– After suffering a shoulder injury back in September on an episode of RAW, Jeff Hardy underwent surgery to repair the issue. The surgery took place in October and he was given a recovery time of 6-9 months. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Hardy has been cleared by his surgeon as of last month for an in-ring return.
Now Hardy is simply waiting to get the green light from WWE doctors. Satin also reports that Hardy’s recent evaluation in Birmingham, Alabama went well and he’s hoping to get some good news back soon. With that being said, there’s a slight chance Hardy could return before WrestleMania 34.
– Last night’s SmackDown Live featured several previews for this weekend’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event. After SmackDown Live and 205 Live went off air the dark match main event of the evening, also a preview for this weekend’s Fastlane, say Shinsuke Nakamura defeat Rusev.
“The Artist” won the match via disqualification after Aiden English got involved. Nakamura hit the Kinsasha on English to send fans home happy. Here are some photos:
– On this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW The Bar retained their RAW Tag Team Titles against The Revival. Sheamus and Cesaro currently have no challengers for their titles at WrestleMania 34. “The Celtic Warrior” sent out an open challenge to all tag teams via Twitter to challenge them at “The Show Of Shows”:
PWInsider reports that The Bar’s challengers at WrestleMania 34 are “not currently a team.” The Young Bucks took to Twitter to declare their interest in possibly answering the call in New Orleans:
– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz recently spoke to WTMJ-TV Milwaukeeto promote last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. During the interview Miz was asked about two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair calling him the best heel in the business today. Here’s how Miz responded (quotes via Wrestling Inc.):
“Ha! Is that what he said? Coming from him that’s an honor,” Miz said. “Ric Flair – in my opinion – is the greatest of all-time. I mean he is absolutely incredible, I mean, he gave me his figure-four, how can I say a bad thing about him?
“You know what I mean? He’s just an incredible human being and incredible in-ring performer. And still, his legend lives on, no matter if he’s in the ring or outside the ring people still do ‘The Strut,’ give the ‘Woo!’ It’s amazing.”
– Speaking of The Miz, it was announced by RAW General Manager Kurt Angle that he would be defending his Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania 34 in a Triple Threat match against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. “The Demon King” took to Twitter to react to the news that he’d be getting a crack at the title on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All”:
Ronda Rousey is expected to team up with Monday Night RAW General Manager and WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34 to take on the team of WWE COO Triple H and RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. That match has been set up in the past few weeks at Elimination Chamber and on RAW. During Rousey’s RAW contract signing at Elimination Chamber, Rousey put Triple H through a table after Angle noted that he and Stephanie had been manipulating her.
The next night on RAW the four seemed to clear the air after several apologies, however, Triple H hit Angle with a cheap shot before leaving the ring to end the show. It’s expected that the feud between the four will continue to develop on tonight’s episode of RAW from Milwaukee. Kurt Angle and Triple H are expected to work most of the Mixed Tag match at WrestleMania.
It’s also expected that the entire match is going to be mapped out move-for-move with Angle and Hunter carrying most of the load, building up to spots between Stephanie and Ronda. There has also been some speculation as of late as to whether or not Rousey’s husband, UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, would be her partner instead to make the match more of a husband and wife storyline.
Browne has also been training alongside Rousey inside the ring. WWE decided not to go that route as it would leave Triple H to carry the match with three inexperienced in-ring performers on the biggest show of the year.
For the past several weeks there has been a ton of talk and speculation as to whether or not The Undertaker will be competing at this year’s WrestleMania 34 event from New Orleans. Rumors suggest that “The Deadman” will be working against John Cena at “The Showcase Of The Immortals” this year. Cena teased that match-up on RAW this past week but said the match was ‘impossible.’
New reports suggest Cena could actually be working with Rey Mysterio at the event instead. Taker recently appeared at a campaign event for his storyline brother Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he’s running for mayor. The campaign event was the first time ever that Kane and Taker appeared together in public outside WWE.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that The Undertaker was asked by several fans about a possible return to WWE at WrestleMania, however, he continuously downplayed the idea to those who asked him about it:
“Yesterday he did a signing in Knox County Tennessee with Kane to help promote Glenn Jacobs for Mayor. Apparently Taker & Glenn Jacobs are close. There were some fans that asked him about returning, and why he could have very well been working them, he kinda gave the impression of “ahh, don’t hold your breather, don’t wait for that one,” but we’ll see.
