WrestleMania--and the tens of millions of dollars that come with it--is coming to Orlando in 2017.
On Tuesday, the WWE announced that WrestleMania 33 will be held on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at the Citrus Bowl which hosted the event back in 2008. WWE President and CEO Vince McMahon joined Gov. Rick Scott, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs in making the announcement.
“We’re excited to bring this event back to Orlando,” Scott said. “Florida set a tourism record by welcoming 105 million visitors in 2015, and WWE will help bring even more visitors to Florida in 2017. We’re excited WWE once again chose Florida to host WrestleMania.”
“Orlando is the home to so many family-friendly, global attractions, so it’s only fitting that it once again plays host to WrestleMania,” McMahon said.
This isn’t the first time, Scott and the WWE have teamed up. In December, Scott was active with WWE’s “Tribute to the Troops” event held in Jacksonville to salute the military.
Back in the summer of 2013 Scott paired up with Paul Levesque, then the WWE’s executive vice president of talent, to open the WWE's Global Performance Center in Orlando. Levesque, best known by wrestling fans as “Triple H,” is McMahon’s son-in-law.
The project was estimated to bring $2.3 million in capital investment and almost 100 jobs to Central Florida. The facility serves to train wrestlers and develop the WWE’s television and sports medicine crews. NXT Wrestling, a developmental league for the WWE, has been based in Orlando since 2012. The WWE has partnered with the Winter Park-based Full Sail University for it television production of NXT shows.
Wrestling has often generated major revenues for cities across the nation. For example, WrestleMania, the WWE’s premier annual event, often generates tens of millions for local economies. South Florida hosted WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012 and the WWE estimated that it generated more than $100 million in revenue for the region. Back in 2008, when Orlando hosted WrestleMania XXIV, officials estimated that the event brought more than $51 million into the local economy, more than double initial estimates. They also estimated more than 50,000 visitors came to Orlando for the WrestleMania festivities. The WWE played up WrestleMania’s financial impact on Tuesday, noting the last four events have led to more than $100 million in revenue to the local economies.
The WWE also announced on Tuesday that Orlando will host other events the week of WrestleMania, including its hall of fame ceremony.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
