Wrestlepalooza won’t be the biggest WWE show Perth ever gets if new backstage information proves accurate. In fact, WWE may already be laying the groundwork to bring one of its biggest premium live events to Australia over the next few years.
WWE recently announced Wrestlepalooza for December 12 at RAC Arena, along with SmackDown and RAW during the same weekend. While that looked like a one-off return on the surface, it apparently represents something much bigger behind the scenes.
Speaking on WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, Joey Votes revealed that WWE’s deal with Perth extends well beyond this December. According to one source, the company has agreed to a three-year partnership with the city, with a premium live event weekend planned each year through 2028.
“Well, maybe, TC, they can wait a year and we’ll hit that in a little bit. But we continue. After the announcement that Wrestlepalooza will be coming to Perth, Australia, in December, we spoke with a source who told us WWE is committed to a three-year partnership with the city, with a PLE weekend planned in Perth each of the next three years.
That same source tells us that one of those weekends could be reserved for, quote, ‘a major PLE,’ with Survivor Series or even the Royal Rumble standing out as potential options. We’re told 2028 could be a potential target for WWE to bring one of its traditional Big Four events to Perth, meaning there’s a very real possibility the city gets something significantly bigger than a standard PLE during this partnership.
So, TC, last time they were in Perth, the yellow shirts took over the crowd. The crowd was incredible. Everybody had a great time going down. There seems to be a fun environment. They’re going back in December for Wrestlepalooza and they’ve signed a three-year agreement. We had a source tell us that, you know, maybe not expect these lower-level—I hate to say that—B-level type of shows.”
That naturally led to a discussion about what “major PLE” could actually mean. TC joked that Wrestlepalooza isn’t quite in the same conversation as WWE’s biggest events, while Joey referenced WWE President Mark Shapiro’s previous comments before offering his own theory.
“Mark Shapiro said, ‘It’s the next WrestleMania.’ Don’t you forget that. Nonetheless, I’ve got a feeling, TC…”
TC immediately shot that down, saying, “That’s how you sell things to places like Perth, okay? That’s all business talk.” Joey then floated the possibility of the Royal Rumble eventually heading Down Under, but he stopped himself before anyone confused his opinion with the reporting.
“I’ve got a feeling — this is from a source — that Royal Rumble in Perth may happen. May just happen. Your thoughts?”
After TC joked about everyone having to be thrown into the ring because Australia is “Down Under,” Joey clarified exactly what the sourced information was—and what it wasn’t.
“I want to preface before we go any further. I’m not—I don’t want to say that a Royal Rumble is happening, but we’ve learned from a source that a Big Four… I don’t think WrestleMania is going to happen there. I personally don’t think a SummerSlam is going to happen there. I think a Royal Rumble is an option.”
The conversation then shifted from which event could happen to why Perth makes so much sense for WWE’s business. TC explained that these decisions often come down to which cities are willing to pay for major events, and having a three-year agreement already in place gives WWE valuable flexibility.
“When it comes to booking these locations and these big shows, it comes down to money. It comes down to where WWE is going to get money from, what these cities and tourism organizations decide to negotiate with WWE to pay them to have them come there.”
Joey responded with a simple observation, “And if they signed a three-year deal, they got the money, right?” TC then expanded on why that matters so much.
“But also there’s no locked-in event for Perth, correct? They have three events scheduled, but not specific events. So WWE is not able to—and I feel like it happened with Survivor Series this past year when it ended up in Houston—they kind of had to scramble to find a spot to do it.
They have this deal with Perth. If they are not able to lock in the deal that they want for a specific Royal Rumble, then they have already got this money in the bag, right, from a place like Perth, that then they could apply to that Royal Rumble rather than scrambling to find a location that fits the size, the market, everything that you look for in a Royal Rumble.
So it’s a smart business move by WWE to have this wiggle room here to still go out and shop for a location for a big-time event like a Royal. But if they’re not able to secure something that they feel they can get or don’t like, or whatever—however those negotiations play out—they have that deal in Perth in the bag that they can then take the Royal Rumble to Australia.
So I think it works out great for WWE. And I think Perth has showed that it is a great wrestling market, you know? And if they wanted to have a big-time event like the Royal Rumble there, they would show up and do the type of numbers that you’re looking for for an event such as the Royal Rumble.”
JoeyVotes noted that Wrestlepalooza itself could shape WWE’s future plans for Australia, hinting that December’s event may provide a clearer picture of where the partnership is heading
“So we’ll see how that transpires… Yes, absolutely. I’m sure once Wrestlepalooza goes down in December, some news will come out. So if we hear anything else, we will update you.”
For now, Wrestlepalooza remains the only officially announced premium live event. If this report is any indication, though, WWE’s partnership with Perth could end up being remembered less for launching a new show—and more for opening the door to one of the company’s biggest annual events making the trip to Australia.
Which Big Four event would you most like to see in Perth: Royal Rumble or Survivor Series? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