“If I was Undertaker and I was returning, certainly I would want to keep the mystique and the aura going and hide things, you know? Sort of do a little slide of hands. We’ll see what happens.”
– WWE and The New Day are set to release their new book “The Book of Booty: Shake It. Love It. Never Be It.” The book will be released on Tuesday, March 13th. The New Day will be holding a small book tour in which they will hit several sports for book signings. You can check out the dates for the signings and the book’s synopsis below:
– Friday, March 9th: World of Wheels in Chicago
– Sunday, March 11th: Barnes & Noble in Columbus, OH (Townsfair Way)
– Monday, March 12th: Barnes & Noble in Dayton, OH (Miamisburg-Centerville Road)
“Multi-time W . . . W . . . E! (WWE) TAG! TEAM! CHAMPIONS! The New Day want you to feel the power!! And now you can with The Book of Booty: Shake It. Love It. Never Be It. From the purveyors of positivity themselves, each chapter of this handy guide will help you embrace the New Day way of life. Even if you’re feeling booty—and who (who?! who?! who?! who?! who?!) has never felt booty? —you’ll be clapping, gyrating, and radiating positivity like the New Day themselves.
Fans will learn:
* The New Day’s official definition of “booty,” and the telltale signs that you or a loved one might be booty
* The proper attire and headwear for the new you
* How to twerk like a man
* What your spirit animal says about you
* How to project positivity
“By the time you finish this book, you’ll be a rainbow-gazing, trombone-playing, unicorn-loving soldier of positivity, ready to take on nefarious WWE tag teams with a smile on your face. Pro tip: Eat your Booty O’s every morning for added strength!”
– WWE uploaded the following video to their YouTube channel in which they take a look at John Cena’s Road To WrestleMania 34. Check it out here:
– Stephanie McMahon uploaded a clip on Instagram from her latest “Midnight Workout.”You can watch it below:
As we’ve previously noted, a WrestleMania 34 match-up between Sasha Banks and Bayley is being rumored for April. Banks and Bayley have been teasing a rivalry with one another for the past several months. Things boiled over during the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match this past weekend. Banks turned on Bayley after they had been working together, however, it was “The Hugger” who ended up eliminating Banks from the match.
The following night on RAW Banks and Bayley were on the same team in a Six Woman Tag Team match. Banks was about to make a tag to Bayley before she jumped off of the ring apron, leaving Banks hanging. It seems like we’re going to see this rivalry between the pair evolve in the coming weeks. The WrestleVotes Twitter account is reporting that, if the match happens at WrestleMania, it will make history.
It will be the first time in WrestleMania history where two women meet in a singles non-title match with no stipulation. The other was billed as a “cat fight” at WrestleMania 2000:
History on the horizon @ WrestleMania:
If @SashaBanksWWE & @itsBayleyWWE have a singles match, it will be the first time in Mania history 2 women compete in a standard (no stipulation), non title, 1 on 1 match.
Only other non title singles was billed as a "Catfight" at WM2000
– Former WWE star Chavo Guerrero has offered to challenge John Cena at WrestleMania 34, who does not have an opponent officially set yet.
Guerrero, a one-time ECW Champion, four-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, and two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, made the challenge to Cena on Wednesday via Twitter.
I hear many people putting their names into the hat to Face @JohnCena at Wrestlemania. Well here’s mine…Cena, The Guerreros help mold u, but we didn’t teach you everything…there’s still a lot in This Tank! ?? #topofmygame#luchaunderground#muchrespect
– Former WWE star Jillian Hall will be in action on Saturday, April 14 in Brooklyn, New York at Warriors of Wrestling’s “Women of Warriors V” event. She will be teaming with C-Bunny against Katred and Thumper.
Hall, a one-time WWE Divas Champion, wrestles on occasion these days after her announcing her retirement from wrestling in January 2014.
– Former WWE and WCW star Lex Luger has joined Funko’s “POP!” WWE Vinyl Figure line. “The Total Package” is part of a two-pack with Sting in his “Surfer Sting” persona (Funko previously released figures on “Wolfpac Sting” and Sting with black and white face paint). This product is being exclusively sold by WWEShop and FYE.
