The following is a list of professional wrestling attendance records in the Canada. 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. The company forced Canada's three major promotions, Lutte Internationale, Maple Leaf Wrestling, and Stampede Wrestling, out of business during this period.
Canadian Athletic Promotions / International Wrestling Alliance, which controlled the National Wrestling Alliance's Quebec wrestling territory during the late 1940s and 1950s, still holds the most records of any province. Only nine of the attendances listed are from non-Canadian promotions, all exclusively held by WWE. Two of these are from WWE's flagship WrestleMania pay-per-view (PPV) event with 1990's Wrestlemania VI attracting 64,287 fans and grossing more than $3.4 million, the highest paid attendance for a pro wrestling show in North America. [1] In addition, the February 8, 1999 edition of WWF Raw is the most attended taping in the show's history outside the United States. [2] All of the events have been held in the Eastern Canada, with eight in Toronto, Ontario and twenty-three in Montreal, Quebec.
No. | Promoter | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | — | Eugene Tremblay vs. George Bothner April 15, 1904 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 12,000 | Eugene Tremblay vs. George Bothner for the World Lightweight Championship | [27] |
2. | — | Frank Gotch vs. Dan McLeod October 5, 1904 | New Westminster, British Columbia | Queen's Park Arena | 7,000 | Frank Gotch vs. Dan McLeod in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [28] |
3. | — | Paul Pons vs. Dan McLeod March 11, 1901 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 6,000 | Paul Pons vs. Dan McLeod in a Handicap match; per the pre-match stipulation, Pons needed to pin McLeod five times within 60 min. | [29] |
— | Frank Gotch vs. Fred Beel May 24, 1907 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Frank Gotch vs. Fred Beel | [30] | ||
4. | — | George Hackenschmidt vs. Emil Maupas May 8, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 5,000 | George Hackenschmidt vs. Emil Maupas in a Best 3-out-of-5 Falls match | [31] |
— | Frank Gotch vs. KY Karakanoff April 6, 1906 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Frank Gotch vs. KY Karakanoff | [31] | ||
5. | — | Eugene Tremblay vs. George Bothner March 7, 1904 | Montreal, Quebec | 4,500 | Eugene Tremblay vs. George Bothner for the World Lightweight Championship | ||
— | Frank Gotch vs. Emile Maupas December 29, 1904 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Frank Gotch vs. Emile Maupas | [31] | ||
6. | — | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Ferdinand Gruhn April 3, 1908 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 4,000 | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Ferdinand Gruhn in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [32] |
7. | — | Frank Gotch vs. American Apollo January 12, 1906 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 3,500 | Frank Gotch vs. American Apollo | [33] |
8. | — | Apollo vs. Yankee Rogers November 10, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 3,000 | Apollo vs. Yankee Rogers in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [34] |
— | Frank Gotch vs. Dan McLeod December 22, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Frank Gotch vs. Dan McLeod in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [35] | ||
9. | — | Eugene Tremblay vs. Ladue December 15, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 2,500 | Eugene Tremblay vs. Ladue in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [36] |
— | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Yankee Rogers February 14, 1908 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Yankee Rogers in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [37] | ||
10. | — | International Graeco-Roman Tournament (Day 1) October 6, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 2,000 [Note 2] | 6-man round-robin Graeco-Roman tournament | [38] |
— | International Graeco-Roman Tournament (Day 3) October 20, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 6-man round-robin Graeco-Roman tournament | [39] | ||
— | International Wrestling Tournament December 7, 1905 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Carl Busch vs. Mueller in a tournament final | [40] | ||
— | Raymond Cazeaux vs. George Turner March 27, 1908 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. George Turner in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [41] | ||
— | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Charles Hackenschmidt May 8, 1908 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Charles Hackenschmidt in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [42] |
No. | Promotion | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | CAC | Stanislaus Zbyszko vs. Constant Le Marin May 24, 1913 | Montreal, Quebec | Mount Royal Arena | 12,000 | Stanislaus Zbyszko vs. Constant Le Marin | [43] |
