wrestlemania
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Source: WWE / Getty
After professionally wrestling for almost a quarter of a century, WWE superstar John Cena is calling it a career.
According to Deadline, the iconic wrestling superstar plans on hanging it up after 23 years of putting on amazing shows in the squared ring exclusively for the WWE. One of the very few wrestlers to have never left the company he started for, John Cena has spent the last two decades and change giving people reasons to both cheer him and jeer him while never once turning heel after becoming the face of the company. At one point, people began to boo him just because he was such a good guy that he became corny to them. It was hilarious.
Now, it seems like the 13-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion is prepared to move on to bigger and better things (Hollywood) as over the weekend, during a surprise appearance at WWE’s Money in the Bank event in Toronto, Canada, Cena shocked everyone when he announced that after next year’s WrestleMania you won’t see him wrestling in the ring ever again.
Per Deadline:
“Why am I here? Tonight, I officially announce my retirement from the WWE,” he said to shocked gasps from the audience.
Later in his speech, Cena revealed he plans to stay on to take part in Monday Night Raw as it makes the unprecedented move to Netflix in January 2025.
“This farewell, it does not end tonight,” he said. “It is filled with opportunity. Everybody, Raw makes history next year when it moves to Netflix. I’ve never been a part of Raw on Netflix, that is history. That is a first, and I will be there.
“And along with that history making first, we are going to build so many unforgettable lasts. The 2025 Royal Rumble will be my last. The 2025 Elimination Chamber will be my last. And I’m here tonight to announce that in Las Vegas, WrestleMania 2025 will be the last WrestleMania I compete in,” added Cena.
With John Cena at least outlining what his last year of wrestling will entail, we have to wonder what kind of storyline will lead to his exit. Who will be his last antagonist? Roman Reigns? Solo Sikoa? CM Punk? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but we just hope he puts on a helluva last run as he’s earned it over the decades.
“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” said Cena. “Thank you so much always for your voice, because it’s really loud, and your honesty, because it’s beautifully brutal. And most of all, thank you so much for allowing me to be with you here tonight to let the whole world know that we are planning something unforgettable, which also involves me returning to Toronto to kick some ass!”
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Source: WWE / Getty
WrestleMania weekend 2024 is officially in the books and while the WWE isn’t as massively popular as it was in the late ’90s, it still made history as the highest grossing event in company history.
According to Variety, WrestleMania 40 broke all kinds of company records. It’s been dubbed their most successful live event ever as fans tuned in to see Cody Rhodes defeat all odds and “Finish The Story” by taking the WWE Undisputed Championship from Roman Reigns in a classic main event Sunday (April 7). With anticipation for the moment building over the past few years, wrestling fans made sure they were in attendance and were watching from home to witness the dream come true for the American Nightmare and helped the WWE make some historic gains in the process as well.
Variety reports:
WrestleMania 40 took place over two nights at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Per WWE, the gate for the event was up 78% compared to the previous record set during WrestleMania 39, with 145,298 in attendance across both nights this year. The company also says viewership was up 41% versus last year, while merchandise sales — in partnership with Fanatics — was up more than 20% over last year.
But the live events on Saturday and Sunday nights are just one part of the story. WWE set up a massive presence in Philadelphia from Thursday-Monday. The company hosted the WWE World experience at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where fans could pay to get up close with authentic WWE memorabilia from their archives as well as take part in immersive experiences. This was coupled with the WWE Superstore, which featured a wide range of branded merchandise from apparel to toys and beyond.
Couple that with the 660 million views that were generated across WWE’s social channels and the WWE YouTube channel hitting 67 million views in 24 hours on Sunday, and you have a recipe for massive success.
Though the WWE has their work cut out for them if they plan on topping these numbers with WrestleMania 41, it may once again center around Cody Rhodes as it seems like they’re setting it up for Rhodes vs. The Rock. The Peoples Champion alluded to wanting to take the gold from Cody on Monday night’s episode of RAW. There’s also rumors that The Rock would be challenging his cousin, Roman Reigns, but at this point it’s anyone’s guess what route the shot callers at the WWE will go for WrestleMania 41.
What do y’all think? Who should main event WrestleMania 41? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: WaleMania / Wale
We’re just a few weeks away from wrestling fans indulging in the annual event known as Wrestlemania and while fans await to see if Cody Rhodes will finally get to finish his story and defeat Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship, Wale is treating Hip-Hop/wrestling fans to a little pre-game event.
On April 4, Wale will be bringing his annual WaleMania to Philadelphia to kick off the Wresltmania festivities Hip-Hop style and give the city of Brotherly Love something to turn up to before tuning into the wrestling matches of the weekend. Going down at the Franklin Music Hall in Philly, Walemania is set to be hosted The Ringer’s Kazeem Famuyide and Emilio Sparks and will feature artists such as Connie Diamond, Nick Papz, and 3ohBlack. On the wheels of steels will be the likes of DJ Money, Cory Townes, DJ Tommy Carlucci, and Gigi Rosa
Yeah, they’re ready to get things litty in Philly.
Of course some surprise guests are expected to make an appearance but as of now those names are being kept under wraps as they want to give the fans in attendance something to talk about come April 4th.
Wale spoke about what this means to him as both a wrestling fan and Hip-Hop artist.
