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WWE targeting 45,000 seats for WrestleMania 37

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE logo

Spectrum Sports 360’s Jon Alba in Florida confirmed that WWE is putting up around 45,000 tickets on sale for WrestleMania, which would nearly double that of the Super Bowl which was also held at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay.

While 45,000 at a WrestleMania would be on the lower-end compared to recent years, a 45,000 sell-out in 2021 would be the largest event in the United States since the pandemic began early last year. And with WrestleMania being two nights, that would mean double the revenue.

Florida stadiums and arenas can operate at 100% capacity and its up to the organizer to determine how much seats they want to put up for sale. No event has gone to 100% capacity yet but with Raymond James Stadium holding approximately 66,000 fans, WWE would be pushing to the higher percentage with 45,000.

WWE has never announced how many tickets will be available and seats will be assigned in pods of one to six people per pod. Alba also wrote that he reached out to the Tampa Bay Sports Authority regarding the seating number but they did not reply yet.

Seating chart for WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium

By
Colin Vassallo
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The seating map for WrestleMania 37 at the Raymond James Stadium has been released, showing a slightly different change from previous years when it comes to the floor layout.

The side where the entrance way and stage will be set will have no seats on the floor except for the ringside area. This might suggest an elaborate set or maybe the addition of something different, such as video walls occupying that space.

The other three sides will have triangular-shaped seating sections and will leave a lot of empty space on the floor.

WrestleMania will have seating in pods of one to six people per pod and pods must be purchased in their entirety and may not be divided. Tickets in a pod may not be sold or transferred to anyone other than family or trusted acquaintances who have chosen to attend the event together, unless all such tickets in the full pod are being sold or transferred to one party.

A face covering will be required for every fan who will be attending the event.

WWE will be selling two different kind of tickets for WrestleMania – single-day and combo. Fans can opt to purchase a two-day ticket that will guarantee entry on April 10 and April 11 or else can buy single tickets for April 10 or April 11. While this is the second time that WrestleMania will be a two-day event, it’s the first time that fans will be able to participate in a two-day WrestleMania.

Tickets for WrestleMania go on sale this Tuesday, March 16, on Ticketmaster.com.

Swann to take on Omega at Rebellion 2021 for Impact and AEW titles

By
Colin Vassallo
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Rich Swann booked himself a main event match against AEW World champion Kenny Omega after last night he beat Moose to unify both the Impact and TNA World titles at Sacrifice.

With his win, Swann will now put his title on the line against Omega, who is also putting the AEW gold on the line, with the winner taking possession of both titles.

Whoever wins the match means that someone is walking out with the rival promotion’s major title. Omega is already the AAA Mega champion so if he wins this match, he would carry the AEW, AAA, and Impact titles.

The match will take place at the upcoming Rebellion pay-per-view, to be held live on Saturday, April 24.

Sacrifice 2021 Impact Plus results

By
Colin Vassallo
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Here are the results from last night’s Sacrifice Impact Plus event which took place from the Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.

Decay defeated Reno Scum; Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K defeated Havok and Nevaeh; Violent By Design defeated James Storm and Chris Sabin; Eddie Edwards defeated Brian Myers in a no disqualification match; Fire N Flava defeated Jazz and Jordynne Grace to retain the Impact Knockouts Tag Team titles; Ace Austin defeated TJP to become the new Impact X Division champion; Deonna Purrazzo defeated ODB to retain the Impact Knockouts title; FinJuice defeated The Good Brothers to become the new Impact World Tag Team champions; Rich Swann defeated Moose to unify the Impact World and TNA World titles.

Paul Heyman takes dig at Christian during Talking Smack

By
Colin Vassallo
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On Talking Smack, Paul Heyman took a dig at Christian in the best Paul Heyman way possible, tying it to the current Roman/Edge feud leading to WrestleMania.

“Edge, your best friend in this world knew he was going to become Roman Reigns’ target just to get in your head. And what did he do? He ran away before Roman Reigns could target him,” Heyman said.

Heyman wondered how many of his “Christians” need to be “converted” before he realizes it is not smart to piss Roman Reigns off.

This is the first time that Christian’s departure was somewhat acknowledged on WWE television. The former World Heavyweight champion showed up at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view last weekend and seems to be heading into a program with AEW World champion Kenny Omega.

Sacrifice 2021 streaming on Impact Plus tonight

By
Colin Vassallo
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Impact Wrestling will present Sacrifice 2021 tonight from the Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, exclusively on the Impact Plus streaming service. Tonight’s event will be special in the sense that the promotion will be unifying the Impact and TNA World titles. The full card is as follows:

Rich Swann vs Moose in an Impact World title an TNA world title unification match; TJP vs Ace Austin for the Impact X Division title; The Good Brothers vs FinJuice for the Impact World Tag Team titles; Deonna Purrazzo vs ODB for the Impact Knockouts title; Fire N Flava vs Jazz and Jordynne Grace for the Impact Knockouts Tag Team titles; Decay vs Reno Scum; Violent By Design vs Chris Sabin and James Storm; Havok and Nevaeh vs Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K; and Eddie Edwards vs Brian Myers in a no disqualification match.

