This year’s No Mercy event brings World Wrestling Entertainment’s development brand to Ball Arena on Sept. 1 — and all five championships are on the line in the Mile High City.

While episodes of “Raw” and “SmackDown” have broadcast live here over the years, this is the first major WWE show to come to Colorado since July 23, 2003. That’s when the Vengeance pay-per-view took place live from the then-Pepsi Center, capped off by Kurt Angle defeating The Big Show and Brock Lesnar in a no-disqualification triple-threat match.

Here’s a look at what you need to know:

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Sept. 1

Time: 5 p.m.

Place: Ball Arena in Denver

TV: Peacock

Tickets: Available on Ticketmaster.com, starting at $43.30.

Main card

Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz
Singles match

How we got here: Lee and Wentz had one of NXT’s longest-running tag team championship reigns — a 202-day reign in 2021. Lee climbed his way up the singles rankings after Wentz (then known as Carter Nash) was let go from the WWE in 2022. With Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling now having a working agreement with NXT, Wentz made his return. After a short reunion, Lee recently turned on him, saying he’s better than Wentz now.

Who should win: Lee.

Lee absolutely blossomed in his singles career, especially his run as North American champion in 2023. However, a major back surgery stymied his rising star. Now a bad guy, Lee defeating his former partner should give him momentum moving forward.

Who will win: Lee.

Oba Femi (c) vs. Tony D’Angelo
NXT North American Championship
Singles match

Who should win: D’Angelo.

Femi has been a star since making his debut, but “The Don of NXT” has been on the cusp of stardom for months. This may be the hardest choice on the card, but we’re picking D’Angelo because he needs a run with a singles title.

Who will win: D’Angelo.

Kelani Jordan (c) vs. Wendy Choo
NXT Women’s North American Championship
Singles match

How we got here: Jordan became the inaugural NXT Women’s North American Champion after winning a six-women ladder match at “Battleground” in June. Choo had been feuding with Jordan over the last month.

Who should win: Jordan.

Jordan won the title in June. It barely feels like she’s had a run with the belt. She shouldn’t lose it yet.

Who will win: Jordan.

Chase University (Andre Chase and Ridge Holland) (c) vs. Nathan Frazer and Axiom
NXT Tag Team Championship
Tag-team match

Who should win: Chase U.

They just won the tag titles two weeks ago. Surely they can’t drop it this fast, right? Right?

Who will win: Chase U.

Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Jaida Parker
NXT Women’s Championship
Singles match

How we got here: Perez defeated previous champion Lyra Valkyria (who has since been promoted to the Raw roster) in January for the belt, her second reign as champion. Parker earned the title shot after winning a six-women gauntlet on the Aug. 20 episode of NXT.

Who should win: Perez.

Perez is one of just three women who have had two reigns as NXT Women’s Champion, joining WWE stars Charlotte Flair and Shayna Baszler. And while Parker has impressed since her debut, she shouldn’t take down Perez and be the titleholder. Not yet anyways. Especially when rumors are swirling of an international star who may soon be making her debut.

Who will win: Perez.

Ethan Page (c) vs. Joe Hendry
NXT Championship
Singles match
Trick Williams is the guest referee

How we got here: Hendry — who’s quickly become one of the hottest wrestlers in NXT, as well as Total Nonstop Action — earned a title shot after winning a triple-threat match on the Aug. 20 episode of NXT. He challenges Page, who defeated Trick Williams for the belt in a fatal four-way match at Heatwave in July.

Who should win: Hendry.

An active TNA wrestling holding a WWE belt? I believe in Joe Hendry (clap, clap). The crooning TNA wrestler is on fire. Strike while the iron’s hot.

Who will win: Hendry.

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Sidney Raymond Eudy, a professional wrestler known as Sid Vicious who was known for his intense persona and imposing stature, has died, his son announced Monday. He was 63.

Gunnar Eudy, one of the wrestler’s two sons, wrote on Facebook that his father died after “battling cancer for several years.”

“He was a man of strength, kindness, and love, and his presence will be greatly missed,” his son wrote. “We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we grieve this loss.”

