A Yokine woman stumbled on the photo opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night when WWE icon John Cena suddenly walked past her while she was on a tour of the backstage area before Crown Jewel at RAC Arena.
Steph Gan thought she was going backstage to see how WWE prepare for their broadcasts. She’d already had photos at an official pre-show event with star pair Bayley and Shinsuke Nakamura.
So when Cena walked past in the build up to Crown Jewel, the 31-year-old seized her chance to get a photo.
“I was very lucky. It was pure luck,” Gan told The West Australian.
“It happened so quickly. He was walking past, so the group I was with asked if we could have a photo. He stopped and said he was happy to take the photos. He stayed with us all for a few photos.
“We thought we were just going to see how the WWE is set up because the photos had all been done at the other event. I thought we might get glimpses of some wrestlers but I did not think we’d get that.”
Gan sat four rows from the ring where she had the perfect view of Cena’s match against AJ Styles which has received rave reviews all around the world. Cena will retire in December and now only has four matches remaining. RAC Arena was a sea of gold on Saturday night as thousands of people purchased the commemorative t-shirt which was made for the event.
Styles has announced he will retire in 2026, and the pair used the match to repeat the famous moves stars they have wrestled with and against during their illustrious careers, as a tribute to the industry.
The match was so emotional that many WWE stars left the backstage area to watch it with the crowd.
Gan said Crown Jewel has exceeded all of her expectations.
“It was amazing. I had such a great time,” Gan said.
RAC Arena will be packed again on Monday night to watch WWE Raw. All eyes will be on Crown Jewel champion Seth Rollins to see how he reacts to the storylines from Saturday night.
Two matches have been announced. Dominik Mysterio will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Penta while Bayley and Lyra Valkyria to take on Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriquez. in a tag-team match.
Mysterio didn’t wrestle when WWE travelled to Perth for Elimination Chamber in 2024 but was ringside when The Judgment Day defended their tag-team championships. The crowd at Optus Stadium relished their role of abusing Mysterio’s heel character that day and he is eagerly anticipating how they will behave tonight.
“I’m excited to be back in town,” Mysterio told The West Australian.
“Early in 2024 when we were here, they had to black out the TV when I was on because they were yelling all kinds of stuff at me. I’m excited to see how the crowd reacts.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/wrestling/perth-woman-steph-gan-gets-backstage-photo-with-wwe-megastar-john-cena-at-crown-jewel-c-20334405
