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The Paris La Défense Arena has, in recent times, been a stadium that has seen little in the way of excitement. At least, that's what Racing Metro 92 fans would tell you. The rugby side who call the La Défense Arena home, continue to struggle in the French Top 14 and ultimately make up the numbers rather than competing at the top.
Indeed, it has been nearly ten years since Racing last won a trophy, and that doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon with the team priced at 22/1 in the latest sports betting odds to win the French Top 14 in 2025.
Instead, the Paddy Power blog, which provides up-to-date predictions on the biggest sporting events, is backing Toulouse at short odds of 8/13 to win the Top 14.
Irrespective of how bleak the outlook might be for Racing this season, fireworks are still guaranteed at their home La Defense Arena this summer as WWE’s biggest stars descend on France’s capital for what has been initially dubbed the ‘Clash in Paris.'
This is an event that is likely to shake the region into life and reward long-suffering sports fans, especially if the current WWE Champion defends his title once more on French soil.
The reason for the optimism of seeing an official WWE title match in Paris is after Cody Rhodes stole the show in Lyon in 2024.
This event in Lyon was WWE’s first foray into France and despite a relatively low number of pay-per-view buys—likely due to the afternoon start time in the USA—the enthusiasm from those at the LDLC Arena was unlike anything the company had experienced before.
Kick off #BacklashFrance ????@WWE alors on en pense quoi du public français ? pic.twitter.com/52rS8PjcZy
— LDLC Arena (@LDLC_Arena) May 3, 2024
So much so that smartwatches began pinging during the show with urgent notifications about potential hearing loss as noise levels reached an ear-splitting 100 decibels. This remarkable moment took WWE's top brass by total surprise and even prompted Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque—better known as Triple H—to describe the Lyon crowd as "absolutely insane" in a tweet once the event had ended.
The @WWEUniverse in France literally received a warning about the noise level tonight at #SmackDown @LDLC_Arena. Absolutely insane.
— Triple H (@TripleH) May 3, 2024
Like @myMotorhead said… “Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud.” pic.twitter.com/i4KMGnfUtY
As touched on, the crescendo of the night came during Rhodes' title match against AJ Styles when he defeated ‘The Phenomenal One’ by pinfall in front of a boisterous crowd of 11,682.
Adding to an electric headline act that had everyone on their feet, the night was made even more historic as Rhodes and Styles’ match was officiated by Jessika Carr who became the first female referee to oversee a title contest and main event.
Given how successful WWE’s debut in France was, it’s easy to see why the company has decided to return. This time, however, the WWE are upping the ante as they get ready to give their passionate French fans once more what they want: the biggest names in the history of the industry fighting for the titles that matter the most.
With the potential for one of WWE’s greatest-ever performers to take part in ‘Clash in Paris’ and La Defense Arena able to hold nearly three times the capacity of Lyon’s LDLC Arena, smartwatches may once again be forced to interrupt proceedings to warn those in attendance about the dangers of sustained loud noise.
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