Every year, WWE tries to outdo itself with the huge WrestleMania sets inside stadiums. From the New York skyline, to a giant play button and everything else in between, WWE has done it all.
But photos published online showing some construction of the WrestleMania 33 set suggest that this will be one of the biggest stages in WrestleMania history in terms of construction. The giant stage is being constructed on the North side of the stadium and will cover pretty much the whole upper area where there are no seats. Massive steel structures are seen in these photos, hoisted up by large cranes.
Unlike previous years, seats will also wrap around the top part of the stage, giving fans a spectacular view of those making their way to the ring.
You can see some construction photos from the Camping World Stadium below. These images were published on the WrestlingForum.com website.
There are a few new WWE Network shows premiering this week in the lead-up to WrestleMania 33.
Tomorrow, immediately following Monday Night Raw, a new episode of WWE 24 will air, titled WrestleMania Monday. This will take a look at the chaotic Raw the day after last year’s WrestleMania.
On Tuesday, new episodes of 205 Live and Talking Smack will be followed by Kurt Angle: Oh, It’s True…It’s True! This is the sit-down interview that Corey Graves conducted with the HOF inductee a couple of weeks ago.
On Wednesday there is a new episode of NXT featuring Kassius Ohno vs Elias Samson in a Loser Leaves NXT match.
Bring it to the Table returns for a new episode on Thursday as host Peter Rosenberg is joined by Corey Graves and JBL on site from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Friday is Hall of Fame night, first with the 2017 Red Carpet arrivals show hosted by Maria Menounos and then followed by the 2017 Hall of Fame induction ceremony as Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix, Diamond Dallas Page, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Teddy Long and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express take the spotlight.
NXT moves to Saturday, first with the NXT Takeover: Orlando Kickoff show at 7:30PM with Charly Caruso, Sam Roberts and Nigel McGuinness and then NXT Takeover: Orlando airs live from the Amway Center.
WrestleMania Sunday kicks off early, starting at 5PM ET with the Kick-Off show hosted by Renee Young and joined by WWE Hall of Famers Jerry “The King” Lawler, Booker T and Shawn Michaels. WrestleMania 33 starts at 7PM ET.
On Monday immediately following Monday Night Raw, there will be an episode of Raw Talk, hosted by Renee Young and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
As it has been routine after every WrestleMania since the introduction of the WWE Network, WWE will be hosting a conference call on Monday, April 3 at 3PM ET to provide an update on the growth of WWE Network, including the level of subscribers following WrestleMania.
WWE Chief Strategy & Financial Officer, George Barrios, and WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer, Michelle D. Wilson, will host the conference call. Vince McMahon will not be part of the conference call.
Last year, WWE announced 1,820,000 subscribers to the Network the day after WrestleMania 32. It was also the first time that WrestleMania was offered for free for new subscribers. The 1.82 million figure remains the record for WWE Network subscribers since its inception in 2014.
The night after WrestleMania XXX, the first Mania on the Network, WWE announced a total of 667,000 subscribers and the night after WrestleMania 31 they announced 1,315,000 subscribers.
This year, WrestleMania will also be airing for free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. To subscribe, simply go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
Two Montreal guys main evented last night’s Raw non-televised live event in Montreal, with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn once again tearing the house down.
After the match was over, which was a street fight and Zayn won, Zayn grabbed the mic and said that their rivalry started 14 years ago, wrestling in every church basement and community hall all over the city, before taking their rivalry on the road in the United States and all over the world.
Addressing Owens who was at the top of the ramp, Zayn said that a lot of people liked him, but he has not liked him for a very long time, however, he does respect him a lot and praised him for his six-month Universal title run.
Zayn’s speech got to Owens and he stood near the entrance, wiping tears from his face. Owens then was going to make a speech himself, but told Zayn “I f**ing hate you” in French to a good laugh from the crowd.
Impact Wrestling pulled in 305,000 viewers yesterday night on POP, down 39,000 viewers from last week’s year-high of 344,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Impact Wrestling’s Alberto El Patron has pulled out from all his scheduled appearances at WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend due to the issues going on right now with his fiancee Paige.
Prime Time Appearances, which was acting as the promoter for El Patron during WrestleCon, announced the news yesterday on Twitter. In a statement, El Patron said, “Due to the invasion of our privacy, I need to be home with the person that needs me more at the moment and our family. Thanks for your support and I’ll be seeing you next time.”
Paige’s parents last week wrote that they are worried about the mental state of their daughter following the big leak of nude photos and videos.
During this week’s Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels revealed that WWE offered him a match at WrestleMania 33 against AJ Styles, but HBK turned down the offer.
Michaels said that WWE had no opponent for AJ Styles for WrestleMania and approached him to step up. He refused the offer though, and Styles got Shane McMahon instead.
