WWE announces brand new championship ahead of WrestleMania
WWE has made another big announcement on The Road to WrestleMania XL. The company is set to host a one-of-a-kind tournament to crown an inaugural champion.
WWE Speed will air exclusively on X. The tournament for the inaugural Speed Championship will begin on Wednesday, April 3, during WrestleMania XL Weekend. The company has taped several Speed matches at recent TV events, such as Angel vs. Tyler Bate, Odyssey Jones vs. Cedric Alexander, Jones vs. Cameron Grimes, Alexander vs. Axiom, Alexander vs. Dragon Lee, and Bronson Reed vs. Nathan Frazer.
World Wrestling Entertainment officially announced the Speed tournament today. Corey Graves, who has called some of the taped matches, appears in the trailer below to tout Speed's fresh, dynamic new twist to classic pro wrestling. Michael Cole recently mentioned how matches will run up to five minutes, but Graves states each match will go for three minutes.
"Starting April 3rd... WWE Speed, airing exclusively on X, brings a fresh and dynamic new twist to classic in-ring competition... where some of the fastest and toughest Superstars do battle with time itself, because in WWE Speed, our Superstars only have three minutes to defeat their opponent. Three intense, adrenaline-fueled minutes, where strategy, agility, and strength collide," Corey Graves said.
Graves continued and announced that the winner of the tournament will be crowned the inaugural Speed Champion.
"This isn't just another match, this is a sprint to the finish line. The prize? The prestigious, first-ever Speed Championship. So brace yourself for a tournament like no other, where every match is a finale, and every second could define a Superstar's legacy. WWE Speed, April 3rd, exclusively on X," Corey Graves said in the trailer below.
Officials taped some of the aforementioned Speed matches twice, as some rematches were held. The company is set to announce additional Speed details in the next week, including clarification on the speculated points system.
WWE lands big streaming deal with X
World Wrestling Entertainment announced earlier this year that its new Speed series will premiere exclusively on X this Spring. It's now been confirmed that the Speed tournament will begin airing Thursday, April 3, but no time was provided.
It was previously reported that Speed was launched after the Stamford-based company signed a two-year deal with the platform formerly known as Twitter. The show was rumored to air weekly.
Pete Dunne is also involved with the Speed project. It was recently revealed that the former Brawling Brute is working behind the scenes on the new series.