The 70.000 stadium will host Wrestlemania 24 on march 30 2008.

WWE Wrestlemania is a pro wrestling annual event that is usually known as the superbowl of pro wrestling.

Next week on april 1, it will attract about 73.000 in ford field in detroit.

Citrus bowl pix:

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7538/floridacitrusbowl004gt9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3081/citrus1fy0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1897/orlandocitrus1pb1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2492/xflcitrusbowlstadiumft2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1025/xflorlandoscorehd4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/5484/seatingua9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It's been a long time since Wrestlemania has been held outdoors in a stadium. Is the sport growing again?

That's a very surprising choice IMO.

It's been a long time since Wrestlemania has been held outdoors in a stadium. Is the sport growing again?

Sport?
:rofl:

It's been a long time since Wrestlemania has been held outdoors in a stadium. Is the sport growing again?


Yes, the only other time was 1993 at ceasar palace.
The "industry" is in good shape. Rating are not what they were 8 years ago but the WWE is making a lot of money with PPV, videos, movies and have now totally recovered from the XFL failure.

I'm very surprised citrus bowl was chosen. Tropicana field would have been a better choice because of the roof.
How the weather is in florida in march?

Now i can grasp the crowd reaction when it rains and Cena lands on his backside. Or one of the divas

why do 73,000 people want to watch pro wrestling?

why do 73,000 people want to watch pro wrestling?

Why not? I'd be there if I could be. Simple reason is that pro wrestling is fun to watch. Remember back in 1992 that over 80,000 of your countrymen and women went to the old Wembley Stadium to see the WWF's Summerslam 92 event. Still the record crowd for both pro wrestling in England and for the annual Summerslam event.

why do 73,000 people want to watch pro wrestling?


Because they like it. It's entertainment, as movies are!
Wrestling is not more fake or scripted or acted (whatever word you want to use) than movies.

To get back to the subject, I'm very suprised citrus bowl was chosen because wrestling is not played on a field of grass or turf, it's played on a ring made of canvas. If it rains, the event would surely be postponed don't you think?

One last thing, I don't find citrus bowl an especially beautiful stadium.

Because they like it. It's entertainment, as movies are!
Wrestling is not more fake or scripted or acted (whatever word you want to use) than movies.

To get back to the subject, I'm very suprised citrus bowl was chosen because wrestling is not played on a field of grass or turf, it's played on a ring made of canvas. If it rains, the event would surely be postponed don't you think?

One last thing, I don't find citrus bowl an especially beautiful stadium.

Me neither, its one of the weirdest stadia ive seen for a bit and fairly ugly and non-descript. Why do a lot of U.S stadiums have an open end rather than going all the way around the pitch/field.Sayin that Its perfick for the WWF ( as it is really ) as the fancy entrance ramp will be at that end I imagine. Incidentally at Summersalm 92 and Wrestlemania 9 ( IX if ur fussy) they had a lighting rig over the ring to cover it, but I agree seeing Cena slip on his arse would be top banana:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Why not? I'd be there if I could be. Simple reason is that pro wrestling is fun to watch. Remember back in 1992 that over 80,000 of your countrymen and women went to the old Wembley Stadium to see the WWF's Summerslam 92 event. Still the record crowd for both pro wrestling in England and for the annual Summerslam event.

And my kid brother was amongst them! We laugh about it now.

Me, I preferred to blow my entertainment budget on the Monsters of Rock gig at Donington that year.

:rock:

why do 73,000 people want to watch pro wrestling?

Why do 100,000 lunatics wanna watch soccer?:drunk:

Why do 100,000 lunatics wanna watch soccer?:drunk:

Because it's the best sport in the world.

Because it's the best sport in the world.

*cough cough* pigs-arse *cough cough*

Personal opinion there of course.

its the most popular sport in the World

its the most popular sport in the World

Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world.
McDonald's the most popular restaurant chain in the world.
Coke is the most popular drink in the world.

