WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil have been announced as the hosts of WrestleMania 37.
WWE announced this morning that Hogan and Titus will host the two-night event from Raymond James Stadium. Hogan will be inducted into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Class that weekend with the nWo, while Titus is a fixture in the Tampa Bay community.
WrestleMania 37 will take place on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Below is the updated card:
Hosts: Titus O’Neil and WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan
WWE Universal Title Match WWE Hall of Famer Edge vs. Roman Reigns (c)
WWE Title Match Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (c)
SmackDown Women’s Title Match Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks (c)
RAW Tag Team Titles Match Omos and AJ Styles vs. The New Day (c)
The next WWE NXT UK special event has been announced for WrestleMania 37 Week.
It was announced during today’s NXT UK episode that “NXT UK: Prelude” will air on Thursday, April 8 at 3pm ET on the WWE Network.
This special will air in the usual weekly NXT UK timeslot on the WWE Network. Thursday, April 8 is also the same date that Night 2 of NXT “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” will air, also on the WWE Network.
Prelude will be headlined by Rampage Brown vs. NXT UK Champion WALTER with the title on the line. Today’s NXT UK episode saw WALTER cut a promo on how he was looking for a new challenger. Brown interrupted and they came to blows. The match was later confirmed for Prelude.
Prelude will also feature Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar under Heritage Cup Rules. The winner of that match will become the new #1 contender to NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid.
This will be the fourth NXT UK special event to take place. The brand previously held a “Takeover: Blackpool” event on January 12, 2019, a “Takeover: Cardiff” event on August 31, 2019, and a “Takeover: Blackpool II” event on January 12, 2020. “Takeover: Dublin” was scheduled for April 26, 2020 but it was nixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At one point it was re-scheduled for June 20 of this year, but there’s no word yet on if it’s still in the plans.
BREAKING: The special event #NXTUK: Prelude will be taking place on Thursday, April 8.
Get ready for some truly sensational encounters that @NXTUK is always known for delivering!
WWE RAW Superstar Keith Lee took to Twitter today to issue a statement for his fans.
Lee has been off WWE TV for longer than one month now, and there’s no confirmation on why he has been away. Lee thanked his fans for their support and said one day he will explain what’s been going on. He also said he will return at some point.
“I hear many of you. I see many of the messages. One day, I will explain it all for the ones true to me. For now, know that I more than appreciate the continued support. And WHEN I return, it will be filled with all the love I have for those that represent this #LEEGION,” Lee wrote.
Lee recently changed his Twitter name to “Impatient Lee” and told fans back on March 8 that he misses them too.
WWE noted at one point that Lee was injured, which is why they pulled him from the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 21. He was scheduled to work a Triple Threat with Riddle and current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, but was replaced by John Morrison to what WWE said were injuries. That match saw Riddle capture the United States Title from Lashley.
Lee has not wrestled defeating WWE United States Champion Riddle on the February 8 RAW show. Before that match he spent several weeks out of the ring, last wrestling on the January 11 RAW show in a win over Sheamus, which came after teaming with Sheamus to defeat The Miz and John Morrison earlier in the show.
Lee and Mia Yim (Reckoning) were engaged to be married back on February 11. Yim returned to the ring in late February after announcing a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in late January, but it was never reported that Lee had the coronavirus.
WWE has announced Eric Bischoff for the 2021 Hall of Fame Class.
Bischoff appeared on WWE’s After The Bell podcast today with Corey Graves and Vic Joseph, where WWE confirmed the induction.
Bischoff will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 37 Week on Tuesday, April 6. The ceremony will air live on the WWE Network. He joins Molly Holly as confirmed names for the 2021 class so far.
As noted, the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame class will also be inducted during WrestleMania 37 Week this year. Names for that class include Batista, JBL, The Bella Twins, The British Bulldog, Jushin Thunder Liger and the nWo (Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman).
Bischoff last worked for WWE as the SmackDown Executive Director in June 2019. He was released from that role just a few months later in October. Bischoff has made three special appearances on AEW Dynamite since then.
