Budokan for karate, new structures on Tokyo Bay for spo

LONDON -- It might be billed as a one-off, two-night special, but dont think for a minute that WWE hasnt got its eyes on bedding down with a permanent presence in the United Kingdom.Paul Triple H Levesque, WWE executive VP of talent, live events & creative, pulled no punches when asked about WWEs ambitions for all of its brands across the pond.Well do 30-ish events here in the coming year, and were putting together plans now for the next four years, and really trying to stamp what we do here for the long term, Levesque told ESPN.The latest WWE brand to be launched, the United Kingdom Championship tournament, was announced in a bombshell news conference at Londons O2 Arena on Thursday morning.Although Levesque told ESPN that plans for the 16-man, single elimination competition -- which will take place live on the WWE Network Jan. 14-15 in Blackpool, England -- have been in the works for over a year, the timing of the announcement is certainly intriguing.Free-to-air U.K. terrestrial television channel ITV recently commissioned a one-off wrestling special, under the old World of Sport Wrestling banner that used to air in the 1980s, with the pilot set to be screened on New Years Eve in a prime-time slot.If the show is successful, it could become a regular staple of ITVs lineup. But while World of Sport Wrestling is looking to lock performers down to contracts, William Regal confirmed to What Culture Pro Wrestling in London that talent featuring in the U.K. Championship tournament will be free to work for other U.K. promotions.WWE has always had a very special relationship with the U.K., and I think this is another step in that relationship, of putting our foot on the ground and not only saying this is our home away from home, its our home, Levesque added.Thats the goal, is to become a weekly show. Hopefully we can make that work out, a weekly show that can feature the best of the U.K. talent and put that out there in a way that gives talent here a clear path into the WWE. Starting here and moving up the line and going through things. I think thats a huge opportunity and will help everybody down the line.With the popularity of cable television declining in the United States, and streaming platforms on the rise, it makes sense that WWE could be preparing the groundwork for a global territory system.The U.K. Championship tournament will no doubt provide a pipeline of local talent to WWEs developmental promotion, NXT, and Mexico, Japan and Canada would be obvious candidates in which to set up similar promotions.Its a way for us to get more talent, period, talent that want to lace up boots and put on trunks and do this, Levesque said. One of the things I found five years ago when we started this process [of the WWE Network], was giving people a pathway to get to the WWE. It gives us a platform like nothing else to go and do this type of content. I think you see that with NXT becoming its own brand, and the cruiserweights with 205 Live. That same process is beginning to happen there. And this is another step in that direction. Theres a systematic approach.[Before] it kind of was this pipe dream. You hear people like?Finn Balor?or Nigel McGuinness say, It was always my dream, but just how do you do it, right? You just kind of do what?you do and you do it for so long that maybe someone will see me or maybe Ill get my stuff in the right persons hands, but how?Balor did eventually make it to WWE in 2014, via NXT, after having wrestled for 14 years on the independent circuit, including eight years in New Japan Pro Wrestling.McGuinness, on the other hand, saw his in-ring career ended prematurely by health issues in 2011, after a deal with WWE fell through in 2009 for the same reason. But he will commentate on the U.K. Championship tournament alongside Michael Cole and Regal at the Empress Ballroom.Whether its a Pete Dunne or a Trent Seven or a Wolfgang, or any of the guys in this tournament -- theyre good, theyre really good, and youre gonna see that here, Levesque said. Were taking these guys and giving them the platform to show the world what they can do so they can fulfill their dreams and be a part of the WWE.People can put it out there in any way they want. Success is not just measured by getting to that, theres a lot of successful people [outside WWE], but I think anybody with any level of success, if you said, Would you like to be at Wrestlemania in front of 100,000 people? its a different level of success.Many of the 16 men competing in the U.K. Championship tournament have been pooled from Insane Championship Wrestling, Progress and Revolution Pro.Going forward, Levesque said WWE will work with the U.K. independent promotions to cultivate talent and provide them with a global platform.The only way you get better at this is by doing it and getting to those big dances and doing this with more pressure on you, he added. As they progress, theyre going from there to NXT or to Raw or SmackDown and making their way