The 6-foot-9-inch Eudy went by many names in the ring, including Sid Justice and Sycho Sid, and rose to prominence at the height of the WrestleMania craze in the 1990s. He was a two-time champion in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) and also performed for its ’90s rival World Championship Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association. He faced off against Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker among other stars.

In a statement, WWE called Eudy “one of the most imposing and terrifying competitors of his generation” who had a “natural charisma that immediately connected with the WWE Universe.”

pic.twitter.com/8dG5KStjMC

— WWE (@WWE) August 27, 2024

“Sid’s reputation as one of the toughest and most thrilling superstars cemented his legacy in WWE, and his influence can still be seen in wrestling rings around the world,” the statement said.

Eudy was born in West Memphis, Arkansas, and lived in Tennessee for many years. Survivors include his wife, Sabrina Estes Eudy, his sons Frank and Gunnar, and his grandchildren.

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The NXT No Mercy premium live event will take place on Sunday, Sept. 1, at Ball Arena, the company announced Monday. This is the first NXT premium live event to come to the Mile High City and it’s the first WWE one since Vengeance on July 27, 2003.

On Sept. 2, WWE Raw will air live from Ball Arena. The company also announced that NXT Halloween Havoc and WWE Raw will take place at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pa., on Oct. 27 and 28, respectively.

“We look forward to returning NXT to the road and delivering an unforgettable night of action to the amazing fan bases of Denver and Hershey, and for those watching at home,” WWE senior vice president of talent development creative Shawn Michaels said in a news release.

Denver’s been host to some memorable moments in WWE history. The Rock made a surprise return to the company last September when he appeared on “SmackDown,” kicking off a run that culminated with a feud involving Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins that finished at WrestleMania 40. Goldberg returned after a 12-year absence from the company on the Oct. 17, 2016, of Raw, which also featured an appearance from then-Gov. John Hickenlooper in the crowd.

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The wrestler-turned-actor delivered a heartfelt speech to a stadium of World Wrestling Entertainment fans in Toronto, who booed in disappointment as Cena said the 2025 season would be his last. He promised a farewell tour with dozens of dates and an epic final fight, and he assured fans he would remain involved with the wrestling franchise that launched his career.

“Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years,” Cena told the crowd.

In a news conference after the event, Cena told reporters that he feels physically “at my end,” but that doesn’t mean he needs to distance himself from the sport he loves.

Cena is a 16-time WWE champion who burst onto the scene in the early 2000s as the fan-favorite “Doctor of Thuganomics,” a rapper character decked in gold chains and a backwards hat who challenged his wrestling opponents to rap battles. He went on to portray other popular characters, both in the ring and on the big screen.

Cena played starring roles in the films “Blockers” and “The Suicide Squad.” He has made multiple appearances in the “Fast & Furious” franchise and appeared most recently in the comedy thriller “Argylle” and the box office hit “Barbie.”

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FORT COLLINS — Before she chased Olympic gold, Mya Lesnar was comedy gold, the kind of walking roast that would make Kevin Hart and Tom Brady blush.

“One thing we like to do is, when we’re out in public, we’ll walk around and we like to find lookalikes,” CSU Rams discus thrower Michaela Hawkins explained to me after practice the other day. “So she’ll go, ‘That looks like a Walmart version of Keith Urban.’

“If I come to practice and I do my hair differently … she’ll just say, ‘That looks bad.’ Or, ‘That looks weird.’ Like, any sort of change. I got braids, and she was like, ‘Well, that looks, you know, stupid.’ But worse words, of course. She hates when I do something weird. And she’s just constantly ripping on me.”

Brock Lesnar’s daughter is a star in her own right, with her own light, her own might, her own tribe. And what a tribe.

Stick a microphone in front of the trio of CSU throwers heading to the Olympic trials that start Friday in Eugene, Ore., and watch the sparks fly. There’s Lesnar, ripping Hawkins’ affection for ’80s music and country legends The Judds, Wynonna in particular. Teammate Gabi Morris rips Hawkins for her pet cockroaches (she has three, of the “Madagascar hissing” variety). Or Hawkins’ guitar playing. Or her drawings. Hawkins rips Morris for being a Lord Of The Rings nerd. Hawkins rips Lesnar for her love of rapper Pitbull. Hawkins rips Morris for having a tattoo on her back dedicated to sci-fi author Dan Simmons’ “Hyperion Cantos” series. Or the dragon on her thigh.

