TAMPA, Fla. — World Wrestling Entertainment's signature event is coming to Tampa. 

WWE announced Thursday afternoon that Tampa would be the site for Wrestlemania 36. 

The event will be held at Ray Jay on April 5, 2020. 

This will be the fourth time Wrestlemania will be held in Florida and the first time in Tampa.  It was held in Orlando in 2008 and 2017 and Miami in 2012.

 

Business owners excited

Today's announcement was sweet music to the ears of Mom's Place owner George Pavlakos. His business is located just up the street from Raymond James, and Pavlakos said they always get a big uptick in business when big events come at the stadium. 

“Prior to the event people are out and about getting ready, they like to come here and eat,” he explained. 

There will certainly be a lot of people in town for Wrestlemania. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to come to Tampa for the event and all the activities being held the week of the big show. 

Those fans flocking to the Bay area will only add to the substantial WWE fan base already here in Tampa. 

The area is home to some wrestling superstars, like Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil. The current tag team women’s champions even got their start here.

“We actually started here in Tampa FCW in 2012 and you (Bayley) started in 2013 just a couple months after me. But it’s crazy that we began our journey together and now we’re back as Tag Team Champions,” said Sasha Banks, WWE Woman’s Tag Team Champion.

City leaders say the economic impact is going to the city is going to be huge. They’re expecting about 40,000 -50,000 hotel rooms to be booked for the event.  

Pavlakos said he’s eager for his business to get just a little bit of that tourist business. 

“I think they’re doing a good job promoting the city along with that the more business for me the better it is,” he explained. 

Tampa will also be hosting the Super Bowl in 2021. Representatives with the Tampa Sports Commission say Tampa is just the fifth community to host a Wrestlemania and a Super Bowl all within a year.