WWE Superstar Spectacle

WWE Superstar Spectacle is a series of professional wrestling events produced by WWE. The events have primarily targeted the Indian market, and have showcased talent of Indian heritage.

WWE Superstar Spectacle
PromotionsWWE
BrandsRaw (2021, 2023)
SmackDown (2021)
NXT (2021)
First event2021

The event was first held in 2021 as WWE's first television event produced for specifically for India, as part of its broadcasting agreement with Sony Pictures Networks; it featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. It premiered on January 26, 2021–India's Republic Day–on Sony Pictures Networks channels, and was broadcast internationally as a streaming event on WWE Network. As with all other WWE programming at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the special was taped behind closed doors in the United States with a virtual audience.

In 2023, WWE held a second edition of Superstar Spectacle, this time as a Raw house show in Hyderabad.

History

Coming out of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE's third-quarter financial call on October 29, 2020, WWE's president and Chief Financial Officer, Nick Khan, announced that they were working with Sony Pictures Networks India on producing an event specially targeted to their Indian market. Khan also revealed that the event would air in 2021 as a television special on India's Republic Day (January 26) and would mainly feature the promotion's developing Indian wrestlers.[1][2][3]

On January 13, 2021, the title for the event was announced as Superstar Spectacle,[4] and WWE revealed that wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions, including WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Bayley, The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Natalya, Ricochet, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, and many more would be in attendance at the event.[5][6] Jinder Mahal, the first WWE Champion of Indian descent,[7] The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh), Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav), Jeet Rama, Kavita Devi, Giant Zanjeer, Dilsher Shanky, and Guru Raaj, were all further confirmed to appear.[8][9][4]

As with all other WWE programming at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Superstar Spectacle was filmed in Florida with no in-person spectators using WWE's "ThunderDome" bubble, by then located at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Reports prior to the taping suggested the special would be filmed at the WWE Performance Center's "Capitol Wrestling Center" studio,[10] the home of NXT, but this was not the case. The event itself was taped on January 22 and then aired on tape delay on January 26.[11] The event premiered on Sony Max, Sony Ten 1, and Sony Ten 3, with commentary available in English and Hindi. Outside of India, the special was streamed on the WWE Network.[4]

On August 1, 2023, WWE announced that a second Superstar Spectacle would be held on September 8, 2023, at the G. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium in the Hyderabad suburb of Gachibowli, India. This was WWE's first live event to be held in India since 2017 and the first held in Hyderabad. Various wrestlers from the Raw brand were announced to be featured at the event due to SmackDown being held that same night in Boston.[12] WWE had planned to again hold the event in January, but SPN requested that it be held off until the company completes its upcoming merger with Zee Entertainment Enterprises.[13][14] Unlike the 2021 event, the 2023 event was a non-televised house show.[15] On August 21, it was confirmed that John Cena would appear at the event, with Cena himself stating that it would be his first time wrestling in India.[16]

Events
# Event Date City Venue Final match Ref.
1 2021 January 22, 2021
(aired January 26)		 St. Petersburg, Florida, United States WWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field Drew McIntyre and Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav) vs. Jinder Mahal and The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh) [1]
2 2023 September 8, 2023 Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India G. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium John Cena and Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) [12]
(c) – refers to the champion(s) going into the match

2021
2021 Superstar Spectacle
Promotional graphic featuring various WWE wrestlers
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
NXT
DateJanuary 22, 2021[17]
(aired January 26, 2021)
CitySt. Petersburg, Florida
VenueWWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field
Attendance0 (behind closed doors)[lower-alpha 1]
Tagline(s)Indian Dhamaal
A Republic Day Blockbuster
WWE Network event chronology
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TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs		 Next →
Royal Rumble
Superstar Spectacle chronology
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2023

The 2021 Superstar Spectacle was the inaugural Superstar Spectacle professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. The event was taped on January 22, 2021, and aired on January 26 for India's Republic Day. In India, it aired as a television special, while outside of India, it was streamed on the WWE Network. The event incorporated elements of traditional and contemporary Indian culture. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that year, the event emanated from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.[6][4]

Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Drew McIntyre and The Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav) defeated The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh) and the returning Jinder Mahal. The event also featured the participation of 10 Indian wrestlers from WWE's developmental system.[18] The company later announced that 20 million people had watched the event live.[19]

Results
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Finn Bálor defeated Guru Raaj by pinfallSingles match[18]7:08
2Dilsher Shanky, Giant Zanjeer, Rey Mysterio, and Ricochet defeated Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, King Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfallEight-man tag team match[18]6:25
3AJ Styles (with Omos) defeated Jeet Rama by pinfallSingles match[18]3:14
4Charlotte Flair and Sareena Sandhu defeated Bayley and Natalya by pinfallTag team match[18]6:06
5Drew McIntyre and Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav) defeated Jinder Mahal and The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh) by pinfallSix-man tag team match[18]9:03

2023
2023 Superstar Spectacle
Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
DateSeptember 8, 2023
CityGachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
VenueG. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium
Attendance5,000 (sold out)
Superstar Spectacle chronology
← Previous
2021		 Next →
—

