What has been rumored for months has finally been confirmed, the WWE will bring WrestleMania to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Sunday, April 5, 2020. This will be the first time the city has hosted the event.
Tampa has been the host for some major WWE wrestling events in the past, but WrestleMania is on an entirely different level. This is the WWE’s biggest show of the year, where multiple storylines come to a dramatic conclusion and it draws in the entire wrestling world.
Along with the actual WrestleMania event, WWE will feature their entire showcase. This will mean a week’s worth of WWE events, including their developmental division, NXT, will have one of their “TakeOver” events, likely at Amalie Arena, as well as their flagship weekly programs, Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live. The WWE will be bringing their history with them as well, with WrestleMania Axxess, a convention of sorts where fans can meet WWE superstars and legends. Additional opportunities include viewing historic pieces from the WWE vault and the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, where the company honors the legends from the past.
WWE does not just hold wrestling events during their time in town for WrestleMania. Their anti-bullying campaign, Be a Star, will roll out to various schools and organizations to help combat the problem of bullying. The WWE superstars will be visiting children in hospitals in partnership with the Make-A-Wish foundation. The charity events WWE brings to the table are yet more things to benefit the region.
This is a huge boon for the city of Tampa. In coming to Tampa, WWE brings the eyes of the Pro Wrestling world to the area, which also brings big money. WrestleMania 33, the last one to take place in Florida, generated an economic impact of $181.5 million for the city of Orlando.
Not only will fans show up, but devotees of the independent wrestling world will come in droves as well. The smaller, local companies are looking to benefit from more spectators as well as the larger companies which have a sizable following and will draw even more people to the city. Tampa Bay will certainly be the epicenter of the Pro Wrestling world in April 2020.
