WWE premium live events have been scouting new locations over the past couple of years, exploring more international markets. New spots around the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Australia, and more have hosted the monthly special WWE shows, and India could very soon be added to that list, given that it falls under WWE’s priority list for a PLE host.
In a new interview with Hindustan Times, WWE President Nick Khan addressed the speculation of possibly running a premium live event in India, and it could eventually become a reality. While nothing’s confirmed yet for a first-time TV taping for the WWE from the subcontinent, Khan made it clear that the company plans to do it within the next couple of years.
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“That’s the goal, and we’re penciling out 2026 and 2027 now,” Khan said about hosting a WWE premium live event in India, also touting that in early meetings with Netflix, the country was among the top priority markets for the global streaming giant. “At the top of that list was India. If it’s important to Netflix, assume it’s important to us.”
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With Netflix becoming the new home for all the WWE’s weekly programming, namely Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown, Tuesday Night NXT, and all the WWE premium live events in India, it’s safe to assume that online streaming platform will possibly push the WWE to bring one of the televised shows from the subcontinent shortly.
WWE is very much positive about their content being the second most popular sport in India, only behind Cricket, and henceforth, Khan added that their storytelling fits right with the viewing habits of the Indian consumer.
“You’ll notice a lot of dramas and stories with deep narratives. That’s exactly what we believe WWE is.”
With the inaugural WWE premium live event on the horizon, it certainly won’t be the first show to be hosted by the company in this region. In February 1996, the first WWE show was conducted in Mumbai, Maharashtra, followed by shows in 2016 and 2017. In 2023, WWE hosted its biggest India-based event, the Superstar Spectacle, which featured a rare in-ring appearance by John Cena as he teamed up with Seth Rollins to defeat Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci.
