Superstar Spectacle
WWE’s first-ever Superstar Spectacle event aired today on the WWE Network, and in India on local TV to celebrate Republic Day in the country.
The event featured Jinder Mahal returning to the ring after being out of action with a knee injury since May 2020. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre also wrestled his first match since being out for two weeks with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
WWE Superstar Spectacle also featured several Indian talents in action. The goal of Superstar Spectacle was to drum up enough buzz for there to be a weekly WWE show in India, perhaps something like a WWE NXT India brand. The Superstar Spectacle tapings, held last Friday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, featured Jinder hyping the ThunderDome crowd to encourage them to cheer and tweet their support for a potential weekly show in India.
English commentary for Superstar Spectacle was done by Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Sharoz Ali. There was also commentary done in Hindi. The broadcast opened up with Triple H narrating a video package that talked about the WWE Universe in India, WWE’s past and present connections to India, and the importance of the country to WWE.
WWE did a good job of promoting the Indian talents who worked Superstar Spectacle. A video package on each Superstar aired before their match, and generally they were booked for strong in-ring performances.
Cole did mention on commentary that WWE has a goal of launching a Performance Center in India some time in the next few years.
Below are full results from Superstar Spectacle, along with clips from the show:
* NXT Champion Finn Balor defeated Guru Raaj with Coup de Grace and 1916. The story was that Raaj was the underdog challenging the veteran, Balor, who was too much for him in the end. Balor shook Raaj’s hand after the match in a show of respect
* Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Giant Zanjeer and Dilsher Shanky defeated Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, King Baron Corbin and SmackDown Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler. Shanky and Zanjeer are both proteges of former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali, and were booked as strong big men. The match ended with Rey hitting a splash from Shanky’s shoulders, onto Cesaro for the pin
* AJ Styles defeated Jeet Rama. The 40 year old Rama has been with NXT since 2015 and his success in India was played up during this match, billing him as a veteran who could hang with AJ. The match ended after Omos saved AJ from a superplex. Rama fell to the mat and AJ followed up with the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin. There was a show of respect from AJ to Rama after the match
* The New Day’s Xavier Woods and WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E came to the ring for a Bhangra dance segment with The Street Profits. A “Spinning Canvas” group of dancers joined them
* A video from The Great Khali aired with the former World Heavyweight Champion wishing everyone a Happy Republic Day
* Sareena Sandhu and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair defeated Bayley and Natalya. It was noted on commentary that Sandhu trained with one of Bayley’s original trainers. Sandhu was not as experienced as the other Indian talents, but she got the pin on Natalya after Flair hit Natalya with Natural Selection as Natalya had the Sharpshooter on Sandhu. This was billed as a big upset win for Sandhu. Charlotte and Sandhu did the Flair strut after the match
* A video package on NXT’s Kavita Devi aired. She has been with WWE since 2017 and is the first Indian female pro wrestler to wrestle for the company. Devi was previously announced for Superstar Spectacle but Cole said she was in India tonight dealing with family, but would be with us in the near future
* WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair came to the ring and talked about how it was an honor to be here and to be in front of so many fans from India. Flair wished everyone a Happy Republic Day and introduced the main event
* Indus Sher and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defeated Jinder Mahal and The Bollywood Boyz in the main event. Jinder interrupted Flair, but Drew’s entrance interrupted Jinder’s promo. Drew ran his former 3MB partner down on the mic and said this was about the fans in India, not Jinder. Drew then introduced Indus Sher, saying he’s created his own Three Man Band (3MB) of Destruction for tonight. Saurav Gurjar and Rinku Singh of NXT’s Indus Sher were booked as a strong, dominant tag team. The finish saw Indus Sher put The Bollywood Boyz away after Drew and Jinder went at it
Superstar Spectacle then went off the air with the Indian talents in the ring celebrating with McIntyre and Triple H as pyro went off and music played. The replay can be viewed now on the WWE Network.
Below are several photos and clips from Superstar Spectacle:
#WWESuperstarSpectacle starts RIGHT NOW!!@WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/aMtmKF5r64
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The future is NOW.#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/Iu38oEpz4p
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
All 👀 on the PRIN❌E.#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/wulwWxEmXc
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 26, 2021
Can @gururaajwwe take down the #WWENXT Champion???
