WWE Backlash 2024 Set for France in May; Triple H Hypes 1st PLE in History in France

WWE's international Premium Live Event initiative is taking over France.

The company announced next May's Backlash PLE will be held at LDLC Arena in Lyon-Decines, marking the first time WWE has held a PLE in France.

WWE has been intently focused on broadening its international audience in recent years. The company has been running multiple PLEs in Saudi Arabia on a yearly basis since 2018, and they've added Wales (2022) and England (2023) to the mix the last two years. WWE already announced an Australian PLE, which is set for next February in Perth.

With domestic sales skyrocketing across the board, it's only natural that WWE begins taking its PLEs elsewhere to give fans a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While the timing of the events might create a bit of an issue with stateside audiences—international PLEs have tended to run in the middle of the afternoon/morning, depending on where you're located—they've seen massive crowds.

"We are a global company, we intend to be a global company, we intend to be global, so never say never for any event," Triple H said in July. "The intent is there, it is a lot more difficult than it appears, but the intent is there. And if there's a way to get a lot of these international events done, we're hell-bent on doing it."

WWE's relationship with Peacock, which hosts every PLE on its platform, also creates an opportunity for these international events. In the pay-per-view era, WWE stayed in the United States and Canada to avoid drop-offs in sales due to odd times.

With PLEs now available on demand—and WWE already being paid as part of a licensing deal—they can take more risks with where to hold events.

WWE has run house shows in Europe for years, but odds are they won't have any trouble selling out the spectacle of a PLE in France next year.

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