“One thing I love about them is they’re very competitive, confident and very sarcastic,” CSU track and field coach Brian Bedard told me. “Which works well with me because I told them that in the recruiting process: ‘I’m really sarcastic, so you’ve got to wade through that, you know, 80% sarcasm and then 20% of you know, quality material.'”

That said, he knows quality when he sees it. Lesnar, a transfer from Arizona State, won the NCAA indoor shot put championship this past March in Boston, becoming the first woman to ever do so in CSU green and gold.

“Honestly, this is not really going to sound good,” Mya said of her famous dad, an NCAA champion wrestler with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2000. “But right after I won my NCAA title he was like, ‘Take it all in, enjoy it. And then, you know, put it away. And, you know, we move on.’

“And honestly, at first I was like, ‘What do you mean? I have been literally dreaming about this day and it was such an incredible moment.’

“Then I kind of thought about it. I was like, you know what? That is kind of just how life happens — you win some, you lose some and honestly, it’s important to recognize all the hard work that you have put in.

“But I think the biggest thing that (Brock) has taught me is, ‘Do not let your trophies or anything that you’ve done change you as a person.'”

It hasn’t, to hear Morris tell it. The two will compete in the shot put prelims on June 28, with the finals a day later. Discus prelims for Hawkins begin June 24, with the finals June 27.

“(Mya) is the same big personality (as Hawkins and myself),” Morris told me. “She’s just a fun, like, hard-(expletive), hard-working. She’s a country girl. She’s a great addition. She’s really fun.”

Bedard has more than a few fun Lesnar tales in his locker. He recruited her twice, technically, a saga that started with a voicemail message in his office some four-and-a-half years ago, one he’d decided to play aloud.

“This is Brock Lesnar,” it began. “My daughter’s a thrower, she’s being recruited by a couple of schools, she has one visit left. I have a feeling that CSU would be good for her.”

Bedard did a double-take. Lesnar. Where have I heard that name before?

“I didn’t know who she was. I didn’t know who Brock was,” the coach recalled. “And the guy in the business office (was) like, ‘That guy said “Brock Lesnar?”‘ I’m like ‘Yeah.’ And he’s like, ‘That’s the pro wrestler guy.’ And then we looked up her results and I was like, ‘Oh, she’s a good athlete. So I called him back and said, ‘Yeah, we’d definitely be interested.'”

The Sun Devils edged out CSU during that first go-round. But a coaching change in Tempe had Mya considering her options. Bedard had taken being No. 2 gracefully, and the Lesnars didn’t forget it. Nor did they lose his number.

“I’d said (to her), ‘That’s OK. Good luck to you. Don’t be a stranger when I see you at meets,'” Bedard continued.

About 20 minutes later, the phone rang again. Brock.

“Please tell me she hasn’t burned a bridge at CSU, just in case something goes haywire at Arizona State,” the elder Lesnar said.

“Absolutely not,” Bedard replied. “That’s part of the recruiting process.”

The second courtship had a catch, of course. Hawkins had just transferred from North Dakota State. And let’s just say she and Mya had a … history. Basically, the two were among the best prep throwers in the state of Minnesota. Michaela, gregarious and competitive, built up a sliver of disdain for the celebrity’s daughter whom she’d beaten for the state discus title in 2019.

Hawkins: “I kind of started to hear about this Mya Lesnar girl. And I was like, ‘Who is she?'”

Lesnar: “I had no idea who she was. I just knew that, ‘Oh, that was the girl that won the discus, and I was the runner-up.'”

Naturally, they got along like gangbusters. Mya transferred to CSU, and the rest, as they say, is history. Even if only half of it’s printable.

