Several thousand wrestling fans are in North Texas for WWE’s WrestleMania 38, which is scheduled to be held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington this weekend.
The weekend’s mega-event on Saturday and Sunday is the WWE’s first full-capacity WrestleMania since the onset of the pandemic, according to John Saboor with the WWE. Saboor, who serves as the Executive Vice-President of Special Events, said WrestleMania is considered the WWE’s largest rite of passage.
“I’m here to tell you, WrestleMania week this year in Dallas and Arlington will create new moments. New records,” he said. “No two WrestleMania in 38 years have ever been alike. We can expect the same this week in North Texas.”
WrestleMania 32, which Arlington’s AT&T Stadium hosted in 2016, set an attendance record of 101,763 fans and was the highest-grossing live event in WWE history at $17.3 million, according to a WWE report. Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, said this year’s event is projected to generate more than $200 million.
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According to Saboor, roughly 150,000 fans from all 50 states and 47 countries will participate in events throughout the week. The WWE’s Superstore Axxess opened on Thursday at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Shane Plum flew from Australia for his 11th WrestleMania.
“It’s Wrestlemania. It’s excitement. Two days of action. Goosebumps for it,” Plum said.
Some fans are attending their first WrestleMania this weekend. Melissa Luevano and her family traveled from Juarez to North Texas. Her brother is a big fan, Luevano said.
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“The passion that everyone has… you can feel it, like when you walk in. Everyone has so much passion for it, for these characters. They’re characters,” she said.
The Dallas Sports Commission and the North Central Texas Council of Governments are partnering with regional transportation agencies this weekend to move WrestleMania fans to and from the stadium.
The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail line will run before and after the event, Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3. For more information, click here.