up that ladder.And to me now, if Im a kid looking at that, and Im sitting at Raw, now that burns into my head -- Im gonna do this for a living. Heres what I gotta do. I get trained, I go here, I go there. Theres my way to the top. It gives you a goal.There are several names conspicuous by their absence from the U.K. Championship tournament -- the three British stars not under a WWE banner who are most known to global audiences. Zack Sabre Jr. competed in the Cruiserweight Classic this past summer but is not believed to be tied down to a deal anywhere. Theres a definitive reason for Ring of Honor duo Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay (who also has a contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling), as those contracts restrict them from competing for WWE.Levesque confirmed to ESPN, though, that a name like Ospreay is definitely on WWEs radar.Will Ospreay is an amazing talent, he said. Theres a lot of amazing talent out there. When theyre available, when its the right time for them, I wanna work with all of them.Its funny to me people say things along the lines of this guy is an amazing talent but maybe hes not the right fit, or this guy doesnt have the experience. If theyre great at this, then talent is talent, Levesque continued. I wanna bring in the best talent; I wanna help them be better. I wanna take our process and help them be the best they can be.Some people go like, Oh, they try to fix things. We dont try to fix things, we try to make them better. I learn something new every single day about the business because it changes on a daily basis. Anybody [who] thinks they dont have anything to learn in this business is crazy. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Clark-Harris-Jersey/ . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Clayton-Fejedelem-Jersey/ . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Carlos-Dunlap-Jersey/ . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Dre-Kirkpatrick-Jersey/ . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Kevin-Minter-Jersey/ . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. TOKYO -- Calling Tokyos proposed $20 billion budget unacceptable, IOC vice president John Coates urged Japanese organizers on Friday to find ways to make the 2020 Olympics more affordable.Coates, speaking at the end of a coordination commission review of Tokyos preparations, said the International Olympic Committee would not accept the budget put forward by Tokyo organizers. He said the games could be delivered for less and the current figure could scare off cities considering bids for future Olympics.The IOC is not in a position to accept a budget of $20 billion, Coates said at a news conference. The IOC just isnt going to sign off on a budget which we think exceeds the costs that the games could be staged for. That would be giving the wrong impression and it would not help us in terms of other candidate cities.Construction costs have soared in part due to shortages in labor and materials as Japan continues to recover from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Japanese organizers have yet to compile a total cost estimate for the games, though their first official budget is expected to be released by the end of the year.A Tokyo government panel has accused local organizers of allowing big public works spending for the Olympics without a long-term vision for legacy use. The panel has said the cost of the Olympics could exceed $30 billion -- four times the initial estimate -- unless drastic cuts are made.Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has spearheaded the cost-cuttting effort, proposing a review of three costly new venues.dddddddddddd Her efforts have led to some tense exchanges with Yoshiro Mori, president of the 2020 organizing committee.Koike agreed Tuesday to keep the rowing, canoe sprint and swimming venues at their planned sites in Tokyo, rather than moving them to existing venues outside the capital, while securing commitments for substantial cost reductions.A decision on a possible switch of the volleyball venue was delayed until late December.Coates brushed aside suggestions that the showdown over cost-cutting would have a negative impact on Tokyos preparations.Im confident that governor Koike and president Mori and the two organizations that they lead can work together, Coates said. We sat around a table the other day and we all agreed on two venues and we all agreed that we would postpone a final decision until more investigation was made on a third venue.Five new sports -- baseball-softball, surfing, skateboarding, karate and sports climbing -- were approved for inclusion in the Tokyo Games in August.Subject to the final approval of the IOC, the location of the venues for the five new sports are: Yokohama Stadium for baseball-softball; Nippon Budokan for karate, new structures on Tokyo Bay for sports climbing and skateboarding, and neighboring Chiba prefecture for surfing. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '