Rolling Stone has an interesting interview with the one and only Paul Heyman to promote this Sunday’s Royal Rumble, discussing with the former ECW mastermind a variety of subjects.
When asked about his “Paul Heyman guys,” Heyman said that he has never walked out with someone he wasn’t trying to audition as a WrestleMania main eventer. With the author singling out Cesaro and Curtis Axel’s association with Heyman, he said that “sometimes the chemistry isn’t there.”
He admits that the bar was set pretty high with the chemistry that both he and Lesnar have and as well the relationship he had with CM Punk. “It would be very difficult to match that,” Heyman acknowledges.
Heyman said that looking back on WWE 20 years from now, there are two newsworthy matches that WWE fans will remember forever – Lesnar conquering the streak at WrestleMania versus The Undertaker and the SummerSlam match against John Cena where Lesnar regained the title in an unprecedented fashion.
“I don’t think anything else, from a historical perspective, can hold water to those two,” he said.
Perhaps the most interesting quote of the whole story was how he views Seth Rollins, the current Money In The Bank holder. “The single best in-ring performer in the world today. Undisputed.”
TNA Knockout Taryn Terrell landed herself a spot in the upcoming Will Ferrell movie “Daddy’s Home” and shot her part yesterday during the New Orleans Pelicans vs Los Angeles Lakers NBA game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Terrell was acting as a cheerleader when Ferrell smashed a basketball in her face and dropped hard on the court as the crowd went “Oohhhhhh!!!!” Ferrell was then escorted out of the building by arena security in a scene which eye witnesses said it was “quite humorous” to see.
Mark Wahlberg, who co-stars in the movie with Ferrell, was also present at court side for the scene.
A casting call on Craigslist is out for those interested to apply to be a participant in the upcoming USA Network WWE series Tough Enough.
The casting call says that producers are looking “extraordinary men and women” who possess charisma, personality, athleticism, agility, stamina, strength, and intense desire to be a WWE Superstar.
Requirements to apply include name, age, city/state, phone number, social media profile links, 2 current photos, athletic background, and a brief paragraph explaining why you have what it takes to be the next WWE Superstar or Diva. Pro wrestling experience is not a requirement.
This week’s Monday Night Raw passed the four million viewer mark for the first time since November 24 with the show pulling 4,100,000 average with no football as competition.
Hour one did 4,292,000, followed by 4,135,000 in the second hours, and then further down to 3,874,000 viewers in the third and final hour. The show lost over 400,000 viewers from start to finish which is not the news WWE wants. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
The latest episode of Total Divas, episode number 13 of season 3, was watched by a total of 1,250,000 viewers, slightly down from the previous week by around 40,000 viewers.
The episode, titled Twin Leaks, revolved around Eva Marie facing the possibility of taking out the silicone from her surgically enhanced breasts after a leak was detected in her blood stream. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
During an interview with British-based DigitalSpy.co.uk, former WWE champion Chris Jericho jumped to Ryback’s defense over what he claims are unfair accusations.
Jericho was referring to CM Punk’s interview on the Colt Cabana podcast where Punk ripped Ryback to hell and back, saying that Ryback injured him multiple times and that he can’t wrestle, calling him dumb.
“He was unfairly accused [by CM Punk], in my opinion, of certain things, but I worked with Ryback for months and loved it. I know he’s not dumb and I know he’s not an idiot,” Jericho said.
Ryback appeared on Jericho’s podcast Talk Is Jericho afterward and gave his side of the story and then decided to give it to Vince McMahon and the result was a Ryback promo on Raw that was different than anything else he has done before.
“The fact that he took that to Vince McMahon, and he listened to it and decided to do a whole 5 to 10 minute promo based around that, I take great pride in that fact. I had a mission to let people see Ryback in a different light – they did, they enjoyed him as a person, they enjoyed his real attitude and his real personality. That’s good for me, that’s good for my business,” Jericho added.
Y2J also revealed in the interview that he has no plans to be in the Royal Rumble as he’s booked somewhere else and won’t be part of WrestleMania as he’s booked during that week as well.
“My days of being a full-time wrestler are over,” Jericho said. He recently signed a two month deal to appear at non-televised live events up until the beginning of March.
TNA Impact on Destination America increased its viewership on week two as it settled into its now permanent Friday night time slot.
The show did 387,000 viewers in total for the two hour show, an increase of around 20,000 viewers over last week’s episode. Last week’s episode number was adjusted to around 360,000 from the originally reported one in the 200,000 region. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
WWE yesterday announced that the WWE Network in Canada is now also available on the web apart from the traditional television channel. To view the Network online you will still require a subscription through either Rogers or Eastlink.
All the live pay-per-views and live programming including the on-demand content is available to stream on the computer for customers already subscribed to the Network through their provider. To get started go to http://network.wwe.com/activate.
Sadly, the Network is not available yet on the WWE app or on Internet-connected television devices for Canadian customers.
The Royal Rumble is this Sunday and it usually brings a lot of anticipation wonder to the land of WWE! What will the Raw beforehand bring for us? Read on to find out, plus my picks for the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for January 19th, 2015 – “Restoration and Restitution”
Introduction Segment: Commemoration Video
A video paying tribute to Martin Luther King Day airs, promoting African-American men and women who have made a difference in the world since the 1960s, particularly Martin Luther King, Jr.
Segment #2: Welcoming and Arena Promo
Michael Cole welcomes us to Raw, the last one before the Royal Rumble this Sunday. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, and his advocate, Paul Heyman, walk out. Heyman goes for his usual introduction, but Lesnar jolts the microphone from him and demands Seth Rollins to face him. He wants to get straight to the fight!
“Mr. Money In The Bank” does not show, but Chief Operating Officer Triple H does instead. He wants everyone to calm down, but Brock is still insisting on battling Rollins. Stephanie, The Big Show, and Kane now march out and surround HHH. They also want everyone to be calm as well; Seth himself now appears, but only via the Titan Tron. He tells Brock he has to wait until the Rumble to get his hands on him. Heyman threatens The Authority that Lesnar can either tear everyone apart, or leave everyone alone depending on their decision.
John Cena makes his presence known, informing The Authority to continue to tear him down verbally, because it only lights him up to keep on giving. He and Rollins rip on each other, then Cena demands that The Authority give Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erik Rowan their jobs back when he wins at the Royal Rumble. Instead of this, Triple H and Stephanie give him another ultimatum: if he wins his match tonight, then the trio will regain their employment; however if Cena loses, then he loses his chance at the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Royal Rumble. Furthermore, The Authority is going to leave it up to us to vote what Cena should do!
Up next, Daniel Bryan will face a long-time rival Bray Wyatt!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – Bray Wyatt VS. Daniel Bryan
The bell rings and they lock up. Bray shoves Bryan into the corner, but Daniel comes back with a couple kicks. Wyatt fires back with an uppercut and kicks of his own, but Bryan nails a knee-to-the-stomach. He goes for another kick, but Bray rolls to the outside. Bryan follows up with a front-dropkick slide, then soars off the top turnbuckle with a plancha!
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Daniel is still in control, until he gets pummeled off the turnbuckle to the floor. Wyatt follows, throwing Bryan to the barricade. He rams him into the side of the ring too and gets a two-count inside. Bray works over Bryan for a while. He wears him down with a rear chinlock, but Bryan jaw-breaks his way out of it. He runs at Bray, who counters with a hard clothesline that sends Bryan upside down and grabbing his neck.
Commercials.
Wyatt continues to dominate, senton-splashing him. Bryan attempts another comeback, clotheslining Bray, then running at him with another front-dropkick, this time in the corner. He kicks away then propels Wyatt from the top turnbuckle onto the canvas with a hurricanrana! 1 – 2 – Bray kicks out! Daniel kicks away, but Bray ducks another one. He is quickly sent tumbling to the floor again, where Bryan follows up with a suicide dive. As Daniel goes to get back in the ring, Kane yanks him off canvas and runs him into the ring post. Wyatt capitalizes with Sister Abigail for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Bray Wyatt
Post-match, Kane assaults Bryan with vicious punches.
Up next, the Legends Panel featuring Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair will take place!
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Segment #3: Office Promo
Triple H is on his phone in The Authority’s office when a hand taps him on the shoulder. He turns around sees his good friend Scott Hall. Kevin Nash appears behind them and wonders what’s up with Trips wearing a suit now. They want him to band together for one more time. Shawn Michaels now walks in and takes a couple shots at HHH’s new career. “The Game” retorts with a couple quips, then “Sean Waltman” enters. He is actually Damien Mizdow dressed like X-Pac, until the real X-Pac shows up. Miz also walks in and orders Damien to go change. He wants the Wolfpac/Kliq salute, but no one gives it back.
Once again, up next will be the Legends Panel!
Commercials.
