Update On Tonight's RAW, WrestleMania Draws Big, Luger Note
– Tonight's edition of WWE Raw takes from the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. The special guest hosts are NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. The advertised dark match main event is John Cena, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Big Show in a six-man tag. For the first time in months, WWE has 4 weeks to build to the next Pay-Per-View instead of only 3.
– WWE's website has added Lex Luger to the "Where Are They Now?" section. Luger says, "One of the things I do is try to get a positive message out there in the local schools and tell my story," Luger said. "I also do a lot of faith-based speaking, sharing my story and testimony, to help show what God has done in my life and what he can do in others' lives." For more, visit WWE.com.
– WWE issued the following press release today, touting the economic benefits that WrestleMania brings to its host city:
WrestleMania Makes Close to $50 Million for Host City
World Wrestling Entertainment announced today that The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania generated a $49.8 million dollar economic windfall for the greater Houston area, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation. Despite one of the biggest economic downturns in recent history, local and state governments collected $5.7 million in taxes. This follows the $51.5 million of economic impact WrestleMania XXIV brought to Orlando.
"Having the opportunity to host The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania was a huge honor and success," said Greg Ortale, President and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention & Visitor`s Bureau. "The direct expenditure demonstrates that WrestleMania is indeed economically on par with the world`s greatest sports and entertainment offerings."
"Our overarching goal with our public and private sector partners is to consistently provide positive economic impact for WrestleMania`s host communities and establish a lasting pro-social legacy," said John P. Saboor, Senior Vice President of Special Events for World Wrestling Entertainment.
A capacity crowd of 72,744 from all 50 states, 24 countries and seven Canadian provinces attended the pop culture extravaganza. Key highlights from the study included:
* $49.8 million of direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by non-locals visiting specifically for The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, equating to 600 full time jobs for the area.
* During WrestleMania Week, 86% of out of state, overnight visitors who came in for the festivities, stayed in local Houston area hotels. 67% stayed for three nights or more.
* Nearly 75% of fans that came to The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania from outside of Houston traveled by air.
* 23% of the fans that came from out of state were from California and New York.
* Nearly 65% of the fans that attended were between the ages of 10 and 34. Next year, WrestleMania XXVI will take place March 28, 2010 from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, November 7 at 10 AM MT through the University of Phoenix Stadium box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.