India has always been one of WWE’s strongest markets. The Indian fan base is massive and loyal. With the growing popularity of professional wrestling in the country, WWE has captured the hearts and minds of Indian fans with its larger-than-life characters and action-packed storylines. It has also been reported several times in the past that WWE has been planning something big with regard to its Indian market.

Prior to the pandemic, WWE had major plans to expand into the Indian market with the launch of NXT India. While that is yet to come to fruition, WWE hosted Superstar Spectacle on January 2021 which catered specifically to the Indian market.

The event featured several Indian wrestlers who had the opportunity to compete against some of the biggest names in the company. The event was held inside the WWE Thunderdome in Florida.

Now, Nick Khan addressed the subject of WWE in India during the company’s recent 4th quarter 2022 financial earnings call. Khan said that they are waiting for the Zee and Sony India merger to be approved before they can host a large-scale live event in India.

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“In terms of India, allow me to tell you, from our perspective, what’s going on there and what will go on there. We’re waiting for the Zee-Sony India merger to be approved by the regulatory authorities. The hope is in April. Keep in mind what you already know. COVID stunted our growth opportunities in India and a number of places, but in India specifically, where I would say it was almost impossible to travel in and out of. We couldn’t do local events there.

So as soon as we have a sense of when the regulatory approval happens on Zee and Sony India, look for a big live event in India. The best way to grow viewership, and I think we’re seeing it proven out with our UK shows, with the upcoming Montreal show, and in other markets, is to have live events there. It’s a much easier sale for our partners with their partners. It’s a much easier sale for us with potential partners, when they’ve been to the show, and they see the power of it. It’s just a smoother path. So as soon as that transaction is approved, look for us to be there in short order and to start continuing to build that empire in India.”

It was reported last year that WWE was planning to host a large-scale live event in India in January 2023. However, nothing came to be from those plans.

WWE obviously has a lot of plans for the future, but future business will always be affected by potential deals down the line. Stay tuned to Ringside News as we keep you updated on this story.

What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments section.

Sunil Joseph

Passionate pro wrestling fan. Sunil has been writing WWE content writing for over the last five years. Sunil still gets excited when he gets to tell people that he gets paid to watch pro wrestling.

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