When John Cena made a surprise appearance Saturday at Money in the Bank, he electrified the crowd at The O2 Arena. Not just by showing up unannounced and smacking around Grayson Waller, though those were definitely positives.
No, Cena managed to do the best possible cheap pop tactic ever in London with one simple idea: WrestleMania in the U.K.
If you watched Money in the Bank and heard those fans, it seems like a no brainer idea. The U.K. market would absolutely gobble up tickets for WrestleMania if held in that part of the world and provide an absolutely unforgettable atmosphere.
The problem, alas, is that WrestleMania has never been held outside North America. There are obvious travel and operations logistical hurdles, and it would mean an early start time in the U.S. — though the guess is that wouldn’t be much of a problem in the end.
So was Cena speaking hypothetically, or is this a move WWE is already planning? Fightful Select (subscription required) has some good news and bad news on that front.
In honor of Wade Barrett, we’ll do the bad news first. A U.K. WrestleMania is unlikely for the next few years at least. The 2024 edition is in Philadelphia, and the 2025 show is in the “late stages” of being finalized for a U.S. city. The year after that could work, but Fightful Select’s sources “don’t find it likely.”
The good news is that one of WWE’s other top premium live events could make the hop across the pond.
However, there was a survey taker near media day this week asking about what cities in the UK would be most convenient for a HYPOTHETICAL Royal Rumble or Summerslam in the area. Among those cities listed were London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
WWE has shown an increasing willingness to hold some of its premium live events outside continental North America, including three in a row this year: Backlash in Puerto Rico, Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, and Money in the Bank in England. A Royal Rumble or SummerSlam in the U.K. would be a logical progression.
And from there, a U.K. WrestleMania would be a smaller leap. Cena may have just been stoking the fans’ passions for now, but in a decade or so, maybe he’ll look like a prophet.