WRESTLEMANIA RETURNS TO THE BIG EASY

NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 10, 2017 – Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and WWE® (NYSE: WWE) are proud to announce that the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans will host WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania, on Sunday, April 8, 2018.

“We are excited to bring WrestleMania back to Louisiana,” said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.  “This is a great event being hosted in one of the greatest cities in the world. We cordially invite WWE fans from all over to be part of WrestleMania Week and experience all that our beautiful state has to offer.”

“New Orleans is proud to have WrestleMania return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.  "WrestleMania brought a world-class event to our city in 2014, and the week-long series of events generated a boost to our economy. We look forward to another historic week of events in 2018, all as part of our city’s Tricentennial celebration.”

“New Orleans is a perfect setting for WWE’s biggest celebration of the year,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “On behalf of everyone at WWE, we thank Governor Edwards and Mayor Landrieu for welcoming WrestleMania back to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.”

WrestleMania is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration that will stretch throughout the New Orleans region.  In addition to WrestleMania, other activities will include: WrestleMania Axxess, WWE’s four-day interactive fan festival at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center; the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Smoothie King Center; NXT® TakeOver at the Smoothie King Center; Monday Night Raw®at the Smoothie King Center; SmackDown® Live at the Smoothie King Center; Be a STAR® anti-bullying rallies; hospital visits and other community outreach initiatives designed to give back to the host community. The event will be broadcast live on WWE Network and pay-per-view in more than 180 countries.  Over the past 10 years, WrestleMania has generated nearly $1 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event.  This year, WrestleMania takes place Sunday, April 2 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL.