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List of the largest attendances in the history of British professional wrestling From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of professional wrestling attendance records in the United Kingdom. World Wrestling Entertainment holds the record for the largest wrestling crowd in the UK with an attendance of 78,927 for Summerslam '92'.
In its heyday, British-based Joint Promotions and its independent rivals generally relied on intensive touring rather than major individual shows - by the mid 1960s Joint had an annual touring schedule of between 4000 and 5000 house shows including weekly residencies in over thirty cities.[1] However, Joint regularly appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in London (capacity 5,272)[2] and organised three major shows at Wembley Arena between 1979 and 1981 at the height of top star Big Daddy's popularity. Both venues would later host WWF and WCW shows.
The mainstream popularity of British wrestling largely declined after the cancellation of ITV's World of Sport in 1985 and then the standalone Wrestling programme on the network in 1988. (A programme continued on regional Welsh language terrestrial channel S4C until 1995.) Joint Promotions closed down in February 1995, although rival All Star Wrestling, which supplanted Joint as dominant local promotion in the late 1980s after taking over a share of the final two years of ITV coverage, survives at grassroots level as of 2024.
As a result, all of the attendance records formerly set by British wrestling promotions were gradually surpassed in the years following the WWF's arrival in the UK. The WWF's official UK debut took place on October 10, 1989, at the sold-out London Arena in London, England. The main event was a match between Hulk Hogan (with Miss Elizabeth) and Randy Savage (with Sensational Sherri) for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. The event was broadcast live on Sky One. A similar show was held the next night in Birmingham.[3]
This was followed by a series of high profile UK tours, starting with the 1991 UK Rampage. By August 1992 this had culimated in the WWF holding Summerslam '92 at Wembley Stadium before nearly 80,000 fans - a live event on a scale precedented within the worldwide wrestling industry only by 1987's Wrestlemania III. WCW meanwhile, with WCW Worldwide in a graveyard slot on ITV, conducted an exploratory tour in December 1991. Fuller tours were conducted in 1993-1994 by which time ITV had moved WCW to British wrestling's old Saturday afternoon timeslot. These ceased once the company moved to pan-European satellite channel Superchannel in late 1995 but resumed after the move back to terrestrial television on Channel 5 in 1999, with two more tours in 2000 before the company closed in 2001.
A series of live and PPV events, Mayhem in Manchester (1998), No Mercy (1999), Rebellion (1999-2002), Insurrextion (2000-2003), were created exclusively for the British market. WWE ended all-UK exclusive pay-per-views when its weekly programming began broadcasting on British television in 2004. According to this list, 13 events are from WWE's flagship television show WWE Raw and 5 from WWE Smackdown, which since 2005's has been held exclusively in stadiums that typically have a seating capacity of at least 20,000 people or more. Only two of the attendances listed are non-WWE events, AEW's 2023 Wembley Stadaium show All In and a house show during WCW Nitro U.K. Tour 2000! which is the last remaining record set by the company. All bar one of these events have been held in England, most often in the metropolitan areas of either Manchester or the capital city of London, the exception being 2022 Cardiff, Wales WWE event Clash at the Castle. On November 15, 2015, an Insane Championship Wrestling show in Glasgow, Scotland, headlined by Grado vs. Drew Galloway, drew a sellout crowd of 3,802 fans and a $152,780 gate. It was the biggest crowd for a British-based promotion since 1982 and the largest UK gate of the "modern-era".[4]
