Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made an appearance on “WWE SmackDown” on Friday and made a huge announcement for New Orleans, live from the city’s Smoothie King Center. The Rock appeared in the middle of the show with the announcement that WrestleMania 42 will take place in The Big Easy at the Caesars Superdome on April 11 and April 12 2026
The Rock’s Grand Reveal
Midway through the show, The Rock’s music hit, but with a unique New Orleans twist. As he stepped into the ring, the energy in the arena was off the charts. Before he could even finish his signature line, the crowd erupted, completing the iconic phrase for him:
“Finally… The Rock has come back to New Orleans!”
But The Rock had his own twist. He took the mic and declared, “Finally, WrestleMania is coming back to New Orleans!”—sending the WWE Universe into a frenzy. Fans even broke out in “holy s**”* chants as the People’s Champ basked in the moment. Always one to lean into the atmosphere, he led the crowd in a rendition of “When The Saints Go Marching In,” while balancing his persona between heel and babyface.
New Orleans Gets Its Third WrestleMania
With this announcement, New Orleans joins the select list of cities to host WrestleMania multiple times. The Caesars Superdome—now set to hold its third Mania—previously hosted:
- WrestleMania 30 (2014): Where Daniel Bryan completed his legendary underdog story by winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
- WrestleMania 34 (2018): Headlined by Brock Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a match that left fans less than thrilled.
Now, the Superdome is gearing up for another historic WrestleMania in 2026, and with The Rock playing a major role in WWE’s future, speculation is already running wild on what this could mean for the event’s main event scene.
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