WWE Superstar Spectacle

Last updated

WWE Superstar Spectacle
WWE Superstar Spectacle logo.jpeg
Promotions WWE
Brands Raw (2021, 2023)
SmackDown (2021)
NXT (2021)
First event 2021

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

Contents

The event was first held in 2021 as WWE's first television special produced specifically for India as part of its broadcasting agreement with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI); it featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. It premiered on January 26, 2021—India's Republic Day—on SPNI channels, and was broadcast internationally as a streaming special on the 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, India.

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 (SPNI) on producing an event specially targeted to the company's 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 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida with no in-person spectators using WWE's "ThunderDome" bubble. 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, Massachusetts. [12] WWE had planned to again hold the event in January, but SPNI requested that it be held off until the company completed its 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

#EventDateCityVenueFinal matchRef.
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
WWESSPoster.jpg
Promotional graphic featuring various WWE wrestlers
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) Raw
SmackDown
NXT
DateJanuary 22, 2021 [17]
(aired January 26, 2021)
City St. Petersburg, Florida
Venue WWE 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. 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
1 Finn Bálor defeated Guru Raaj by pinfall Singles match [18] 7:08
2 Dilsher Shanky, Giant Zanjeer, Rey Mysterio, and Ricochet defeated Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, King Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall Eight-man tag team match [18] 6:25
3 AJ Styles (with Omos) defeated Jeet Rama by pinfall Singles match [18] 3:14
4 Charlotte Flair and Sareena Sandhu defeated Bayley and Natalya by pinfall Tag team match [18] 6:06
5 Drew McIntyre and Indus Sher (Rinku and Saurav) defeated Jinder Mahal and The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh and Sunil Singh) by pinfall Six-man tag team match [18] 9:03

2023

2023 Superstar Spectacle
WWE SS 2023 poster.jpg
Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) Raw
DateSeptember 8, 2023
City Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Venue G. 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 later aired as Namaste India on Sony Sports Network on October 2, 2023. [24]

Results

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalya Neidhart</span> Canadian-American professional wrestler (born 1982)

Natalie Katherine Neidhart-Wilson is a Canadian-American professional wrestler and columnist. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Natalya. She is a two-time women's world champion, having won the WWE Divas Championship and WWE SmackDown Women's Championship once each. She is also a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Tamina. She is a third generation professional wrestler, and is also the daughter of Hart Foundation member and Hall of Famer Jim Neidhart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryse Mizanin</span> Canadian professional wrestler and model (born 1983)

Maryse Mizanin is a Canadian television personality, model, actress and retired professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, under the ring name Maryse. After spending years modeling, including winning Miss Hawaiian Tropic Canada in 2003, Mizanin participated in the WWE Diva Search competition and was hired by WWE in 2006. She spent time in developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling, before being assigned to the SmackDown brand in 2008. That year, Maryse won her first WWE Divas Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamina Snuka</span> American professional wrestler (born 1978)

Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE where she competed as Tamina. A second generation wrestler, she has been working with WWE since 2010, becoming one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and nine-times WWE 24/7 Champion. She started as the manager of The Usos and later, become the enforcer of AJ Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saraya Bevis</span> British professional wrestler (born 1992)

Saraya-Jade Bevis is an English professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs mononymously as Saraya. She is the leader of The Outcasts and is a former one-time AEW Women's World Champion. She is also known for her time with WWE under the ring name Paige. She was the youngest female champion in WWE history, a two-time WWE Divas Champion, and the inaugural NXT Women's Champion. She also remains the only woman to hold both a WWE and NXT Women's Championship simultaneously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naomi (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler and dancer (born 1987)

Trinity Fatu is an American professional wrestler and dancer. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Naomi. She is one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions alongside Bianca Belair in their first reign as a team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Rae</span> American professional wrestler (b. 1983)

Danielle Louise Moinet is an American model, actress, ring announcer, former professional wrestler, manager and American football player. She is best known for her tenures in WWE from 2011 to 2017, under the ring name Summer Rae. Moinet was a main cast member on the reality show Total Divas during its second and third seasons. Before joining WWE, she played with the Chicago Bliss of the Lingerie Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes Moné</span> American professional wrestler (born 1992)

Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado is an American professional wrestler and actress. As a wrestler, she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné and is the current AEW TBS Champion in her first reign. She also appears in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and its sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the current Strong Women's Champion in her first reign, as well as in Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), where she is the current Undisputed British Women's Champion in her first reign. Varnado became widely known for her time in WWE from 2012 to 2022, where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks. She is the first and only female professional wrestler to win championships across WWE, AEW, and NJPW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Flair</span> American professional wrestler (born 1986)

Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Soho (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1991)

Dori Elizabeth Prange is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Ruby Soho, and is a former member of The Outcasts stable. She is also known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Ruby Riott, and has also worked in World Wonder Ring Stardom as Heidi Lovelace, as well as extensively on the U.S. independent circuit for promotions such as Shimmer Women Athletes, Shine Wrestling, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and IWA Mid-South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayley (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1989)

Pamela Rose Martinez is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Bayley. Her 380-day reign as WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, tied with Rhea Ripley, stands as the longest in the championship's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erick Rowan</span> American professional wrestler (born 1981)

Joseph Ruud is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. As of May 2024, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmella (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler, dancer and model

Leah Van Dale is an American professional wrestler, dancer and model. She is signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Carmella. She is a former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and WWE 24/7 Champion. She is currently inactive due to maternity leave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elias (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1987)

Jeffrey Daniel Sciullo is an American professional wrestler and musician. He currently performs on the independent circuit under the ring name Elijah. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2014–2023, where he performed under the ring name Elias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikki Bella</span> American professional wrestler (born 1983)

Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace, known professionally as Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE where she performs under the ring name Nikki Bella. She is currently the host of the game show, Barmageddon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikki Cross</span> Scottish professional wrestler (born 1989)

Nicola Glencross is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. In WWE, she is a former one-time Raw Women's Champion, a three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, and an 11-time and final WWE 24/7 Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacey Evans</span> American professional wrestler

Macey Estrella-Kadlec is an American professional wrestler and former U.S. Marine. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she performed under the ring name Lacey Evans.

WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut in the United States has been promoting events in India since 1996 when they were the World Wrestling Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE ThunderDome</span> Bio-secure bubble for professional wrestling events (2020–2021)

The WWE ThunderDome was a bio-secure bubble created by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. It was launched in August 2020 as a way for professional wrestling fans to attend WWE events virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bubble was a videoconferencing crowd system and arena staging utilized for broadcasts of television shows and pay-per-views of the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It worked by users signing up days before an event, logging in and joining at their allocated call time to be seen on a screen at the event in real time. It was free of charge to spectate an event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional wrestling in India</span>

Professional wrestling is a popular sport in India. The country has a rich history of professional wrestling and many professional wrestlers from India have worked around the world in various promotions. International wrestling promotions such as WWE and Impact Wrestling generate high television viewership and have a significant fan following in India.

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Superstar Spectacle Results". WWE. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  19. 1 2 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. 1 2 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  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.