Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) will commemorate India’s Republic Day with the premiere of WWE Superstar Spectacle, an unprecedented two-hour television special event for India featuring WWE’s Indian superstars alongside Superstars and Legends from Raw®, SmackDown®, and NXT®. Specially produced for Indian audiences, WWE Superstar Spectacle is a big treat for Indians and will air exclusively on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 3, and Sony MAX channels on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 8 PM IST, with commentary available in both English and Hindi.
The unique showcase of Indian-inspired action specially produced for viewers in India will emanate from the state-of-the-art WWE ThunderDome, and incorporate stunning elements of traditional and contemporary Indian culture among epic matches featuring WWE Champion Drew McIntyre® and WWE Superstars including Rey Mysterio®, Charlotte Flair®, AJ Styles®, Bayley®, The New Day®, Shinsuke Nakamura®, Cesaro ®, Dolph Ziggler®, Robert Roode ®, Ricochet® and many more plus an appearance by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair®.
“We love the passion and support from the huge WWE Universe in India so we’ve teamed up with Sony Pictures Networks, the exclusive home of WWE in India, to surprise our fans with an incredible event to kick-off 2021,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development. “WWE Superstar Spectacle will be an epic event with electrifying matches featuring some of the biggest names in WWE along with our incredible Indian performers, plus thrilling and authentic Indian-inspired entertainment.”
“WWE has consistently featured among the top watched sports properties in India over the years,” said Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India. “We are excited about presenting WWE Superstar Spectacle to WWE fans and viewers in India on Republic Day which will showcase and celebrate the best of the next generation Indian talent in WWE.”
With matches announced in the coming weeks, WWE fans can look forward to witnessing appearances by 10 Indian WWE talent including:
- WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal, the first WWE Champion of Indian descent.
- The Bollywood Boyz, WWE Superstars Samir, and Sunil Singh.
- The first all-Indian tag team in WWE, Indus Sher, featuring Rinku and Saurav.
- NXT Superstar Jeet Rama.
- Kavita Devi, the first Indian woman to sign a WWE contract.
- The Great Khali trainees Giant Zanjeer (7ft 2in, 340 pounds) and Dilsher Shanky (7ft,310 pounds).
- Guru Raaj, the first Indian-born high-flyer in WWE.
The arrival of WWE Superstar Spectacle comes at a time when WWE’s popularity in India continues to increase. WWE is one of the most-watched sports properties in India, and India ranks #1 for WWE YouTube consumption and #1 in WWE Facebook followers. In addition, WWE has been actively recruiting elite athletes and performers from the country. In 2019, WWE hosted its largest tryout in history, where more than 70 top athletes from India showcased their abilities in Mumbai and four Indian recruits were selected to train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, U.S.