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Troy Renck: Caitlin Clark is a movement, not a moment. I said it before and don’t mind repeating it. The only ones who don’t seem to get it? The WNBA’s leadership and too many jealous opponents. Did the PGA Tour allow players to spike mark Tiger Woods’ putt path on the green? Clark is the reason so many more people are watching, games are selling out and teams are flying charter. Clark doesn’t require special treatment. Just common sense. If Carter wants to act like Rick Mahorn or Bill Laimbeer, suspend her. Clark can protect herself, yes. But the WNBA needs to protect Clark or any player from these inappropriate actions. Making matters worse? Carter’s lack of accountability in the postgame presser. She eschewed relevant questions from the media about the incident but had no issue running to social media to troll Clark.

Keeler: News flash: “Rookie gets hazed, film at 11.” Clark wasn’t expecting to be treated with kid gloves this summer, by any stretch. Still, there was about as much “basketball” in that shove as there are turn signals in a “Mad Max” movie. When the star rookie in question also shows up with a $28 million endorsement deal from Nike in her portfolio, that’s not professional anymore. It’s dirty. It’s personal.

Renck: The WNBA has done Clark no favors. It wanted to maximize TV eyeballs, scheduling 11 Fever games in 20 days. That is irresponsible, especially since the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces have played six. So, you give her no rest, then let her opponents act like the 1990s Knicks? It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it pays off for them, Cotton.

Keeler: Oh, I get the gray areas. Players police themselves, and no star, no matter how worthy or skilled, wants to be seen as the teacher’s pet. But this league’s a part of the NBA family tree, right? The same NBA that’s been the poster child for “star” double standards — one rule for MJ, another for LeBron, another for everybody else — for generations. It’s baked into the product. If the league doesn’t try to protect Clark, the Fever are going to have to find an “enforcer” who will. So is this about elevating the women’s professional game or turning it into a goon show?

Renck: Clark, who earned a reputation for whining for calls at Iowa, has handled the scrutiny with professionalism and patience. She looks worn out from the NCAA tournament run and the Fever’s few off days. Her team is not a good fit for her skill set because the Fever struggle in transition and can’t seem to figure out how to get her screens off ball like Steph Curry in the halfcourt. And yes, Sean, the Fever needs to use one of its players as a roughneck. If opponents want to keep taking cheap shots at Clark, somebody needs to step in. It is not entitlement; it is simply good business, the same way the Oilers protected Wayne Gretzky. There is a rookie rite of passage. But there are limits to physicality. From the schedule to the officiating to the lack of discipline, the WNBA, which had a year to prepare for her arrival, owes Clark an apology.

The “Super Bowl” of professional wrestling takes place this weekend on April 6-7 in Philadelphia and airs live on Peacock TV. So, if you’re going to a party and looking for something to imbibe upon, we have some local options for you.

Here’s a look at four pro-wrestling-themed beers from Colorado breweries that you can bring to your WrestleMania party:

Heel Turn, Landlocked Ales

With the mini-replica WWE championship belt hanging on the wall to the older wrestling matches often playing on one of their TVs, it’s no surprise that the Lakewood brewery named one of its beers after an insider term. A “heel turn” is when a wrestler turns into a bad guy, like Dwayne Johnson said his character, The Rock, did earlier this year. This Heel Turn is a traditional IPA that has a 6.6% ABV and is dry-hopped with simco, citra and mosaic hops. Speaking of The Rock…

My Little Jabroni, Diebolt Brewing

A combination of the classic Hasbro cartoon and toy line, “My Little Pony,” and one of The Rock’s catchphrase, this 6% ABV hazy IPA features a pony drawn in the style of the wrestler-turned-action star on its cans. It’s complete with his trademark sunglasses and raised eyebrow, as well as his tribal tattoos on his chest and shoulder.

Mocha Man Randy Savage, Manitou Brewing

Ooooh yeah, this twist on the late Slim Jim promoter’s moniker is a 6% ABV coffee stout. Yeah. As the brewery describes it, “Hints of milk sugar balance out the mocha sweetness and round out the velvety mouthfeel that keeps going all day.” Yeah. It truly is the cream of the crop.

Top Rope, The Post Chicken & Beer

For something a little lighter, The Post offers this 5% ABV Mexican lager, featuring a masked wrestler in its art jumping off of, well, the top rope. It “will unleash your inner luchador,” the brewery claims.

