In recent years, WWE has embraced hosting Premium Live Events outside of North America with shows in England, Scotland, Wales, and Germany proving to be huge successes. Fans in Europe are excited to see the next stage of the promotion's expansion, which is just getting started according to World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER.
The Austrian powerhouse has done well at WWE's overseas events, as he boasts victories over Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Matt Riddle in Europe. Speaking to Metro, the 2024 King of the Ring teased much more to come for WWE outside North America.
We’re just getting started. The whole European expansion, it’s not the last of it we’ve seen... I’m excited and I’m happy that I was able to position myself as one of the front runners of representing the company.
Where Next?
WWE reportedly has plans to host a Premium Live Event in Italy in 2025, and Cody Rhodes teased an event coming to Belgium at an August 2024 live event in Brussels. The American Nightmare has also thrown his weight behind the UK hosting a future WrestleMania, an idea John Cena spoke of at Money in the Bank 2023 in London, England.
Multiple Superstars have also spoken about a WWE PLE coming to Ireland; a natural follow-up to already hosting shows in Scotland, Wales, and England. Last month, Lyra Valkyria put forward Dublin's 3 Arena as a venue when speaking to Video Game Chronicle. Fellow Irish Superstar JD McDonagh told Irish Wrestling and Entertainment that "Any chance I get, I bring up" hosting a PLE in his home country.
NXT Europe
While WWE could soon be hosting more PLEs in Europe, plans for NXT Europe remain stagnant. The brand was announced in 2022 and coincided with the closing of NXT UK with the vast majority of names associated with the brand being released. In the two years since NXT Europe was launched, however, developments on the brand have been slow, and plans for the program were delayed indefinitely in July 2023.
Events in Ireland, Italy, Belgium, and beyond seem more likely under WWE's new administration than ever before in the company's history. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from WWE and its expansion into Europe and even further.