– Randy Orton appeared in a backstage segment with Bobby Roode on last night’s episode of SmackDown Live to promote their match for the United States Title at Fastlane next month on pay-per-view (PPV). Orton then wrestled in the night’s dark match after the SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings wrapped up. The match lasted only five seconds as Orton hit Jinder Mahal with an RKO for the quick pin. Check it out here:
– One of the biggest storylines going on WWE TV right now is John Cena’s journey to WrestleMania 34. He was recently added to the Fastlane WWE Championship match, making it a Six Pack Challenge match now. If Cena is unsuccessful, however, he has no shortage of challengers (both WWE Superstars from past and present) who would be more than willing to share the ring with him at “The Showcase Of The Immortals”:
John Cena appeared on Monday’s RAW from Anaheim, California to address coming up short in Suday’s 7-man Elimination Chamber match. As a result of that loss, Cena is dejected and without an opponent for WrestleMania.
After some soul searching over the past 24 hours, Cena said it was time to do what he should have done years ago: challenge The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania. The crowd went nuts at the prospect of this dream match finally taking place after years of rumors and fantasy booking.
Cena then backtracked, stating that it was “impossible” for that match to take place. He announced he’ll be attending Tuesday’s SmackDown Live in hopes of securing a WrestleMania opponent. It appears the storyline of John Cena’s journey to WrestleMania will play out over the coming weeks. Cena issuing a formal challenge to The Undertaker is a strong indication that the dead man is the opponent he’ll ultimately arrive at.
Already confirmed for WrestleMania 34 are the WWE and Universal Championship matches, with Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura challenging AJ Styles and Elimination Chamber winner Roman Reigns battling Brock Lesnar.
Women’s Royal Rumble winner Asuka has yet to decide which Women’s Championship she’ll be vying for at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
At Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Ronda Rousey’s WWE contract signing (and subsequent physical altercation with Stephanie McMahon & Triple H) set up a mixed tag team match, likely involving RAW GM Kurt Angle as Rousey’s partner.
WWE WrestleMania takes place on Sunday, April 8th from New Orleans, Louisiana.
"I'm here tonight to say my Road to #WrestleMania goes straight through SMACKDOWN!!!"
I have to be honest like everyone in the Honda Center I jumped out of my seat when @JohnCena called out the Undertaker. On to Smackdown Live for Cena tomorrow.
– While Dave Meltzer was discussing this week’s Mixed Match Challenge match on Wrestling Observer Radio, there was some speculation that Titus Worldwide could be over. Here’s what Meltzer had to say:
“I don’t know if Titus Worldwide is over but they certainly gave the impression that it could be. Apollo pretty much turned on Titus and Dana Brooke got destroyed by Nia Jax. We’ll have to see how that all plays out on RAW next Monday.”
Most angles from the Mixed Match Challenge don’t usually cary over into RAW or SmackDown, but Meltzer suggested this looks like a turn:
“He definitely didn’t turn badly on Titus but he definitely turned on him.”
Check out the segment here:
– Also on the mailbag portion of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer was asked about the possibility of having an NXT match on the WrestleMania 34 card. Meltzer said that due to the fact NXT TakeOver happens the night before he doubts an NXT match or NXT Title match will be put on the Mania card:
“I seriously doubt it now. They aren’t going to have enough time for what they need to have. It’s going to be one of those 7-hour shows and an NXT show the night before anyways. I would really would be surprised if they did that. They may have someone from NXT in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal or something. If they have a Women’s Battle Royal, they may have a few NXT women in there as well. As far as NXT Championship matches, I would think no.”
WWE are reportedly looking to hold an event at Melbourne’s Cricket Ground. The Australian stadium can hold over 100,000 people and according to Sportster stadium officials are looking to hold big events going forward, something that WWE would be eager to capitalise on.
The MGC is the 10th largest stadium in the world and it has hosted events such as the 1956 Summer Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games and multiple FIFA World Cup qualifiers. There are currently no concrete plans as to what the event would be; a WWE Live event, PPV, RAW/Smackdown and even an NXT Takeover have been named as possible circumstances. An NXT event would however be a hard sell for a 100,000 seater stadium with the biggest Aussie stars on the brand being TM-61 and Buddy Murphy, names that whilst talented are nowhere near the draw WWE would need to accomplish such a feat, even the stars on the main roster would possibly struggle to fill over 100,000 outside of WWE’s domestic market.
