WWE announces new WWE United Kingdom Championship and tournament

LONDON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- WWE has announced a new title, the United Kingdom Championship that will be bestowed upon a new Superstar in an upcoming Network exclusive tournament.

Announced Thursday, the tournament will feature competitors from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland as they battle for the chance to make WWE history.

"Our passionate U.K. fans deserve to have their own Champion," WWE executive vice president of talent, live events & creative and part-time performer Triple H said in a statement.

"The tournament is the next step in our ongoing strategy to create localized content for our global WWE Network, develop another brand that engages our passionate fans, and add a new dimension to our on-going storylines," he continued.

The talent was selected by head scout and current onscreen NXT general manager William Regal and WWE trainer Robbie Brookside and includes names such Trent Seven, Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Wolfgang, Tyson T-Bone, Tucker, Jordan Devilin and Roy Johnson among others.

WWE shared on Twitter an image of the wrestlers surrounding Triple H on stage.

The tournament will be held over two nights on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Sunday Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. GMT on the WWE Network. The action will be called by Raw lead announcer Michael Cole and Nigel McGuinness, a mainstay of the U.K. independent scene.

In September, the WWE wrapped up the Cruiserweight Classic tournament to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion. Top participants from the event were then moved over to Raw and their own Cruiserweight focused show, 205 Live.