Tag: Wrestlemania

Minneapolis reporter claims city a finalist to host WWE WrestleMania 41

One caveat: WWE doesn’t usually announce host cities for WrestleMania this far out, so the 2025 host is unlikely to be revealed for a while.

Before WWE wrapped up its successful WrestleMania 39 earlier this month, plans were already in place for WrestleMania 40. The 2024 event will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia next spring.

Apparently, WWE is already looking beyond that. According to CBS Minneapolis reporter Patrick Kessler, Minneapolis is a finalist to host WrestleMania 41 in 2025.

The obvious destination, U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, can hold up to 73,000 people. It’s more than suitable to host the event, which drew over 160,000 people across two nights for WrestleMania in Los Angeles.

Minnesota has hosted events like SummerSlam, but never a WrestleMania despite the Metrodome’s previous existence, so WrestleMania 41 could be a seminal weekend for the Twin City.

Kessler didn’t note other finalists for WWE’s grand 2025 event, but past host cities could point toward other potential locations. WWE last visited New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome for WrestleMania in 2014, so it could be due for a return. Miami hasn’t seen a WrestleMania since 2013, and the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has yet to host one, so it could be a potential destination in the future.

Who knows who will be in a main event spot by then. Roman Reigns has held the WWE Undisputed Championship for three years, so it’s not inconceivable that he’s the titleholder for another 24 months. Minneapolis, or whichever city hosts, could also see new stars rise up to headline the Grandest Stage of Them All and make WrestleMania 41 memorable.

WWE will create long-lasting memories in a new location if it chooses Minneapolis as the host city for WrestleMania 41. As the decision nears, we’ll see what destination they select for the ultimate event.

Trish Stratus competed at WrestleMania 39 with partially torn hamstring

Trish says no one knew she was injured and she just sucked it up because it was WrestleMania.

When Trish Stratus returned for a WrestleMania 39 match with Becky Lynch and Lita against Damage CTRL, it marked her first in-ring showing in nearly four years. Having last competed at the Grandest Stage of Them All in 2011 in a less prominent six-person tag team match, it was overdue for one of WWE’s top talents of the last 20 years to battle again at WrestleMania.

While Stratus won her WrestleMania match, she was apparently not 100 percent that night to face Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky.

In an interview with Busted Open Radio, Stratus said she had “a few obstacles” for this match, including a partially torn hamstring that nobody knew about.

(h/t Fightful for transcription)

“I had a few obstacles. I had a partially torn hamstring, by the way. Nobody knew about that,” she said. “It was just like, WrestleMania, let’s just go,” she said. “This time, I had this injury, so I was a little unsure going in, but man, there’s something about feeling at home. It’s like riding a bike, as you guys know when we get back in there, your body’s like, ‘I got this just. Just do your thing,’ and it just flows. I’ve kept my health and fitness up, and that always plays into it as well. I am good in those moments, right? I work well under pressure. I always feel like I have to prove myself every time I go out there, so that was like a big driving force for me that evening, was to go out and prove that I belong in this match, that I belong with these other talented women and that I still belong here, period.”

Credit where it’s due for Stratus holding her own while hurt at WWE’s biggest show. Plus, she wrestled in a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match nine days later and simultaneously started a program with Lynch. With a potential gap before that payoff match — rumors suggest it might not come until SummerSlam — Stratus can return to health and deliver a memorable performance on another big stage.

Geno Smith on Angel Reese taunting Caitlin Clark: ‘The fake outcry is ridiculous’

If only the story was the actual game itself and not the awful officiating or the exhausting culture war nonsense that followed.

It was the first weekend of the new season in Major League Baseball, plus there was Wrestlemania and a host of college football spring games, but the big story coming out of Sunday was the women’s college basketball national championship. If only the story was the actual game itself and not the awful officiating or the exhausting culture war nonsense that followed.

In case you were lucky enough to miss the discourse on Twitter, at the end of their win LSU star Angel Reese taunted Iowa’s Caitlin Clark ala John Cena.

Even though Clark did the exact same thing one week ago, alot of people jumped up and cried CLASSLESS in one loud, hive-minded voice.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith joined the fray and hit the nail on the head, calling the fake outcry ridiculous.

Smith shared several other tweets on the subject, dunking on a paid blue checkmark along the way.

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Logan Paul put his business partner KSI through a table at Wrestlemania 39

Seth Rollins moved just in time and we got to see a bottle of sports drink get absolutely flattened.

Logan Paul’s popularity can be attributed, at least in part, to his eminently punchable face. He’s opted to monetize that by taking his skills to the WWE, where he can more or less be safely beat up to the delight of millions of people worldwide.

Paul has proven this is more than just a cash grab, however. The 28-year-old Vine/YouTube/whatever star has prodigious talent in the ring and has clearly been working his butt off to back that up. He performed well in a tag team match at Wrestlemania 38, then absolutely shined in a match against WWE champion Roman Reign at a Saudi Arabia event months later to continue his growth as a grappler.

This led to Wrestlemania 39 and a feud with Seth Rollins — one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the world today. When Paul came to the ring alongside a mascot dressed up like his Prime sports drink, you knew something was going to happen that involved that big, stupid bottle.

My friends, something happened.

It turns out Paul’s buddy/business partner and fellow YouTube star KSI was in the suit. And after running a little interference for Paul, KSI helped set Rollins up on the Spanish announce team’s table for a painful splash off the ring post. Because this is wrestling and wrestling is poetry sometimes, this led him to be hoisted on his own petard — the one thing he assumed would never hoist him.

Here’s how it looked up close.

Glorious. Rollins won the match but Paul continued to win over wrestling fans by playing a perfect cocky heel while absolutely proving his worth in the ring. And KSI was a willing participant who may or may not gotten some ribs caved in, depending on how padded that suit was.