You can order the event by subscribing to Impact Plus at plus.impactwrestling.com.

Smackdown rating for 03/12/2021

By
Colin Vassallo
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Smackdown did an average of 2,010,000 viewers this week in the overnight numbers, down 156,000 viewers from last week’s show. Smackdown last week ended with 2,252,000 viewers after the final numbers came in. This will be probably be the third least-watched Smackdown of 2021 so far.

Hour one had 2,028,000 viewers and then dropped to 1,992,000 viewers in the second hour. Smackdown tied #1 in 18-34, was second in 18-49, and second in 25-54 as well. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Andrade’s request for release is denied by WWE

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that Andrade’s request for release from his contract has been denied, much to the surprise of nobody.

The former NXT champion asked to be let go from his contract this past Monday at Raw. Andrade has not been used on WWE television since October of last year and his main roster run has been pretty much a disaster, an unfortunate common theme for many who come up from NXT.

Another who’s been rarely used is Aleister Black, with his last match coming in December 2020. Both Black and Andrade are former NXT stars who lit up the brand when they were there and had a fantastic match at Takeover: New Orleans for the title.

NXT referee Tom Castor out with bicep tear

By
Colin Vassallo
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NXT referee Tom Castor announced on social media that he will be undergoing surgery after tearing his bicep off the bone.

Castor refereed the Io vs Storm NXT Women’s title match on Wednesday night and wrote, “Little did I know when I handed Io her championship that this would end up being my last match for the foreseeable future.”

The ref spent a few months on the sidelines in 2019 after he broke his ankle during a match but said that he’s a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. He noted that after he came back from that injury, he came back in better shape, more confident, and more focused and this injury will allow him to grow yet again.

“I know what the road ahead of me looks like. I know what work needs to be done. I’m already focused and determined to come back as soon as possible and rejoin my team,” Castor wrote. “No matter the length of this journey, I’m ready for it. I’ll be back soon. Because I love wrestling!”

Edge vs Uso set for next week’s Smackdown with Fastlane implications

By
Colin Vassallo
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Royal Rumble winner Edge will be having his first match on Smackdown in a decade next week as he faces Jey Uso with a stipulation that will play part at the Fastlane pay-per-view.

The winner of this match will be the special guest enforcer for the Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns match for the Universal title at the pay-per-view. Uso originally requested to be the enforcer for the match but Edge thought it was unfair and requested a match between the two with the winner getting the job.

Since returning to WWE, Edge participated in few matches and only one on free television, the night after the Rumble against Randy Orton on Monday Night Raw.

The Rated R Superstar was one of the key members of the Smackdown roster back in the day.

Stephanie McMahon talks efforts to add more women to the WWE writing room

By
Colin Vassallo
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In an interview with UK-based Digital Spy, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon talked about the ongoing process of adding more female voices and ideas in the WWE creative department, notably in the writing room.

Admitting that the WWE writing team has been male-dominated for the longest time, McMahon said “big efforts” are being made right now to change that.

“I don’t have the stats off the top of my head. So I’m not sure how many women we’ve hired since we started but I know it’s several, including a senior ranking VP who’s in charge of many different aspects of making sure that the creative and partnerships and all lines of business are all working together,” Stephanie said.

McMahon was referring to Christine Lubrano, who on February 1 started her role as Senior Vice President, Creative Writing Operations. Lubrano is responsible for overseeing all strategic operations for the company’s Creative Writing division.

The company has already made the big push for woman on television over the past few years and noted how Sasha Banks and Bayley carried Smackdown during the pandemic.

“Sasha and Bailey have something so special and so unique and in our business, when you capture chemistry like that, it gives it legs. You have the ability to really build on those stories and deepen them as well,” she said.

Andrade removes WWE references from Twitter after requesting release

By
Colin Vassallo
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Andrade’s name started trending on Twitter today after fans realized that the former NXT champion removed all references to WWE in his Twitter profile and name.

Andrade changed his Twitter username to @AndradeElIdolo and lost the blue check-mark after switching from @AndradeCienWWE. He also removed WWE Superstar from his Twitter bio and now he just mentions being a wrestler. His Instagram still mentions WWE Superstar in his bio.

WrestlingInc.com later reported that Andrade asked for his release this past Monday at the Raw tapings, a request which would be surprising if it’s granted considering the competition.

The 31-year-old has not found success on the main roster after a decent run in NXT where he was also champion with Zelina Vega by his side. He got called up in April 2018 and started teaming with Angel Garza last year.

Almas, who is dating Charlotte Flair, has not wrestled on WWE television in a couple of months and barely had any appearances either.

Raw Women’s champ Asuka out with concussion

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dave Meltzer of the Observer is reporting that Raw Women’s champion Asuka is currently sidelined with a concussion thanks to the kick she received from Shayna Baszler on Raw. Asuka also had her tooth knocked out from the kick.

