WWE

WrestleMania 40 slams into Philly: What wrestling fans (and non-WWE fans) need to know

WrestleMania is back in Philadelphia for just the 2nd time ever. Here is everything fans need to know about WWE's biggest event of the year

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What to Know

  • WrestleMania XL drop kicks its way into Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on April 6 and 7, 2024.
  • Ahead of WWE's biggest event and one of the must-watch spectaculars for wrestling fans, Philadelphia is being swarmed with plenty of sports entertainment bravado.
  • Besides the main event, there are several other wrestling matches, a fan fest -- dubbed WWE World -- and even some club events around town.

WrestleMania is coming to Philadelphia on April 6 and 7, 2024, and WWE is pulling out all the stops to make this year's event in the City of Brotherly Love one of the biggest in the promotion's history.

The biggest name in wrestling (and Hollywood for that matter) Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has spent months teasing his role in the spectacle. Superstars Logan Paul, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are also set to step into the ring in the middle of Lincoln Financial Field.

The main event takes place over two days on April 6 and 7, 2024 -- (That's right, this thing is so big that it takes place over two days in the Philadelphia Eagles' stadium) -- but leading up to it there are several other wrestling-themed events die-hard or fair-weather fans can jump off the top rope for.

Here is everything fans need to know for WrestleMania's return to the City of Brotherly (Sh)ove:

What is WrestleMania?

Don't know much about wrestling or haven't been paying attention? This is the biggest wrestling entertainment event of the calendar year.

Last year's WrestleMania took place in Inglewood, California, and featured 15 total matches, including a first-night main event of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn defeating Jey and Jimmy Uso to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

In the Night 2 main event, Reigns defeated Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Other prominent participants included Seth Rollins, the aforementioned Logan Paul, Rey Mysterio, Charlotte Flair and John Cena.

The first pay-per-view WrestleMania was held at Madison Square Garden in 1985, with Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Muhammad Ali in the ring. WrestleMania XV took place in 1999 at Philadelphia's (then) First Union Center. The fourth and fifth WrestleManias took place in the late 1980s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Bill "Wonderful Willy" Apter has been a wrestling journalist for over half a century even when the sport was still up and coming. He takes us through 50 years of collected wrestling memorabilia and tells us about the excitement and passion that he feels along with his job. NBC10's Karen Hua has his story.

Who's taking the ring at the Linc for WrestleMania XL?

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. The Rock and Roman Reigns (Tag Team) (Night 1)

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (Night 2)

World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky vs. Bayley

Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch

WrestleMania 40 is coming to Lincoln Financial Field this weekend! WWE superstar Becky Lynch join's Philly Live's Aunyea Lachelle in studio to talk about about her highly anticipated match with Rhea Ripley and her brand new book.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: Judgement Day vs. #DIY vs. The New Day vs. Awesome Truth vs. A-Town Down vs. New Catch Republic (Six-Pack Ladder match)

United States Championship: Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Sami Zayn

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

What rappers are taking part in WrestleMania?

Philadelphia's own Meek Mill is set to open the big show.

Wrestling legend and WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H has been teasing Mill's open for WrestleMania on social media.

"Turn neon dreams into faded nightmares," Mill says in an Instagram video that features The Rock, Reigns, Rhodes and others.

Mill himself posted an Instagram video telling Triple H, "ain’t this what they been waiting for PHILLY WE JUST GETTING STARTED."

Triple H has also been teasing Lil Wayne's participation in WrestleMania.

The Lil Wayne appeared on Monday Night Raw on April 1 alongside Jey Uso.

The Grammy Award winner said he will be premiering a new song at the main event: "I'm bringing my single. World Premiere. WrestleMania, you know what it is."

Where can I find tickets?

General public tickets for the two-day event went on sale on Ticketmaster last summer, with about 90,000 tickets being sold in just the first several days on sale.

However, there are still pairs of seats available for both nights as standard sales as well as two-day passes as verified resales.

Seats close to the action on the floor for both nights cost $5,000 (or more) before fees. Resale tickets for each night start as low as $180 to $223 (before fees) on Ticketmaster's site as of April 2.

How can I watch WrestleMania?

Not going to be in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field? WrestleMania XL Kickoff will stream live on Peacock and WWE social channels starting at 5 each night.

The main events will also air on Peacock and the WWE Network worldwide, kicking off at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

What is WWE World?

WWE and Fanatics Events in February announced WWE World at WrestleMania, "a five-day interactive fan experience" for wrestling fans.

WWE World will take over the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Thursday, April 4, to Monday, April 8, coinciding with WrestleMania at The Linc on April 6 and 7 and several other wrestling events at the adjacent Wells Fargo Center.

WWE says the Center City convention center event will feature a "variety of immersive experiences," including a central main stage that will host roundtable discussions with top WWE Superstars, a WWE 2K24 gaming tournament, live podcast recordings, memorabilia and autograph sales through Fanatics Live and the largest WWE Superstore in WrestleMania history.

Big wrestling fan? Check out Suplex Vintage Wrestling on South Street to see all kinds of wrestling memorabilia. Before WrestleMania 40 takes over Lincoln Finical Field this weekend, NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville stopped by the shop to see what all the excitement is about.

How can I get there?

SEPTA announced it will be running an additional service on the Broad Street Line before and after the show on both days of WrestleMania, as well as the Friday and Monday before and after the shows.

There will also be special express trains on the Market-Frankford Line and additional Regional Rail lines both before and after the show on both days.

Additional BSL lines will depart at 6:38 p.m. and 6:48 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 10:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, and 6:38 p.m. and 6:48 p.m. on Sunday, April 7.

What other wrestling events take place in Philly this weekend?

WrestleMania isn't the only WWE event coming to Philly. SmackDown and the Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday, April 5; NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 6; and Monday Night Raw at the Wells Fargo Center on April 8, with plenty of post WrestleMania drama expected.

There will also be two WrestleMania Pre-Show Tailgate nights at Citizens Bank Park leading up to the main show across the street at the Linc.

City Winery Philadelphia in Center City will be hosting four WrestleMania XL Superstar Brunch sessions each day over the weekend at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Want a cheap way to get in on the wrestling action? NXT Stand & Deliver at the Wells Fargo Center on April 6 at 11:30 a.m., the morning of WrestleMania, has tickets starting as low as $20, before fees.

Hold on, what's this Undertaker event?

The Undertaker's "1mandead" show will be shown at The Fillmore on Thursday, April 4, at 8 p.m. The show will feature "The Phenom" sharing never-before-heard stories from his Hall of Fame career and taking questions from WWE fans in attendance.

Tickets to the event are still available on Ticketmaster, with some as low as $139, before fees.

Who's getting inducted into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame?

The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. and this year's list of inductees is quite impressive.

Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, The U.S. Express and legendary boxer and one-time wrestling ref Muhammad Ali will all be inducted as WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame Friday night.

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