Segment #4: Arena Promo
Byron Saxton welcomes Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Shawn Michaels. Noteworthy, Shawn hugs Ric in the ring but not Hogan. Hmmm? At first, Byron wants their opinion on John Cena’s decision/the vote for his Championship VS. the jobs of Ziggler, Rowan, and Ryback. Shawn says “yes,” Ric says “no,” and Hogan also wants Cena to go for it.
Next, Byron moves onto the meaning and their recollections of The Royal Rumble. All three put it over as a career-making/defining match. Lastly, Saxton wants their pick for the winner of this year’s Rumble. “H.B.K.” chooses Bray Wyatt, Hogan says it will be Daniel Bryan, and Ric predicts Dean Ambrose.
Before this can go further, The Big Show interrupts. He walks out all smiles, then turns to anger as the crowd chants “you sold out.” He claims none of the Legends chose him as the Rumble winner because they were all jealous. Show says Hogan is because Big defeated him for the W.C.W. World Heavyweight Championship on his first night. Flair is envious because Show broke out of the figure-4 leglock and snatched his number one spot at the top spot. Michaels didn’t even get much of a chance, because he was out of action or winding down his career, which Show says would be a good thing because Shawn would’ve ended up in pieces. Show declares that no one will be able to throw him over the top rope.
Ric wonders if Show is finished, then begins to chop away. The 7-Foot, 500-pounder knocks Flair out with one punch. Hogan, Michaels, a referee, and ringside technician check on Flair while Roman Reigns comes on down. He gets in Show’s face and the two exchange blows. Show attempts a chokeslam, but Reigns hops out of it and clotheslines Show to the floor. He then
Segment #5: Backstage Promo
John Cena finds out that 85% of us want him to risk his title shot and wrestle tonight to try and get the jobs back.
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Match #2: Single – Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett VS. Dean Ambrose (Non-Title)
The two trade shots at first, then Barrett controls for a bit. Ambrose hits back and sends Wade to the outside for a break.
Commercials.
Barrett is back in control, wearing down Dean. His moves are eventually countered by Dean, who plants Bad News face-first with a corner-running-bulldog. Ambrose is fired up, clotheslining Barrett then climbing the turnbuckle. Barrett counters by crotching Ambrose, but misses the Bullhammer Elbow. Ambrose hops down, and drives the I.C. Champ into the canvas with a hard DDT and the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Dean Ambrose
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Segment #6: Video Promo
A montage of Royal Rumbles past with stats is aired.
The New Day make their entrance, preaching positivity on the way down the ramp. Kofi and Big E. will be in action next!
Commercials.
Match #3: Tag-Team – The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston) (with New Day partner Xavier Woods) VS. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (with Natalya, Adam Rose, and the Party Posse)
Cesaro and Tyson completely dominate this bout until Kofi dropkicks Tyson off the apron while he was being carried, then rolling up Cesaro and taking this contest!
Winners via Pinfall: The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston) (with New Day partner Xavier Woods)
Up next, revolutionary faction nWo will reunite!
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Segment #7: Arena Promo
Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and X-Pac/Sean Waltman strut down to the ring. Hall starts off with a survey asking whether the fans were there to see the Raw Reunion, or the Raw Reunion with the nWo. Kevin talks about n.W.o. having huge egos and being responsible “for everything great.”
The Ascension interrupt, once again claiming they are better than any of the tag-teams in the past. The n.W.o. square off with Conor and Viktor, but another legendary tag-team wrestler wants to get his two cents in. John “Bradshaw” Layfield exits from the commentary table and takes off his coat, revealing jeans. He yells at the Ascension for being all talk and no gain, then announces he has asked for some back up. Out comes his former tag-team partner, Ron Simmons! They reunite as the APA and get in the ring to surround The Ascension. One more great tag-team stand up to Conor and Viktor, The New Age Outlaws! Billy Gunn and Road Dogg make their return. When they enter the ring, it is on! They soften up The Ascension and allow Bradshaw to wind up and nail Viktor with the Clothesline From Hell! The nWo, New Age Outlaws, and A.P.A. all pose and celebrate.
Commercials.
Segment #8: Backstage Promo
The Authority reveal their choice for John Cena’s opponent … Seth Rollins, The Big Show, and Kane.
Match #4: Tag-Team – Summer Rae and Alicia Fox VS. Paige and Natalya
(Note: The Bella Twins are on commentary.) Natalya and Paige double-team and work over Summer for the most part, until Alicia distracts Natalya and Rae hits back with a spin-kick. Fox is in, almost taking this with a Northern-Light suplex. Paige is tagged back in and puts away Fox with the Paige-Tapout (Sharpshooter/Deathlock combo).
