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list of the largest attendances in the history of European professional wrestling
The following is a list of professional wrestling attendance records in Europe . The list is dominated by the American professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment which has controlled the industry in North America since 2002. As the World Wrestling Federation , it became the first national promotion in the U.S. during the 1980s wrestling boom . Its first-ever show in mainland Europe took place on October 23, 1987, at the sold-out Bercy de Paris in Paris , France . The main event was a match between Harley Race and Junkyard Dog featuring André the Giant as special guest referee . The event was attended by 12,000 people and televised on Canal+ .[1]
According to this list, 7 events are from WWE's weekly television programs WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown , with the June 18, 2005 episode of WWE SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland being the most attended wrestling event in Europe of all time. Only eleven of the attendances listed are non-WWE events, with Fédération Française de Catch Professionnel and Nu-Wrestling Evolution being the only European-based promotions on the list. There are still six attendance records remaining from the "Pioneer-era ". All but thirteen of the events have been held in the Paris , France , while five have held in Spain, four in Germany, two in Italy, and one each in Ireland and the Soviet Union.
Events and attendances
Promotion
Event
Location
Venue
Attendance
Main Event(s)
Ref.
WWE
WWE SmackDown June 18, 2005
Dublin, Ireland
Convention Centre Dublin
22,000
John Cena (c) vs. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Kurt Angle in a three-way elimination match for the WWE Championship with special guest referee Steve Austin
[2]
WWF
WWF on Tele5 October 5, 1991
Barcelona, Spain
Palau Sant Jordi
19,000
Tito Santana vs. The Undertaker
[3] [4]
FFCP
Dan Koloff vs. Charles Rigoulot January 22, 1934
Paris , France
Palais des Sports
18,000
Dan Koloff vs. Charles Rigoulot
[5] [6]
WWE
WWE Raw September 24, 2010
Paris , France
Bercy de Paris
15,800
Randy Orton (c) vs. Sheamus for the WWE Championship
[7]
WWE
WWE Raw September 25, 2010
Paris , France
Bercy de Paris
15,800
Randy Orton (c) vs. Edge vs. Sheamus in a three-way elimination match for the WWE Championship
[7]
WWE
WWE Live in Madrid November 7, 2015
Madrid , Spain
Barclaycard Center
15,000
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt in a Street Fight match
[8]
WWE
WWE SmackDown & ECW September 27, 2009
Paris , France
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
15,000
The Undertaker (c) vs. CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
[9]
WWE
WWE SmackDown & ECW September 26, 2009
Paris , France
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
15,000
The Undertaker , Matt Hardy and Batista vs. Chris Jericho , CM Punk and Big Show
[9]
NWE
NWE USA Pressing Catch Tour (Day 1) April 19, 2008
Madrid , Spain
El Palacio Vista Alegre
15,000
Booker T vs. Kishi
[10]
NJPW
NJPW Martial Arts Festival December 31, 1989
Moscow , Soviet Union
Luzhniki Stadium
15,000
Antonio Inoki and Shota Chochishvili vs. Brad Rheingans and Masa Saito
[11] [12]
FFCP
Henri Deglane vs. Ed "Strangler" Lewis December 3, 1934
Paris , France
Palais des Sports
15,000
Henri Deglane vs. Ed "Strangler" Lewis
[5] [6]
FFCP
Dan Koloff vs. Henri Deglane November 20, 1933
Paris , France
Palais des Sports
15,000
Dan Koloff vs. Henri Deglane
[5] [6]
FFCP
Henri Deglane vs. Charlie Santen January 8, 1934
Paris , France
Palais des Sports
15,000
Henri Deglane vs. Charlie Santen
[5] [6]
NWE
NWE Summer Tour 2008 (Day 3) June 25, 2008
Badalona , Spain
Pavelló Olímpic
14,000
Orlando Jordan (c) vs. The Warrior for the NWE World Heavyweight Championship
[10]
Misc.
Antonio Inoki vs. Bad News Allen January 24, 1988
Rome , Italy
Palasport
13,854
Antonio Inoki vs. Bad News Allen
[13]
WWF
Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart February 6, 1994
Dortmund , Germany
Westfalenhalle
13,000
Yokozuna (c) vs. Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship
[14]
WWF
WWF In High Gear Tour (Day 1) April 17, 1995
Dortmund , Germany
Westfalenhalle
13,000
The Undertaker vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
[15]
WWE
WWE SmackDown April 23, 2006
Cologne , Germany
Kölnarena
12,500
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry in a three-way elimination match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
[16]
WWF
WWF European Rampage (Day 8) April 14, 1992
Munich , Germany
Olympiahalle
12,345
Randy Savage (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship
[17]
WWE
WWE Live in Badalona November 6, 2015
Badalona , Spain
Pavelló Olímpic
12,300
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt in a Street Fight match
[8]
Misc.
Antonio Inoki vs. Bad News Allen January 23, 1988
Milan , Italy
12,125
Antonio Inoki vs. Bad News Allen
[13]
WWE
WWE SmackDown September 14, 2007
Paris , France
Bercy de Paris
12,000
Rey Mysterio and Batista vs. The Great Khali and Finlay
[18]
WWF
Harley Race vs. Junkyard Dog October 23, 1987
Paris , France
Bercy de Paris
12,000
Harley Race vs. Junkyard Dog with special guest referee André the Giant
[1]
FFCP
Dan Koloff vs. Youssef Mahamut December 4, 1933
Paris , France
Palais des Sports
12,000
Dan Koloff vs. Youssef Mahamut
[5] [6]
FFCP
Henri Deglane vs. Sailor Arnold October 10, 1933
Paris , France
Palais des Sports
12,000
Henri Deglane vs. Sailor Arnold
[5] [6]
See also
References
^ a b Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 1987" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 2005" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 1991" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Bayless, Brian (June 8, 2018). "WWF Barcelona – October 5th, 1991" . Scott's Blog of Doom! .
^ a b c d e f Lions, Phil (November 20, 2014). "Results: Paris, France (1933-1939)" . WrestlingClassics.com .
^ a b c d e f Wheeler, Jimmy, ed. (October 16, 2019). "France: 1933-1936" . Professional Wrestling Historical Society .
^ a b Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 2010" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ a b "WWE Madrid, Spain, house show results (11/7): Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns street fight" . F4WOnline.com . Wrestling Observer / Figure Four Weekly . November 7, 2015.
^ a b Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 2009" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ a b "Nu Wrestling Evolution" . OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com . 2009.
^ "New Japan International Cards: USSR" . ProWrestlingHistory.com .
^ Labbe, Michael J. (November 25, 2016). "New Japan Pro Wrestling in the Soviet Union" . TheWrestlingInsomniac.com .
^ a b Meltzer, Dave (February 8, 1988). "New Japan". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Campbell, California. Antonio Inoki proved to be very over in Italy. His shows drew 12,125 on 1/23 in Milan and 13,854 on 1/24 in Rome.
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 1994" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 1995" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 2006" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 1992" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: 2007" . TheHistoryOfWWE.com .
External links