Below is WWE’s full announcement, along with a clip from After The Bell:
Eric Bischoff to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021
Eric Bischoff, a pioneer behind the scenes in sports-entertainment, as well as an incredibly entertaining performer in front of the camera, is the latest inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. He was surprised with the news of his induction on WWE After the Bell, which you can listen and subscribe to on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
He will enter the WWE Hall of Fame during the 2021 Induction Ceremony, which will take place on Tuesday, April 6, streaming exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network in the rest of the world.
Bischoff broke into the sports-entertainment industry in the late 1980s for fellow Hall of Famer Verne Gagne’s AWA. He started off in sales but soon became an on-air talent, hosting the AWA’s shows on ESPN and interviewing the legendary territory’s stars. But as the 1990s arrived, the AWA was on the brink of going out of business, so Bischoff made a move that would eventually change the industry.
He joined World Championship Wrestling in 1991, hosting shows and calling the action on WCW’s weekly television shows. But by the mid-1990s, Bischoff had risen the ranks and became executive producer of WCW. He helped bring Hulk Hogan to the company and launched WCW Monday Nitro, the competitor to WWE’s Monday Night Raw that kicked off the infamous Monday Night War that helped make sports-entertainment a pop culture phenomenon.
Bischoff didn’t shy away from the camera either, joining up with 2020 WWE Hall of Fame inductees The nWo as they ran roughshod on the promotion. After WWE purchased WCW in 2001, he brought his brand of ruthless leadership to WWE in 2002 as the first General Manager of Monday Night Raw. His arrival was one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, and his time in charge of the red brand was defined by one simple phrase: “Controversy creates cash.”
Bischoff never strayed far away from controversy as General Manager, as he engaged in rivalries with the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and John Cena. He continued to innovate, as well, with concepts like Raw Roulette and the Elimination Chamber, which lives on as one of WWE’s annual pay-per-view events.
For Bischoff’s innovation behind the scenes and his memorable performance in front of the camera, there is no greater honor than induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Don’t miss Eric Bischoff take his place in the WWE Hall of Fame during the 2021 Induction Ceremony, Tuesday, April 6, streaming exclusively on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else. The ceremony will honor both the 2020 and 2021 classes.
Andrade says the reports on his WWE status are true.
As noted last week, Wrestling Inc. exclusively revealed that Andrade requested his WWE release while backstage at the March 8 edition of RAW. It was later reported that he looked “absolutely miserable” while at the taping. This was revealed after Andrade dropped the “WWE” from his Twitter handle and removed WWE from his bio.
Andrade broke his silence on Twitter this morning and said the rumors are true. He said he does not know what the future holds, but he wants his dreams to come true.
“The rumors are true and I don’t know what the future holds but I want to make my dreams come true. thank you for giving me so much support these last days Los rumores son ciertos y no se lo que me prepara el futuro, pero quiero hacer realidad mis sueños. Gracias por tanto apoyo [folded hands emoji],” he wrote.
There is no word yet on if WWE has changed their mind on granting Andrade’s release request, but it’s been reported that he would not be released. He is still listed as a RAW Superstar as of this writing on the official WWE roster page. Andrade was not backstage for this week’s RAW but that is not unusual as he has not been backstage for most shows since taking a hiatus last year.
Andrade, who is engaged to be married to Charlotte Flair, last appeared on the WWE Draft edition of RAW in October of last year. He was taken out by “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in his last appearance. He then took some time off to undergo a minor procedure after the Draft, but was never officially drafted to RAW or SmackDown. Andrade was scheduled to be out of action for around a month, but has not been seen since then. There were rumors of a return to WWE NXT or a possible RAW storyline with Charlotte, but nothing ever came of those rumors.
After strong runs in Mexico and New Japan Pro Wrestling, WWE signed Andrade to work NXT in November 2015. He made his in-ring debut in January 2016 at a NXT live event, and had a successful run on the brand until being called up to SmackDown in April 2018 as a part of the Superstar Shake-Up. He is currently a one-time NXT Champion and a one-time WWE United States Champion. Andrade last wrestled on the October 12 RAW Draft show, which was a loss to Angel Garza.
Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will feature more build for the upcoming two-night “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” event during WrestleMania 37 Week.
WWE is teasing more in the new feud between Karrion Kross and NXT Champion Finn Balor for tonight’s episode.