2. | CAC | Stanislaus Zbyszko vs. Raoul de Rouen May 27, 1914 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 10,000 | Stanislaus Zbyszko vs. Raoul de Rouen | [44] |
3. | CAC | Eugene Tremblay vs. Fred Lapointe July 4, 1910 | Montreal, Quebec | National Grounds | 5,000 | Eugene Tremblay vs. Fred Lapointe in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the Lightweight Championship | [45] |
CAC | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Emilo Silva October 15, 1913 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Emilo Silva | [46] | ||
4. | — | Young Olson vs. Otto Oppelt January 29, 1911 | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | CLB Armory | 4,000 | Young Olson vs. Otto Oppelt | [47] |
CAC | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Karla April 20, 1912 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Karla in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [48] | ||
— | Stanislaus Zbyszko vs. Raymond Cazeaux February 17, 1913 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Stanislaus Zbyszko vs. Raymond Cazeaux in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [49] | ||
— | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Dr. B. F. Roller April 23, 1913 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Dr. B. F. Roller in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [50] | ||
5. | CAC | Eugene Tremblay vs. Alfred Lapointe October 26, 1910 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | 3,000 [Note 3] | Eugene Tremblay (c) vs. Alfred Lapointe in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the Lightweight Championship | [51] |
CAC | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Ivan Romanoff December 27, 1911 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Ivan Romanoff in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [52] | ||
— | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Dr. B. F. Roller May 4, 1912 | Ottawa, Ontario | Dey's Arena | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Dr. B. F. Roller in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [53] | ||
CAC | Eugene Tremblay vs. Peter Pronde September 24, 1913 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Eugene Tremblay (c) vs. Peter Pronde for the World Lightweight Championship | [54] | ||
6. | — | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Constant Le Marin November 1, 1912 | Ottawa, Ontario | Dey's Arena | 2,000 | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Constant Le Marin in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [55] |
— | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Charles Simard October 31, 1913 | Ottawa, Ontario | Rideau Rink | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Charles Simard | [56] | ||
7. | — | Jack Taylor vs. Charles Cutler November 25, 1914 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Walker Theatre | 1,600 | Jack Taylor vs. Charles Cutler | [57] |
8. | — | Eugene Tremblay vs. Young Gotch May 12, 1912 | Ottawa, Ontario | Day's Arena | 1,500 | Eugene Tremblay (c) vs. Young Gotch in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the World Lightweight Championship | [58] |
9. | — | Young Olson vs. Martin Rock December 5, 1910 | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | British Hall | 1,000 | Young Olson vs. Martin Rock | [59] |
— | Eugene Tremblay vs. Young Gotch January 16, 1914 | Thunder Bay, Ontario | Eugene Tremblay (c) vs. Young Gotch for the World Lightweight Championship | ||||
10. | CAC | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Dr. B. F. Roller May 4, 1912 | Montreal, Quebec | Sohmer Park | Unknown [Note 4] | Raymond Cazeaux vs. Dr. B. F. Roller in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [60] |
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General
The Biggest Crowds In Canadian Wrestling History
Specific
During the '80s the presence of Hogan on a card at the Forum would guarantee a big crowd. He broke all attendance records at the Forum for a match against Don Muraco on August 18, 1986, when 21,700 were in the house.
What was considered to be one of the largest crowds that has watched a wrestling match in this city, were present last night at Sohmer Park to see Cazeaux defeat Ferdinand Gruhn in two straight falls, won in seventeen minutes of wrestling time. It was not so much the importance of the match between Cazeaux and Gruhn, Hackenschmidt's instructor in the catch-as-catch-can game, that attracted the four thousand odd spectators, as the desire to hear reports of the Hackenschmidt-Gotch encounter flashed over from the ringside to the park, where each message was megaphoned to the waiting multitude.
The first bout was the liveliest of the three, and the 3,500 who thronged the Park were kept in a constant state of excitement.