So these must be the best too.

football is sport
these are brands

So? It's still a valid analogy.

Anyway, this stadium isn't even about soccer.

I didn't know wrestling matches were held in these huges stadiums...the Citrus Bowl is kind of a dump though, isn't the University of Central Florida (the prime tenant I believe) planning on moving out of the Citrus Bowl and building an on-campus stadium?

This ground was also used for the 1994 World Cup. It already looked like a dump back then.

Yeah, UCF is building their own site, Brighthouse Networks Stadium.

Citrus Bowl is actually used a lot. It has a couple of bowl games a year, a high school team plays there, there's a bunch of tournaments, etc.

But it's part of the same dying sports complex as Tinker Field, a baseball park that no one used, but I think the whole thing is going to be re-furbished. So, there's going to be a $175 million expansion of the stadium, possibly in time for Wrestlemania.

OHHH IT`S AMAZINg!!!

The Citrus Bowl used to be a XFL home (anyone note the 80% empty stadium in the pic lol). Maybe thats why it was chosen.

attendance record is 93,173
WrestleMania III
Pontiac Silverdome
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/WM3.JPG

^^^^^^

how can the people right at the back get a good view of the action there?

The 93,173 figure for WM3 is an inflated number that has been repeated so many times over the years that it is now taken as fact by a lot of people. (A bit like the myth created by Man City fans that all Man United fans live South of Birmingham). The real figure was approx 78,000.

I remember reading once that a visit by the Pope to the same building a few months earlier attacted in the region of 88-89,000 people. The WWF, as it was then known, wanted to announce an attendance not only in excess of that figure but also a few thousand more that no future event could 'beat'.

but the capacity of the Silverdome is 80,311
so 80,311 + seats around the fighting arena

See the following post from the Wrestleview.com website.

For the non wrestling fans amongst you, Dave Meltzer is arguably the Worlds leading authority on Professional Wrestling and MMA.

From http://www.wrestleview.com/news/1064694768.shtml

"OK....this has been debated for so many years, but the number is definitely 78,000. I think Dave Meltzer was the first one to call this to peoples attention. Here's the facts as to why it was 78,000 (I'm writing this with Meltzer as a source). First of all you have to understand that the WWF back in those days routinely lied about attendance numbers on TV to make them bigger than they were. Zane Bresloff was the man whom promoted WrestleMania III for McMahon in Michigan. He and Dave Meltzer had a conversation on the phone years later about WrestleMania III. Bresloff was quoted as saying something to the effect of that the WWF has been quoting that 93,000 attendance number for so long, he thought they were starting to believe it themselves. Meltzer asked him whether or not 93,000 was the real attendance figure, and Bresloff said no. He later sent Meltzer a fax of the official statement from the building from back in 1987. This gave the attendance as being just over 78,000 with 2,3000 comps. Meltzer had never even questioned the 93,000 number before, and the actual gate (money made from ticket sales) was the same on the fax as the number given to Meltzer by the WWF back in 1987 when he didn't even question the 93,000. Meltzer also was doing an article on WWE history where he had to research attendance, and officials let him go through records of all of their major shows (all the stadium WrestleManias, SummerSlam '92, etc.) In almost all the cases, the attendance numbers he found on the official records were different from the announced attendance figure on TV. They recently started announcing figures that weren't as inflated and pretty much accurate, starting with their big Royal Rumble at the Alamodome in 1997. Meltzer asked Vince McMahon himself why they used to inflate the numbers, because the shows were sold out themselves and the real number was impressive enough. Why add a few thousand? Vince was quoted as saying what appears on television people should consider for entertainment purposes. This actually isn't exclusive to WWE, as other forms of sports and entertainment often lie about the actual attendance to make it sound impressive. Such companies I could name as examples would be Pride and K-1. So in conclusion, the reason the WWE gave this inflated 93,000 attendance number was because they wanted to proclaim and all time indoor attendance record, and they had to beat an attedance number done by the Pope, while at the same time having an attendance figure that nobody would ever beat."