It was previously announced that Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott would be happening tonight, plus tag team action with Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner, but the WWE website indicates that those matches may have been pulled, possibly due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak.
As of this writing the following matches are being advertised for tonight:
* Karrion Kross sets his sights on NXT Champion Finn Balor
* NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin returns to the United States to confront NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar
WWE has announced that WrestleMania 37 tickets will finally go on sale this Friday, March 19 at 10am ET via Ticketmaster.
Tickets were originally scheduled to go on sale this past Tuesday, but WWE issued a statement saying the on-sale date would be pushed back as they were still working on finalizing plans for the big two-day event.
WWE also announced today that the WrestleMania 37 pre-sale will begin tomorrow, March 18 at 10am ET. Fans can register for the pre-sale by visiting wrestlemania.com/presale.
Ticketmaster previously confirmed that WrestleMania 37 will use socially-distanced pod seating at Raymond James Stadium. The following COVID-19 safety message was added to the WrestleMania 37 tickets page earlier this week:
“These events use seating in pods of 1 to 6 people per pod. Pods must be purchased in their entirety and may not be divided. Tickets in a pod may not be sold or transferred to anyone other than family/trusted acquaintances who have chosen to attend the event together, unless all such tickets (i.e., the full pod) are being sold or transferred to one party. Unless otherwise exempted by law, guests must wear a face covering – local venue rules apply.”
Ticketmaster also announced that all ticket buyers will have the chance to also purchase a commemorative WrestleMania 37 chair and a commemorative limited edition WrestleMania 37 magnet during the ticket purchasing process.
WrestleMania 37 will be limited to an overall ticket limit of 8 tickets. Night 1 and Night 2 will each have the 8 ticket limit. A door time of 4:30pm local time has been announced by Ticketmaster, while the start time of 6:30pm was listed.
As we’ve noted, the WrestleMania 37 combo and single tickets will range from $35 – $2,500, which is the same prices as last year.
WrestleMania 37 takes place on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. For those who missed it, you can see the seating chart from Ticketmaster below but keep in mind this does not reflect what seats will be available for the show.
WWE has reportedly dropped the number of WrestleMania 37 tickets to just 25,000 for each night.
It was previously reported that WWE had plans for 45,000 fans for WrestleMania 37 Night 1 and Night 2, but now Eduardo Encina of The Tampa Bay Times reports that capacity for the big event will be just 25,000 fans for each of the two nights.
This is just 36% of full capacity for what WrestleMania would hold at Raymond James Stadium in a normal year without the pandemic. The stadium would usually be able to hold a maximum of 70,000 fans for WrestleMania, including floor seating.ADVERTISING
It was noted that WWE has dropped the number of seats to adhere to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
WWE has been working with local partners and government officials regarding COVID-19 safety protocols, according to the article. The NFL’s Super Bowl was also held at Raymond James Stadium last month and they had right at 38% capacity, and that crowd included 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers.
WWE will give out free masks to fans as they enter the doors for WrestleMania 37. Wrestling Inc. previously reported on socially-distanced pod seating at this link. Additional health and safety protocols for WrestleMania 37 will include required masks, temperature checks, health screenings, cashless concessions and mobile ticketing.
While not official as of this writing, it looks like the so-called Wednesday Night War between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite will be coming to an end next month.
We noted earlier this month how there were reports of NXT moving to Tuesday nights on the USA Network. In an update, PWInsider has confirmed with WWE sources that the first NXT episode coming out of WrestleMania 37 Weekend is scheduled to air on Tuesday, April 13 on the USA Network.
It was noted that the internal production calendar for WrestleMania 37 Week currently has a taping scheduled for Tuesday, April 13.
NXT moving to Tuesday nights would put the show head-to-head against Impact Wrestling on AXS. NXT will likely remain in the 8pm time slot, the same time that Impact hits the air.
NXT has a two-night “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” event scheduled for WrestleMania 37 Week. Night 1 will air on Wednesday, April 7, and that looks to be the final NXT broadcast for Wednesday nights. Night 2 will air on Thursday, April 8, via Peacock and the WWE Network.
There’s no word on when WWE plans to announce the move to Tuesday nights.