HBK admitted that he only saw AJ Styles wrestle once, against John Cena at the Royal Rumble, and said that he wished Styles was in the WWE ten years ago so he could have wrestled him then.
The former WWE champion retired after losing to the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 and kept his word of not wrestling again even though he was offered to step back in the ring on numerous occasions.
The man often referred to as Mr. WrestleMania also said that he will be in Orlando for the show and will be part of the Kickoff activities.
WWE Superstar Kane has not been on television for quite a while, but the man whose real name is Glenn Jacobs, is not sitting at home doing nothing.
News 5 WCYB is reporting that the former WWE champion has filed paperwork with the Knox County Election Commission appointing a political treasurer, Brian Carl, moving another step closer to running for Knox County mayor.
“Knox County is a great place and we’re so happy and feel so blessed to live here,” Jacobs said of he and his wife Crystal. “I want to do my part going forward.”
The news report says that if he wins, the Big Red Machine will focus on attracting jobs and businesses to the area. The election isn’t until May 1, 2018.
Jim Ross today announced that despite the passing of his loving wife, he will be at WrestleMania-related festivities in Orlando next week.
“I’m eternally grateful for your support during these devastating days. Jan was my Angel & she loved WrestleMania week. See you in Orlando,” he wrote on Twitter.
The WWE Hall of Famer will be hosting the WrestleCon Kickoff party at the Wyndham Orlando Resort Palms Room which will include a Q&A session with fellow Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Sting. He will also be signing autographs and posing for photos on Friday at WrestleCon.
Ross will then host his Ringside shows on Saturday and Sunday at the Plaza LIVE Orlando starting at 2:30PM.
Karen Jarrett, the wife of Jeff Jarrett, made her return to Impact Wrestling on last night’s broadcast on POP TV. Jarrett was unveiled as the woman that everyone had been referring to as “she.”
This is her third return to the company, having previously returned in 2011 along with her new husband Jeff, then appearing again on Impact in 2015 when the TNA/GWF feud started which also saw the return of Jeff Jarrett.
“My family started this company,” she told Jeremy Borash in the ring. “They put their hard work, their sweat, their tears, everything they had into this company,” Karen continued, adding that the past few years have been difficult and humbling.
Karen was married to Kurt Angle and later started a romantic relationship with Jarrett while both were in TNA. A former TNA employee leaked the news that the two were in a relationship on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show back in 2009. TNA President Dixie Carter then placed Jeff Jarrett on a leave of absence to clam down the situation.
After 10 days of total silence on Twitter and two missed Smackdown broadcasts, Mauro Ranallo broke that silence today to say thank you to his fans.
“I’m deeply touched by your tweets of support. My doctor wants me to stay off social media for now but I wanted to say thank you,” Ranallo wrote.
There’s a rumor that the lead Smackdown commentator is suffering from depression, something that he’s been open about in the past prior to joining WWE. Ranallo wrote about the mood disorder before, both online and in print media.
Last week it was said that Ranallo missed Smackdown due to the storm and this week Todd Phillips, who took over the main commentary role, said that Ranallo was out sick.
ITV Studios Entertainment announced today that it has teamed up with Impact Wrestling to bring WOS Wrestling back to ITV, with an initial commission for a 10-part series.
The commission from ITV’s Helen Warner follows a successful one-off-special, which aired on New Year’s Eve 2016. The Executive Producers for ITV Studios are Tom McLennan and Simon Marsh. Jeff Jarrett, the Chief Creative Officer for Impact Wrestling, will be the Executive Producer for Impact Wrestling.
Tapings will be held in front of a live audience at the intimate Preston Guild Hall on Thursday, May 25 and Friday, May 26. Tickets for these shows will go on sale on Friday, April 7 at 9AM at Gigsandtours.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk.
There will also be a launch event on Monday, March 27 at 2PM where the full details of the WOS live shows will be announced, including the roster.
This initial commission is part of a comprehensive co-production agreement between ITV Studios and Impact Wrestling to relaunch the WOS Wrestling brand, bringing British stars to ITV while leveraging the roster and creative team of Impact Wrestling along with its expertise in live event production and international distribution.
“This opportunity to work with ITV Studios to revive this iconic brand in the United Kingdom is a perfect example of the ways in which we intend to leverage our strengths to build our presence in international markets in collaboration with local organizations,” said Ed Nordholm, President of Impact Wrestling.
Director of Entertainment, ITV Studios Manchester, Tom Mclennan said: “Britain’s wrestling scene is thriving and there has never been a better time to bring it back to ITV after a gap of 30 years.”
Jeff Jarrett, Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling, added: “The WOS brand is etched in professional wrestling tradition. My family’s lineage in the industry dates back 70-plus years, so I am honoured for the opportunity to work on reviving the legacy of this historic British series.”
