Los Angeles Reportedly the Frontrunner for WrestleMania 37

WWE held its biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New [...]

By Connor Casey

WWE held its biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday night. WrestleMania 36's location in April 2020 has already been determined for Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. And according to the Los Angeles Times' Arah Markazi, WrestleMania 37 in 2021 will be heading to Los Angeles.

Markazi wrote in a column on Monday that according to multiple sources the WWE is looking at the Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood as the candidate for the event. The stadium, which is currently still under construction, is expected to open in 2020 as the home of both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers NFL franchises. He added that WrestleMania will be seen as "a test run" for the stadium before hosting Super Bowl LVI in February 2022.

"We know the power of the WWE brand," Kathy Schloessman, president of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, said in the column. "They have hosted several events here in the past such as Summer Slam, Survivor Series, Raw and SmackDown and we have seen the tremendous impact these events have in the community, both economically and socially. Given our focus on attracting major sporting and entertainment events to Los Angeles, WrestleMania is at the top of our list of events we want here."

WWE has held WrestleMania in Los Angeles three times — twice at the LA Memorial Sports Arena (WrestleMania 2, WrestleMania VII) and once at the Staples Center (WrestleMania 21), but has looked elsewhere ever since it moved the annual event from arenas to stadiums starting with WrestleMania 23 in 2007. WrestleMania 35 had the second-largest attendance in the event's history at 82,265, and the Los Angeles Stadium will reportedly have a capacity that can eclipse 100,000.

One issue fans at MetLife Stadium ran into after Wrestlemania 35 wrapped up on Sunday was getting home. Photos and videos of massive lines for public transit and Ubers flooded social media early Morning morning, and NJ Transit spokesperson Jim Smith directly blamed WWE for the delays after not disclosing that the event would end at 12:30 a.m. local time.

"The primary factor contributing to the post-event delays was the WWE's decision to extend the event to 12:30 a.m., which had significant operational impacts on the evening," Smith said. "NJ TRANSIT was not informed of this decision until late last night."

WWE spokesperson Matthe Altman released a statement on the travel issues, writing, "We regret any inconveniences fans may have experienced with mass transportation after the event."

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