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Philadelphia will host the two-day event at Lincoln Financial Field and welcome in stars, such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes and Becky Lynch. Oh, and some guy named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will have his first in-ring match since 2013 (we’re not counting that six-second squash match against Erick Rowan in 2016).

Here’s a look at the card and predictions for the show:

What to know

How to watch

Dates: April 6-7, 2024

Time: Kickoff show starts at 5 p.m. MT, main show begins at 6 p.m. MT each night

Location: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia

TV: Peacock TV

Colorado connections

Bobby Lashley: Billed from Denver and residing in Parker, the chiseled former WWE champion will compete on Sunday in a six-man tag-team Philadelphia street fight.

Otis: A former collegiate wrestler at CSU-Pueblo, he is one half of tag team Alpha Academy with former Olympic wrestler Chad Gable. He doesn’t have a match scheduled yet.

Saturday night card

The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate)

Six-pack ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
Both sets of the undisputed titles (the Raw and SmackDown tag team championships) will hang above the ring

How we got here: On the March 11 episode of “Raw,” it was announced that there would be a never-before-seen six-pack tag-team ladder match. Over the coming weeks, teams competed to earn a spot to face The Judgment Day. On April 1, it was announced that both the Raw and SmackDown titles (combined to be declared the undisputed titles) would be placed above the ring. Per championship ladder match rules, the first team to retrieve the belts became champions. Theoretically, this will mean there will be two separate sets of tag team champions again.

Why you should care: This has the makings of an absolutely crazy match. High-flying action and insane stunts galore.

Who should win: The Awesome Truth and A-Town Down Under.

R-Truth has been involved with The Judgment Day since late 2023 and his attempts of joining the group have been entertaining but ultimately fruitless. After months of beatdowns by various members of the faction, especially by Priest, this would make for great comeuppance for Truth. And if the fan favorites win a set of belts, it feels like a duo that’s despised should pick up the other. Enter Theory and Waller.

Who will win: The Awesome Truth and A-Town Down Under.

Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Santos Escobar and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio

Tag-team match

How we got here: Escobar, who was a member of the LWO, cost Mysterio his United States title belt in November after leaving a pair of brass knuckles on the ring apron, which was used by Logan Paul to beat the legendary luchador. Escobar would defect from the group and full-on betray Mysterio. Meanwhile, Dominick Mysterio — Rey’s son — has been involved in a feud with his father for well over a year.

Why you should care: Rey Mysterio turns 50 this year. Can’t imagine there’s too much time to see him perform at such a high level.

Who should win: Escobar and Mysterio.

I feel like this is Dominik’s revenge for losing to his dad at last year’s WrestleMania. And a win here could cause more division with Judgment Day, the group in which Dominik belongs to.

Who will win: Escobar and Mysterio.

Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane)

Six-woman tag-team match

How we got here: Damage CTRL attacked Belair and Naomi on the March 29 episode of “SmackDown.” Cargill came out for the rescue. Now these two teams are engaged in a fight at ‘Mania.

Why you should care: Belair and Cargill are two of the strongest and most athletic women on the WWE roster. Cargill has star written all over her and should be a taste of what’s to come.

Who should win: Belair, Cargill and Naomi.

Cargill made her much-anticipated in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble where she showcased several feats of strength. Now in her second match in the WWE, it’s hard to imagine that she’d lose. Score one for the good guys.

Who will win: Belair, Cargill and Naomi.

Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

How we got here: Zayn won a gauntlet match on the March 11 episode of “Raw” to earn a title shot against Gunther.

Why you should care: If you want to see a nontraditional match where two guys beat the heck out of each other, this will be it.

Who should win: Gunther.

This feels like the plot to “Rocky,” doesn’t it? Zayn, the consummate underdog, will come in and put up a great fight but ultimately succumb to the champion. Gunther’s record reign with the intercontinental belt will continue.

Who will win: Gunther.

Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso

Singles match

How we got here: The real-life twin brothers and long-time tag team duo split apart late in 2023. Jey Uso left The Bloodline group and went to “Raw,” but his brother wouldn’t let sleeping dogs lie. Now the siblings will face off against one another for the first time.