Winners via Submission: Paige and Natalya
Natalya and Paige stare-down The Bellas, who they will take on at The Royal Rumble.
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Match #5: Single – United States Champion Rusev (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana) VS. R-Truth (Non-Title)
Truth actually starts off well, kicking away at Rusev and sending him to the floor. The U.S. Champ quickly comes back though, harshly kicking Truth and forcing him to give in to The Accolade.
Winner via Submission: United States Champion Rusev (with “The Ravishing Russian” Lana)
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Seth Rollins is walking through the halls with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar meets them. He threatens Rollins to take out Cena tonight, then it will be just a one-on-one match at Royal Rumble, where Lesnar declares he will defeat Rollins.
Commercials.
Match #6: Single – The Miz (with Damien Mizdow) VS. Tag-Team Champion Jey Uso (with Tag-Team Champion Brother/Partner Jimmy Uso) (Non-Title)
The crowd pops big for Mizdow, which distracts Miz and almost costs him after rolls him up. He does kick out and dominates for a bit. Miz eventually misses a running shoulder and hits the ring post. Jey follows up with a superkick and the Superfly Splash for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Tag-Team Champion Jey Uso (with Tag-Team Champion Brother/Partner Jimmy Uso)
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Up next is the 3-on-1 and big stipulations!
Commercials.
It is announced that The Ascension will face The New Age Outlaws at Royal Rumble!
Match #7: Three-On-One – “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins, The Big Show, and Kane (with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) VS. John Cena
Rollins and Cena begin, but Seth quickly switches with Show. This is your standard three-on-one, with the heels dominating for the majority.
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Rollins continues to control John until Cena mounts his usual comeback. Mercury and Noble get involved, then Kane pulls Cena off Rollins from a cover. On the outside, Show spears Cena as Kane removed one set of the steel steps. Stephanie and Triple H look over Cena as Charles Robinson, the referee, counts to nine before Cena slides back in.
Kane measures for a chokeslam but Cena still kicks out of the subsequent cover! Rollins back in, but all of a sudden, Sting appears on the Titan Tron! Everyone but Cena is focused on the Tron, when he walks out to the stage! He points to everyone, then Cena sneaks up and rolls Rollins up from behind for the huge victory!
Winner via Pinfall: John Cena
Post-match, Cena celebrates greatly with the fans while Triple H is irate. He tears off the cover to the commentator’s table then stands on it with the mike. He is ticked at Sting, but instead it is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion who walks back out.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman charge out, where Lesnar goes right after Rollins! Kane and Show pull him off, but “The Beast” is too much, giving both an F-5. unfortunately for the Champ, Noble and Mercury have hurried Rollins to the back. Brock is pacing in the ring while Cole puts over the potential explosiveness at the Rumble this Sunday to close the show!
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a fantastic Raw and awesome “go-home” before what is arguably WWE’s second-biggest Pay-Per-View behind WrestleMaina! Right from the get-go, Raw had a big-time feel and it had a big-time/surprise closer! Onto the analysis, which will be tons of positive points! Then, of course, I will predict The Royal Rumble
Excellence: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar – he was on tonight, from the opening promo to the closing brawl. His verbal exchanges were superb to, as they depicted him as he should be – a no-nonsense butt-kicker who is only there to do that and be the champion.
The entire opening segment was well done and everyone was on their “game” (slight pun-intended) with the mike skills. Once again, this is the Cena I like to hear from; not the goofy personality, but the serious and passionate/”fire-in-belly” John.
Except for Truth/Rusev (more on them in Bogus), all of the matches were well-wrestled and decently enjoyable.
The Reunion with n.W.o, New Age Outlaws, and The A.P.A. was very entertaining and another surprise with JBL and Farooq/Simmons. Also liked the Legends Panel; it put over the extreme importance of the Royal Rumble Match itself by having three Hall Of Famers, WWE Champions, and former winners talking about how it makes careers. The Big Show was great again with his oratory style, and I truly believe he is a mean bully this time. He actually talks the talk and walks the walk, unlike in many times past.
At first, I was thinking that Cena’s unnamed opponent would be a Legend or Randy Orton as a surprise; but when the three-on-one odds were made known, I was less excited. On the flip side, I got the intrigue back after wondering what will really happen with Cena; I figured he’d win, but I certainly would not have “bet the house” on Sting appearing to assist. That was very cool and another true surprise!
