Wrestling Exhibit At Tampa Bay History Center, John Cena's WWE Return Behind-The-Scenes, Alexa Bliss
- Above is the latest episode of WWE's "Day Of" series, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at John Cena's return to SmackDown on FOX a few weeks back. Cena returned in his hometown of Boston but was confronted by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt to set up their WrestleMania 36 match.
- The Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa, FL is launching a new "Sunshine State Showdown: Pro Wrestling In Tampa Bay" exhibit on Saturday, March 7 at 10am ET. WWE's Titus O'Neil will be there on opening day to meet fans from 12 noon until 2pm. Below is the full announcement on the new exhibit:
POP QUIZ: What do Hulk Hogan, Chyna and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff have in common They all lived in Tampa.
Florida ? especially the Tampa Bay area – has been home to a who's who of larger-than-life pro wrestling personas – everyone from "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes to "The Doctor of Thuganomics" John Cena.
Step into the squared circle and step back in time with Dusty, Hulk Hogan and some of Florida's best-known wrestling superstars during "Sunshine State Showdown: Pro Wrestling in Tampa Bay," opening Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m.
See the stories behind the legends along with one-of-a-kind artifacts from the archives of the WWE.
On opening day, guests can meet with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil from 12 ? 2 p.m.*
The exhibit will feature Tampa's Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson's robe and boots, the NWA Championship title belt, original posters, programs and tickets from bouts throughout the bay area and more.
Guests will learn about the origins of professional wrestling in America, classic wrestling moves, wrestling jargon and trash talk.
"Florida has long been home to passionate wrestling fans and A-list wrestlers," said the History Center's Curator of Public History, Dr. Brad Massey. "The Tampa armory hosted professional and amateur wrestling and, later, the bay area was a headquarters for some of wrestling's biggest stars. "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, John Cena ? they all have bay area connections."
The exhibit highlights the language of professional wrestling, exploring classic phrases and "trash talk," like Tampa resident John Cena's "you can't see me," to industry jargon. Terms like "heel" and "push" have a meaning all their own within the sport.
"Wrestling has a very specific language, and we had fun with the jargon and trash talk that's part of the sport's unique nomenclature," said Dr. Massey.
WWE, the WWE logo, all other WWE intellectual property and all WWE memorabilia are owned exclusively by WWE and are used with permission or used under license. All rights reserved.
*Talent subject to change.
- As seen below, Alexa Bliss is featured in new "The More You See Her" videos from the campaign launched by NBCUniversal. Bliss encourages girls to pursue sports, and talks about the importance of supporting military spouses.