Listen up, Hulkamaniacs: if you live in California, you might not have to hop on a plane to see Brock Lesnar snooze his way through another main event because WWE is bringing Wrestlemania to LA in 2021.
The much-heralded wrestling event is coming to SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. "There is nothing quite like Wrestlemania Week," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "It is a one-of-a-kind event that provides an economic boost to the region--and fans from around the world will find a city that is ready to host them and welcomes the spectacle."
This announcement comes less than two months from 2020's Wrestlemania, which will take place in Tampa Bay on April 5. Currently, the only announced match for that event is Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship--Lesnar is the current champion, while McIntyre won January's Men's Royal Rumble, which traditionally confers a main event slot at Wrestlemania. Of course, as WWE owner Vince McMahon often loves to say, the card is subject to change.
In a recent investor call, McMahon suggested that WWE may soon sell the rights to their largest events or pay-per-views (including Wrestlemania) to major networks, like ESPN. While that might widen the audience for WWE content, such a move might risk alienating fans who pay for the streaming service in order to keep up with their favorite WWE events.
Currently, McMahon is in the throes of trying to create a legitimate rival to the National Football League with his rebooted XFL. Given that the original XFL collapsed shortly after its first championship game back in 2001 and resulted in a massive loss for McMahon and NBC, it's unclear how exactly this is going to shape out.