WWE lock in long-term Aussie deal after monster $58m boost
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WWE have officially expanded their footprint Down Under, signing a long-term deal to continue bringing events to Australia in an enormous boost for fans.
The sports entertainment juggernaut confirmed a three-year deal with the Western Australian government on Friday morning, which will see annual premium live events hosted in Perth until 2028.
Australian wrestler Bronson Reed in 2025. Getty
As part of the agreement, WWE will hold three-day takeover events at RAC Arena that includes SmackDown and Raw on Friday and Monday evenings, with the major show to be held on the Saturday night.
The dates for WWE’s return to Australia have also been locked in, headlined by the “Wrestlepalooza” premium live event on Saturday, December 12. The tour will include SmackDown (Friday, December 11) and Raw (Monday, December 14).
Tickets for all three WWE events will go on sale from Thursday, September 10, with pre-sale beginning a day earlier.
WWE’s takeover of Perth is also set to coincide with the first Test between Australia and New Zealand, which begins on December 9 at Optus Stadium and kicks off the summer of cricket.
Last year, WWE sold out RAC Arena for one of the last matches of John Cena’s 24-year career with WWE, as the majority of the venue donned bright yellow T-shirts to honour the retiring icon who inspired an entire generation.
Cena, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time and a Hollywood superstar, has paid tribute to the Aussie support during recent interviews and highlighted his match with AJ Styles as one of the fondest moments of his farewell tour.
“The atmosphere in Perth was like something I’d never seen,” the retired 17-time world champion told Insight earlier this year.
“i have never seen that many T-shirts. I know for a fact we didn’t give them away, but it’s like we gave them away. The atmosphere really swept everybody up.
“We had a moment of like serendipity where you have these two performers — and AJ shared with me that he was going to retire in January — I really think the world of him that wanted to do something special and make it special, and then you had an audience that kind of understood that.”
It’s estimated last year’s WWE tour generated $58 million for the WA economy.
At this stage, WWE have not confirmed who will be part of the December tour, but fans can expect to see the likes of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Oba Femi, Liv Morgan and local superstars Bronson Reed and Rhea Ripley in action.
