Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to host two-night WrestleMania 40

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Originally published at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to host two-night WrestleMania 40

WrestleMania 40 is going to Philadelphia in 2024.

WWE made the announcement on Wednesday that the two-night stadium event will take place at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, April 6th, and Sunday, April 7th, 2024.

Friday Night SmackDown, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and WWE Raw will also take place in Philadelphia that weekend at the Wells Fargo Center.

It will be the first time WrestleMania has taken place in the city since 1999 when WrestleMania 15 took place from the First Union Center (now the Wells Fargo Center) and was headlined by Steve Austin defeating The Rock for the WWF championship in their first of three WrestleMania matches.

Below is the full press release:

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, PHL Sports and WWE® (NYSE: WWE) are proud to announce that Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will host WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 40, on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, 2024.

WrestleMania is more than a two-day event; it’s a week-long celebration. In addition to WrestleMania, other events will include Friday Night SmackDown®, the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony®and Monday Night Raw® at Wells Fargo Center as well as other fan events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. In addition, WWE will also host multiple community outreach events, including hospital visits and Be a STAR® bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.

Over the past decade, WrestleManiahas generated more than $1.25 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. This past April, 156,352 fans from all 50 states and 53 countries attended WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium, generating a record $206.5 million economic windfall for the Dallas/Arlington region.

“We are proud to welcome WWE fans from around the world to Philadelphia to be a part of the historic 40thWrestleMania in 2024,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “The week-long series of events will help put a global spotlight on our great city while also generating a major impact for our local economy.”

“Philadelphia is excited to host WrestleMania for the first time in 25 years,” said Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau President & CEO Gregg Caren. “The combination of Philadelphia’s passionate fans joining forces with WWE’s worldwide fan base will create an incredible electricity throughout the city for the events at Lincoln Financial Field, Wells Fargo Center and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.”

“The Philadelphia Eagles are thrilled to partner with WWE as WrestleMania makes its much-anticipated return to Philadelphia in 2024,” said Philadelphia Eagles President and PHL Sports Chair Don Smolenski. “We are excited to help showcase the industry’s most iconic event in front of a global viewing audience and look forward to providing WWE fans in attendance with a first-class experience at Lincoln Financial Field.”

“On behalf of WWE, we are thrilled to bring WrestleMania back to the City of Brotherly Love,” said WWE Executive Vice President of Special Events John Saboor. “We thank all of our local partners who were integral in making this long-awaited return a reality.”

Additional information on WrestleMania at Lincoln Financial Field will be announced in the near future.

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Going to assume it’ll be an ECW theme HOF. Heyman going in, with a class beneath him.

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Wow! As someone close to the city, I never thought this would happen again.

Lincoln Financial Field and the Wells Fargo Center are right next to one another, while the Pennsylvania Convention Center is in the middle of the city, about a 15-minute drive from where those venues are. A simple route from Convention Center (the likely home of Axxess) and where the big shows will be happening.

I’m most looking forward to what independent shows will be running that weekend, be it at the 2300 [ECW] Arena, or any other venue these companies can figure out. Likely going to be too cold or rainy for outdoor shows.

My attending anything WWE will depend on what friends of mine want to do. I’ve made friends near Baltimore that have made trips to WrestleMania a habit.

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After perusing Twitter discourse today, I realized that any indies outside WWE looking to run nearby would have to deal with the hurdle that is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Getting licenses with the State Athletic Commission, getting doctors on hand. It’s going to be mighty hard if you’re not part of a group effort like The Collective or WrestleCon. Some might settle for running the Camden Waterfront across the river in New Jersey.

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I’m going to assume NJ is going to be the indie hub that weekend.

Maybe Supercard of Honor happening in Philly (2300 Arena likely too small for that though).

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Depends on what Tony Khan wants to do with ROH or AEW. I would guess neither runs, but if they do, they could have the Liacouras Center like they had for past Dynamites… barring scheduling conflicts with college basketball.

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I think the likelihood of TK having a ROH, let alone AEW, show in the shadow of WrestleMania is virtually zero. ROH should be running shows independently of others or in the shadow of AEW PPVs, not joining indie promotions in what’s become a festival of wrestling every WM week. I know the old ROH participated in this, but it would be pretty crazy for TK to have either of his brands follow and attach themselves to WWE’s popularity like that.

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The argument could be made that Supercard has become an institution for the company over the last 15 years. Fans expect it. He’s also shown a clear respect for ROH’s past and traditions.

I think an AEW show isn’t going to happen on Mania weekend. But an ROH show that has a long history on that weekend, is a different story.

I am sure he’s going to keep ROH PPVs quarterly. If we go:

  • April (Supercard)
  • July ( Death before Dishonor)
  • October (???)
  • December (Final Battle)

It lines up.

Plus, he said he doesn’t want to have ROH piggyback on AEW PPV weekends.

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