The last time WWE held a premium live event in Canada, they were still called pay-per-views, and it’s been even longer — more than a decade, in fact — since one took place in Montreal. But that’s about to change come February.
WWE announced today that Elimination Chamber will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It will be the first premium live event in that city since Breaking Point in 2009, and the first to be held anywhere in Canada since SummerSlam 2019 in Toronto.
SmackDown will also originate from the Bell Centre on the night before Elimination Chamber, and WWE is trying to encourage fans to attend both events by offering combo tickets earlier (on Friday, Nov. 18) than it is individual tickets (Friday, Dec. 2) for the shows.
The WWE premium live event schedule for the next few months is still a bit in flux. Crown Jewel and Survivor Series are set for Nov. 5 and Nov. 26, respectively, close to the dates on which they were held last year.
But the Day 1 show originally promoted for Jan. 1 will reportedly not be held on that day, which would leave an unusually long gap for premium live events between Survivor Series and Royal Rumble on Jan. 28.
The Elimination Chamber announcement for Montreal suggests that WWE might see that show as one to hold outside the U.S. on an ongoing basis going forward. The 2021 edition of Elimination Chamber took place at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia, essentially replacing Crown Jewel as the major event for that country last year.
The last Elimination Chamber held with in the U.S. was at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on March 8, 2020, and was notable for being the final WWE premium live event in front of live fans before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to put on 14 of them in a row without audiences in Florida.
Anyone interested in pre-sale opportunities for Elimination Chamber 2023 can pre-register online right now.