No. | Promotion | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | — |
Yukio Tani vs. three opponents January 14, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 15,000 | Yukio Tani vs. three opponents | [29] |
— |
George Hackenschmidt vs. Alexander Munro October 28, 1905 |
Glasgow, Scotland | Ibrox Park | George Hackenschmidt (c) vs. Alexander Munro in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the World Catch-As-Catch-Can Championship | [29][30] | ||
2. | — |
Scottish Athletic Championship Tournament (Final Day) December 12, 1903 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 12,000 | Alec Bain vs. Jack Carkeek in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls tournament final for the International World's Championship | [29][31] |
— |
Alexander Munro vs. Tom Jenkins May 28, 1904 |
Glasgow, Scotland | Ibrox Park | Alexander Munro vs. Tom Jenkins in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [29] | ||
— |
Georg Lurich vs. A. A. Cameron July 9, 1904 |
Glasgow, Scotland | Meadowside | Georg Lurich vs. A. A. Cameron | [29] | ||
— |
Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski November 11, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski | [29] | ||
— |
The Great Gama vs. Stanislaus Zbyszko September 10, 1910 |
London, England | Shepherd's Bush Stadium | The Great Gama vs. Stanislaus Zbyszko for the John Bull Championship | [32][33] | ||
— |
Bert Assirati vs. The French Angel August 10, 1948 |
London, England | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | Bert Assirati vs. The French Angel | [34] | ||
3. | — |
Georg Strenge vs. Gustavus Rennart June 30, 1906 |
Glasgow, Scotland | Celtic Park | 10,000+[Note 1] | Georg Strenge vs. Gustavus Rennart | [29] |
— |
Jack Carkeek vs. Alex Munro August 15, 1903 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 10,000+[Note 2] | Jack Carkeek vs. Alex Munro | [29] | |
— |
George Steadman vs. Charles Green August 10, 1895 |
Morpeth, England | 10,000+[Note 3] | George Steadman vs. Charles Green | [29] | ||
— |
Paul Pons vs. Simon Antonitch January 9, 1904 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 10,000+[Note 3] | Paul Pons vs. Simon Antonitch | [29] | |
— |
Antonio Pierri vs. George Steadman August 2, 1890 |
Bridge of Allan, Scotland | Public Park | 10,000+[Note 4] | Antonio Pierri vs. George Steadman | [29] | |
— |
Alex Munro vs. Max Muller November 4, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 10,000+ | Alex Munro vs. Max Muller | [29] | |
— |
Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski December 9, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 10,000+ | Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski | [29] | |
— |
Alex Munro vs. Meiler January 10, 1906 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 10,000+ | Alex Munro vs. Meiler | [29] | |
— |
Alex Munro vs. Alfred Kramer January 4, 1904 |
Glasgow, Scotland | Ibrox Stadium | 10,000 | Alex Munro vs. Alfred Kramer for the British Mixed Style Championship | [29] | |
— |
Alex Munro vs. three opponents October 8, 1904 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alex Munro vs. three opponents | [29] | ||
— |
Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski November 7, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski | [29] | ||
— |
Alexander Munro vs. Ahmed Madrali January 12, 1906 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alexander Munro vs. Ahmed Madrali in a Handicap match; Per the pre-match stipulation, Madrali was required to defeat Munro within 10 minutes to win the match. | [29] | ||
— |
Alex Munro vs. multiple wrestlers April 3, 1909 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alex Munro vs. multiple wrestlers | [29] | ||
Big Daddy vs. John Quinn June 27, 1979 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | Big Daddy vs. John Quinn | [35] | |||
4. | — |
Danno O'Mahoney vs. Carl Hansen February 9, 1936 |
Belfast, Northern Ireland | 9,000 | Danno O'Mahoney (c) vs. Carl Hansen for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [36] | |
5. | — |
