WA locks in WWE for three more years, but Optus Stadium is not on the cards

The West Australian government has locked in a three-year deal with wrestling juggernaut WWE which will see the global entertainment franchise return to the state annually until 2028, but punters have been told not to expect any more events at Optus Stadium.

In 2024, more than 50,000 fans packed the state’s premier stadium to witness the WWE’s Elimination Chamber event, the entertainment giant’s first trip to Australia in more than five years after its planned shows in 2020 and 2021 were canned as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the state government has kept the company’s subsequent appearances in Perth to RAC Arena in the CBD, including at last year’s Crown Jewel event in October that brought retiring wrestling superstar John Cena to WA as part of his farewell tour.

Premier Roger Cook said 2024’s Elimination Chamber brought more than 18,000 out-of-state visitors to WA, compared to 12,500 for Crown Jewel at RAC Arena, providing a stronger return on investment for the Optus Stadium event.

“So, in 2025 SmackDown, Crown Jewel, and Raw had a return on investment of $2.94 for every dollar spent,” he said on Friday.

“That has meant more than $58 million dollars has been generated for our economy to date across both those events.”

Cook added that RAC Arena would host three events before the end of the year.

“From this December, we’ll host a WWE event once a year through to 2028, with all three events making WWE an exclusive opportunity for Western Australia,” he said.

“The first event in this deal will the entertainment giant come back with a Friday Night SmackDown on the 11th of December, for Wrestlepalooza Perth on the 12th of December, a WWE Monday Night Raw event on the 14th of December, all at RAC Arena.”

Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said the deal was a coup for the state and continued the ongoing relationship between WA and the WWE, which flowed through to tourism and local businesses.

“We know that WWE is a global franchise. It is a franchise that countries around the world are very keen to be hosting because we know about its global audience reach, but also its impact on visitation,” she said.

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen what’s happened when WWE comes to town. There’s people everywhere in the city. The hotels are full, the bars are full, and we’ve seen incredible activity.”

Cook defended the decision to host the three events in December at RAC Arena.

“We know one of the reasons that these organisations love to come to WA is because we’ve got outstanding venues, and whether it’s UFC or WWE, I think everyone accepts that RAC Arena is huge and has got great atmosphere,” he said.