British MPs Support John Cena In United Kingdom WrestleMania Push
Cena made a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank in London on Saturday
John Cena made a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank at The O2 Arena in London on Saturday, and his push for a WrestleMania in the United Kingdom received vocal support Tuesday.
The WWE legend’s push for a UK WrestleMania is not official and doesn’t appear to be on the company’s schedule, but the idea has started to gain traction among local officials.
“Nobody predicted John Cena coming out and announcing the possibility of a WrestleMania in the UK,” Alex Davies-Jones, who is co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group, told BBC Newsbeat.
“It was utterly incredible and got the whole place buzzing with excitement about the possibilities of what that could mean for wrestling fans, but also for the UK economy and also for future fans as well.”
Davies-Jones also cited AEW’s “All In” event at Wembley Stadium in August for the UK’s ability to be a pro wrestling hub. She also made the callout on Twitter.
WWE chief creative officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a post-show news conference Saturday the idea would not be rejected by would need to be worked out.
WWE received a fee from the Welsh Government for Clash at the Castle last year, but it is not believed it got the same from London for Money in the Bank.
CEO Nick Khan has been outspoken about receiving subsidies for major premium live events, and the barriers of an afternoon Eastern time show are not a deterrent as it once was in the ’90s.
WWE received $1.5 million from Puerto Rico’s tourism board to hold Backlash this year, according to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston. It also received undisclosed incentives from San Antonio for this year’s Royal Rumble, and Orlando will make an $850,000 bid for a future WrestleMania. WWE also receives $50 million from the Public Investment Fund for shows held in Saudi Arabia.
BT Sport, which will be renamed TNT Sports this month, is WWE’s current UK broadcasting partner, and it’s possible a WrestleMania in London could help in negotiations.
Levesque also promised big plans for NXT Europe but not much has materialized since its announcement in August last year.
What the goal was for Cena’s segment or who was behind the public push for a UK WrestleMania is unknown. But WWE had at least one government official speak on the matter publicly, and it’s that conversation that could start a more global push for WWE.
