Posted on 5/24/125 by Colin Vassallo
WWE’s unexpected change of venue for the already-announced
WrestleMania 42 presents an unprecedented situation that has
not occurred since the inception of WrestleMania in 1985.
Until now, WWE had stuck to the city it announced
approximately one year prior to the event. While there was a
single instance of venue change for WrestleMania 7, the show
of shows remained in Los Angeles, relocating from the
90,000-seater Rose Bowl outdoor stadium to the 16,000-
capacity indoor Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, primarily
due to very poor ticket sales.
However, this is the first time in 41 years that WWE has
announced a location for a WrestleMania and then withdrawn
from the commitment.
The original location for next year’s WrestleMania was
announced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during an episode of
Smackdown, which was held at the Smoothie King Center in New
Orleans. The press releases were distributed, the logo was
published, and the contract was signed.
WrestleMania 42 was scheduled to take place at the Caesars
Superdome, with Smackdown, NXT Stand & Deliver, and Raw
events held at the Smoothie King Center, and the multi-day
WWE World convention at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center.
However, this week, WWE made an unprecedented decision to
cancel its agreement with the city of New Orleans, leaving a
significant void in the city’s sports and entertainment
calendar.
Fans frequently book flights early for WrestleMania,
particularly those residing overseas, to take advantage of
reduced fares. Some hotels offer non-refundable bookings at
a lower cost. Because, why not take advantage of some
discounts? 41 years of sticking to your word on a location
is a pretty good track record. Plus, WrestleMania is a very
expensive holiday nowadays so every cent saved counts.
WWE’s actions this week have introduced uncertainty for
years to come. Announcements regarding WrestleMania
locations, or any other event for that matter, should no
longer be taken at face value because if they pulled out of
a city which hosted the Showcase of the Immortals twice
already, God knows what they can do to other cities.
WWE’s decision to withdraw from a city so easily also raises
questions about how one-sided their WrestleMania site
contracts must be.
The rumored, and make that bold, rumored location for next
year is Las Vegas once again. Las Vegas is renowned for its
vibrant nightlife, comparable to New Orleans’ party city
reputation.
Is it soon to go back? Oh hell yeah. Part of the magic of
WrestleMania is being in a different stadium, a different
city, a different vibe every year. While returning to a past
hosting city is inevitable, it would be nice to wait a few
years before returning.
Only one city has hosted WrestleMania consecutively, and
that is Atlantic City, New Jersey, when WWE held
WrestleMania 4 and 5 at the Trump Plaza. No other city has
achieved this feat since then.
Back-to-back wrestling events in the same city or
arena/stadium are not uncommon in professional wrestling
though.
SummerSlam was held for six consecutive years at the Staples
Center in Los Angeles, California, and for four years
thereafter at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
AEW’s Double or Nothing and All Out have been held in Las
Vegas and Chicago, respectively, since their inception,
except for this year. On a larger scale, All In was held
back-to-back at Wembley Stadium for two consecutive years
and is returning there next year. New Japan Pro-Wrestling
has held Wrestle Kingdom, its flagship pay-per-view, in the
same location for two decades.
However, fans voiced their disappointment when rumors of
WrestleMania returning to Las Vegas came out. Las Vegas is
known for its high cost of living, with even a small bottle
of water costing you as high as $8. Every single fan is
likely to come out of the city and Las Vegas is probably one
of the very few, if not the only, major city where there’s
not a big wrestling following where you can count on 10,000-
15,000 locals attending.
Las Vegas boasts an abundance of hotels, pleasant weather,
and a plethora of attractions and activities, so there’s
that to look forward to. But when you have a tax on a tax on
a tax plus a Las Vegas tax on all of those taxes, well, it
adds up. Try talking to a mother or a father who took their
family of four to WrestleMania this year, they’ll tell you.
And let’s face it, WrestleMania 41 was not the greatest.
Night one shat the bed and the crowd was dead for most of
it. That wasn’t necessarily a Las Vegas problem, but you
know…guilty by association.
Regaining public trust will require substantial efforts, and
cities bidding on future WWE events may demand iron-clad
contracts that prevent WWE from relocating the event to a
more favorable location if a higher bid is received.
And as for fans? Forget booking 11 months out for a
WrestleMania from now on. Get ready to either pay a few
hundred dollars more for your tickets, or risk losing
everything when they decide to move the event somewhere
else.