Bogus: Bad News Barrett – he seems to be stalled and almost stale again. He’s average in wins/losses since coming back and has really done nothing other than win the I.C. Title in a match that really shouldn’t have happened anyway. It’s too bad, because when he returned, we loved him and he seemed poised for a strong face-push. I hope he has a good showing in the Rumble and it is the beginning of a restart and dominance for him.
Rusev/R-Truth was really unnecessary; we all know Rusev is dominant and Truth is irrelevant right now, so this bout could’ve been left off the line up.
The Ascension – after their decimation by the legendary teams, they should be no more. It wouldn’t make sense for them to be on TV, much less win another match. It’s really too bad, as they were great in NXT, but have failed to connect since changing their attire and entrance/promo-style for the main roster.
Overall, this was a thoroughly grand Raw and setup the Rumble nicely. Now for my picks:
The Usos to retain, Paige/Natalya over The Bellas, Outlaws better beat The Ascension (see above for why), Lesnar should retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Randy Orton to win Royal Rumble if he returns, setting up him VS. Lesnar in a revenge match at WrestleMania.
Until next week, when “The Road To WrestleMania Begins,” Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
WWE stocks today hit a new 52-week low, trading at just $9.82 at one point during the day. The drop was attributed to a report on Seeking Alpha which suggested that WWE might axe or cut the dividend to preserve cash.
During the later course of the trading day, stocks were trading at the price of $9.99, a number which WWE mentions a lot to promote the WWE Network. Ah, the irony!
Stocks eventually closed the day at $10.05, 2.33% down from yesterday’s closing. You can see a screenshot of the $9.99 trading here.
Over the years, WrestleMania has seen its fair share of stadiums. From the Silverdome, to the Sky Dome, to the Astrodome, the Superdome, the Sun Life Stadium, and others, but nothing bigger than the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, now known as the AT&T Stadium.
The AT&T Stadium, the home of WrestleMania 32, opened in May 2009 and carries a cost of $1.3 billion. It is the fourth largest stadium in the NFL by seating capacity, holding 80,000 in a football setting.
The stadium broke ground in September 2005 and was ready in July 2009 when the artificial turf field brought into the stadium. The Cowboys held their first pre-season home game a month later.
The stadium held the record of the world’s largest high-definition video display, a record which was then broken in 2013 by the EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.
In July 2013, the Cowboys sold the naming rights to AT&T for a sponsorship deal which was reported to be worth around $19 million per year.
Throughout its short history, the AT&T Stadium held several big events including Super Bowl XLV, high profile college football games, basketball, and soccer.
The highest attendance record currently stands with the 2010 NBA All-Star Game which had a total of 108,713 fans watching.
The first NFL game between the Cowboys and the Giants in the stadium in 2009 drew 105,121.
While the main event was going on last night on Raw, Triple H assisted a crying boy at ringside…who he himself was to blame for the crying!
According to eye witnesses and photos making the rounds online, Triple H turned around and hugged the kid trying to console him after he made him cry with his actions. Stephanie McMahon also broke character and went over to check out the kid.
WWE officials then brought free merchandise for the little boy and after the show he was taken backstage to meet his heroes.
It’s still real to some people, folks! You can see some photos which were captured by Twitter user ChrisOlds2009 below.
TNA Impact announcer Josh Mathews took a nasty shot at WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross on Twitter yesterday, a remark which he eventually apologized for, sort of.
“Why anyone would say @ufc ‘won’ the night over @nfl is beyond me. Please, stop. It’s not a fair fight. If you are over 60, just go away,” Mathews wrote, referring a comment by Jim Ross on Twitter where he said that UFC won the night battling the NFL playoffs on Sunday.
Ross, most likely all surprised, called the jab “stiff” and said he didn’t expect that from Mathews.
“It was stiff, I get that. Sometimes you gotta call it like you see it,” Mathews replied.
After getting a ton of negative feedback from his Twitter followers for his remark, Mathews apologized. Sort of.
“Look, the tweet was outta character & disrespectful to @JRsBBQ & I’m sorry. I’ll continue to speak my mind, but in a respectful/proper way,” Mathews said.
Sting made his Monday Night Raw debut yesterday in Dallas, Texas, coming out to distract The Authority and helping John Cena win his 3 on 1 handicap match.
