Back in 2020 WWE announced a five-year extension to their contract with Sony Pictures India. The deal was said to involve WWE 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 Returning To India
It has now been reported by Sportskeeda, that WWE are planning to run a show in India in January 2023. The report states that the show in Hyderabad will be on a “grand scale.” A likely date for the event is January 18th. At time of writing there is no news on which Superstars will be involved.
The news comes after it was reported that the company were looking to host an “international live event” in January. At the time it was noted that a likely date for the show would be January 18th or 19th.
In 2022, WWE have held three Premium Live Events overseas, all of which have been deemed a success. The first was Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia in February, which was followed by Clash At The Castle in September. The latter was the first stadium show held in the United Kingdom since SummerSlam 1992. At the time the event set numerous records for an international event while earning a gate worth $8 million.
In recent weeks WWE hosted Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, and this became the most-watched international event in WWE history.