Something else to also consider is the fact that the rest of the traditional ‘big 4’ PPV events have already been allocated venues; Summerslam in the Barclays Center, Survivor Series in the Staples Center and of course WrestleMania will be emanating from New Orleans this year…this leaves no real space for a big Australian PPV event unless WWE decides to add an extra date and really push the event akin to one of these benchmark shows.
Ronda Rousey’s in-ring debut for WWE is expected to take place at WrestleMania 34. Reported plans have Rousey teaming with a mystery partner against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Sports Illustrated is reporting that there are four names that WWE is currently considering to partner with Rousey at “The Show Of Shows.”
Those names, in order of WWE’s preference, are The Rock, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle, SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon, and Seth Rollins. It’s also possible that top WWE officials already know who Rousey’s partner will be. WWE would like for The Rock to partner with Rousey as a way to continue on from the foursome’s encounter at WrestleMania 31. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
– As we’ve previously reported, Jason Jordan will miss WrestleMania 34 after undergoing a recent neck surgery. WWE reportedly had plans for a WrestleMania match between Jordan and Seth Rollins. Jordan broke his silence on the matter via a recent Tweet:
– Roman Reigns is one of seven men set to compete in the Elimination Chamber match later this month. The winner will go on to WrestleMania 34 to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Reigns took to Twitter to hype the match:
As WrestleMania 34 approaches there has still been very limited news as to whether or not we’ll actually see the rumored match-up between John Cena and The Undertaker. Several months ago it was being reported that Cena’s plans for WrestleMania were bigger than the title matches on the card.
It was then reported that Cena vs. Taker was penciled in for “The Show Of Shows.” Many fans expected the feud to setup at RAW 25, however, Undertaker’s appearance on the show was arguably the most disappointing segment of the night. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that, as of a few weeks ago, Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 is still the plan.
Meltzer speculated that if WWE still wants to do it they could set it up after Cena loses the Elimination Chamber match. It should be interesting to see how creative books the feud between these two legends on the road to New Orleans.
WWE sent over the following press release about a new book coming out this August titled, Creating the Mania: An Inside Look at How WrestleMania Comes to Life.
Written by Jon Robinson and published by ECW Press, Creating The Mania will provide a 360-degree look at every aspect of WWE’s annual “pop culture extravaganza.”
GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF WRESTLEMANIA 34 IN NEW BOOK
CREATING THE MANIA: AN INSIDE LOOK AT HOW WRESTLEMANIA COMES TO LIFE by Jon Robinson (August 2018, ECW Press) gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at WrestleMania 34. Follow the year-long life cycle of WWE’s biggest event, including how the storylines were developed by the creative team, how the host city was selected, how the rivalries played out inside the ring, and more.
Along with exclusive photos, this book gives insider access to top WWE Superstars, including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, and the “Phenomenal” A.J. Styles, who will face off against 2018 Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34. Following the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble Match and a surprise appearance by Ronda Rousey, the book also includes in-depth interviews with female Superstars Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Bayley, breaking down their year leading up to WrestleMania and their lives as WWE Superstars.
Author Jon Robinson also speaks with writers, producers, stage managers, film technicians, and other crucial members of the production team responsible for the creation of the annual pop-culture extravaganza.
The book is scheduled for an August 2018 release by ECW Press, in partnership with WWE.
Jon Robinson is an award-winning author of seven books, including The Ultimate Warrior: A Life Lived Forever, NXT: The Future is Now, and WWE: The Attitude Era. His work has appeared in ESPN The Magazine, IGN, and Sports Illustrated.
We’ve been expecting word on the host city for next year’s WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view and it appears to be a done deal.
According to Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports, Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey will host the event on April 7, 2019.
Philadelphia and Detroit were reportedly finalists under consideration as part of the bidding process. If you’re in the camp of people unhappy that “WrestleMania returns to the same cities every year” – it’s not hard to understand why WWE is returning to New York City.
MetLife Stadium hosted WrestleMania 29 back in 2013. The show, which featured John Cena vs. The Rock in the main event, was a monster success for the company. Not only did they pack over 80,000 fans into the stadium, but it was the highest grossing show in company history, pulling in over $72 million.
