Indie Promoter Critical Of WWE’s WrestleMania Switch
WWE’s decision to move WrestleMania 42 has proven to be controversial.
Back in early June, WWE officially announced that WrestleMania 42 would be held in Las Vegas on April 18 and April 19.
Any WrestleMania announcement is a notable one, but this one confirmed earlier reports that WWE had removed the event from New Orleans. It had previously been revealed, by The Rock no less, that WrestleMania 42 would take place in New Orleans on April 11 and April 12.
As a result of the switch, 2026 will mark only the second time in company history that WrestleMania will be held in the same location in consecutive years. On that first occasion, the spectacular resided in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1988 and 1989.
Brett Lauderdale Unhappy With WWE
During an appearance on The Business of The Business Podcast, GCW boss Brett Lauderdale was asked about the WrestleMania switch, and it’s fair to say that he isn’t impressed.
I don’t like it. I think it’s against the spirit of WrestleMania, you know? The whole idea is it’s somewhere different every year, you know, the Super Bowl doesn’t go to the same town every year. Part of the fun for people and the hardcore fans, and dedicated fans, is that they make trips out of this.
WrestleMania is like their pilgrimage. (Traveling to) Vegas, one year was challenging for a lot of people, now you’re making people go back there again. I think it dampens the whole idea.
I can’t believe it, that’s so unprecedented. You go out of your way to make a deal and announce it. I mean, people already made travel plans, people already booked stuff. First of all, how do they even get away with that? Isn’t there contracts that are locked in with lots of money on the line?
I guess at the end of the day, they don’t care, but it doesn’t seem like a great look for a corporate entity to do that, right?
It’s been reported that WWE feels it can make more money in Las Vegas than in New Orleans, while several top TKO Executives live either in or near the city.
H/t to POST Wrestling