WWE's WrestleMania 43 Reportedly Locked In For Nashville
The dust is still settling from WWE's thrilling and divisive WrestleMania 39 at Sofi Stadium, and WrestleMania 40 is set to take place in Philadelphia in 2024. Beyond 2024 not much was known about where WrestleMania will end up in future years, but it seems we now have a locked-in location for WrestleMania 43. The Metro Council recently approved the $2.1 billion Tennessee Titans stadium deal, and in a new interview with 104-5 The Zone, Tennesse Titans President and CEO Burke Nihill stated that WWE has committed to bringing WrestleMania to Nashville for the first time in 2027 (H/T Fightful). Nihil said, "WrestleMania isn't hypothetical. WrestleMania has already committed to 2027".
When the deal was initially proposed for approval, WrestleMania was mentioned as one of the events Nashville hoped to host. At the time, CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. Butch Spyridon said they were already looking for more opportunities with WWE after their successful SummerSlam event, and it doesn't get much bigger than WrestleMania.
"The minute the Mayor's office and the Titans released the stadium term sheet, we started looking for opportunities WWE had an incredible experience at Nissan Stadium this past summer, and we started talking. WrestleMania is considered the No. 6 top sports event brand in the world, and we are grateful for their confidence and belief in Nashville," Spyridon told The Tennessean.
In a statement to the Nashville City Council, Spyridon said "(WrestleMania) is a weeklong event potentially worth upwards of $200 million and is broadcast in 57 countries. This is just the beginning of what our city can do if the stadium deal is approved. Deep appreciation to WWE, the Titans and the state for getting this done."
WWE also released a statement when the possibility of WrestleMania in Nashville was brought up, writing "Nashville has exploded as a cultural center in the United States and as the land of opportunity. WWE looks forward to hosting many events in partnership with the great city of Nashville at the proposed enclosed stadium."
The new report from the Nashville Business Journal also indicates Nashville's interest in bringing the Super Bowl and the College Football Playoff to the city. "A Super Bowl or college football playoff, we have to look really good because we're not doing this to host them once. We want to be on some kind of rotation. ... Yes, it will be seven to ten years before they would come back, but if you line them all up, then every year or two you could be doing something significant," Spyridon said.
You wouldn't be able to do events of that size back to back due to the high amount of money that needs to be raised from the private sector, being in the $50 million range for the Super Bowl and $20 million range for the College Football Playoff.
"Spacing it out, putting the less expensive ones in between two larger ones, by virtue of volume and diversity, we can be doing something at a high level pretty regularly without strangling those, and then filling with concerts and conventions," Spyridon said.
"College Football Playoff, we've got to have the conversation sooner than later. They are likely to move this expanded playoff up to 2025, and obviously, we are not going to be a part of 2025, but if they are making the decisions for '25, '26, '27, maybe '28, we've got to be at the table," Spyridon said. "We've got to find a way to say, 'Those years aren't an option, but these years are,' and figure that out. It's like a slow dance. It's critical that we have the relationship and the open dialogue."
Are you excited for WrestleMania 43 in Nashville, TN? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!