Sting showed up on the Titan Tron to a massive pop just when Rollins was going to Curb Stomp John Cena again. He then walked from backstage and onto the ramp as everyone from The Authority turned their back from the ring, allowing John Cena to roll-up Rollins from behind for the pin.
With the win, Cena got the jobs back for Ziggler, Rowan, and Ryback.
This was Sting’s second appearance on WWE television, a shorter appearance than his first one at the Survivor Series. It does look that Sting will be taking on Triple H at WrestleMania 31.
More matches were announced for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view this Sunday with the card now consisting of six matches including the kickoff match.
The kickoff match will consist of a six-man tag team match featuring The New Day taking on Tyson Kidd, Cesaro, and Adam Rose. Two other new matches announced last night include Paige and Natalya vs The Bella Twins and The New Age Outlaws vs The Ascension.
The locations for the rest of the WrestleMania week activities were announced during the press conference earlier this morning in Arlington, Texas.
Apart from WrestleMania at the AT&T Stadium, the Hall of Fame the day before Mania and Monday Night Raw the day after Mania will both be held at the American Airlines Center, the same site which hosted last night’s Monday Night Raw.
Axxess, the four-day interactive fan event will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, a few blocks away from the American Airlines Center.
Be a STAR anti-bullying rallies, hospital visits and other community outreach initiatives designed to give back to the host community will be held throughout the area.
A press conference was held at the AT&T Stadium this morning in Dallas, Texas, to officially present WrestleMania 32.
Mayor Cluck, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson and three-time Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Ed “Too Tall” Jones joined WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and WWE Executive Vice President of Special Events John P. Saboor in making the announcement.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, WWE Superstars John Cena, Big Show, Mark Henry, WWE Divas Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya and Alicia Fox also made special guest appearances at the event.
“On behalf of the city of Arlington, we thank WWE for choosing AT&T Stadium to host their biggest event of 2016,” said Arlington Mayor Robert N. Cluck, M.D. “We look forward to fans from around the world converging on our beautiful city for WrestleMania Week.”
Charlotte Jones Anderson, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of the Dallas Cowboys, said, “On behalf of the entire Dallas Cowboys organization, we’re excited to welcome WrestleMania 32 and fans from around the globe to AT&T Stadium. An iconic entertainment extravaganza like WrestleMania and its fans deserve a world-class venue like AT&T Stadium that will redefine the WrestleMania experience and set a new precedent for future events.”
WWE today announced on their website that WrestleMania 32 will be held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 3, 2016. The announcement will be followed by a press conference held later today at the site.
Charlotte Jones Anderson, a senior vice president for the Dallas Cowboys, and WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be present at the press conference along with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, WWE Superstars and Divas, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck.
The announcement did not come as a surprise as back in December 2013 media reports came out that the stadium formerly known as the Dallas Cowboys Stadium will be hosting the show after WWE concluded negotiations with the city and the NFL team.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever walked into a room with Vince McMahon, but it’s certainly an intimidating process,” said Jones Anderson, the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, laughing. “I know everybody thinks Daddy’s intimidating, but that’s because they haven’t met Vince McMahon yet.”
The Jones family have wanted to host WrestleMania ever since the the stadium was in its planning stages.
“When we set out to build the stadium, we were looking at all the really big events, marquee events,” Anderson told the Dallas Morning News. “This was one of them. When you look at an event this size, and when it has an incredible impact…it was certainly one we wanted to do our best to secure.”
John Saboor, Senior Vice President of Special Events at WWE said that Dallas and Arlington broke out of a very competitive national landscape to win the right to host WrestleMania 32. “AT&T Stadium served as the bedrock of the region’s proposal…but they also have key infrastructure to welcome our domestic and international fans, and a strong resume of success in hosting major sports and entertainment events.”
The stadium will be able to shatter all WrestleMania records in terms of attendance if WWE manages to sell all their tickets. It holds over 100,000 fans and can easily surpass the WrestleMania III record which stands at just over 93,000.
The lineup for the VIP and Premium VIP sessions at WrestleMania Axxess were announced by WWE earlier today.
The first VIP session at the Thursday session will have Ric Flair while the Premium VIP sessions on that same day will have Hulk Hogan and Roman Reigns.
On Friday, Premium VIP ticket holders can meet John Cena and Triple H. No normal VIP sessions will be held.
On Saturday, VIP ticket holders can meet Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins, all at different time slots while Premium VIP ticket holders can meet WCW legend Sting.
On WrestleMania Sunday, the normal VIP session will have Bret Hart while Shawn Michaels will be on hand for the Premium VIP tickets.
