As we previously noted here on WrestlingHeadlines.com, the Crown Jewel: Perth kickoff show drew some unexpected controversy when a large protion of the Australian crowd booed during a live rendition of the United States National Anthem. The incident quickly made the rounds online, with many fans debating whether WWE made the right call in including the performance during an international broadcast.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shed additional light on the situation, claiming that WWE’s production team lowered the live crowd audio feed in an effort to minimize how loud the boos came across on television. He said,
“They had to turn the sound really low. Someone I know who was at the show told me it was a lot worse than it came off on TV, which honestly shocked me that they even went through with it. Do they know what the rest of the world thinks of our country right now? That’s being pretty out of touch. You basically can’t do that anywhere but the United States these days.”
This isn’t the first time the anthem has drawn a mixed reaction at a WWE international event. Earlier this year, fans at Elimination Chamber 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, also booed during a similar performance, sparking similar discussions online about WWE’s decision-making regarding patriotic displays outside of the U.S.
Crown Jewel: Perth marked WWE’s fifth international premium live event of 2025, continuing the company’s growing global expansion strategy. Looking ahead to 2026, WWE is slated to bring the Royal Rumble to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while another major international event is reportedly being planned for Italy later in the year.