He battles @FinnBalor RIGHT NOW at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/irdV1u3a54
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The STRIKES of @gururaajwwe!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @FinnBalor pic.twitter.com/F412DcmLzf
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
#WWESuperstarSpectacle kicks off with @gururaajwwe taking it to #NXTChampion @FinnBalor in an exciting one-on-one encounter! pic.twitter.com/kKNrYsS3zt
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
What a battle!@FinnBalor takes down @gururaajwwe at #WWESuperstarSpectacle. pic.twitter.com/SwgTkZZ8V9
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 26, 2021
Respect.#WWESuperstarSpectacle @FinnBalor @gururaajwwe pic.twitter.com/Q04HOTbDNA
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
👀 👀 👀#WWESuperstarSpectacle @giantzanjeerwwe pic.twitter.com/7VPxrnuGEN
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@DilsherShanky & @giantzanjeerwwe team up with @reymysterio and @KingRicochet to take on @HEELZiggler, King @BaronCorbinWWE, @WWECesaro & @ShinsukeN RIGHT NOW at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/kKR9ulGVWZ
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Look out, @ShinsukeN!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @DilsherShanky pic.twitter.com/bOK2YIC4ZK
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The IMPRESSIVE duo of @DilsherShanky & @giantzanjeerwwe team with high-flyers @reymysterio & @KingRicochet in this #8ManTag at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/xZPNuh9Rjc
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@KingRicochet taking a ride on @giantzanjeerwwe airlines! ✈️#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/WFZ7CE1YDH
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@reymysterio, @KingRicochet, @giantzanjeerwwe & @DilsherShanky are victorious at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/Z1lYj0KMoQ
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 26, 2021
😮🤯😮🤯#WWESuperstarSpectacle @KingRicochet @HEELZiggler pic.twitter.com/oypaJ0JrV2
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 26, 2021
#WWESuperstarSpectacle just got PHENOMENAL.@AJStylesOrg pic.twitter.com/CVTGWKIpQl
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
BE LIKE JEET!@JeetRamaWWE has his work cut out for him as he battles @AJStylesOrg RIGHT NOW at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/NA1jI7nqdS
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Simply PHENOMENAL.#WWESuperstarSpectacle @AJStylesOrg @JeetRamaWWE pic.twitter.com/uoEqpha187
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@JeetRamaWWE is taking @AJStylesOrg on a trip down JEET STREET! 👀#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/G0XRwWh6TV
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The Phenomenal @AJStylesOrg is taking a trip to JEET STREET against @JeetRamaWWE at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/RWxRwHU9hU
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Nothing but respect after @AJStylesOrg picks up the win over @JeetRamaWWE at #WWESuperstarSpectacle. pic.twitter.com/KARPyrRTvF
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Spinning Canvas puts the SPECTACLE in #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/FnC1PSEDg1
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
It's a #NewDay, yes it is!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @AustinCreedWins @WWEBigE pic.twitter.com/x3pxi6lRyV
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The team of @MsCharlotteWWE & Sareena Sandhu meet @itsBayleyWWE & @NatByNature at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/eN2EzCsUJH
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
👏👏👏👏#WWESuperstarSpectacle @spinningcanvas pic.twitter.com/v19deBRS92
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 26, 2021
WOOOOOOO!@RicFlairNatrBoy celebrates Republic Day in style at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/e2cXIgl4EP
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
#TheQueen is in the house.#WWESuperstarSpectacle @MsCharlotteWWE pic.twitter.com/cMme9pQRe4
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
👋, @g8khali!!#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/j4t7rAYg1Q
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
#TheQueen's gear 👏 🇮🇳#WWESuperstarSpectacle @MsCharlotteWWE pic.twitter.com/G58xKMX1e2
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Sareena Sandhu teams up with @MsCharlotteWWE to take on @NatbyNature and @itsBayleyWWE RIGHT NOW at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/uJzqLKlLZb
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 26, 2021
👋, @g8khali!!#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/j4t7rAYg1Q
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
🖤🖤🖤#WWESuperstarSpectacle @NatbyNature pic.twitter.com/ko082bHDzZ
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
What a win for @MsCharlotteWWE and Sareena Sandhu! #WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/Gn7BSkiKHy
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Woooo!@RicFlairNatrBoy is here! #WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/AntJDMlKu5
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The Modern Day Maharaja is BACK!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @JinderMahal @BollywoodBoyz pic.twitter.com/OGy70Knegi
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
The #WWEChampion has ARRIVED!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @DMcIntyreWWE pic.twitter.com/3NzXJqTB07
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@DMcIntyreWWE has himself a 3-Man Band with #IndusSher! #WWESuperstarSpectacle
@gurjar_saurav @RealRinkuSingh pic.twitter.com/lAT6AkZ7Rf
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
Turned him inside out!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @RealRinkuSingh @BollywoodBoyz pic.twitter.com/Pkhw0ngBdF
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
#WWEChampion @DMcIntyreWWE teams with #IndusSher to take on @BollywoodBoyz & the returning @JinderMahal at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/OUMr2xpwXv
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
🎥🍿🎥#WWESuperstarSpectacle @BollywoodBoyz pic.twitter.com/0t2Ewuv9vT
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@DMcIntyreWWE is FEELIN' IT!#WWESuperstarSpectacle @JinderMahal pic.twitter.com/VfDBMl8cnJ
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
.@gurjar_saurav, @RealRinkuSingh and @DMcIntyreWWE reign supreme at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/aUGPRrYXhP
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
A victory for @DMcIntyreWWE & #IndusSher and a spectacular CELEBRATION at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/RQu23plc42
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
… And we're just getting started. Here's to the future.👏👏👏#WWESuperstarSpectacle pic.twitter.com/3ATEsbG2xN
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021
A victory for @DMcIntyreWWE & #IndusSher and a spectacular CELEBRATION at #WWESuperstarSpectacle! pic.twitter.com/RQu23plc42
— WWE (@WWE) January 26, 2021