Telethon 2025: WA’s sickest kids paid visit by global WWE stars at Perth Children’s Hospital

WA’s sickest kids came face-to-face with some of the world’s biggest WWE stars when they traded the wrestling ring for the halls of Perth Children’s Hospital.

Ahead of this weekend’s showdown, WWE champions Grayson Waller, Stephanie Vaquer, Nathan Frazer and Axiom visited the wards and were on hand to help Premier Roger Cook and Little Telethon Stars from over the years pack “Supertees” on Thursday morning.

Supertees are superhero-inspired cotton garments with side openings, allowing parents and medical staff to easily change clothing and bypass medical lines.

The garbs became a Telethon beneficiary in 2025, with more than 1500 set to be supplied to WA hospitals over the next year.

The children squealed with delight, with some little ones visibly terrified by Axiom’s infamous wrestler mask.

Waller said meeting his young fans and giving back to the community was the “best part of the job”.

“Obviously, it’s fun to go on the ring and slap someone, that’s a very enjoyable part about what we do,” the Aussie champion said.

“But getting to come here and meet the kids, and for me personally, being Australian and getting to come to these places and give back and meet all of the kids who are super excited to have us ... it’s really cool to be here.

“When I’m in the ring, or I’m walking out in that stadium, I couldn’t care less what the fans think ... but when we’re here, this is the cool opportunity to talk to them one-on-one, actually get to know their name (and) hear a little bit about their story.”

The 35-year-old said he was inspired by Telethon’s Little Stars and Champions, adding that they were some of the strongest kids he had ever met.

“They’re really strong kids, what we do is tough, but it’s nothing compared to what they’re doing,” he said.

“For them to be here and welcome us and trust us to help them out means a lot to me.

“I want people to remember that Australia has very strong people — you can see that today with some of the kids that we’re meeting.”

The WWE stars were also presented with a stunning championship belt, with the phrase “undisputed champion” emblazoned on the front.

Vaquer described the morning as “motivating”, and said she was impressed by the children’s teamwork.

“Kids always say, ‘I’m motivated by you’, but we take motivation from this,” the Chilean superstar said.

“We can see amazing work here and amazing little people.”

Former Telethon Star and WWE mega-fan Ollie Lim said he was “still in shock” that he got to meet some of his favourite wrestlers, and said it was inspiring to see them make a positive change.

“It’s so beautiful to see people making an impact and trying to make a difference in these kids’ lives, because that’s more of what we need,” he said.

“(The wrestlers) have millions of followers, they don’t have to be doing this, but they do it because they’re kind, and they do it because they want to show love and help kids in hospital.”

The wrestlers, who were joined by both the Premier and Tourism Minister Reece Whitby, also paid a visit to Telethon beneficiaries including Radio Lollipop and Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Mr Cook said he was thrilled the WWE stars could share in the spirit of Telethon.

“Grayson Waller is an Aussie, he knows how good Telethon is, and here we see kids helping kids, putting away these t-shirt packages together,” he said.

“(Telethon) is obviously a period of giving, but the most rewarding aspect of Telethon is seeing young kids giving over their pocket money and setting up lemonade stands (and) doing extra chores around the house to raise money for Telethon.

“That’s what makes it such a special occasion.”