‘Take it over’: Perth lands WWE’s first Aussie event in six years

One of the world’s biggest sporting organisations is coming back to Australia for the first time since taking over the MCG in 2018.

Rhea Ripley is one of the WWE’s stars.

The WWE will return to Australian shores for the first time since 2018 in February after the Elimination Chamber event was announced for Perth’s Optus Stadium.

After months of speculation, the sports entertainment behemoth announced that the 60,000 seat stadium would host the live event on Saturday February 24.

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The last time the WWE came down under was in 2018 when the Super-Show Down took over the MCG with Ronda Rousey stunning a packed house before Triple H pinned The Undertaker.

In the meantime, Aussie Rhea Ripley has become one of the sports’ biggest names and is expected to star as the WWE comes back to Australia, while Grayson Walker is also a near certainty to fight.

While the schedule has not yet been released, it will culminate in at least one six-man cage match with some of the promotion’s biggest names set to visit just one month out from WrestleMania 40.

Ripley has become of the sport’s biggest stars.

Wrestlers Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods joined WA Premier Roger Cook for the announcement.

“These are set to be the hottest tickets in town and fans can pre-register and secure their spot from today,” Cook said.

“We expect the premium live event at Optus Stadium will be a sellout with thousands of east coast and international fans flocking to Perth, Western Australia to witness this exclusive show.”

The show is expected to reach an audience of one billion people worldwide and Kingston, who is one of the members of The New Day alongside Woods and Big E, said the Elimination Chamber could “totally change the trajectory of whatever is going on in the WWE landscape”.

Roman Reigns defeated Bill Goldberg during the 2022 WWE Elimination Chamber. Photo by Amer HILABI / AFP

Optus Stadium has won the right to host the event. Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images

“Two combatants enter and there are four pods with the other combatants within them,” Woods added.

“As time passes, one of those pods will open until all of their combatants are inside of the ring.

“And then the match officially begins and you lose by pinfall or submission until there is one combatant standing and they are the winner.

“And the reason that this is so intense is because you are waiting for people to get into this match.”

The wrestlers involved are expected to have community activations and meet-and-greets with fans, and Kingston said they “really come into a town and take it over”.

The WWE has recently merged with the UFC, which had a massive show earlier this year in Perth when Alexander Volkanovski lost a controversial bout to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title.

Originally published as ‘Take it over’: Perth lands WWE’s first Aussie event in six years