The Pro Wrestling World Cup qualifiers was a multi-day professional wrestling event which consisted of qualifier matches for the Pro Wrestling World Cup produced by WhatCulture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) which took place from March 21, 2017 to July 22, 2017 which primarily took place in the United Kingdom but also had qualifiers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Berlin, Germany with every show airing on tape delay on March 25, 2017, March 31, 2017, May 5, 2017, May 26, 2017, July 14, 2017, July 15, 2017, and July 29, 2017 on YouTube respectively. The Japanese qualifiers were also co-produced with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro). Production Background On February 13, 2017, WCPW announced the Pro Wrestling World Cup, a 64-man single elimination tournament with various qualifying matches taking place from March 21-July 22, 2017 in Nottingham, England, Motherwell, Scotland, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Berlin, Germany, and Manchester, England. The finals were also announced to take place on August 23, 2017 at Planet Ice Milton Keynes in Milton Keynes, England, August 24, 2017 at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, England, and August 26, 2017 at Sport Central in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England and would feature Rey Mysterio, Jr., Kenny Williams, Kushida, Ricochet, Will Ospreay, Mike Bailey, Angelico, Hiromu Takahashi, Penta El Zero M, and Jay Lethal as competitors in the tournament. On April 28, 2017 WCPW announced the first four wrestlers for the Japan qualifiers for the tournament which included Bushi, Kushida, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Hiromu Takahashi.
On May 22, 2017, WCPW announced that they would cancel several tapings for Loaded in Manchester, England scheduled for June 16, 2017, June 23, 2017, June 30, 2017, July 14, 2017, July 28, 2017, August 4, 2017, August 11, 2017, and August 18, 2017 and stated in the press release that their content on YouTube was deemed "non-advertiser friendly" after changes to the platform's guidelines were implemented due to a large number of advertisers pulling their ads from the platform after it was reported that ads for major companies were being played next to videos displaying extremist content. In response, WCPW announced Fight Back which addressed and protested against wrestling content on the platform being demonetized. Fight Back was held on June 2, 2017 at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre and aired the following day on YouTube. The show also featured a speech from WhatCulture personality Adam Blampied at the beginning of the event. After the show had aired, WCPW was issued a community guidelines strike which forced the event's broadcast to be taken down briefly by YouTube before being put back up after an appeal by the promotion.
Storylines The Pro Wrestling World Cup Qualifiers featured professional wrestling matches that involves different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines were produced on WhatCulture Pro Wrestling's various events and on their weekly internet show WCPW Loaded. Venues +DatesVenueCityQualifierMarch 21Harvey Hadden Sports VillageNottingham, EnglandEnglishMarch 23Motherwell Concert HallMotherwell, ScotlandScottishApril 30Planet Ice CoventryCoventry, EnglandMexicanMay 14Phoenix Concert TheatreToronto, Ontario, CanadaCanadianJuly 2Huxleys Neue WeltBerlin, GermanyGermanJuly 7Bowlers Exhibition CentreManchester, EnglandJapaneseJuly 21USAJuly 22DomainNewcastle Upon Tyne, EnglandRest of the world
Participants +WrestlerCountryAlberto El PatronMexicoAngelicoBad BonesGermanyBobby FishUSABrent BanksCanadaBT GunnScotlandBushiJapanCash Money ErkanGermanyCem KaplanDa MackDavid StarrUSADragoMexicoDrew GallowayScotlandEl Hijo de Dos CarasMexicoEl LigeroEnglandFranky The MobsterCanadaHarry SmithHiromu TakahashiJapanIcarusHungaryJames StormUSAJay LethalJimmy HavocEnglandJoe CoffeyScotlandJoseph ConnersEnglandJurn SimmonsNetherlandsJushin Thunder LigerJapanJuvenile XGermanyJuventud GuerreraMexicoKeith LeeUSAKenny WilliamsScotlandKushidaJapanKyle O'ReillyCanadaLewis GirvanScotlandLiam ThomsonLucky KidGermanyMark CoffeyScotlandMark DavisAustraliaMartin KirbyEnglandMarty ScurllMatt SydalUSAMichael ElginCanadaMike BaileyMooseUSAFlash Morgan WebsterWalesNick AldisEnglandPascal SpalterGermanyPenta El Zero MMexicoRamboDominican RepublicRampageEnglandRene DupreeCanadaRey FenixMexicoRey MysterioRicochetUSARJ SinghEnglandRyusuke TaguchiJapanSho TanakaTiger MaskTom LaRuffaFranceTravis BanksNew ZealandTyson DuxCanadaYohei KomatsuJapanZack GibsonEnglandZack Sabre Jr.
Results + Other on-screen personnelRole:Name:CommentatorsDave BradshawMatt StrikerJames R. KennedySean DavidStu BennettAlex ShaneRing announcerStevie AaronRyan Devlin
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