“Bringing my friends together from the world of music and wrestling is something I truly look forward to doing every year leading up to Mania week,” says Wale in a statement. “This year is going to be the biggest one we’ve ever done and I’m looking forward to giving my fans and friends a unique experience.”
Should be a helluva night.
Tickets for WaleMania are available here.
Let us know if you’ll be heading to WaleMania and if you think Cody Rhodes has a chance against The Rock, Roman Reigns and The Bloodline in the comments section below.
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Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty / Snoop Dogg
No one is living life more than Snoop Dogg.
Snoop Dogg’s post-rap career has been legendary. No, he isn’t retired from Hip-Hop, but he continues to scratch things off his bucket list.
The “Gin & Juice” crafter can now add a Wrestlemania win to his list of achievements. The Doggfather got his WWE win during an impromptu match between his co-host, The Miz, and Shane McMahon, who was making his return to the WWE ring.
For those who enjoy professional wrestling, everyone knows everything that happens in the ring is scripted, but sometimes things happen. Unfortunately for Shane O’ Mac, a freak injury knocked Vince McMahon’s son out of the game, but thankfully, Snoop Dogg was there to save the day.
In the first 15 seconds of the match, McMahon appeared to injure his knee after pulling off an acrobatic move forcing the company to make a game-time decision.
Who would have thought the audible the WWE would call would be Martha Stewart’s homie hopping the ring to show off his wrestling skills at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles?
With some instruction from the referee, Snoop Dogg hit The Miz with a People’s Elbow, shoutout to The Rock, and secured the win with a pin.
Snoop Dogg Was Living At Wrestlemania
Wrestling Twitter was here for Uncle Snoop completing another side quest while handling hosting duties at Wrestlemania. “I just looked back and it seemed like Jessika Carr told Snoop Dogg to hit the People’s Elbow. What an incredible save to that segment,” one Twitter user wrote.
Snoop had himself a day. He also drove Rey Mysterio to the ring in a lowrider before his match against his son Dominik Mysterio to honor the late Eddie Guerrero.
Salute to Snoop Dogg. You can see more reactions to his fun time at Wrestlemania in the gallery below.
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Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty
1. Triple H shows love to Snoop Dogg
2. For the culture
3. They need to make this happen immediately
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Countdown to WrestleMania! Later this week, wrestling enthusiasts will converge at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., for WrestleMania 39.
For fans who plan to watch from home but are unsure of when and how to catch the sporting event, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know to help you get started.
Read on for more details.
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How to Stream WrestleMania on Peacock
WrestleMania 39 will begin streaming exclusively on Peacock on Saturday (April 1) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Pre-show coverage starts at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
The main wrestling event streams Sunday (April 2) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Pre-show coverage launches Sunday at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Peacock.
As the exclusive home of WWE, Peacock is the main destination to stream live WWE pay-per-view events including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, along with shows such as NXT, NXT UK and WWE 205 Live, as well as replays of Raw, SmackDown, WWE documentaries and more.
Not subscribed to Peacock? Monthly plans start at $4.99/month for Peacock Premium and $9.99/month for Peacock Premium Plus. Save 17% when you subscribe to Peacock’s annual plans for $49.99 or $99.99.
Peacock $4.99/month
The subscription includes 80,000 hours of hit shows, movies, access to big films fresh from theaters and other sporting events such Sunday Night Football and MLB Sunday Leadoff.
Peacock Premium Plus subscribers can enjoy ad-free streaming, access to your local NBC channel, plus the ability to download select titles and watch them offline.
What’s currently streaming on Peacock? Bingeworthy series such as Poker Face, Bel-Air, Queens Court, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, The Real Housewives of Miami, Days of Our Lives, The Traitors, Sick, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, The Calling and A Friend of the Family are steaming on Peacock, in addition to NBC and Bravo shows like SWV and Xscape: The Queens of R&B, Vanderpump Rules and Below Deck a day after they air on TV.
Episodes of The Office, That ’70s Show, Yellowstone and other beloved series are also streaming on Peacock.
Can you stream WrestleMania internationally? To stream WrestleMania on Peacock from outside of the U.S., use ExpressVPN.
WrestleMania 2023 Matches: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & More
This year’s WrestleMania match card is stacked with must-see bouts such as the marquee match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship title.
Elsewhere on the match card, Asuka and Bianca Blair will face off in the WWE Raw Women’s Championship match, while Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair will participate in the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship match.
Other matches include Rey Mysterio vs. his son Dominik Mysterio, Seth Rolins vs. Logan Paul, Brock Lesnar vs. Omos and Austin Theory vs. John Cena.
WrestleMania Weekend Events: How to Stream the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame on Peacock
WrestleMania Weekend kicks off with the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame on Friday (March 31). The ceremony will honor WWE icons such as Stacy Keibler, who was announced as a Hall of Fame inductee on Monday (March 27).
Keibler joins Óscar “Rey Mysterio” Gutiérrez, Keiji “The Great Muta” Muto and Andy Kaufman in this year’s Hall of Fame class.
The 2023 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will stream on Peacock Friday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. On Saturday, fans will be able to watch their favorite NXT stars on NXT Stand & Deliver streaming live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Peacock.
WrestleMania Weekend is packed with festivities and there’s still time to watch it all go down live –without spending a fortune in the process. Right now, WrestleMania tickets are priced online for approximately $180 and up.
Looking for last-minute tickets to WrestleMania? Click here.
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