Orlando will officially be announced as the host of WWE’s premiere wrestling event and one of the biggest sports/entertainment events in the world.
Wrestlemania 33 is coming to the Orlando Citrus Bowl on April 2, 2017, Brian Fritz of the Orlando Sentinel confirmed, the second time the stadium will host this major event.
Back in 2008, the Citrus Bowl packed in a stadium record 74,635 into the stadium for this major sporting event. The stadium has since undergone significant upgrades which should help create an even better show. It beat out Minneapolis’ new NFL stadium for the bid.
Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel he thinks the renovation to the stadium played a role in the stadium securing this major event:
“I think just like many other events, like Copa [the Copa America Centenario soccer tournament], like the Rolling Stones, we’re attracting all types of events to the Citrus Bowl that we would not have been able to do but for the upgrade with the renovation to the Citrus Bowl, no question about it.”
Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs, Florida governor Rick Scott and WWE chairman Vince McMahon are expected to be on hand for an official announcement Tuesday.
Wrestlemania is cited for attracting hundreds of thousands of fans from all 50 states and around the world to the events not only at the Citrus Bowl but throughout the week. Orlando’s Amway Center will likely host the WWE Hall of Fame Induction and an episode of Monday Night Raw the evening following WrestleMania. There will also be a WWE experience event at the Orange County Convention Center and likely a NXT show.
Orlando and the WWE have a special relationship as it is and the city hopes to become a regular stop for the promotion.
The WWE hosts regular NXT shows, the brand’s developmental wing, and has its performance center at Full Sail in Winter Park.
The WWE was last in Orlando for the Royal Rumble in January, another one of the WWE’s biggest pay per view events on their calendar. It was an incredible show that saw Triple H, the company’s real-life CEO, win the championship. He is slated to defend it against Roman Reigns at this year’s edition of Wrestlemania at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
The WWE will visit Orlando for a house show in June.
Neither of those events can compare to the size or spectacle of Wrestlemania. It is an event that is sure to be a big part of Orlando’s 2017 sports calendar.
[…] the company will be bringing its biggest show to the Orlando Citrus Bowl in 2017. It will be the second time Orlando and the Citrus Bowl will host […]