Source: Gregory Strong, Canadian Press
Wrestlemania 23 may be more than eight months away, but the hype machine for World Wrestling Entertainment’s premier event is already underway.
More than 78,000 fans are expected to pack Ford Field in Detroit on April 1 for the annual sports entertainment extravaganza. The buzz is already building in the Motor City, as some 3,500 fans braved the rain this week to line up for a fan rally at the Road to Wrestlemania kickoff.
“We’ve always tried to top ourselves, and I think that’s why Wrestlemania has become the WWE’s Super Bowl,” WWE Canada president Carl DeMarco said from Detroit. “Our fans have recognized it, and our fans have known that you can count on the WWE on delivering with Wrestlemania.”
“That’s why we’ve been hugely successful with it.”
More than two decades have passed since the first Wrestlemania, when Hulk Hogan and Mr. T teamed up to beat Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul (Mr. Wonderful) Orndorff in the main event at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Since then, it has become the event the wrestling calendar revolves around.
Several top superstars were on hand for this week’s rally to give the 2007 card an early promotional push, including Batista, John Cena, Shawn Michaels and WWE world champion Edge of Orangeville, Ont.
Detroit set the bar high when more than 93,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome for Wrestlemania 3 – an event that helped send pro wrestling to the next level and cemented Hulk Hogan’s status as a sports entertainment icon.
The Hulkster bodyslammed the late Andre the Giant – no easy task with Andre weighing more than 500 pounds – and pinned him in what many wrestling observers feel was one legend passing the torch to another.
It will be hard to top the magic created that day, but DeMarco is confident that Detroit – helped by what’s expected to be a large number of Canadian fans crossing the border – will be able to create a similar vibe at next year’s event.
“To walk into a place with almost 80,000 screaming fans, it’s going to be an electrifying situation for all WWE superstars that go out there and perform,” DeMarco said. “It’s going to be another monumental night, and I think Detroit is a great spot for it.”
The event is also good news for the southwestern Ontario city of Windsor, located just across the river from Detroit.
The Canadian city enjoyed the financial benefits when the National Football League’s Super Bowl XL was held at Ford Field last February, and Windsor is certain to get another nice boost next spring.
Mayor Eddie Francis and WWE officials met with local officials Wednesday to gauge the business and tourism community’s interest.
“The reaction has been very, very positive,” Francis said. “Now what we’re going to do is spend the next two to three weeks to sit down with the WWE and see if we can formulate the same type of work plan that we used for past events.”
“We want to ensure that when Wrestlemania 23 comes to Detroit, that it’s certainly an international event.”
If previous numbers hold true, a large percentage of fans at Ford Field will be coming in from outside Detroit. WWE Canada estimates that at Wrestlemania 18 in Toronto in 2002, 81 per cent of fans in attendance at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) were from out of town. Similar numbers were reported for Wrestlemania 20 when the event returned to New York.
“It’s going to have an incredible economic impact on the city of Windsor, which is just two minutes away,” DeMarco said. “All the hotels will be filled, the restaurants will be busy – it’s going to be a really positive thing.”
Wrestlemania 22 was held last April at the Allstate Arena in Chicago. Fans will have to wait until the fall to get their hands on tickets for the 2007 show. They go on sale Nov. 11 and range from $30 US to $750 for platinum ringside seats.
