There are numerous pro-wrestling connections attached to this year’s Super Bowl. Most notably, Los Angeles SoFi Stadium will be hosting the big game this year and in 13 months will host WrestleMania 39. Also, The Rock will be part of the pregame show this year. Next year, Rock could be headlining WrestleMania from the same venue.
WWE will also have a presence during the broadcast of this year’s Super Bowl. Ads for the WWE Network are scheduled to air. These have been paid for and produced by the Peacock Streaming Service rather than WWE itself, however. WWE previously paid for a Super Bowl ad in 1999.
Batista will also be featured in a Super Bowl ad this year. He’s in a commercial for Nissan. A recent Tweet from Batista about the ad is below.
Remembering Halftime Heat
The WWE Championship once changed hands at halftime of the Super Bowl. The Rock defeated Mankind in an empty arena match that aired during halftime of the Super Bowl in 1999.
The following year, WWE aired a sit-down interview with Steve Austin during halftime of the game. In 2019, NXT aired a match taped after TakeOver: Phoenix during halftime of the Super Bowl. That match saw Aleister Black, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream defeated Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Brian Pillman, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Super Bowl
The Cincinnati Bengals will be in the Super Bowl this year for the first time since 1989. Brian Pillman played for the Bengals in 1984. He’d later play for the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL before transitioning to wrestling. The Rock also was once on the Stampeders practice squad before doing the same.
When the Bengals last went to the Super Bowl in 1989, Pillman had an idea. His plan was to get Mark Madden’s media pass and chain himself to the field goal posts in order to get publicity. Madden was understandably not willing to give up his media credentials, however.
Wrestlers Cheering For The Bengals Or Rams
Brian Pillman Jr. will be cheering on the Bengals tonight. He’s been re-tweeting posts from his father’s old team. On an unrelated note, he also posted the below Tweet:
Pillman is not the only wrestler cheering for the Bengals tonight, however. Jon Moxley is from Cincinnati and has converted his wife, Renee Paquette, into a Bengals fan as well.
The Miz is from the Ohio area and is in Los Angeles for the Super Bowl. He stopped by WWE’s pop-up shop in the area.
Pat McAfee is also in LA for the Super Bowl. He missed Friday’s Smackdown as a result.
The Bella Twins live in Los Angeles and are at the Fanatics Super Bowl party.
Alexa Bliss is from the Ohio area and is in town as well. She appeared on a pregame show yesterday. Lilly does not seem to have been with her.
Former Impact World Champion Sami Callihan is also a noted Bengals fan.