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WWE Superstar Spectacle

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

WWE Superstar Spectacle is a professional wrestling event produced by the American company WWE. It is specially produced for WWE's Indian market as part of a five-year deal with Sony Pictures Networks India which began in late 2020. The first event was held in January 2021 and aired in India as a television special for India's Republic Day, while outside of India, it was streamed on the WWE Network. It featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. The event was set to return in January 2023, but was pushed back to September that year and will instead be held as a WWE Live event and feature wrestlers from Raw.

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, which 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 (Sunil Singh and Samir Singh), The 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] The event would premiere 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]

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, Florida. 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]

On August 1, 2023, WWE announced that a second Superstar Spectacle would be held on Friday, September 8, 2023, at the G. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium in the Hyderabad suburb of Gachibowli, India. This will be 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, Massachusetts, United States.[12] WWE had planned to again hold the event in January, but this was delayed due to a network merger happening with WWE's broadcast partner in India.[13] Unlike the 2021 event, the 2023 event will not be broadcast on television, and instead will be held as a WWE Live event.[14] 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.[15]

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 (Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci) [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[16]
(aired January 26, 2021)
CitySt. Petersburg, Florida
VenueWWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field
Attendance0 (behind closed doors)[a]
Tagline(s)Indian Dhamaal
A Republic Day Blockbuster
WWE Network event chronology
← Previous
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 		Next →
Royal Rumble
Superstar Spectacle chronology
← Previous
First 		Next →
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 and emanated from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, WWE Champion 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. The company later announced that 20 million people had watched the event live.

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Finn Bálor defeated Guru Raaj by pinfallSingles match[17]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[17]6:25
3AJ Styles (with Omos) defeated Jeet Rama by pinfallSingles match[17]3:14
4Charlotte Flair and Sareena Sandhu defeated Bayley and Natalya by pinfallTag team match[17]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[17]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
Superstar Spectacle chronology
← Previous
2021 		Next →
—

The 2023 Superstar Spectacle is the upcoming second Superstar Spectacle professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It will feature wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event will take place on September 8, 2023, at G. M. C. Balayogi Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad, India. This will also be WWE's first live event to be held in India since December 2017 and the first held in the city of Hyderabad. Unlike the 2021 event, the 2023 event will be a house show.[18][19]

Matches

No.Matches*Stipulations
1Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Indus Sher (Sanga and Veer Mahaan) (with Jinder Mahal)Tag team match
2Rhea Ripley (c) vs. NatalyaSingles match for the Women's World Championship
3John Cena and Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser)Tag team match
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
*Card subject to change

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.[20]

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. ^ a b Currier, Joseph (9 January 2021). "WWE announces 'Superstar Spectacle' India special". The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ^ Transcribers, Motley Fool (30 October 2020). "World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (WWE) Q3 2020 Earnings Call Transcript". The Motley Fool. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  3. ^ Powell, Jason (29 October 2020). "10/29 WWE Conference Call report: Vince McMahon discusses the 2020 third quarter financial report". Prowrestling.net. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Johnson, Mike (13 January 2021). "Official details released on WWE Superstar Spectacle, lots of big WWE names to appear". PWInsider. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  5. ^ "WWE® and Sony Pictures Network India announce WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE. 16 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  6. ^ Defelice, Robert (13 January 2021). "WWE Officially Announces Superstar Spectacle Airdate, Stars From All Three Brands To Be Featured". Fightful. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. ^ Deb, Sopan (19 August 2017). "Jinder Mahal, the immigrant who became the 'Modern Day Maharaja'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. ^ Staff, WWE.com (13 January 2021). "WWE and Sony Pictures Network India announce WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  9. ^ "WWE Superstar Spectacle - Special event for Indian audience on Republic Day". The Hindustan Times. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  10. ^ Johnson, Mike (12 January 2020). "WWE Superstar Spectacle updates". PWInsider. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Hamilton's WWE Superstar Spectacle Review". 411mania. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  12. ^ a b Crowley, Liam (August 1, 2023). "WWE Running International Live Event on The Same Day as Upcoming SmackDown Show". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Harris, Jeffrey (June 3, 2023). "Update on Planned Date & Location for WWE Live Event in India". 411Mania. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Johnson, Mike (August 22, 2023). "IS WWE SUPERSTAR SPECTACLE GOING TO BE A BROADCAST EVENT?". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  15. ^ Satin, Ryan (August 21, 2023). "John Cena returning to WWE next month on SmackDown". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  16. ^ Johnson, Mike (18 January 2021). "WWE taping Superstar Special this week, special to air next week on major holiday in India". PWInsider. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e "SUPERSTAR SPECTACLE RESULTS". WWE. January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  18. ^ "WWE returns to India this September with WWE Superstar Spectacle". WWE.
  19. ^ "John Cena, Seth Rollins in star-studded main-event for WWE Superstar Spectacle in India". Hindustan Times. August 30, 2023.
  20. ^ Sapp, Sean Ross. "WWE says 20 million people watched Superstar Spectacle". Twitter.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WWE_Superstar_Spectacle&oldid=1174452964"