Audio By Carbonatix
We call men fighting in Speedos a “big fight over prime beach blanket space on the 12th Street beach.” The WWE calls it Wrestlemania, and Miami desperately wants a piece of the tens of millions of dollars in economic impact it represents.
The Magic City recently lost out on hosting the 2011 event to Atlanta, but won’t find out if it gets the 2012 event until next February.
“Miami is an attractive prospect because fans here have been amazing in their support for the WWE and destinations are a huge factor when fans decide to travel for the event,” WWE VP John Saboor tells Miami Today News.
Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who described his efforts to land the event as “relentless,” says that the city was passed over for 2011 because the WWE felt the city already hosts too many big sporting events in February, and felt planning would be too hectic.
Will you step up to support New Times this year?
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If Miami New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Oddly they seem to be referring to the Super Bowl, which we won’t host in 2011 or 2012. Though we’re one of three remaining cities in the running to host the 2014 game, we don’t see how that would interfere with a 2012 event.
Regardless of our Wrestlemania fate, local wrasslin’ fans can still look forward to WWE’s Raw show which tapes at American Airlines Arena on June 7.