Um....correct me if I am wrong but the Pope's visit to the Pontiac Silverdome was later in 1987 than Wrestlemania 3. And again, correct me if I am wrong but didn't that officially attract more than Wrestlemania 3? The WWF didn't have to beat the attendance set by the Pope since that event hadn't even happened by March 29, 1987.

Also, the Silverdome seats 80,311 in the stands. Add to that the number of people on what would normally be the football field and you have your 93,173 fans for Wrestlemania 3. Makes sense since back in 1997 the WWF (WWE) didn't have a huge entrance area for the wrestlers to enter the arena thus blocking off seats, they just entered from the players tunnel.

I can understand people believing there were only 78,000 there but really, for that to happen there had to be only about 65-70,000 in the stands. Doesn't look like there are 10-15,000 empty seats does it. Having seen other photo's of the crowd from that event, I personally don't believe the 78,000 figure. Maybe 93,173 is inflated, who of us really know the truth? If it is then considering everything I would say 90,000 is closer to the truth than 78,000.

So? It's still a valid analogy.

Anyway, this stadium isn't even about soccer.

I didn't know wrestling matches were held in these huges stadiums...the Citrus Bowl is kind of a dump though, isn't the University of Central Florida (the prime tenant I believe) planning on moving out of the Citrus Bowl and building an on-campus stadium?

WWE has been filling out huge stadiums for years:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/WMIII.JPG
Wrestlemania III: Pontiac Silverdome (Pontiac, Michigan)-93,173..or 78,000

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Wm06.jpg
Wrestlemania VI: Skydome (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)-67,678

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/WMviiilogo.JPG
Wrestlemania VIII: Hoosierdome (Indianapolis, Indiana)-62,167

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/WMxseven.JPG
Wrestlemania X7: Reliant Astrodome (Houston, Texas)-67,925

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Logo-wm18.jpg
Wrestlemania X8: Skydome (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)-68,237

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/WMXIX.jpg
Wrestlemania XIX: Safeco Field (Seattle, Washington)-54,097

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/WrestleMania_23huge.jpg/800px-
Wrestlemania 23: Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan)-80,103

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Logo-rr9699.jpg
1997 Royal Rumble: Alamodome (San Antiono, Texas)-60,525

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/SS92.jpg
1992 Summerslam: Wembley Stadium (London, England)-80,355

I can't believe that they could actually fill that stadium to watch something that's not even real. :lol: Oh well, each to their own i suppose.

attendance record is 93,173
WrestleMania III
Pontiac Silverdome
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/WM3.JPG

WWF drew more people to the building that the '94 World Cup did. lol. granted though that 20, 000 of those people would have been on the bloody pitch. haha

LMAO.......Wow what a great view from up the back....:lol:

I can't believe that they could actually fill that stadium to watch something that's not even real. :lol: Oh well, each to their own i suppose.

Real or not (IMO it's 60/40 real), wrestling still has a huge worldwide fanbase.

In 1991, Wrestlemania 7 was scheduled to the L.A. coliseum and they hoped to have a 103.000 sell out crowd.
The event was re-scheduled to the L.A. sport arena and they said it was du to security matter as the Irak was running wild.

According to speculation, ticket sales were not anywhere near as expected and thus it would have been embarrassing for the WWF to have about 20,000 people in a 100,000 capacity stadium. It was then moved to the smaller LA Sports Arena so it would be a sell-out.

Which story do you believe? The slow ticket sales or the security scare due to the Gulf War? Personally I think there is probably truth to both, since I have not heard anything ever about people getting their money back for tickets bought because they wouldn't fit everyone into the indoor arena. Add to the fact that the then WWF Champ was (kayfabe) Iraq supporter Sgt. Slaughter and there were supposed threats of snipers.