WWE takes concussion issues very seriously and there will be no rush to clear the Japanese champion even though she holds one of the company’s major titles heading into the biggest show of the year.

The current plan is for Asuka to take on Charlotte Flair in another WrestleMania rematch from a few years ago. The former WWE Women’s Tag Team champions had been bitter enemies and Charlotte was the one who broke Asuka’s winning streak in WWE at WrestleMania.

Charlotte’s original Mania plan was a program with Lacey Evans but that went out of the window when Evans announced she is pregnant several weeks ago.

With WrestleMania less than a month away, plan B might have to be activated for Flair and the Raw Women’s title if Asuka is not cleared in time.

Ring gear costume designer Jonathan Davenport talks working with WWE Superstars

By
Colin Vassallo
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Jonathan Davenport, the man who is behind creating the ring gear for The New Day and other WWE Superstars, was a guest on this week’s Hobo Radio on HoboTrashCan.com.

Davenport talked about responding to an online post looking for a graphic artist to design characters for an upcoming project but had no idea that the person who requested the service was Xavier Woods of The New Day. His services eventually expanded to other WWE Superstars after designing some ring gear for the popular trio.

He also has teamed up with Big E and Andreas Hale to create Our Heroes Rock, a 3D animated family series that uses hip hop and science fiction to teach kids about black history. That Kickstarter has already exceeded the $75,000 goal to create a pilot episode.

You can check out his interview at HoboTrashCan.com.

NXT rating for 03/10/2021

By
Colin Vassallo
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With two big title matches and two major announcements, NXT failed to get a spark in their viewership this week with the show doing 691,000 viewers, down 1,000 from last week’s broadcast. The show was #25 on the top 50 cable chart in the 18-49 demographic with a 0.18 rating. The difference between the two shows was of 52,000 viewers, down from the 242,000 difference of last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Dynamite rating for 03/10/2021

By
Colin Vassallo
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The post-Revolution Dynamite, with the debut of Christian Cage, drew 743,000 viewers, down 191,000 viewers from last week’s show but still winning the night against NXT. The show had a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demographic, placing AEW #4 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Becky Lynch’s father passes away

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion Becky Lynch announced in a post on social media that her father passed away this morning.

Lynch wrote that he was proud of her and her brother no matter what and loved them unconditionally.

“When I told him I wanted to be a wrestler he never doubted me for a second even though I did. And when I would worry about taking risks he’d tell me ‘it’s an adventure Missy, enjoy it’ – how right he was,” Lynch wrote.

Describing her father as a gentleman, an athlete, an intellectual, and a creator, Lynch said that he was always full of positivity and ready to have the chats with anyone he crossed paths with, making friends at every turn.

Becky wrote that she wished she was home during this difficult time and wished that her dad would have met his baby granddaughter. “Though I know he was so happy to have lived to know she’s alive. I hope I can approach parenting the same way my Dad did with us,” she concluded.

Condolences go out to Becky and her family.

Dark Side Of The Ring coming to Discovery+ streaming service

By
Colin Vassallo
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The popular series Dark Side Of The Ring is being added to the Discovery+ streaming service after the company announced it’s adding 90 hours of programming from Vice Media.

The Hollywood Reporter states that Both Dark Side Of The Ring and After Dark will be part of Discovery+ in April, although specific dates have not been announced. The two are from a group of six shows that Discovery+ acquired to add to their offering.

There are 16 episodes that form part of two seasons so far, with season three set to start in 2021.

On Tuesday, a new series titled Dark Side Of The Ring: Confidential started as well, with the first episode getting 79,000 viewers.

Women’s unsanctioned lights out match to headline Dynamite next week

By
Colin Vassallo
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Next week’s Dynamite will be history-making for the promotion as it will be headlined by a women’s match, the first for AEW.

The St. Patrick’s Day Slam-themed episode of the show will see Dr. Britt Baker take on Thunder Rosa in an unsanctioned lights out match. The two had been feuding with each other for quite a while now and the gimmick match will be worthy of the main event status.

In the last AEW lights out match featuring Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega at Full Gear in November 2019, the promotion was fined $10,000 by the Maryland Athletic Commission.

MJF forms new faction, takes out The Inner Circle

By
Colin Vassallo
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There’s a new faction in AEW, one led by former Inner Circle member MJF after his attempt to oust Chris Jericho failed to materialize.

MJF tried to persuade Hager, Ortiz, and Santana to turn on their leader sometime during the day but this was all secretly filmed by the returning Sammy Guevara, who showed Jericho the footage during the war council main event segment. But the Inner Circle original members stuck together and turned the table on MJF.

With MJF cornered in the ring, he pleaded with Jericho. “I swear I wasn’t trying to take over your group,” MJF said. “Because I was too busy building my own.”

With that, the lights went out and when they came back, FTR, Shawn Spears, Wardlow, and Tully Blanchard, stood in the ring and attacked all members of The Inner Circle. The segment ended with Wardlow executing a powerbomb on a bleeding Jericho from the stage and onto the platform below.

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