Paul Pons vs. Anastace Anglio January 7, 1904 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 8,000+[Note 5] | Paul Pons vs. Anastace Anglio | [29] |
— |
Ike Smith vs. Joe Acton July 2, 1881 |
Wigan, England | Ince Recreation Grounds | 8,000 | Ike Smith vs. Joe Acton | [29] | |
— |
Scottish Athletic Championship Tournament (Day 1) December 5, 1903 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Jack Carkeek vs. J.J. Miller | [29] | ||
— |
Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski November 9, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alex Munro vs. Yan Kosski | [29] | ||
— |
The Great Gama vs. Dr. B.F. Roller August 6, 1910 |
London, England | Alhambra Theater | The Great Gama vs. Dr. B.F. Roller | [32] | ||
6. | — |
Iman Bux vs. John Lemm September 5, 1910 |
London, England | Alhambra Theater | 7,500 | Iman Bux vs. John Lemm | [32] |
7. | — |
Ike Smith vs. Joe Acton November 19, 1881 |
Chadderton, England | Moston Park Grounds | 7,000+[Note 6] | Ike Smith vs. Joe Acton | [29] |
— |
Tom Connors vs. Tom Clayton May 13, 1893 |
Audenshaw, England | Snipe Inn Grounds | 7,000 | Tom Connors vs. Tom Clayton for the World Catch-As-Catch-Can Championship | [29] | |
— |
Tom Cannon vs. Paul Pons July 30, 1898 |
Walton, England | Goodison Park | Tom Cannon (c) vs. Paul Pons in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the World Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship | [29][37] | ||
— |
George Hackenschmidt vs. Ahmed Madrali January 30, 1904 |
London, England | Olympia Hall | George Hackenschmidt (with Ferdinand Gruhn and Jakob Koch) (c) vs. Ahmed Madrali (with Antonio Pierri and Tom Cannon) in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the World Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship | [29][38] | ||
— |
Alex Munro vs. Ackbar Ackmuch & W. L. Ross September 10, 1904 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Alex Munro vs. Ackbar Ackmuch and W. L. Ross | [29] | ||
— |
Yan Kosski vs. Robertson & Peterson November 6, 1905 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Yan Kosski vs. Robertson and Peterson | [29] | ||
Roy St. Clair vs. Roy Bull Davis September 27, 1969 |
Manchester, England | Belle Vue | Roy St. Clair vs. Roy Bull Davis | [39] | |||
Big Daddy vs. Giant Haystacks October 4, 1981 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | Big Daddy vs. Giant Haystacks | [35] | |||
8. | — |
Raoul le Boucher vs. Eduard Ritzler January 4, 1904 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | 6,000+[Note 7] | Raoul le Boucher vs. Eduard Ritzler | [29] |
— |
Alex Munro vs. Jack Driscoll July 3, 1909 |
Rothienorman, Scotland | 6,000+[Note 8] | Alex Munro vs. Jack Driscoll | [29] | ||
— |
Ike Smith vs. Joe Acton April 30, 1881 |
Farnworth, England | Larkhill Grounds | 6,000 | Ike Smith vs. Joe Acton | [29] | |
— |
Ike Smith vs. Tom Connors July 8, 1882 |
Oldham, England | Borough Grounds | Ike Smith vs. Tom Connors | [29] | ||
— |
Sam Moores vs. James Barker March 3, 1883 |
Audenshaw, England | Snipe Inn Grounds | Sam Moores vs. James Barker | [29] | ||
— |
Tom Clayton vs. Tom Connors June 13, 1891 |
Farnworth, England | Larkhill Grounds | Tom Clayton vs. Tom Connors | [29] | ||
— |
Tom Connors vs. Tom Clayton May 25, 1895 |
Failsworth, England | Moorfield Recreational Grounds | Tom Connors vs. Tom Clayton in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the World Catchweight Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship | [29][40] | ||
— |
Evan Lewis vs. Joe Carroll July 17, 1897 |
Bolton, England | Burnden Park | Evan Lewis vs. Joe Carroll for the World Catch-As-Catch-Can Championship | [29] | ||
— |
Jack Carkeek vs. Carl Beck & Victor Ajax January 5, 1903 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Jack Carkeek vs. Carl Beck and Victor Ajax | [29] | ||
— |
Jim Mellor vs. Hugh Lannan April 23, 1904 |
London, England | Crystal Palace Stadium | Jim Mellor vs. Hugh Lannan | [29] | ||
— |
George Hackenschmidt vs. Ahmed Madrali April 28, 1906 |
London, England | Olympia Hall | George Hackenschmidt vs. Ahmed Madrali | [29][41] | ||
