Back in 2020 WWE announced a five-year extension to their contract with Sony Pictures India. The deal was said to involve the company returning to the country with “bigger live events,” while Superstars would visit the region for promotional tours.
The first event of this extended partnership was Superstar Spectacle that was filmed on January 22nd 2021 before being broadcast four days late to coincide with India’s Republic Day. The event was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and like the rest of WWE’s programming at the time was presented from the ThunderDome.
Superstar Spectacle served as a showcase for a number of Indian performers within the the company who appeared on the card. In the opening match Finn Balor defeated Guru Raaj, while Charlotte Flair teamed with Sareena Sandhu to see off Natalya and Bayley. In the main event, Drew McIntyre joined with Indus Sher to overcome the Bollywood Boyz and Jinder Mahal.
WWE Will Return To India In September Of 2023
Back in November, it was reported that WWE would be returning to India in January of 2023 for another star-studded event in the city of Hyderabad. However, plans for the show were put on hold in late December when the company’s Indian broadcast partner Sony merged with Zee.
Now, according to CEO Nick Khan, the company is making its return to India at long last. Speaking at the MoffettNathanson’s Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference on Thursday, Khan revealed that plans are in place for the sports entertainment giant to hold a show in India in September. Khan did not confirm the exact date of the planned show, nor did he indicate whether or not it would be broadcast worldwide on Peacock and the WWE Network.
Khan also claimed that sports entertainment is India’s second most popular sport, surpassed only by cricket. He spoke positively about garnering more WWE Network subscriptions in the region.
In 2022, WrestleMania 38 drew staggering viewership numbers from its Indian fans, increasing from their 2021 numbers by 29%.