Everyone wants their city to host WrestleMania, but what are the chances that Atlanta gets that honor?
Before WWE officially announces the location, people speculate every year about which major city will get the chance to host WrestleMania. Atlanta, Minneapolis and London have been some of the cities in the conversation, especially in recent years. London’s mayor has publicly campaigned for bringing the “Show of Shows” overseas. Minneapolis was also hopeful to bring WrestleMania to its new US Bank Stadium, but the city will host SummerSlam in 2026.
So what about Atlanta?
The city already hosted WrestleMania 27, but that was at the Georgia Dome in 2011. However, the city has a new, state-of-the-art stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), which attracts other major events like the Super Bowl. It’s located right near State Farm Arena, which hosts many WWE events, and any potential weather issues are avoided with the roof.
How could Atlanta land a future WrestleMania event? It probably comes down to money.
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard recently spoke with Marc Raimondi, author of the new nWo book, Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Professional Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America. Raimondi is an ESPN reporter who has covered MMA and pro wrestling, and now lives in Atlanta, covering the Falcons. He believes Atlanta has everything needed to support an event as big as WrestleMania, but it still may come down to having a winning bid.
Atlanta should be in the running for a future WrestleMania
“Atlanta could be, and should be right up there, because Atlanta is getting so many big events right now. The Club World Cup is there right now. The World Cup will be there next year. The Super Bowl will be there in 2028 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Which, by the way, for my money, and maybe I’m a little biased because I cover the Falcons. But that stadium is one of the most incredible stadiums in the entire country, if not the world. Also, incredible concession stand prices. It’s pretty remarkable what you can get for $20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. You don’t have to break the bank.”
Raimondi joked that Falcons owner Arthur Blank doesn’t need a cheap plug as he’s doing just fine on his own. There’s also a great independent scene, naming AR Fox’s WWA4 and Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory as two options.
“To sum it up, I think the issue right now is that you have to pay to get WrestleMania. So, if Mr. Blank is willing to open up that checkbook, or whoever in Georgia or if the city wants to write that check for WWE, they will come. That’s what the bottom line is right now. Same with the UFC. You need to pay in order to see those events happening in your place, in your city. Not the fans. I mean, the fans got to pay to go there. But the city or the chamber of commerce or whoever has to start showing out that cash.”
Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Professional Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America is available now.