestler Eddie Dennis Explains Why NXT UK Was 'Special'

Former "NXT UK" star Eddie Dennis has discussed why "NXT UK" was a special time for him and the rest of the roster.

Dennis, who was a wrestler and manager on the brand, recently talked about his WWE journey in an interview with "Irish Wrestling & Entertainment." He stated that "NXT UK" felt special because most of the roster came through the pro wrestling business together.

"In that locker room Wild Boar's in there, Flash Morgan Webster in there, Mark Andrews is in there, Pete Dunne's in there, Tyler Bate's in there, Trent Seven is in there — all these people who we kind of grew up together within the industry and that's kind of what was really special about 'NXT UK.' Previous to 'NXT UK,' obviously if someone made it from the UK, it was one or two guys," said Dennis. "With the UK brand, it was really cool because we were with all of our friends."

He highlighted how before "NXT UK," there were only a handful of stars from the UK in WWE, naming the likes of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Paul Burchill, and British Bulldog as the few that made it to the promotion. But, that changed after the formation of "NXT UK" as many Brits got the opportunity to wrestle in WWE. "NXT UK" lasted for six years, with the show coming to an end in 2022, and many stars moving to "NXT."

Many have wondered why WWE chose to enter the UK/Europe scene, with some alleging that they started it to destroy the UK wrestling scene. Eddie Dennis dismissed those allegations and explained why WWE entered the UK scene.

"It was a funny time because obviously, it was very exciting to be a part of something that was new and, just like you touched on, you'll get people who have opinions on why the WWE came over here. I really ... I'm pretty cynical at times, you know, I think it's a really, really cynical thing, like, take, to think that they wanted to damage a scene. I think they wanted to cash in. They wanted to make money on a scene but I don't think they wanted to, like, damage a scene."

He explained the potential reasons for WWE deciding to shut down "NXT UK," which include the Speaking Out movement and Triple H's health issues.

"I mean there's so many things that happened with regards to that, like that pandemic and stuff. And it's not all the pandemic, obviously, Speaking Out happened as well, Triple H had his health issues, the company was sold, there was the allegations involved in Vince — like all of these things are in it."

Dennis believes that the brand could have continued if the pandemic hadn't happened or Triple H hadn't fallen ill as NXT was a project that he had envisaged. "NXT UK" could return in the future, with Triple H revealing last year that the NXT Europe plans were put on hold due to WWE's merger.