Why you should care: The Bloodline has been one of the more captivating storylines in pro wrestling over the last few years. This adds yet another wrinkle to it.

Who should win: Jey Uso.

“Main Event” Jey Uso needs this win to move forward into the world of singles wrestling.

Who will win: Jey Uso.

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Singles match
WWE Raw Women’s World Championship

How we got here: Lynch won the women’s Elimination Chamber match, earning a title shot against Ripley.

Why you should care: Lynch was the biggest thing going for the WWE — in either the men’s or women’s divisions — just a few years ago. Ripley is the biggest draw among the women now. It’s a clash of the titans.

Who should win: Ripley.

Ripley has emerged as the face of the WWE’s women’s division. Lynch has had her moment in the sun, but she won’t come out as champion.

Who will win: Ripley.

The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

Tag team match

Stipulation: If The Bloodline wins, the Undisputed WWE championship match between Reigns and Rhodes on Sunday will be under “Bloodline rules.” If Rhodes and Rollins win, all members of The Bloodline will be barred from ringside during the Rollins-Rhodes match.

How we got here: Rhodes won the men’s Royal Rumble match and immediately pointed at Reigns after his victory. It felt like a rematch for Rhodes’ loss at last year’s ‘Mania. Then The Rock returns and it felt like the main event was pivoting to a Rock vs. Reigns match — a battle between the family members connected by their grandfathers, who are blood brothers. Fans turned on the idea and vocally backed Rhodes. At a press conference in Las Vegas, Rhodes would officially announce he’s choosing Reigns as his opponent, much to The Rock’s chagrin. In the coming months, The Rock would come out with Reigns’ Bloodline group — which consists of real-life family members — and verbally and physically batter Rhodes and his friends, including Rollins.

Why you should care: It’s The Rock returning for his first true in-ring match since losing to John Cena at WrestleMania 29 in 2013.

Who should win: The Bloodline.

I went back and forth in my mind about this. But ultimately it feels like stacking even more odds against Rhodes would make for a Sunday night win even sweeter.

Who will win: The Bloodline.

Sunday night card

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

Singles match

How we got here: After returning in December, Styles came out to rescue Knight and Randy Orton from an attack by The Bloodline. Then he smacked him with a chair. Styles would harass Knight again, attacking him with a chair at the Elimination Chamber. Now they must settle their differences in the ring, as is tradition.

Why you should care: At 46, Styles is still one of the best performers in the business. And Knight oozes charisma.

Who should win: Knight.

Knight has won the hearts of fans ever since the company stopped making him be the manager Max DuPri and brought back his LA Knight gimmick. He needs a win here if the WWE wants to capitalize on his momentum moving forward.

Who will win: Knight.

The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam and Rezar)

Six-man tag-team Philadelphia street fight

How we got here: The Final Testament attacked The Pride in January. After months of feuding, they’ll settle their differences in a Philadelphia street fight.

Why you should care: Like former announcer Jim Ross used to say, “this should be a slobber-knocker.”

Who should win: The Pride.

Call me a homer, but I’m always rooting for Colorado’s own Bobby Lashley.

Who will win: The Final Testament.

To fully capitalize on this group, they need momentum coming out of WrestleMania. Beating The Pride would help that.

Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Triple-threat match for WWE United States Championship

How we got here: Paul beat Owens to retain his title at the Royal Rumble after trying to use a pair of brass knuckles. Owens stopped him and put them on but was caught by the referee and lost via disqualification. Orton took out Paul in the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Paul responded by clobbering him with a pair of brass knuckles, which caused Orton to lose. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis later announced a three-way match for the title.

Why you should care: If you want to see Logan Paul get clobbered, this match is for you.

Who should win: Paul.

The YouTube star and pro wrestling are a match made in heaven. His smarmy tactics and incredibly physical feats make him fun to hate. And now that he has the Pretty Deadly tag team with him, look for him to hold on to the title by nefarious means.

Who will win: Paul.

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley

Singles match for WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship

How we got here: Bayley won the women’s Royal Rumble. And after she was kicked out of Damage CTRL, the group she created, she targeted former teammate Sky as her target for WrestleMania.

