A packed house, 11,000 fans making everything vibrate, tirelessly, for three hours of fighting. The French public set the LDLC Arena (Décines, Rhône) on fire for the first two television tapings in WWE history in France, on May 3 and 4. The American wrestling company filmed and rebroadcast two of its two flagship shows – a first on French soil – and it was a real success.
“I expected it to be crazy, but at this level…! » exclaims French wrestler Tom La Ruffa. He has been playing in the discipline for twenty years and served as a security agent at the event. “The energy of the crowd… It was absolutely magnificent,” he adds. We are entering a new dimension! »
“The Americans have never seen this”
Videos have since circulated en masse on the Internet, expressing admiration to a French public, as unexpected as they are incredible. The 95% French crowd welcomed Triple H and Cody Rhodes, idol wrestlers and WWE bosses, like real rock stars. The enthusiasm was such that fans’ screams triggered “decibels too loud” alerts on iPhones and connected watches, as Triple H shared on X.
“This is the first time that there have been sound alerts,” says Tom La Ruffa. And it’s not a concert! People were jumping up and down in an earthquake, the cameras were shaking. The Americans have never seen this. Check out Triple H’s tweet! He’s been wrestling since 1990. In thirty years, he’s never seen this. It’s huge that it was the French who did this. »
The event also shattered financial records. In twenty-five years of broadcasting, it is the most profitable Smackdown and Backlash in history. “They make their biggest numbers with just the entry tickets,” says the 40-year-old wrestler. Tom La Ruffa worked for four years at the WWE development center in Orlando (Florida) and knows the excitement surrounding fights in the United States. Several times this weekend he had a tear in his eye. “I’m amazed, amazed, it couldn’t have gone better,” he says.
“All WWE wrestlers want to come back to France”
Jean-Michel Aulas, former boss of OL, Rayan Cherki and Maxence Caqueret, players: in total, 30,000 have spent between 80 and 880 euros to attend the shows. In France, a fight brings together on average between 500 and 1,000 spectators. “For several years, our fans have been very invested, very vocal,” explains Tristan Archer, another French wrestler. They created particular chants, which American wrestlers are not used to seeing, he says. It’s a change from their regular audience, and it increases their emotions tenfold! All WWE wrestlers want to come back to France. »
The discipline is experiencing renewed interest. The rooms are filling up more and more. Bercy notably hosted two shows in 2023. “It’s not just a fashion,” says Tristan Archer. It’s been four years since WWE came to France and it’s a mess every time! That’s why they wanted to film. »
The investment was daring: sound, lighting, commentator, TV production, camera. The event has been planned for months. “A success was vital,” says Tom La Ruffa, “otherwise it would have cooled them down for the future. It was an exceptional chance to show that wrestling in France can really work, there is gigantic potential which is not being exploited. So the Americans do it. »
In the USA, they create athletes, storylines, there are good guys, bad guys, it speaks to everyone. Hence the heterogeneous public present this weekend in Lyon. “It’s like a series,” says Tristan Archer. In France, we stuck with something that was too classic, old-fashioned, cliché, a bit beauf. »
A new arrival from WWE, with a camera, seems obvious. “Sure and certain,” says Tristan. But where ? Paris or Lille, surely next year depending on their prediction. In the meantime, French fans will be able to console themselves in front of their screens. WWE should arrive on Netflix within a few months.