Triple H reveals vision for Cruiserweight Network show, why WWE is changing business approach

WWE World champion Triple H, in the role of WWE executive, talked about the vision for WWE’s “Global Cruiserweight Series” announced Tuesday that will be filmed at Full Sail University and air this summer on WWE Network.

Hunter told Scott Fishman for Channel Guide Magazine that the concept of 32 top independent wrestlers competing in a tournament over ten weeks has been in the works for the past 6-8 months. “I’ve always felt that there was this opportunity to do something special with cruiserweights,” Hunter said.

Hunter noted that he and William Regal are scouting talent around the world to fill the tournament. He said they won’t be going after wrestlers under exclusive contracts to other promotions, but he hopes the platform of this tournament will be enticing for top independent wrestlers, even if it’s just to raise their own market value.

“If you have the opportunity to come in as one of the 32 guys selected in this tournament, you’re already on a platform that increases your visibility and value in the independent market across the board. So, it’s a success for you already. If you wow us and get all the way through (to join the WWE roster), the sky is the limit.”

The tournament/method to scout talent in real-time is part of Hunter’s vision for using WWE Network as the company’s playground and not be closed off from the rest of the wrestling world.

“A lot of times in the past, we’ve operated on ‘you either work for WWE or you didn’t work for WWE,'” Hunter acknowledged. “I think with something like this, we’re opening it up a bit more… We change how we do business. We change how he see things and look at things. WWE Network offers us a different platform than we have ever had before. It totally changed the way we do things. It’s our platform in which we can do what we want.”

In this case, it’s working with independent talent that previously never would have been acknowledged unless they signed with WWE. Or, working with independent promotions such as WWNLive or international companies like Rev Pro or Progress when there previously “was not the opportunity available to do things with (them).”