Why you should care: Sky, as her moniker suggests, is an amazing high-flyer. Also, if Bayley gets her wish, she will get Paramore as her entrance theme song.

Who should win: Bayley.

It’s not a good weekend for Damage CTRL if my predictions come to fruition. A classic story of comeuppance, Bayley should exact revenge against her former group.

Who will win: Bayley.

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Singles match for WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Note: CM Punk will be a guest commentator.

How we got here: McIntyre won the men’s Elimination Chamber match in February, which grants him a shot at a world title. He matched with Rollins after Cody Rhodes called out Roman Reigns.

Why you should care: Rollins and McIntyre will put on a good match, but seeing CM Punk at WrestleMania will be surreal.

Who should win: McIntyre.

Rollins — the inaugural and only world heavyweight champ — has held the title for more than 10 months now, producing a bevy of fun and entertaining matches. But McIntyre has been en pointe with his criticisms and promo work for months now. It’d be fun to see him as champion — and potentially feuding with CM Punk post-‘Mania.

Who will win: McIntyre.

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Singles match for Undisputed WWE Universal championship

How we got here: Rhodes won the men’s Royal Rumble for the second straight year to get another shot at taking down Reigns, who won last year in some part due to help from outside interference. Now they’ll do it again.

Why you should care: These are the two biggest stars in the company right now. Plus, depending on what happens on Saturday night’s main event, this could be a crazy match.

Who should win: Rhodes.

Is there any way Rhodes doesn’t finish his story here? After losing to Reigns due to interference in the main event of WrestleMania last year, it seems inconceivable that he’d fall twice in a row. Right? All signs point to Rhodes finishing his story and giving Philly fans a feel-good ending. Please, don’t have him lose again.

Who will win: Rhodes.

Results

Saturday night

• Rhea Ripley (c) d. Becky Lynch to retain WWE Raw Women’s Championship
• A-Town Down Under won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship in the six-pack tag-team ladder match
• The Awesome Truth won the Raw Tag Team Championship in the six-pack tag-team ladder match
• Rey Mysterio and Andrade d. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio
• Jey Uso d. Jimmy Uso
• Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi d. Damage CTRL
• Sami Zayn d. Gunther (c) to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
• The Rock and Roman Reigns d. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

Sunday night

• Drew McIntyre d. Seth Rollins (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
• Damian Priest d. Drew McIntyre (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase
• The Pride d. The Final Testament
• LA Knight d. AJ Styles
• Logan Paul (c) d. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton to retain the WWE United States Championship
• Bayley d. Iyo Sky (c) to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
• Cody Rhodes d. Roman Reigns (c) to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

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In February, three days before the Super Bowl, with all eyes on Las Vegas, WWE tried to snatch some of the NFL’s spotlight for itself.

The sports entertainment company held a press conference in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, just down the road from the stadium where the Super Bowl was being played, to promote WrestleMania XL, a two day event in Philadelphia that begins Saturday. It plugged appearances by top stars including Cody Rhodes and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who recently became a board member for WWE’s parent company, TKO Group. The free event, which was live streamed on Peacock, was a bid to grab the attention of the thousands of football fans in town, and potential viewers nationwide.

Thousands showed up for the event which didn’t include any wrestling, but The Rock did slap Rhodes across the face, garnering 15.7 million views across all of WWE’s social media platforms in less than 12 hours. More than 4.7 million people watched the event live, making it the most-viewed outside the ring event in WWE history, according to the company. The press conference had more than 100 million views in less than 12 hours.

WWE released its WrestleMania XL video on the day of the Super Bowl. That video has amassed more than 5 million views and counting on WWE’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jason Cielsak, president, Pacific Rim, at brand experience firm Siegel+Gale, says that the way the WWE crafts its WrestleMania messaging makes fans eager for an event where many of the storylines that have been evolving over the year are resolved in the ring.

“It is a master class in marketing steeped heavily in storytelling and drama that many of the major sports leagues and even television writers could learn from,” Cielsak said.

The Rock’s participation in WrestleMania XL, given his longstanding ties to WWE and his movie star status, is a considerable asset.

