WWE's pay-per-view schedule for 2022 has yet to be fully revealed, but as time goes on, more information comes out about the missing gaps. The most recent adjustment to the 2022 WWE PPV list was that on September 3rd, WWE will be at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales for an unspecified event.
This will be the latest of only a few special events held in the UK, with the most recent trip to Cardiff being NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff from 2019 and NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II from 2020.
But as this is a main roster event and not something from the NXT UK brand, what will WWE call it?
As it stands, we know some of the normal events of the year can be crossed off the potential list, as they're already scheduled. WrestleMania Backlash is coming May 8, followed by Hell in a Cell on June 5, Money in the Bank on July 2 and SummerSlam on July 30. We can assume Crown Jewel will follow this September 3 event and be sometime in October, as that's been the trend. Then, Survivor Series rounds out the year on November 26 with likely no pay-per-view in December to allow room for another edition of WWE Day 1 on January 1, 2023.
It's strange WWE hasn't given this a name yet and just announced that "WWE Blah Blah will be taking place September 3rd in Cardiff!" That means we need to speculate on what the potential names could be. Here are some suggestions.
SummerSlam Backlash / SummerSlam Payback
I would absolutely hate this, but since we'll be having our second "WrestleMania Backlash" event this year, WWE must think it works to have that big pay-per-view name's branding on a second show. Seeing as how SummerSlam is the second biggest event on the calendar, it would not shock me at all if this is going to be something along the lines of SummerSlam Backlash or, to try to differentiate it the slightest bit, SummerSlam Payback.
No Mercy / Clash of Champions / TLC / Extreme Rules
Four names that are just sitting around not being used anymore, but had been in regular use up until recently, are No Mercy, Clash of Champions, TLC and Extreme Rules.
I happen to love the No Mercy name. I think it should be one of the go-to events used every single year without fashion. It's a general name you can use to apply to any situation and not be beholden to any gimmick match at any point in the year. But I don't think this will be the case for this show.
Clash of Champions can be great when you do it right, but I think the concept has outlived its usefulness on a pay-per-view. To me, this should be repositioned as a Clash of Champions Week sort of deal, where on every television show (Raw, NXT, NXT UK and SmackDown), every belt is defended. Or, if it's Raw / SmackDown, all belts are defended on that episode of programming. I don't think this UK event will be Clash of Champions, but it could be.
TLC stands a better chance than those two, but only because they've used it more often. If they're going to pull something out of the regular rotation, I think it makes more sense for Extreme Rules to be that pick. They've had more of a preference for that than TLC and there's more flexibility of the types of matches you can put on the card without having to make sure it is TLC-specific. You still get a gimmicky event with hardcore style matches (or, at least, one of them) and you don't need to carry on the Tables, Ladders and Chairs aesthetic.
Insurrextion / Rebellion / Some UK-Specific Name
When UFC goes over to London, they don't make a gimmicky title for the event. Volkov vs. Aspinall (March 12, 2022) was simply UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall, UFC Fight Night 204 and UFC on ESPN+ 62 for its branding, rather than UFC: London Calling or something.
WWE, though, sometimes pulls things like Great Balls of Fire out of nowhere. Obviously, they won't be calling this The Great American Bash, but you never know if they have some Cardiff-themed pay-per-view name they haven't revealed yet and are waiting until closer to when tickets will go on sale to start advertising "WWE Coat of Arms" or something.
WWE used to do the Insurrextion and Rebellion names over in the UK. Insurrextion not only has bad connotations to it, but its spelling is far too early 2000s to pass off as cool these days. Rebellion does stand a solid chance of returning, but why call it that when there's nothing to be rebelling against at the moment?
Super ShowDown
The first Super ShowDown (Super Show-Down at the time) took place in Australia before it switched over to several events in Saudi Arabia. At this point, no other shows have happened outside of Saudi Arabia to make me think that this is going to continue to be WWE's standardized "outside of the United States" placeholder name, but that doesn't mean we should rule it out.
There's a strong chance that since Saudi Arabia got the Elimination Chamber event earlier this year, rather than Super ShowDown, that Super ShowDown will be used for this Cardiff show instead. It wouldn't be the best name by any means, but at least WWE already owns the trademark for it.
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