I just hope that for 2008 the notorious Florida weather is good and that the outdoor Wrestlemania 24 attracts over 70,000 fans to the Citrus Bowl.

All in all though, well done to the WWE for attracting 80,103 to Ford Field on Sunday for WM23. Thats 173,276 for 2 WM's in Detroit, or an average of 86,638 per event.

The move from the LA Coliseum was everything to do with the WWF over anticpating demand for the event and nothing to do with security. The latter explanation was a method of trying to save face.

The Wrestlemania name was not established at the time as it is today. Tickets for the event nowadays sell out pretty much as they become available and before the card is announced whereas in the 1980/early 90's the main events had more of an impact on ticket sales.

The WM3 crowd was drawn on the supposed "first" matchup between the WWF's two biggest characters in Hogan & Andre the Giant. WM7 tried to exploit the Gulf war by having "Iraq sympathiser" Sgt Slaughter in the main event. Something which they received major criticism for at the time. The reality was the hostilities in the gulf had come to an end several months before the event was staged.

About Ford field, I find it hard to believe there was 80.103 people in the building with so much seats blocked by the huge entrance structure.
The stadium has 65.000 seats and I think about 15.000 were blocked by the structure. Is it possible that there was 30.000 seats on the floor around the ring?

Which story do you believe? The slow ticket sales or the security scare due to the Gulf War? Add to the fact that the then WWF Champ was (kayfabe) Iraq supporter Sgt. Slaughter and there were supposed threats of snipers.

B * U c L o L u S g H h I * T

Security scare? How very convenient. Is it because it was the Coliseum and they'd watched '2 Minute Warning' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075359/) (1976) with Jack Klugman (aka Quincy MD)?

I think I'd go for the conspiracy theory on this one.

Of every organisation in existence, we're supposed to take at face value the word of the WWF (as was)? Their whole raison d'etre is based on spin, manipulation and storylines.

Call me a cynic, like, but..... ...du-uhh?!

'wrestlemania' -:lol:

Has to be the most brain-dead thing I've ever heard of. Is it all staged like those WWE fights?

Sorry, but this is just making me laugh so much.

BIG NEWS FOR WRESTLEMANIA 23 at Ford Field :
from www.gerweck.net

- The actual attendance at Ford Field was 74,867. (Super Bowl 40 in Detroit drew 68,206 by comparison).

- The way the building was set up, it was impossible for Field to accommodate 80,000 fans.

- It was Vince McMahon's idea to announce the attendance number at 80,103 fans.

What, the WWE exaggerating an attendance figure? Surely not!

Before you know it, someone will put up a post saying they didn’t draw 93k+ for WM3!

;)

How is an outdoor stadium that is not enclosed host a wrestling event?

yeah it would make more sense to host it at a domed stadium (reliant stadium anybody?)

WCW had a live broadcast of "Saturday Night" from a Charlotte street festival once. It rained.

The ring was slick and barely anything came off right. You'd think WWE would learn from WCW's mistake.

I going to Wrestlemania 24! My last Wrestlemania was WM 21 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles!!:cheers:

The Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas hosted WrestleMania IX in an arena that could hold 16,800 fans. Was it temporary? Yes. Did it rain? No.

Since the Citrus Bowl has an open end zone in the north, I don't know which side of the stadium the entrance stage would be in. Perhaps they should use the temporary bleachers in the north end zone, which were last used for the 2005 Capitol One Bowl.

citrus bowl looks nice!! UCF's new stadium also looks nice.

Maybe we should wait until 2 months from now to see how the Citrus Bowl is arranged for a wrestling event. They still need to use that temporary grandstand though.

I just found a seating chart of how the Citrus Bowl is arranged for such a big wrestling event.

http://media.ticketmaster.com/en-us/tmimages/venue/maps/fl2/20876s.gif

At least 8,000 fans would be seated in the area the football field would be, so I think Wrestlemania 24 should attract about 75,000 spectators. Turns out it don't need to install that temporary grandstand after all. And the open end at the north is where the entrance stage would be.

who cares about the WWE?

who cares about the WWE?