"Apollo," the Irish wrestler, defeated "Yankee" Rogers, of Buffalo, in two straight falls, Graeco-Roman style, in the presence of three thousand spectators at Sohmer Park last night.
Despite an all-round increase in the prices, 3,000 thronged the Park for the feature match of the season.
Upwards of 2,500 were present when the champion succeeded in throwing his compatriot from Lowell, Mass., in straight falls in 17 and 22 minutes respectfully.
Devant deux mille cinq cents personnes au parc Sohmer, hier soir, Cazeaux a défait Yankee Rogers, en gagnant deux épreuves de suite.[In front of two thousand five hundred people at Sohmer Park last night, Cazeaux defeated Yankee Rogers, winning two rounds in a row.]
Two thousand spectators watched the bouts last night.
More than 2,000 witnessed the matches.
Because the referee announced that the match between Perrelli and Busch would not take place owing to the fact that earlier in the evening Busch had broken a rib, two thousand wrestling fans last night rose to a pitch of excitement not seen for many days at Sohmer Park.
There was another capacity house to see the match, the new Frenchman having established himself as one of the most popular wrestling cards that the park has yet secured.
Le plus récent succés de Cazeaux a été enregistré hier soir, au parc Sohmer, en présence de plusieurs milles amateurs.[Cazeaux's most recent success was recorded last night at Sohmer Park in the presence of several thousand fans.]
Using the toe hold, Eugene Tremblay made Fred Lapointe quit twice last night before 5,000 spectators at the National grounds in a wrestling match for the lightweight championship.
The first match took place last night at Montreal and proved one of the most exciting of the season. Five thousand people attended and it was close throughout.
Zbyszko defeated Raymond Cazeaux before an audience of over 4000 persons at Sohmer Park tonight in two straight falls.
The men are keen rivals, and it was necessary for the police and Referee Bourque to warn them several times. Four thousand people attended the bout.
Upwards of 3,000 spectators witnessed the match, and the keen rivalry that has existed between the two men made it more interesting and exciting than the average run of wrestling bouts at the park
Les 3,000 personnes qui s'étaient rendues au Parc Sohmer, en ont eu pour leur argent.[The 3,000 people who came to Sohmer Park got their money's worth.]
Trois mille personnes ont-été témoins de la rencontre Roller s'est blessé au genou en heurtant le plancher.[Three thousand people witnessed the match Roller injured his knee when he hit the floor.]
Cette rencontre, disputés hier soir au Parc Sohmer, a marqué l'ouverture de la saison de lutte, et plusieurs milliers de personnes s'étaient rendues pour saluer la rentrée d'Eugène Tremblay.[The match, held last night at Sohmer Park, marked the opening of the wrestling season, and several thousand people turned out to greet Eugene Tremblay's return.]
Ottawa is giving wrestling good patronage lately, and about 2,000 persons were in the Arena tonight. The. police appeared on several occasions and threatened to stop the bout, but it was not necessary.
The Simard-Cazeaux wrestling bout at the Arena tonight had an unfortunate ending. Simard fell out of the ring after they had been wrestling about twenty minutes twisting his right shoulder so badly that doctors forbade him to continue. The match, according to the rules, was awarded to Cazeaux. Two thousand people turned out and the disappointment was great.
There were upwards of sixteen hundred fans, and some ladies gathered in the theatre when the two contestants faced each other on the mat.
Rock and Young Olson had a wrestling match in the British Hall last night. More people went to see them than was expected, in consequence there were some disgraceful rows over the ownership of seats, the policemen present being powerless in their attempts to keep order. There were probably 1,000 looking for 500 seats. Many of those who were unable to get them started into smashed up the chairs deliberately, showing that there is a good deal of the savage yet running in man, and all is required is some such occasion as this to bring it to the front.
The crowd was a record one for the year; in fact it is doubtful if the park has been so completely filled since the now famous Tremblay-Bothner bout for the lightweight championship, when a small riot broke loose and the fences were torn down.
The show at Scotiabank Arena drew a crowd announced as 13,745 with a paid of about 11,000. No titles changed hands on the show.