For the second time in four years, the biggest night in sports entertainment will take place in the Sunshine State. WWE will announce Thursday that WrestleMania 36 will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, CBS Sports has confirmed. The Tampa Bay Times first reported the location ahead of a scheduled WWE press conference, and it also noted that the event will be held on April 5, 2020.
"I would say it's probably the biggest event that we haven't had the opportunity to host yet," Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins told the Times. "So this is why this is such an incredible announcement for our hometown."
The event is expected to rival the financial boom that prior Super Bowls and Final Fours have brought to Tampa. In 2017, WrestleMania 33 generated a record $181.5 million in economic impact for Central Florida when the event was hosted in Orlando, WWE's second home base.
"Tampa enjoys a special place in sports entertainment history and has produced many of its iconic figures," Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn said in a statement. "We look forward to WWE fans from around the world converging on our city in 2020 to enjoy all that we have to offer."
In addition to pro wrestling's biggest show, Tampa will also host the ancillary events including the WrestleMania Axxess fan festival at the Tampa Convention Center. the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT TakeOver and live episodes of Raw and SmackDown will likely be held at Amalie Arena.
"We are now a true seven-day-long celebration," WWE official John Saboor said. "Over the past 12 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for our host cities."
WrestleMania 35 is being held in the New York-New Jersey area this year.
