WWE WrestleMania is the highlight of WWE’s calendar every year, putting on a spectacle like none other on the Grandest Stage Of Them All. It’s no wonder, then, that cities looking to boost tourism want to host the event, which sees thousands of people travel for both the Premium Live Event as well as Raw, SmackDown, and independent events.
The city of Nashville, which recently hosted the most recent edition of WWE SummerSlam, looks to be a contender for a future event if the proposal to build a new enclosed stadium passes. Nashville Mayor John Cooper and the Tennessee Titans delivered a draft proposal for the stadium back in October, and the $2.1 billion facility will be voted on by the Metro Council.
The Tennessean reports that Butch Spyridon, CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., has spoken with WWE in the past about Nashville hosting WWE WrestleMania and even received a “verbal commitment” from the company that the event will be held there if the new stadium proposal passes. In an attempt to hype up the draft proposal, Spyridon met with the Council and confirmed that a verbal deal to host WWE’s largest event was in place.
“The minute the mayor’s office and the Titans released the stadium term sheet, we started looking for opportunities. WWE had an incredible experience at Nissan Stadium this past summer, and we started talking. WrestleMania is considered the No. 6 top sports event brand in the world, and we are grateful for their confidence and belief in Nashville.”
Continuing, Spyridon told the Council:
“(WrestleMania) is a weeklong event potentially worth upwards of $200 million and is broadcast in 57 countries. This is just the beginning of what our city can do if the stadium deal is approved. Deep appreciation to WWE, the Titans and the state for getting this done.”
WWE Issued A Statement In Response To Reports Of A Verbal Agreement Regarding WrestleMania 43
Though Spyridon seems confident about WWE’s commitment to hosting WrestleMania in Nashville, the company has not confirmed any locations beyond holding WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, CA and WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, PA.
However, the company did issue a statement to highlight their positive view of the city of Nashville and while they didn’t mention WrestleMania specifically, they did confirm their intent to host future events in the proposed stadium if it goes on to be built:
“Nashville has exploded as a cultural center in the United States and as the land of opportunity. WWE looks forward to hosting many events in partnership with the great city of Nashville at the proposed enclosed stadium.”
The last major WWE event to take place in Nashville took place on July 30th when the city hosted WWE SummerSlam. In the main event of the show, Brock Lesnar took on Roman Reigns in a brutal last man standing match that saw Lesnar use a forklift to lift the entire ring on its side. In the end, Roman Reigns was victorious and retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Reigns recently passed 800 days as Universal Champion, making him the longest-reigning modern champion.