Alright folks, grab your popcorn and prepare for the ultimate showdown. WWE has inked a deal with the Indiana Sports Corporation, and let me tell you, it’s going to be YUGE! Starting in 2025, the city of Indianapolis will be wrestling central, hosting Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and SummerSlam at the Lucas Oil Stadium. The big news dropped like a wrestler off the top rope, courtesy of the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, with Dave Meltzer providing the juicy details.
Wrestling Invasion: Hoosier Style
Indianapolis isn’t just getting the trifecta of WWE’s biggest events. Oh no, we’re talking a full-blown wrestling takeover from 2025 to 2032. We’re talking “WWE Raw,” “WWE SmackDown,” “WWE NXT,” and a whole lotta house shows. Fort Wayne, Evansville, Gainsbridge Fieldhouse—you name it, they’ll be rolling out the red (or should we say, royal) carpet for WWE. Note: the September 30 “WWE Raw” in Evansville is a free agent—signed before the partnership announcement.
Pat McAfee, The Oracle of WrestleMania?
Word on the street is that Indianapolis has been gunning for WrestleMania since the fall of 2023. NFL star and local hero, Pat McAfee, made a prophetic call during the 2023 Fastlane Premium Live Event, claiming his beloved city deserved a WrestleMania. Turns out, this wasn’t just McAfee’s wishful thinking. Management had already started cooking up plans to bring the main event to Indy. Pre-approved lines, people. Pre-approved!
Financial Fireworks
Let’s talk numbers. Meltzer estimates that Lucas Oil Stadium will host about 62,500 fans for each event. WWE math, however, predicts a puffed-up attendance of 75,000 because, why not? This circus aims to attract between 120,000 to 150,000 tourists. But, and it’s a big but, getting those numbers will be like trying to win the Royal Rumble itself—a tough feat.
The cost to Indiana for hosting WrestleMania? A cool $20 million. But fear not, the economic impact is projected to be a staggering $350 million, if all goes well. For context, WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles generated $215 million. Not too shabby.
Show Me the Money
Patrick Tatly, the big cheese at the Indiana Sports Corporation, is over the moon. But hold onto your hats—there’s a bit of a scramble about who’s footing the bill for bringing WWE to Indiana. A nifty $5 million has already been funneled into the tourism fund to lure major sports events. Yet, it’s still unclear if this will cover the sky-high site fees, reportedly the largest in WWE history.