WWE holding SummerSlam in Brooklyn for 4 consecutive years is another sign how ‘accommodating’ the city is for them. Last year’s WrestleMania 33 weekend from Orlando, FL (Hall of Fame, NXT, WM33, RAW, SD) brought $181.5 million to the local economy – making WrestleMania weekend an attraction that cities bend over backwards to secure.
An official announcement from WWE is expected in the following days.
Asuka made history on Sunday night when she stood victorious following the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. It was a bold move for WWE to close out the show with the Women’s Rumble, but the event delivered on all fronts with surprise returns, a suspenseful finish and a fearsome challenger earning the right to choose her WrestleMania opponent.
Before Asuka could decide between RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte, she was interrupted by the debut of Ronda Rousey. Some fans felt Rousey’s debut overshadowed Asuka’s big moment, but now WWE has the chance to build some suspense about who will have to face Asuka on April 8th.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the word going around is that WWE is planning the following Women’s Championship matches for WrestleMania:
Asuka challenging Charlotte
Nia Jax challenging Alexa Bliss
Asuka and Alexa Bliss squared off on Monday Night RAW just a few weeks ago, with Asuka picking up the win in a non-title match. That could convince Asuka that the RAW Women’s Championship is hers for the taking, but there’s no question that SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte is a higher-profile opponent for Asuka at WrestleMania.
The recent announcement by WWE that the Rumble winner could challenge the champion from either brand adds more credence to the idea that RAW Superstar Asuka will pick the SmackDown Women’s champion as her opponent.
Within the past hour of this writing, Charlotte tweeted a photo that indicates she’s angling for the match against RAW’s most dangerous female competitor.
The big news coming out of Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view was the WWE debut of Ronda Rousey. The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion made her intentions clear almost immediately upon entering the ring, interrupting Asuka and pointing to the WrestleMania sign.
Rousey also shook hands with a reluctant Stephanie McMahon at ringside – a clear foreshadowing of what’s to come in the coming months. According to Dave Meltzer, the current plan for Rousey at WrestleMania is for her and a male partner to face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in one of the show’s top attractions.
Rousey has been training for her in-ring debut for several months now. That said, a mixed tag-team match will be a good vehicle to feature her in a prominent way without her inexperienced being exposed.
As for who her tag team partner will be, you can be sure it will be a high profile name. The best case scenario would be The Rock, since Rousey and The Rock had a memorable in-ring confrontation with The Authority back at WrestleMania 31. However, The Rock is obviously a very, very busy man it’s unlikely he’ll be able to clear enough time from his schedule to make this dream match a reality.
Opinion: This might also be somewhat of a long-shot, but I’m going to guess Dave Batista as Ronda Rousey’s opponent. Batista has mentioned in several recent interviews that he’d like to return to WWE once again – and Triple H would be his ideal opponent during his final run with the company. Batista is a high profile Hollywood name in his own right and this would be a big opportunity if presented to him.
Discussion: Who would make the best partner for Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon?
RAW’s 25th Anniversary special saw The Miz defeat Roman Reigns to capture the Intercontinental Championship for the 8th time.
This week, WWE’s focus is on Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. After that, it’s full speed ahead on the road to WrestleMania – and it appears WWE has locked in another top match for show. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“At this point it appears nothing at the top has changed for WrestleMania. As of right now the plan is for The Miz to defend the IC title against Braun Strowman, which is why Miz’s win was as clean as it was, since the IC title will be one of the biggest matches at Mania.”
Reddit user crapusername47 has a pretty brilliant theory about how a hypothetical Mixed Match Challenge match could kick off the Miz vs. Strowman feud.
“Miz and Asuka beat Alexa and Braun but Miz refuses to tag in or immediately tags out whenever he’s supposed to face Strowman. Miz never actually touches Strowman or gets any offence in and Asuka carries the match. Asuka pins Bliss, furthering their own feud and then Miz can gloat about having beaten Braun Strowman.”
WrestleMania 34 takes place on Sunday, April 8th from New Orleans, Louisiana at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Visit f4wonline.com to subscribe to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
With WrestleMania 34 less than three months way, wrestling fans are once again speculating if The Undertaker will lace up the boots one more time and compete at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
While there has been no official word about WWE’s in-ring future, the Wrestling Observer has been reporting that plans for the top matches at WrestleMania include a long-awaited showdown between The Undertaker and John Cena.
Undertaker returned at this week’s RAW 25th Anniversary Special, his first WWE appearance since last year’s Mania loss to Roman Reigns. Undertaker’s RAW 25 segment came and went with no mention of John Cena or what’s in store for him come April 8th.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed the situation, noting that Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania is still the plan and the feud will begin in “the next few weeks.”
Following Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, John Cena is expected to work Elias before transitioning into his WrestleMania program. The belief is that Elias is standing in for Samoa Joe, who was scheduled to work with John Cena around this time but is out of action for several months with a foot injury.
As we’ve previously reported, the main event for WWE’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) in March has been leaked out – a Fatal-Five Way match for the WWE Title between AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The match has yet to be confirmed by WWE, however, if that match does take place it would indicate that Orton, Nakamura, Owens, or Zayn won’t be winning the Royal Rumble match as it wouldn’t make sense for them to challenge for the title at Fastlane after winning the rumble.
There has been speculation that perhaps John Cena could win the Royal Rumble and go on to challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34, with the storyline being Cena trying to break the record he shares with Ric Flair of being a 16-time World Champion. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cena vs. Styles will not be happening as Cena will be involved in a much bigger match at WrestleMania 34 instead.
Meltzer noted that he didn’t know who Cena would be facing, however, he was told it would be made clear over the next several weeks. The only names Meltzer could come up with were The Undertaker, Batista, Goldberg or Hulk Hogan. Hogan would be a huge surprise given the leak of his racist comments a few years ago and the issues he has with his back. It’s expected that some matches for WrestleMania 34 will begin to build-up at RAW’s 25th Anniversary special on Monday, January 22, 2018.
The event will be a special simulcast event from both the Barclays Center and the Manhattan Center in New York City; with names such as John Cena, The Undertaker, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, and more scheduled to appear. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more….
– Some speculation has seemed to have emerged after Roman Reigns’ recent defeat of The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship, leading some to believe that he may no longer be taking on Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 34. This is not the case, per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, who notes that plans have not yet changed.
As of last week Reigns is still scheduled to challenge Lesnar for the Universal Title, but it’s unknown if he will go into “The Show Of Shows” as Intercontinental Champion. It’s expected that “The Big Dog” will drop his title before then.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Diamond Dallas Page has released a commercial for his new DDP Yoga Rebuild DVDs. You can check it out here below:
WrestleMania 33 this past April from Orlando added $181.5 million to the Central Florida economy. The Orlando Sentinel has published findings from an independent study released today by WWE and the office of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“The number actually exceeded our expectations,” Dyer said. “We went in expecting $130 to 150 million based on prior years. But $181 million is huge for our community and it really shows that WrestleMania has been one of our significant events in Central Florida.”
79% of fans who attended the week-long festivities came from outside Central Florida. Fans from all 50 states were on hand, as well as people from 62 countries across the world.
One of the most noteworthy stats from the report was that visitors from outside of the Central Orlando area averaged 5.6 nights at local hotels.
John Saboor, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Special Events (and former President of the Central Florida Sports Commission), said, “The length of stay is disproportionately larger than our other major event contemporaries and that was one of the most dramatic increases in the study.”
Out of town fans spending so much time in the WrestleMania host city and contributing such a large amount of money to the local economy will bolster WWE’s negotiating leverage when fielding bids from future prospective host cities.
WrestleMania 24 from Orlando back in 2008 brought $50 million to the local economy, but that included only WrestleMania, RAW and a smaller fan festival.
WWE is currently overseas for a tour of the United Kingdom and fans in attendance at Friday’s live event from London made it clear they want to host a future WrestleMania.
In hopes of getting their message through to somebody who is in a position to make it happen, fans crowd chanted, “We Want Mania” and “We Want WrestleMania” during a match that saw Triple H once again teaming up with Shield members Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
Seth Rollins gave a microphone to Triple H, saying “that’s a question for this guy”. Triple H joked that he couldn’t understand what they were chanting before saying the ultimate decision maker unfortunately was not in attendance.
“There is only one guy that can make that decision for you, unfortunately he’s not here. If you are loud enough, maybe he can hear you on the other side of the pond”.
Rollins added that if it was up to him, he’d give the UK fans what they wanted.
WWE is expected to announce the location for 2019’s WrestleMania 35 next month, with New York and Philadelphia rumored to be the frontrunners.