Wrestlemania 34
Everything you need to know about WWE’S biggest event
The professional wrestling world is about to invade the Big Easy.
Tens of thousands of fans are descending on New Orleans this weekend as World Wrestling Entertainment hosts its 34th annual Wrestlemania on Sunday. The WWE’S biggest event of the year has been the stage for many of the industry’s most prolific names over the years, from Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan to The Rock and John Cena.
It’s the one night where wrestling powers into the forefront of pop culture as celebrities ranging from Mike Tyson to Donald Trump, Cyndi Lauper to Muhammad Ali have all made appearances during the event’s long history.
This year is no different. The juggernaut Brock Lesnar defends his Universal championship against the powerful Roman Reigns. Daniel Bryan, one of the company’s biggest stars of the last decade, will make his in-ring return after a two-year retirement. And former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, arguably the biggestname signing in the WWE’S history, will have her debut match.
Not sure what to expect for the seven-hour event? Here’s our guide to Wrestlemania 34:
How to watch
Where: Mercedes-benz Superdome in New Orleans
Date: Sunday, April 8
Time: Preshow begins at 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed on WWE’S Youtube page. Main show starts at 5 p.m.
TV: WWE Network ($9.99 monthly streaming subscription at wwe.com/ network).
Things to know What is Wrestlemania?
Wrestlemania is like the Super Bowl for the WWE. It’s the company’s biggest event of the year. Like a season finale for a television series, it’s a finish to story lines that have amassed over the previous year. Whatever conflicts the characters are involved in will be settled in the ring. Wrestlemania 30 — which also took place at the Mercedes-benz Superdome in New Orleans — drew an announced attendance of 75,167 in 2014, with fans coming from around the world. A similar crowd should be expected this year.
Isn’t pro wrestling fake?
If you think of it as purely a sport, then yes, it is absolutely fake — the results are predetermined and the moves are done through a coordinated effort by the performers, like a dance. Think of it as physical theater, creating an atmosphere that resembles a sport, but is ultimately used to craft tales for the audience. The performers combine acting and athleticism in order to tell their story both in and out of the ring. It’s not so much that they’re fighting as it is why they’re fighting.
prime example of this is in the video “Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling,” which follows the story of Triple H’s career.
What is NXT?
NXT is the WWE’S developmental program, complete with its own weekly series and pay-perview events. Most performers who join the company start off in NXT to hone their craft. In recent years, it has emerged as a popular show for more hardcore wrestling fans as it features many performers who made their way up the ranks overseas or through the independent circuit. Many of the WWE’S top stars are alumni of the program.
What is 205 Live?
“205 Live” is a Wednesday night show on the WWE Network that features the company’s cruiserweight division — wrestlers who weigh 205 or less.
Who is Carmella and why does she have a Money in the Bank briefcase?
There are two Money in the Bank ladder matches in the summer — a men’s and a women’s — where wrestlers compete for the briefcase that hangs above the ring. The wrestler who captures the briefcase first wins an opportunity to cash in a contract for a championship title match whenever they wish. Carmella won the women’s match last June.
Some terms you might hear:
Face: Short for “babyface,” it’s a term to depounds scribe a good guy. Bad guy.
Heel: Singles match:
A match between two wrestlers.
Tag team match: A match between two teams of two wrestlers. The teammate who is legal in the ring must tag in his partner for help.
Mixed tag team match:
A match between two teams of two wrestlers of different genders. Men can only face men, and women can only face women.
Triple-threat match: A match between three different wrestlers. This is a non-disqualification match, meaning foreign objects — such as chairs and other weapons — are allowed.
Fatal four-way match:
A match between four different wrestlers. This is also a non-disqualification match.
Battle royal: A match involving multiple wresa
Three matches to watch: WWE champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: This could be the
match of the night. Styles is arguably the best in-ring performer the WWE has today and Nakamura simply oozes charisma to accompany his deadly strikes.
Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie Mcmahon:
It’s Rousey’s debut match. Arguably the biggest mainstream name to sign fulltime with the WWE, expectations are high to see what Rousey looks out of the octagon and inside the squared circle.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Shane Mcmahon and Daniel Bryan:
It’s Daniel Bryan’s return to the ring. The quintessential underdog of the 2010s for the WWE, Bryan makes his return to the wrestling ring after being retired for two years due to concussions. The 36year-old comes back to the Superdome, the stage of his career’s pinnacle, where he closed Wrestlemania 30 by winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
So whether this is your first or your 50th Wrestlemania match, you can now impress your friends and family with your WWE knowledge.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@ denverpost.com or @joenguyen ★ tlers in which the goal is to throw all of your opponents over the top rope. The last person remaining wins.
Royal Rumble: A battle royal that takes place in January in which wrestlers come out one at a time every few minutes. The winner of the event earns a title shot at Wrestlemania. Shinsuke Nakamura won the men’s this year, while Asuka won the women’s.