Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2013 19:37:20 GMT -5
www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23903406/wwe-wrestlemania-at-new-49ers-stadium-santa-clara
SANTA CLARA -- Fresh off scoring the Super Bowl, the Bay Area now stands a good chance of landing wrestling's big-money main event: WrestleMania.
Santa Clara is a finalist -- competing with Philadelphia -- to host the spring 2015 showcase of folding-chair smacks and body slams at the San Francisco 49ers' new stadium.
Mayor Jamie Matthews and 49ers executives are flying to World Wrestling Entertainment headquarters in Connecticut to pitch the company's charismatic chairman, Vince McMahon, next week. Two weeks ago, city leaders and 49ers CEO Jed York blitzed WWE officials with a presentation at Niners headquarters, emphasizing the stadium's technology and size.
"It really is the wrestling world's Super Bowl," a confident Matthews said Tuesday. Like the NFL championship game, the first WrestleMania ever in Northern California would "be something that will benefit the cities around us economically and cement our pre-eminence as a sports capital here."
WrestleMania 31 -- which would also include a week of wrestling events -- would no doubt take a pummeling in a hype match against the 50th Super Bowl, which Levi's Stadium will host in February 2016.
But a region known for techies, Prius drivers and brainiacs also loves its flying clotheslines, dramatic middle-of-the-ring monologues and grudge matches. And Silicon Valley would reap a lot of money and worldwide interest if it's awarded hosting rights early next year.
This year's WrestleMania at the new MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play football, grossed a record $72 million in pay-per-view buys after being viewed by more than 1 million people. A sold-out crowd of more than 80,000 screaming wrestling fans paying $35 to $850 per ticket packed the stadium, producing $12.3 million in ticket sales, shattering the previous record for the highest-grossing entertainment event at the stadium.
Last year's matchup, at the Miami Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium, generated $103 million in economic impact for South Florida, including $15 million in tax revenue, a local study concluded.
The WWE confirmed Santa Clara's interest and said the 2015 host city will be announced "early next year," but declined to comment further. Generally, WWE officials seek a destination city that can accommodate the multiple events with smaller facilities, while having a stadium that can hold at least 60,000 fans. Wrestling blogs and Philadelphia media are abuzz about the City of Brotherly Love's pitch for the event.
Though the $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium will hold 68,500 fans for 49ers games when it opens next summer, it would balloon with temporary seating to a capacity of 75,000 for the Super Bowl and WrestleMania.
"They're going to have no problem filling that stadium," said San Jose resident Melody Baltazar, 35.
The administrative assistant just got back from attending WWE's SummerSlam in Los Angeles and is already saving up money for a Santa Clara WrestleMania. "I am going to darn well make sure I have that money ready because this is not something that happens very often," she said.
Many fans, like Sunnyvale's Fred Yepez, 38, are hoping to rekindle memories from their childhood. He remembers seeing Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior at the Cow Palace as a kid.
"It's always something I've wanted to go to. It's definitely a spectacle," said Dan Lazarus, 33, of San Rafael, who recalled how wrestling shirts were a popular fashion statement while attending high school in San Jose.
The WWE considers the "pop-culture extravaganza" its flashiest and highest-stakes performance of the year, with superstars such as The Rock and John Cena hitting the ring to settle story lines from the past year. The winner of the WWE's first big pay-per-view of the year, the Royal Rumble, takes on the reigning WWE Champion in the main event, and the under-card is filled with everything from cage matches to celebrity fights.
The spectacle is typically preceded by a week of events, including a fan fest, hall of fame ceremony and Monday Night Raw. Santa Clara and San Jose officials are looking at their convention centers and the San Jose Sharks' SAP Center as likely hosts for the smaller festivities.
"You host a successful event of this size and people start noticing," Steve Van Dorn, CEO of the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce, who helped with the WrestleMania proposal. "I think they already are since we got the Super Bowl bid."
Santa Clara is a finalist -- competing with Philadelphia -- to host the spring 2015 showcase of folding-chair smacks and body slams at the San Francisco 49ers' new stadium.
Mayor Jamie Matthews and 49ers executives are flying to World Wrestling Entertainment headquarters in Connecticut to pitch the company's charismatic chairman, Vince McMahon, next week. Two weeks ago, city leaders and 49ers CEO Jed York blitzed WWE officials with a presentation at Niners headquarters, emphasizing the stadium's technology and size.
"It really is the wrestling world's Super Bowl," a confident Matthews said Tuesday. Like the NFL championship game, the first WrestleMania ever in Northern California would "be something that will benefit the cities around us economically and cement our pre-eminence as a sports capital here."
WrestleMania 31 -- which would also include a week of wrestling events -- would no doubt take a pummeling in a hype match against the 50th Super Bowl, which Levi's Stadium will host in February 2016.
But a region known for techies, Prius drivers and brainiacs also loves its flying clotheslines, dramatic middle-of-the-ring monologues and grudge matches. And Silicon Valley would reap a lot of money and worldwide interest if it's awarded hosting rights early next year.
This year's WrestleMania at the new MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play football, grossed a record $72 million in pay-per-view buys after being viewed by more than 1 million people. A sold-out crowd of more than 80,000 screaming wrestling fans paying $35 to $850 per ticket packed the stadium, producing $12.3 million in ticket sales, shattering the previous record for the highest-grossing entertainment event at the stadium.
Last year's matchup, at the Miami Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium, generated $103 million in economic impact for South Florida, including $15 million in tax revenue, a local study concluded.
The WWE confirmed Santa Clara's interest and said the 2015 host city will be announced "early next year," but declined to comment further. Generally, WWE officials seek a destination city that can accommodate the multiple events with smaller facilities, while having a stadium that can hold at least 60,000 fans. Wrestling blogs and Philadelphia media are abuzz about the City of Brotherly Love's pitch for the event.
Though the $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium will hold 68,500 fans for 49ers games when it opens next summer, it would balloon with temporary seating to a capacity of 75,000 for the Super Bowl and WrestleMania.
"They're going to have no problem filling that stadium," said San Jose resident Melody Baltazar, 35.
The administrative assistant just got back from attending WWE's SummerSlam in Los Angeles and is already saving up money for a Santa Clara WrestleMania. "I am going to darn well make sure I have that money ready because this is not something that happens very often," she said.
Many fans, like Sunnyvale's Fred Yepez, 38, are hoping to rekindle memories from their childhood. He remembers seeing Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior at the Cow Palace as a kid.
"It's always something I've wanted to go to. It's definitely a spectacle," said Dan Lazarus, 33, of San Rafael, who recalled how wrestling shirts were a popular fashion statement while attending high school in San Jose.
The WWE considers the "pop-culture extravaganza" its flashiest and highest-stakes performance of the year, with superstars such as The Rock and John Cena hitting the ring to settle story lines from the past year. The winner of the WWE's first big pay-per-view of the year, the Royal Rumble, takes on the reigning WWE Champion in the main event, and the under-card is filled with everything from cage matches to celebrity fights.
The spectacle is typically preceded by a week of events, including a fan fest, hall of fame ceremony and Monday Night Raw. Santa Clara and San Jose officials are looking at their convention centers and the San Jose Sharks' SAP Center as likely hosts for the smaller festivities.
"You host a successful event of this size and people start noticing," Steve Van Dorn, CEO of the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce, who helped with the WrestleMania proposal. "I think they already are since we got the Super Bowl bid."
