Perth the Crown Jewel of WWE as franchise’s biggest stars fly west

While wrestling fans packed Perth’s CBD on Friday hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the WWE’s biggest stars, it was, predictably, WA Premier Roger Cook who scored a selfie with John Cena.

Or, as the running joke goes, Cook got a photo of himself and some WWE belts.

The wrestling roadshow has rolled into town as part of a weekend “takeover” of three shows at RAC Arena, and Saturday’s Crown Jewel: Perth was the main event.

The broadcast was shown around the world via Netflix as part of a mega-deal struck between the streamer and WWE, and was also shown on ESPN in the United States.

In the ring, there were perhaps few surprises for fans of the franchise, save for an upset as reigning Crown Jewel champion Cody Rhodes was defeated by Seth Rollins for the first time in the pair’s history in the ring.

Hometown hero Rhea Ripley, returning to Perth after success at last year’s Elimination Chamber, defeated Asuka and Kairi Sane with the help of tag-team partner Iyo Sky.

But in the fight that had fans flying to Perth from across the country, there was never any doubt as John Cena disposed of AJ Styles with a pinfall victory.

Playing all the hits for Cena’s last Australian WWE appearance, the pair performed famous moves usually deployed by other wrestlers, including Samoa Joe’s Coquina Clutch and Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music.

Out of the ring, Cook added fuel to the fire of a more local rivalry, presenting Cena with a Fremantle Dockers jersey, which he declared the “only decent local footy team”, which also begs the question as to what position the hulking, 114-kilogram wrestler would play.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Reece Whitby lauded the boost to the state’s economy, declaring the weekend a spectacle which had showcased WA on the global stage.

“Our pubs, clubs, restaurants, bars and hotels are buzzing, and we expect many visitors to extend their stay and explore more of what our state has to offer, generating millions of dollars for our visitor economy,” he said.

The wrestle-mania will continue to grip Perth into the week, with the Monday Night RAW event still to come.