A high-profile press conference was held to make the official announcement that MetLife Stadium will play host to WrestleMania 35 on Sunday, April 7, 2019, with additional events held throughout the New York-New Jersey region during WrestleMania Week.
“On behalf of everyone at WWE, we thank Governor Murphy and all of our partners for bringing WrestleMania back home,” WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon said of the incredible partnership. “It is the one place that matches the energy, excitement and spectacle of WrestleMania.”
“What does WrestleMania mean to me?” said an emotion-filled John Cena, as he asked his fiancé Nikki Bella to join him at the podium. “Everything.” The 16-time World Champion beautifully expressed how The Showcase of The Immortals has been his life throughout the years and how he would be a part of the event in 2019 in some capacity.
“It was destiny that brought me here [to WWE],” said Ronda Rousey, who exchanged an intense stare with one-half of her WrestleMania 34 Mixed Tag Team Match opponents, Triple H, as she made her way to the podium. The Baddest Woman on The Planet expressed her desire to use WrestleMania 35 to honor the late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and the great female Superstars of the Women’s Evolution.
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon described the rich past of The Showcase of the Immortals, and WWE EVP, Talent, Live Events, Creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque talked about the Women’s Evolution and the rise of Ronda Rousey.
Other distinguished speakers included The New Day and dignitaries like New Jersey Lt. Governor of New Jersey Shelia Oliver, WWE EVP Special Events and host for the event John Saboor, and CEO of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment Brett Yormark.
Other Superstars in attendance included Braun Strowman, Titus O’Neil, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Apollo.
Other dignitaries included Vincent Prieto, President and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority; Rob VanDeVeen, President/CEO of MetLife Stadium; John Mara, Giants owner; Neil Glat, New York Jets President; Jim Kirkos, President and CEO of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber; and Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC and Company.
In the end, The New Day returned to the stage to provide a fitting conclusion for the amazing event, serving pancakes to the crowd. A perfect way to ring in the return of The Greatest Stage of Them All to the New York-New Jersey Area.
WrestleMania 35 is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration that will stretch throughout the New York-New Jersey region. In addition to WrestleMania, other activities will include WrestleMania Axxess — WWE’s four-day interactive fan festival — as well as four nights of events at Barclays Center: The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NXT TakeOver, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown LIVE. WWE will also host more than a dozen community outreach events, including hospital visits and Be a STAR bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.
The last time The Show of Shows came to MetLife was WrestleMania 29, an event held in April 2013 that grossed an excess of $72 million and attracted a sold-out crowd of 80,676 fans from all 50 states and 34 countries. The incredible event featured WWE Champion The Rock going head-to-head against John Cena, Triple H battling Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match, The Undertaker taking on CM Punk, and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No clashing with Dolph Ziggler & Big E.
Over the past 11 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. This year, WrestleMania 34 takes place Sunday, April 8, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and will be streamed live around the world on WWE Network.
Article source: WWE.com