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Worlds Collide (2019)

The 2019 Worlds Collide was the inaugural Worlds Collide professional wrestling streaming event produced by WWE (and second overall Worlds Collide event). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on January 26 and 27, 2019, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona as part of that year's Royal Rumble weekend. The event aired on tape delay on the WWE Network as one single event on February 2, 2019.

The event featured the 15-man Worlds Collide tournament, with the wrestlers being equally divided amongst the NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live rosters. The prize was a championship match of the winner's choice. The tournament was won by NXT's Velveteen Dream, who chose to challenge Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship.

Production

Background

In early January 2019, WWE announced that they would be hosting an interbrand tournament to take place during the weekend of that year's Royal Rumble pay-per-view and would stream on the WWE Network. The tournament was a two-day event, held on January 26 and 27 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and aired on tape delay on February 2.[1][2][3] The event hosted a 15-man single-elimination tournament, called the Worlds Collide Tournament, which was evenly divided between wrestlers from the NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live brands. The winner of the tournament received a future match for a championship of their choice, with the choices being the NXT Championship, the NXT North American Championship, the WWE United Kingdom Championship, and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (the latter only being an option if the winner was within the 205 lb. weight limit).[4]

Storylines

The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the 205 Live, NXT, and NXT UK brands,[5][6] with storylines produced on WWE's weekly television shows, NXT, NXT UK, and the cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live.[7]

On January 10, a 15-man battle royal was announced for the event. The order of elimination in the battle royal determined the first-round matches for the Worlds Collide tournament. The winner of the battle royal would receive a bye to the second-round.[8]

Participants

Tournament bracket

Aftermath

The "Worlds Collide" name was subsequently adopted for a WWE Network series that aired in April 2019. During the Royal Rumble 2020 weekend announcements, WWE revealed that a second Worlds Collide event would air live on the WWE Network on January 25, 2020, and held at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, though unlike the 2019 event, it would only feature the NXT and NXT UK brands and not also 205 Live (which was later dissolved in February 2022). Also unlike the 2019 event, there was not a Worlds Collide Tournament with a future championship opportunity at stake. Instead, the card's matches were interbrand matches pitting wrestlers from NXT against those from NXT UK.[10]

Results

January 26

January 27

References

  1. WWE.com staff. WWE Worlds Collide to stream on Saturday, Feb. 2 WWE, January 24, 2019, retrieved January 24, 2019^
  2. NXT, 205 Live and NXT UK Superstars to battle in the first-ever WWE Worlds Collide Tournament at Royal Rumble Axxess WWE.com, January 10, 2019, retrieved January 10, 2019^
  3. Joseph Currier. WWE WORLDS COLLIDE TOURNAMENT SET, WILL BE TAPED FOR NETWORK SPECIAL Wrestling Observer, January 10, 2019, retrieved January 10, 2019^
  4. Ryan Satin. Worlds Collide Tournament To Air On WWE Network ProWrestlingSheet, January 10, 2019, retrieved January 10, 2019^
  5. Ed Grabianowski. How Pro Wrestling Works HowStuffWorks, Discovery Communications, 13 January 2006, retrieved March 5, 2012^
  6. Live & Televised Entertainment WWE, retrieved March 21, 2012^
  7. Triple H Conference Call Report: Discusses 205 Live, NXT Takeover: Toronto, Says HBK Working at the Performance Center and More - 411MANIA 411mania.com^
  8. Joseph Lee. WWE Announces New Worlds Collide Tournament, Talent From 205 Live, NXT and NXT UK To Compete 411Mania, January 10, 2019, retrieved January 10, 2019^
  9. WWE.com Staff. Drake Maverick announces Humberto Carrillo has joined WWE 205 Live: WWE.com exclusive, Jan. 15, 2019 WWE, January 15, 2019, retrieved January 16, 2019^
  10. WWE Worlds Collide preview, Jan. 25 2020: NXT and NXT UK clash during Royal Rumble Weekend WWE, November 17, 2019, retrieved November 16, 2019^
  11. Brad Garoon. Worlds Collide BradGaroon.com, February 3, 2019, retrieved February 3, 2019^
  12. Eddie Arizona. ONGOING WWE WORLDS COLLIDE TOURNAMENT SPOILERS FROM AXXESS Pro Wrestling Insider, January 26, 2019, retrieved January 26, 2019^
  13. Elle Collins. A New Multi-Brand WWE Tournament Is Coming On Royal Rumble Weekend UPROXX, January 10, 2019, retrieved January 10, 2019^
  14. Sean Rueter. Ongoing spoilers from WWE's Worlds Collide tournament taping at Royal Rumble Axxess Cageside Seats, January 26, 2019, retrieved January 26, 2019^
  15. Eddie Arizona. TOURNAMENT WINNER IS....RESULTS FROM ROYAL RUMBLE AXXESS INCLUDING WORLDS COLLIDE FINALS Pro Wrestling Insider, January 27, 2019, retrieved January 27, 2019^