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This WWE champion can’t wait for WrestleMania 37 in his own backyard, literally

Tampa gets a second chance to make a first impression, and that’s just fine for WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

Instead of driving across Interstate 4 to Orlando like last year for WrestleMania, a two-hour venture, this year he can bicycle to it, a 10- to 15-minute jaunt. Well, actually, you won’t see him peddling the two-wheeler on Dale Mabry. Rather he will be in the car on the short trek.

After COVID prevented Tampa from hosting WrestleMania 36, the city gets a second chance in 2021.

WrestleMania 37 is April 10-11 at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speaking of the Bucs and their landlord, Raymond James Stadium will also house this year’s NFL Super Bowl in February.

In my video interview with WWE Champ Drew McIntyre, he discusses WrestleMania 37 in his own backyard, the NFL Super Bowl, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, WrestleMania 36, Host Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, Mojo Rawley, Goldberg, Royal Rumble, Covid, fans and food.

It took the Tampa area 35 WrestleManias before landing one. The city, county, sports commission, sports authority, public relations group and more put forth much effort into hosting pro wrestling’s biggest event of the year.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/article237409879.html

Tampa boasts a rich history in pro wrestling, especially with Championship Wrestling from Florida. Many pro wrestlers, past and present, reside in the area, including McIntyre, 35. Originally from Ayr, Scotland, Tampa has become his second home.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/article226945429.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE

WWE bio: https://www.wwe.com/superstars/drew-mcintyre

Last year WWE moved WrestleMania 36 to its Performance Center in Orlando, extended the spectacular to two nights and did not allow fans in the facility to comply with CDC guidelines.

This year it will also be two nights, but this time the event will be open to fans, a percentage of the capacity. TBD.

WrestleMania 37, originally scheduled for 2021 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, will be there for WrestleMania 39 in 2023. AT&T Stadium in Arlington/Dallas will welcome WrestleMania 38 in 2022.

WrestleMania 37 in 2021 in Tampa; WrestleMania 38 in 2022 in Arlington/Dallas; WrestleMania 39 in 2023 in Hollywood/Los Angeles.
WrestleMania 37 in 2021 in Tampa; WrestleMania 38 in 2022 in Arlington/Dallas; WrestleMania 39 in 2023 in Hollywood/Los Angeles.

WWE announced upcoming host cities for its annual pop culture extravaganza, WrestleMania, from 2021-23.

  • Tampa Bay: WrestleMania 37 presented by SNICKERS, Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium.

  • Arlington/Dallas: WrestleMania 38, Sunday, April 3, 2022 at AT&T Stadium.

  • Inglewood/Los Angeles: WrestleMania 39, Sunday, April 2, 2023 at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park.

Here is the official announcement made by John Cena, Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman, Sasha Banks, Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

WrestleMania Tampa

“Florida is excited to welcome back WrestleMania to Tampa in April at Raymond James Stadium. Florida has continued to work with professional sports and entertainment to safely operate while generating revenue and protecting jobs. WrestleMania will bring tens of millions of dollars to the Tampa area and we look forward to hosting more sporting and entertainment events in Florida this year,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a release.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor added: “The opportunity for Tampa Bay to host WrestleMania in April is, in true WWE fashion, the perfect comeback story and marks a clear indication that our beautiful city is poised to bounce back stronger than ever. We can’t wait to once again showcase all that team Tampa Bay has to offer.”

WrestleMania Arlington/Dallas

“We are elated for WrestleMania’s return to Arlington’s AT&T Stadium and look forward to building upon the success from 2016 when more than 101,000 fans were in attendance for WrestleMania 32,” said Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams.

WrestleMania Inglewood/Hollywood/Los Angeles

“The City of Inglewood looks forward to the opportunity to host WrestleMania in 2023 and celebrates the deferral of this year’s event to Tampa Bay so they can have their rightful WrestleMania moment. Our time will come,” said Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr.

WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon said: “On behalf of everyone at WWE, we thank Governor DeSantis, Mayor Castor, Mayor Williams and Mayor Butts for their graciousness and flexibility in what was a collaborative effort to bring the next three WrestleManias to these iconic stadiums in their world-class cities.”

In coordination with local partners and government officials, WWE will announce ticket availability and safety protocols for WrestleMania 37 in the coming weeks. Information on additional WrestleMania Week events is forthcoming.

The NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers began admitting fans to its games at Raymond James Stadium in October, with a maximum capacity of 25-percent. The stadium is preparing for Super Bowl LV, the NFL’s big game, on Feb. 7, with the league planning to limit the stadium to at least 20-percent of its capacity.

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https://www.foxsports.com.au/wwe/wwe-wrestlemania-wrestlemania-37-location-date-attendance-fans-allowed-tampa-bay-wrestlemania-38-and-3/news-story/10914920f89af3550d8d5a81b93110c2

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/wrestlemania-37-tampa-bay-wwe-dallas-los-angeles-1234886904/

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