The 2023 Superstar Spectacle was the second Superstar Spectacle professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It primarily featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event took place on September 8, 2023, at G. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium in the Hyderabad suburb of Gachibowli, India. This was also WWE's first live event held in India since December 2017 and the first held in the city of Hyderabad. Unlike the 2021 event, the 2023 event was instead held as a house show.[20][21]

Seven matches took place at the event. In the main event, John Cena and Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser). The event also featured a special appearance by WWE Hall of Famer The Great Khali, who was WWE's first Indian-born world champion with the previous World Heavyweight Championship. Becky Lynch was originally scheduled to face Zoey Stark at the event, however, due to an issue with her passport, she was unable to attend; Natalya took her place and defeated Stark.[22] Both of Natalya's matches were unappreciated at the event as fans chanted for CM Punk during her matches due to fan's displeasure with the absence of Becky Lynch and Natalya taking her spot.[23] It was later aired as Namaste India on Sony Sports Network on October 2, 2023.[24]

Results
No.Results[22]Stipulations
1Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Indus Sher (Sanga and Veer) (with Jinder Mahal) ended in a no contestTag team match
2Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn defeated Indus Sher (Jinder Mahal, Sanga, and Veer) by pinfallSix-man tag team match
3Natalya defeated Zoey Stark by pinfallSingles match
4Gunther (c) defeated Shanky by pinfallSingles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
5Bron Breakker defeated Odyssey Jones by pinfallSingles match
6Rhea Ripley (c) defeated Natalya by pinfallSingles match for the Women's World Championship
7John Cena and Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser) by pinfallTag team match
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Reception

Ian Hamilton of 411Mania gave the 2021 Superstar Spectacle a 7.2 out of 10, remarking of the Indian performers (including those making their television debut) that "for a group of guys effectively trained from scratch, this wasn't half bad", and believing that the show was a potential step towards a future "NXT India" (following the example of NXT UK).[11]

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, WWE claimed that 20 million people watched the 2021 event live.[19]

See also

Notes
  1. The event was held without a paying audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, though featured a live crowd of virtual fans via WWE's ThunderDome viewing experience.

References
  1. Currier, Joseph (January 9, 2021). "WWE announces 'Superstar Spectacle' India special". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  2. Motley Fool Transcribers (October 30, 2020). "World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (WWE) Q3 2020 Earnings Call Transcript". The Motley Fool. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  3. Powell, Jason (October 29, 2020). "10/29 WWE Conference Call report: Vince McMahon discusses the 2020 third quarter financial report". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. Johnson, Mike (January 13, 2021). "Official details released on WWE Superstar Spectacle, lots of big WWE names to appear". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. "WWE® and Sony Pictures Network India announce WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE. January 16, 2021. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  6. Defelice, Robert (January 13, 2021). "WWE Officially Announces Superstar Spectacle Airdate, Stars From All Three Brands To Be Featured". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  7. Deb, Sopan (August 19, 2017). "Jinder Mahal, the immigrant who became the 'Modern Day Maharaja'". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  8. WWE.com Staff (January 13, 2021). "WWE and Sony Pictures Network India announce WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  9. hindustantimes.com (January 15, 2021). "WWE Superstar Spectacle - Special event for Indian audience on Republic Day". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  10. Johnson, Mike (January 12, 2020). "WWE Superstar Spectacle updates". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  11. Hamilton, Ian (January 26, 2021). "Hamilton's WWE Superstar Spectacle Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  12. Crowley, Liam (August 1, 2023). "WWE Running International Live Event on The Same Day as Upcoming SmackDown Show". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  13. Harris, Jeffrey (June 3, 2023). "Update on Planned Date & Location for WWE Live Event in India". 411Mania. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. "More Details On WWE Postponing Live Event In India". 411Mania. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  15. Johnson, Mike (August 22, 2023). "Is WWE Superstar Spectacle Going to be a Broadcast Event?". PWInsider. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  16. Satin, Ryan (August 21, 2023). "John Cena returning to WWE next month on SmackDown". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  17. Johnson, Mike (January 18, 2021). "WWE taping Superstar Special this week, special to air next week on major holiday in India". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  18. "Superstar Spectacle Results". WWE. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  19. Sapp, Sean Ross [@SeanRossSapp] (February 4, 2021). "WWE says 20 million people watched Superstar Spectacle" (Tweet). Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  20. WWE.com Staff (August 1, 2023). "WWE returns to India this September with WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  21. HT Sports Desk (August 30, 2023). "John Cena, Seth Rollins in star-studded main-event for WWE Superstar Spectacle in India". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  22. F4W Staff (September 8, 2023). "WWE Superstar Spectacle results: John Cena teams with Seth Rollins". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  23. Hausman, Nick (September 8, 2023). "CM Punk Chant Breaks Out During WWE Superstar Spectacle". Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  24. Watch Namaste India Only On Sony Sports Network (in Hindi). Sony Sports Network. October 2, 2023 – via YouTube.
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