Triple H held a media conference call with reporters today and opened the call by addressing the passing of Jan Ross, the wife of WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.
HHH called the whole situation a “tragic unfortunate thing” and said JR is always part of the WWE family. “It’s tragic and I just don’t know how to put in to words how sorry we are,” Triple H said.
“Everybody here, our thoughts and our prayers are with JR and his entire family. We all knew Jan well and our thoughts and prayers go out to them all,” he concluded.
Do you want to buy WrestleMania 33 merchandise? Don’t wait till you get to Orlando as you can save 30% on all the merchandise on WWE Shop by using the code SAVE30 today. The deal ends tonight at 11:59PM PT.
The 30% off is good for WrestleMania 33 t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, as well as everything else on the site excluding championship replica titles and select memorabilia.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to http://w-o.it/wweshopcom and send your merchandise to your Orlando hotel!
WWE will be touring Latin America in June for three days and also announced the first ever live event in Argentina for October.
The Smackdown brand will be traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a show at the Coliseo De Puerto Rico on June 8, then to Panama City, Panama on June 10 for a show at Roberto Duran Arena, and finally to San José, Costa Rica for another event at the Anfiteatro Coca Cola on June 11. On October 19, WWE invades Buenos Aires, Argentina for the first time ever with a show at the Estadio Luna Park.
Tickets go on sale on April 3 for all live events. Tickets will be available at ticketpop.com, panatickets.com, boleteria.cr, and ticketportal.com.ar for each respective event.
Aleister Black, the man formerly known as Tommy End, will be making his NXT television debut at NXT Takeover: Orlando next weekend.
The 31 year old Dutch star signed with WWE in June of last year and moved to Orlando four months later to start at the WWE Performance Center. He has been appearing at several non-televised live NXT events however has not appeared on NXT TV yet. This past January, he made an appearance during the WWE UK Championship Tournament using his Tommy End name and lost to Neville.
Black will be taking on against Andrade “Cien” Almas on the Takeover show.
The pre-sale for SummerSlam is currently ongoing at Ticketmaster.com and will run till tomorrow, March 24 at 10PM ET.
Those who wish to purchase a ticket now can use the codes DOTCOM and WWEAPP to unlock tickets or else wait for the general public sale which starts on Saturday, March 25 at Noon ET.
Ticket prices are $50.50, $75.50, $95.50, $230.50, $355.50, $555.50, and $605.50.
The show will be held in Brooklyn for the third straight year at the Barclays Center on Sunday, August 21, 2017.
Jim Ross’ wife Jan passed away last night from the injuries she suffered stemming from an accident three days ago in Norman, Oklahoma.
Jan, 55, was riding her Vespa and was hit from behind by a car driven by a 17-year-old male. Unfortunately she was not wearing her helmet and the impact resulted in a catastrophic brain injury and multiple skull fractures. Her scooter also caught fire following the accident.
JR admitted that only a miracle would have saved her life and in an update yesterday, he said she was only alive thanks to the life support machines. Later in the day, he wrote, “A Priest gave my wife Jan her last rites tonight. My little Angel is gone.”
The WWE Hall of Famer said that no experience in his life could have prepared him for this life changing event. He was introduced to Jan by Ric Flair decades ago when she was working as a flight attendant and got married in 1993.
Tons of former co-workers and friends sent in their condolences on Twitter. Our prayers and thoughts are with Jim Ross during this difficult period.
The website SoleCollector.com, which focuses solely on sneakers news and releases, is reporting that sports brand Puma is teaming up with Foot Locker and WWE for a special WrestleMania collaboration.
Starting on April 1, Puma will sell a collectible sneaker, titled Puma Clyde, exclusively in Orlando for $499. The shoes come with Undertaker imagery and a sneaker casket. There will be only 23 pairs made available. For any enthusiasts, these shoes will be a must-have. Using shoes for wrestling will help improve performance immediately. That’s why investing in a well-priced pair is recommended.
If you don’t want to spend that much, there will be WWE-themed Puma shoes retailing for $199 and shirts for $45. The Puma / WWE / Foot Locker pack will launch at 33 select Puma Lab Foot Locker locations across the U.S. on Saturday, April 1. You can click to read reviews about other wrestling shoes.
The collection is curated by Peter Rosenberg, ESPN radio host and big WWE fan who also hosts the WWE Network show Bring It To The Table. “I’ve been a fan of WWE forever and am also an avid sneakerhead, so having the opportunity to curate this line exclusively for Foot Locker is incredibly special. WWE has an amazing following and sneaker culture just keeps growing; I know this product will get a crazy response from that community,” Rosenberg said.
Smackdown drew 2,647,000 viewers this week, an increase of just 19,000 viewers over last week’s show. Smackdown was #1 in the top 50 cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
You must be logged in to post a comment.