9. | Big Daddy & Wayne Bridges vs. John Quinn & Yasu Fuji June 11, 1980 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | 5,500 | Big Daddy and Wayne Bridges vs. John Quinn and Yasu Fuji | [35] | |
10. | — |
Antonio Pierri vs. George Steadman August 21, 1890 |
Grasmere, England | Pavement End | 5,000+[Note 9] | Antonio Pierri vs. George Steadman in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [29] |
— |
Tom Cannon vs. Tom McInerney October 13, 1893 |
Liverpool, England | Hengler's Circus | 5,000 | Tom Cannon vs. Tom McInerney for the World Catch-As-Catch-Can Championship | [29] | |
— |
Tom Cannon vs. George Rasso March 29, 1894 |
Tom Cannon vs. George Rasso for the World Greco-Roman Championship | [29] | ||||
— |
Tom Cannon vs. Tom McInerney August 27, 1894 |
Tom Cannon vs. Tom McInerney for the World Mixed Wrestling Championship | [29] | ||||
— |
Tom Cannon vs. Antonio Pierri April 28, 1896 |
Tom Cannon (c) vs. Antonio Pierri for the World Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship | [29][42] | ||||
— |
Tom Cannon vs. Jack Carkeek October 2, 1899 |
Tom Cannon vs. Jack Carkeek for the World Greco-Roman Championship | [29] | ||||
— |
Tom Cannon vs. Jack Carkeek October 30, 1899 |
Tom Cannon vs. Jack Carkeek for the World Greco-Roman Championship | [29] | ||||
— |
Jack Carkeek vs. James Morrison August 13, 1903 |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Waverley Market | Jack Carkeek vs. James Morrison[Note 10] | [29] |
No. | Promoter | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | WWF | SummerSlam August 29, 1992 |
London, England | Wembley Stadium | 78,927 | Bret Hart (c) vs. The British Bulldog for the WWF Intercontinental Championship | [5] |
2. | WWF | Mayhem in Manchester April 4, 1998 |
Manchester, England | NYNEX Arena | 18,514 | The Undertaker vs. Kane | [9] |
3. | WWF | No Mercy May 16, 1999 |
Manchester, England | Manchester Evening News Arena | 18,407 | Steve Austin (c) vs. Triple H vs. The Undertaker in a Anything Goes Triple Threat match for the WWF Championship | [11] |
4. | WWF | No Mercy Tour April 2, 1999 |
Sheffield, England | Sheffield Arena | 12,744 | Steve Austin (c) vs. The Rock for the WWF Championship | |
5. | WWF | No Mercy Tour April 4, 1999 |
Birmingham, England | National Exhibition Centre | 12,236 | Steve Austin and Paul Wight vs. The Rock and Ken Shamrock | |
6. | WWF | UK Rampage Tour October 4, 1991 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | 12,000 | The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) (c) vs. The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs) for the WWF World Tag Team Championship | |
WWF | UK Rampage Tour September 29, 1992 |
Birmingham, England | National Exhibition Centre | Ric Flair (c) vs. Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship | |||
7. | WWF | Rebellion October 2, 1999 |
Birmingham, England | National Indoor Arena | 11,939 | Triple H (c) vs. The Rock in a Steel Cage match for the WWF Championship | |
8. | WCW | The Real Event March 12, 1993 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | 11,500 | Big Van Vader (c) vs. Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship | [43] |
9. | WWF | UK Rampage Tour May 2, 1991 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | 11,000 | The Ultimate Warrior vs. The Undertaker | |
WWF | UK Rampage Tour April 13, 1992 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | Randy Savage (c) vs. The Mountie for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship | |||
WWF | UK Rampage Tour April 14, 1992 |
London, England | Wembley Arena | Sid Justice vs. The Undertaker | |||
WWF | WWF One Night Only September 20, 1997 |
Birmingham, England | NEC Arena | The British Bulldog (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF European Championship | |||
10. | WWF | WWF Live in Newcastle upon Tyne April 3, 1999 |
Newcastle upon Tyne, England | Telewest Arena | 10,699 | Steve Austin (c) vs. Big Boss Man for the WWF Championship |
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