I do.
What's wrong with it?
It's entertainment....
And they're able to pack 70.000 people in a stadium, they must do things right....

its a waste. and man, to pay to sit in those nose bleeds would be a rip off, you wouldn't be able to see anything

Binoculars. Giant HD video screens. Thats how the people in the nose bleeds will see.

Besides, just being there is probably half the experience. Like being at the SuperBowl, World Series, FA Cup Final, Olympics Opening Ceremony.

^^ I agree. I went to their Survivor Series Tour and it was still good. The screens didn't really help but still, it was just a house show and you could see everythingggggg. It's not exactly fake.. some of the things they do, do hurt. It's just scripted.

will there not be a lot of restricted views due to lighting rigs which would usually suspend from the roof of an arena/stadium, i.e Wrestlemania VIII & IX as examples.
And what with the wwf/e ( whatever ) being 50% a glorified light show than actial wrasslin' event nowadays I imagine this might take up a lot of space???? any Ideas dudes

Some wrestling sources talk about 20.000 tickets left to sell.
Knowing 65.000 people already bought their one, it would mean a scheduled seating of 85.000 seats.
I think you can't pack 85.000 people in this stadium, what do you think?

Did I hear right that Wrestlemania XXV will be held in Reliant Stadium? Another 70-80,000 strong crowd would be expected, passing the 67,000+ who saw Wrestlemania X7 at the Astrodome.

How is an outdoor stadium that is not enclosed host a wrestling event?

WWE has disolved the problem. They will create a smal top above the ring aera to protect from rain.

Who cares if it rains? It'll be 80 degrees out.

Who cares if it rains? It'll be 80 degrees out.


the wrestling ring is covered by canvas and need to be dry. if it rains the ring surface will be wet, it can be dangerous for wrestler when they do their moves.

Anyone wondering what will happen if it rains, the WWE has announced that they will basically put a tarp over the ring and surrounding area just in case.

Also, Wrestling isn't FAKE! The only thing that is fake is sometimes the injuries or reason for leaving, but that is because they need to so they can build up a storyline. The winners of the matches are already known, but everything that goes inside is real. Maybe they will fake some punches or drops, but they do get injured and do get beat up pretty bad after a match.

The set for Wrestlemania XXIV should be completed in the Citrus Bowl by now. I checked my TV listings and I learned that that the event will last for 8 hours, which is longer than any other Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania XXIV was already held an hour ago, so if anybody wants to put any photos of the Citrus Bowl in its wrestling configuration, you are welcome to do so. Any overhead views of the stadium will also be accepted.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/duongLe_/wrestlemania.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/duongLe_/wrestlasfasf.jpg

This year's Wrestlemania was nothing special, IMO.

Hey, can we get anymore images of the titantron and stage?

when is WWE wrestling ever anything special...boring!

I bet they couldn't see a damn thing all the way up there at the top of the stands, and how much would a ticket have been!?

I bet they couldn't see a damn thing all the way up there at the top of the stands, and how much would a ticket have been!?

It's not much different to watching a game of football, and there is the titantron as well.

when is WWE wrestling ever anything special...boring!
ask the millions and millions of fans that.

Hey, can we get anymore images of the titantron and stage?

Sure.
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/duongLe_/asfasfffffffffffffffffffffffff.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/duongLe_/yeahh.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/duongLe_/wwwe.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2376704303_ac26e3aae0_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2084/2377541214_1bd43835b0_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/2376700349_428efa6fce_b.jpg

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brerwolfe/


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2021/2379541894_6a172a6cb3_b.jpg

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smoocherie/


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/2385003184_7e1d683f38_o.jpg

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nokx/2385003184/

they are really good photos Marcanadian cool ! ! ! !

