The WWE officially announced the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as the host for the 2018 WrestleMania, which takes place on April 8th, 2018, to avoid Easter which is the previous Sunday, when the show would normally take place.
New Orleans got the news only a few weeks ago. City officials went to the WWE in early 2016 with a presentation, which included a taped video using Drew Brees to try and convince WWE officials to give them the bid.
New Orleans city officials pushed that WrestleMania would be promoted by the city as part of its tricentennial year celebration. New Orleans was open to future years, since it just housed the event in 2014, but really pushed the celebration year angle to WWE officials.
The decision was made only a few weeks ago, rather than months ahead of the public announcement, which is why it only recently leaked out.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the event will include an NXT show at the Smoothie King Center on April 6th and Raw on April 9th. It’s also expected that there will be a Hall of Fame show on April 7th and SmackDown on April 10th.
A press conference is expected tomorrow morning and the announcement is expected tonight on Raw, which comes from New Orleans.