More than 52,000 fans gathered at Optus Stadium on Saturday to watch the WWE’s Elimination Chamber, headlined by notable wrestlers Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins.
The crowd’s deafening cheers and chants reverberated through the venue, creating an unforgettable experience for die-hard fans and newcomers alike.
Long-time pro wrestling fan, Christopher Fuller, said the night “exceeded expectations.”
“It was a true spectacle! The WWE, the fans, and the atmosphere came together perfectly”.
Mr Fuller said he hopes more events of this kind will make Perth’s entertainment calendar in the future.
“With events like [the] WWE, it will draw more people to come to Perth as tourists can see there is more to invest their time in when visiting our beautiful city”.
Local professional wrestling has also noticed the flow-on effect.
Bryan Bader, Social Media Manager at New Horizons Pro Wrestling Club, said the increasing popularity of WWE in Perth has also helped raise the profile of local shows.
“WWE coming back to Perth has helped us in a very large way as people are starting to look more for wrestling.”
Mr Bader said Perth already has a thriving and diverse wrestling community, with athletes of ‘all shapes and sizes that enrich the sport and create thrilling matchups.’
He hopes the increasing publicity and coverage will help them capitalise on the momentum, and also to unravel certain unhelpful stereotypes from earlier generations.
“The number one thing that would help us in WA grow and thrive is just greater exposure and understanding we’re not the horrible thing that people tried to demonise from twenty or thirty years ago”.
The New Horizons Pro Wrestling Club is set to host their upcoming ‘Global Conflict’ shows at Varsity Morley and Kenwick Football Club next month.
Awesome!