Also, Wrestling isn't FAKE! The only thing that is fake is sometimes the injuries or reason for leaving, but that is because they need to so they can build up a storyline. The winners of the matches are already known, but everything that goes inside is real. Maybe they will fake some punches or drops, but they do get injured and do get beat up pretty bad after a match.

I don't question the physicality or brutality of wrestling at all, but if the winners of the matches are already known, then it's basically just a staged performance rather than a sporting competition, and that's why a lot of people deride it...

its where roiders and bed actors go when they cant get a job anywhere else, thats why The Rock left.

WrestleMania XXV will take place in Reliant Stadium in April 5, 2009. Attendance at the event may be around 80,000.

I can't believe so many people still like wrestling. :nuts:

Anyone wondering what will happen if it rains, the WWE has announced that they will basically put a tarp over the ring and surrounding area just in case.

Also, Wrestling isn't FAKE! The only thing that is fake is sometimes the injuries or reason for leaving, but that is because they need to so they can build up a storyline. The winners of the matches are already known, but everything that goes inside is real. Maybe they will fake some punches or drops, but they do get injured and do get beat up pretty bad after a match.


some punches?? some drops?? those guys are the worst actors ive ever seen. Ever see the look on some guys face when someone just "randomly" shows up to fight?? Its so funny because they cant even fake being suprised. Wrestling is the biggest joke ive ever seen. yes it makes money, but hey, thats American culture aint it.

The City of Orlando plans to renovate the Citrus Bowl, does anyone know what exactly they intend to do?

They were planning to, but then the economy tanked and Orlando was hit particularly hard.

The City of Orlando plans to renovate the Citrus Bowl, does anyone know what exactly they intend to do?

they planned on making it a Wrestling stadium since that is the only big event they can seem to get there.

Sport?
:rofl:


haahahahahah yeah exacly SPORT ? :lol:

And by the way, the capacity of the Citrus Bowl is not 74,635. That was just the stadium's attendance record set by Wrestlemania 24. The Citrus Bowl stadium's usual capacity is actually 65,438. Back when Wrestlemania 24 took place, we were so hooked on the event that we forgot about its normal use as a football stadium. The stadium is of course the home of the Citrus Bowl game, and the UCF Knights played here from 1979 to 2006 when they relocated to the on-campus Bright House Networks Stadium.

And by the way, the capacity of the Citrus Bowl is not 74,635. That was just the stadium's attendance record set by Wrestlemania 24. The Citrus Bowl stadium's usual capacity is actually 65,438. Back when Wrestlemania 24 took place, we were so hooked on the event that we forgot about its normal use as a football stadium. The stadium is of course the home of the Citrus Bowl game, and the UCF Knights played here from 1979 to 2006 when they relocated to the on-campus Bright House Networks Stadium.

True, the other 9,200 came from floor seats.

Orlando screwed up by building a new $500M arena to replace one that hasn't even reached the legal drinking age. They could've spent about $250M to renovate Amway and the other $250M to renovate the Citrus Bowl. Now the money for both projects (plus the performing arts center) is running out and the city is at serious risk of losing both bowl games and ANY chance of landing a future NFL franchise.

why renovate the Citrus bowl that gets used 1 time a year for a boring bowl game?

why renovate the Citrus bowl that gets used 1 time a year for a boring bowl game?
Two bowl games, as a matter of fact, one of which, the Capital One Bowl (formerly the Citrus), is the highest-paying non-BCS bowl, and for many years had a larger payout than an at-large BCS berth.

The other game, the Champs Sports Bowl, is the sixth-highest-paying non-BCS game.

The renovations shouldn't be made just for bowl games, either -- if they could transform the place into an NFL-caliber facility, who knows?

And many years, the Capital One Bowl has been anything but boring:

xFIAoIPSKek
h0OnvDbyGuQ

Isn't the UFL playing there this fall?