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Irish WWE UK Championship Tournament stars Jordan Devlin and Tucker made their glorious returns to Irish shores this weekend to take part in a series of shows for independent promotion Over The Top Wrestling.

Devlin, who made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament, made his first appearance in Dublin at the Tivoli Theatre on Saturday night, to a huge ovation from the sold-out crowd. “There was a bit of a mixed reaction,” said Devlin, speaking to Irish Daily Mirror. “Normally I’m booed a lot because I’m a heel [bad guy].

“But this time there were a few little pockets that were cheering me this time which, I have to admit, was pretty good.”

(Image: © WWE)

Devlin is now signed to a contract with the WWE that, unlike most full-time deals, allows him to still appear at non-televised independent shows. “The contract I’ve signed has very limited restrictions placed on me for now.

“Obviously if WWE dates come up they are my priority and I can’t wrestle for the likes of TNA or Ring of Honor or anyone that’s on TV.

“They [WWE] are very passionate about getting the message across that they’re not trying to gut the indie scene. These contracts will help us earn a living and still ply our trade on the independent scene.”



Tonight, Belfast-born Tucker had his homecoming show in the city’s Mandella Hall, which also attracted a massive crowd to the 1,000-capacity venue. “It’s incredible to be back in Belfast,” he said.

“I’m so excited to see everyone, all those familiar faces in the crowd it’s just amazing.”

(Image: © WWE)



He admitted that his initial reaction to an email from WWE offering him a place in the UK Tournament was one of shock. “Honestly, I had to do a double-take. First off I had to make sure it wasn’t a fake e-mail!

“Then I had to sort of get myself ready and just make sure that I was in the right shape.”

One aspect that was of huge importance for the younger talents at the UK Championship Tournament was the hands-on involvement of Executive Vice-President of Talent Relations; multi-time WWE Champion Triple H. “I had a lot of face-time with Triple H and William Regal on night one of the tournament in Blackpool.

“It’s kind of an all-day process so we all met in the lobby at 11.30, got to the venue and then Triple H was there from 3 PM until midnight.

“He gave us all a big speech before our matches and you could feel the energy in the room. We were so amped up and ready to go. I remember getting goose bumps. It was awesome.”

Both men were appearing at OTT Wrestling’s successful pair of shows entitled Martina’s Gaff Party 2, named after Irish independent wrestling sensation ‘Sesh Moth Martina’.

Their next show in March, which sold-out its seating capacity in record time, is entitled Road to Scrappermania and will take place on March 4th in Dublin’s Tivoli Theatre.

On April 15th, the promotion will hold one of its most ambitious shows yet, as wrestling royalty the ‘Bullet Club’ will jet in hot off leader Kenny Omega’s incredible match at WrestleKingdom 11,dubbed by some as ‘the greatest match of all time’ to perform at the National Stadium in Dublin.