“The benefits to WWE are numerous and help position the organization as a credible entertainment entity, luring “future Rocks” seeking global stardom,” Cielsak said.

WWE has also been using its professional relationship with two of the company’s biggest social media personalities, Logan Paul and Pat McAfee, to promote WrestleMania XL. Paul, WWE’s current United States champion, a co-founder of Prime beverage company, podcaster and YouTuber, uploaded a video on X with his reaction to the WrestleMania XL press conference. Paul currently has 23.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 6.8 million followers on X.

McAfee, who rejoined WWE’s Raw commentary team and co-hosted the WrestleMania XL press conference, recently interviewed The Rock on his self-titled television show on ESPN. A clip of the video posted to McAfee’s X account has more than 3 million views.

The promotional buildup to WrestleMania benefits not only the company, but also localities where the event is being held. Last year, WrestleMania 39, which was held at SoFi Stadium, generated $215 million for the Los Angeles region, according to a study done by Applied Analysis. WWE said that broke its prior record from a year earlier, when WrestleMania 38 had a $206.5 million economic impact for the Dallas/Arlington region.

WWE says that since 2016, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event.

Shares of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., based in based in Stamford, Connecticut, are up almost 7% this year.

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Heyman ditched the camera long ago, but he never stopped trying to tell wrestling stories through his vision. He was an advocate, a wiseman and a manager — and now, call him a WWE Hall of Famer.

Heyman and WWE told The Associated Press that the 58-year-old wrestling lifer will be the first member of this year’s class.

Heyman will be inducted April 5 at the WWE ceremony at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the city that served as home base for his old Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion in the 1990s.

He’s been a promoter, a manager, an executive, a “Wiseman,” and now, a @WWE Hall of Famer.

There’s more to say about @HeymanHustle, but as always, it’s best to let him say it himself… with a live microphone in Philadelphia. #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/qEZF4lxR3g

— Triple H (@TripleH) March 4, 2024

Heyman’s brashness made him a prominent force in the locker room. He schmoozed with some of the wildest personalities of the era — “Captain” Lou Albano, Gorilla Monsoon, The Wild Samoans — and even pitched storyline ideas long before the curtain was ripped open and wrestling became a top form of entertainment.

“I think everyone knew even back then I was going to find my place in this industry,” Heyman said. “I wasn’t shy about letting people know that. About letting people know that was my ambition.”

During WrestleMania weekend, WWE will run live shows of Raw, Smackdown and it’s developmental program, NXT. WWE World, which includes meet-and-greets and panel discussions, and memorabilia displays, is camped out for five days at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Highlighted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’ s return to the ring, WrestleMania XL on April 6 and 7 is expected to pack Lincoln Financial Field. Heyman will be there, accompanying WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to the ring for a match against Cody Rhodes on the second night. It’s Heyman’s sixth consecutive WrestleMania main event and seventh time overall.

On Hall of Fame night, the spotlight belongs to Heyman.

“I consistently feel like I’m just getting started, and I’m just figuring this out,” Heyman said. “To me, what is an incomplete body of work, because there’s still things I want to accomplish, I never felt comfortable accepting that is a reflection upon an entire career.”

Heyman and the rest of the inductees — yet to be named — will be feted on the first WrestleMania weekend without Vince McMahon. McMahon resigned in January from WWE’s parent company the day after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct, including offering her to a star wrestler for sex.

“It’s an exceedingly difficult situation to process,” Heyman said.

Heyman worked for the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling before his now 20-plus year career in WWE. But it was time as the creative mind behind the ECW promotion in the ’90s that revolutionized the industry.

Before Heyman formed WWE’s Bloodline stable, his ECW was as bloodthirsty and violent as pro wrestling would get — think barbed-wire ropes and flaming tables — and many of its ideas and performers were later absorbed by WWE into the mainstream.

“The extreme in ECW stood for the work ethic involved, the passion that was necessary and the extreme connection to an audience to whom and for whom we were always obsessed with underpromising and overdelivering,” Heyman said. “The legacy of ECW is firmly rooted in the very simple concepts of paying attention to the cultural curve and obsessively trying to stay a few steps ahead of it.”

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