WATCH: George Kittle dominates at WrestleMania

WATCH! George Kittle dominates at WrestleMania.

The fun never stops for 49ers tight end George Kittle. He was ringside for Wrestle Mania on Saturday and found his way into the action while former NFL punter Pat McAfee was in the ring.

Kittle’s interaction began while heckling the Miz, which led the professional wrestler to shove the 49ers’ TE. While the Miz walked away from the altercation, Kittle shed his jacket to reveal a Tight End University sleeveless shirt. He leapt over the barrier next to the ring and wound up laying out the Miz with a clothesline before encouraging McAfee to climb to the top rope and finish off the pro wrestler.

Whenever Kittle’s NFL career is finished, it’s clear he has a path forward in the WWE.

George Kittle made a stunning cameo during Wrestlemania to help Pat McAfee win his match against The Miz

George Kittle helped Pat McAfee fight The Miz during Wrestlemania 39.

Saturday night’s 2023 WWE WrestleMania 39 got a surprise cameo from a NFL star.

Former punter and sports media personality Pat McAfee hopped in the ring to battle in one of the night’s matches and tag teamed with San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle to win a tussle against WWE staple Mike “The Miz” Mizanin.

Kittle is a big WWE fan, and he got to live out his fandom on wrestling’s biggest stage with another outrageous NFL personality in McAfee.

As far as Kittle’s wrestling reception went, the crowd really seemed to be into Kittle’s inclusion in the night’s fighting.

Could Kittle transition into a wrestling career once his NFL playing days are over?

Well, we’re guessing he’ll want to win a ring with the 49ers before he permanently jumps into the ring as a wrestler, so San Francisco fans shouldn’t be too worried about losing their Pro Bowl tight end anytime soon.

However, additional Wrestlemania appearances for Kittle could definitely be a possibility.

2023 WWE WrestleMania 39: How to watch, match card, date, time

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns will face off in the ring this weekend.

WWE WrestleMania 39, one of the biggest events in sports entertainment, kicks off this weekend. Starting Saturday, April 1, the wrestling world will be fixated on the SoFi Stadium in Hollywood as Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes and more clash in epic matches in front of the millions (and millions) in the WWE Universe. If you can’t make it out to Inglewood for the big show, we have the details on how to watch WWE Wrestlemania 39 for all the exciting action of the two-night event.

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Ranking all 14 celebrity matches from Wrestlemanias 1-38

Wherein we celebrate the efforts of Bad Bunny, Pat McAfee and, sigh, Logan Paul.

YouTube star and internet remora Logan Paul returns to Wrestlemania this week. That’s not surprising.

The fact he can put together one hell of a match? That is.

There’s a longstanding tradition of celebrity involvement in WWE’s
“showcase of the immortals,” ranging across the near 40 years since the event’s inception. There’s always a handful of athletes, actors and miscellaneous riffraff hanging around the event, either in the crowd or in a temporary role for the company. But some go above and beyond audience cameos or guest ring announcer duties.

Wrestlemania has featured matches from NFL Hall of Famers, Grammy winning recording artists and, uh, Snooki from Jersey Shore. Some show up with their worker boots on. Others just show up.

There have been 14 matches including celebrities at Wrestlemania — in this case, official, advertised bouts between professional wrestlers and people who were famously not that. Ronda Rousey’s foray into the field and subsequent titles kept her from being included. Paul made the cut, though he’s a few matches away from being too much of a grappler to qualify.

Here’s how I ranked all 14, from the stupid (… sumo?) to the sublime.

The 12 non-WWE wrestling events to watch during Wrestlemania weekend

These 12 events aren’t even half the weekend’s lineup — but they’re jam-packed with rising stars and banger matches.

Wrestlemania weekend is an iconic event for the WWE. But the confluence of thousands of wrestling fans into the same city creates a massive opportunity for other promotions as well.

Some of the biggest names on the independent wrestling scene will be in action in the Los Angeles area this week, many working multiple shows in hopes of boosting their profiles to new heights in front of rabid crowds. Thanks to the proliferation of streaming services, many those matches will be broadcast online through platforms like Fite.tv and Highspots. Even if you’re not in southern California, you can watch roughly 40 hours of live wrestling this weekend which is … a lot.

In that spirit, I’ve sorted through the dozen events with the biggest names worth checking out if two nights of Wrestlemania isn’t enough for you. Behold: all the wonders of Wrestlemania weekend’s independent scene.

Ranking all 41 WrestleMania main events, from worst to best

38 WrestleManias. 41 main events. Here’s how they rank, from Yokozuna and Sycho Sid to stone cold classics.

The biggest event in professional wrestling — sorry, sports entertainment — is nearly upon us. It’s WrestleMania week.

The landmark marvel of storytelling, violence and athleticism is the standard bearer of the squared circle. Everyone knows about WrestleMania, even if they don’t care about pro wrestling. And as such, the pressure is on the WWE each spring to create a memorable event that can sustain the brand’s success for the year to come.

Sometimes this works out better than others. This showcase has been the backdrop of several indelible moments woven into the fabric of wrestling. It has also served to prop up uncompelling storylines and stars who shined in longtime company head Vince McMahon’s eyes but not in the hearts of fans in the stands.

Let’s talk about those headliners and whether or not they lived up to the pressure of closing out WrestleMania. There have been 41 headlining matches across 38 WrestleManias to date — including the six from the last three years, where the WWE wisely opted to spread the card over two nights. This is my crude attempt to rank all 41 from worst to best, hopefully overcoming my own recency bias in the process.

Additionally, please excuse the somewhat bizarre choice of section images. It turns out USA Today Sports doesn’t have an extensive archive of pre-2020s wrestling photos.