WWE RAW returns to Montreal after a 5-year absence

Text by Pat LaPrade, from the site Wrestling. Quebec

Earlier today, European specialist site Catch-Newz broke the news that WWE will present a taping of its flagship show, Raw, on Monday, April 15, 2024 live from the Bell Center in Montreal.

Although WWE has not announced anything yet, I am able to confirm this news.

In fact, WWE will be at the Bell Center on April 15, just eight days after WrestleMania 40.

This will be Raw’s first show in Montreal since 2019, which surprisingly also took place on April 15.

Currently, Quebec native Kevin Owens is on SmackDown on Fridays, while his compatriot Sami Zayn is on Raw. However, we recently learned that Zayn has requested a leave of absence from WWE. So we don’t know whether he will be back or not by April 15.

But hey, as we know, a lot of things can change in four months. On the other hand, this event could mark CM Punk’s return to Montreal after more than 10 years.

Beyond raw mania!
WrestleMania will take place in Philadelphia this year from April 6-7. The Mania Raw post-show will also be held in the City of Brotherly Love on April 8. So the company decided to stay on the East Coast, as it did in 2019 with New York and Montreal.

At least 10,000 spectators
In 2019, the event attracted 10,500 spectators, while in April 2018, 13,500 fans passed through the turnstiles of the Bell Center for a Raw show. It should be noted that SmackDown was shown in the same arena the day after these two shows.

The last time Raw was taped live from Quebec, it was in Quebec City last August and attracted 10,583 fans.

So I expect a crowd of between 12,000 and 13,000 on April 15.

SmackDown in Quebec?
I’m already waiting for a question from wrestling fans in Quebec! Can Videotron Center host SmackDown?

It’s not impossible.

Although SmackDown has been confirmed for April 19 in Pittsburgh, it is not impossible to believe that the show could be taped from Quebec on the previous Friday, April 12.

Alternatively, a non-televised show could be produced there on Saturday or Sunday. He follows!

On that note, the next WWE meeting will be on December 28 at Place Bell, in a non-televised event.