INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Leave it to Snoop Dogg to be named WrestleMania 39’s Most Valuable Performer.
The iconic rapper stepped up in an emergency during a weekend that saw World Wrestling Entertainment set a two-night attendance record for their signature event, the company on the verge of being sold, and Roman Reigns stay the undisputed champion.
Snoop Dogg was co-hosting a segment between bouts with wrestler Mike “The Miz” Mizanin on Sunday at SoFi Stadium when he provoked Mizanin into an impromptu match with Shane McMahon, who was appearing at a WWE event for the first time in 14 months. McMahon and Mizanin exchanged punches before McMahon tore his quad, doing a leapfrog maneuver to escape Mizanin.
Doctors examined McMahon before assisting him out of the arena. Snoop Dogg then returned to the ring to finish the match, punching “The Miz” twice, stealing a page from “The Rock,” and landing a people’s elbow to win.
“My hat’s off to Snoop, picking it up and thinking, ‘Oh man, he’s hurt?'” That’s fine; I’ll rectify it.’ He’s just a natural born entertainer,” said WWE creative director Paul “Triple H” Levesque. “I’ve known Snoop in this environment for years and what kind of fan he is, but tonight he put himself on a different playing field and respect factor for me.” I know several guys who have been in business for a long time; if that happened to them, they’d be like, ‘What do we do?’It was incredible.”
The greatest surprise, however, came less than eight hours after Reigns pinned Cody Rhodes in the main event when UFC owner Endeavor revealed Monday morning that it had signed an agreement with WWE to create a new company that will combine the UFC and WWE.
Levesque declined to comment on Endeavor on Sunday night, saying he wanted to concentrate on what happened over the weekend.
Outside the ring, attendance was 161,892, breaking stadium single-day attendance records on both evenings. The first WrestleMania in Los Angeles since 2005 broke the previous mark by 27%, with a gate of $21.6 million.
The first WrestleMania in Los Angeles since 2005 broke the previous mark by 27%.
Sponsorship income surpassed $21 million, doubling the previous high, while merchandise sales increased 20% over the previous year.
The Doggfather’s appearance as a substitute wrestler continued the pattern of celebrities appearing and not looking out of place.
Logan Paul, a social media star, competed in a WrestleMania battle for the second year on Saturday. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle appeared in a battle between former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee and “The Miz,” and rapper Bad Bunny appeared during the Mysterios’ match.
“They have no right to be this good,” Levesque said of the celebrity fighters. “What’s amazing about it is the grind and the level of commitment they’re willing to put into it because they respect the business, respect for the WWE superstars and what we do, and respect for the people who came before them.” It’s cool to see them do that, but it’s also impressive to see how effective they are and how it raises the bar for everyone else.”
Snoop drove Rey Mysterio out to the Wrestlemania stage in a lowrider before his match against son Dominik Mysterio and co-hosted with “The Miz” both evenings.
Paul, defeated by Seth Rollins, executed high-flying stunts and moved as if he had been doing them for more than ten years. McAfee worked as a WWE announcer for 17 months (April 2021-September 2022) and competed in a fight at WrestleMania last year, while Kittle is a long-time wrestling fan.
Bad Bunny, who competed in a tag team match at WrestleMania two years ago, will host Wrestlemania’s next premium live show in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 6. Wrestlemania is visiting Puerto Rico for the first occasion since 2005.
Bad Bunny could also play in a game that night. On Saturday, he was doing Spanish commentary during Mysterio’s fight when he stopped Dominik from hitting his father with a steel chain. Rey Mysterio took advantage of the distraction, delivered his finishing move to win, and set up a potential storyline between Bad Bunny and the younger Mysterio.
It was mostly unexpected for Reigns to extend his 900-day reign as king. In the match, Rhodes had all the momentum, and all signs led to a title change. Nonetheless, WWE’s creative forces have chosen to keep Reigns at the company’s helm.
Reigns will become the first wrestlemania wrestler to hit 1,000 days as champion in early June, barring injury or a major surprise. At this juncture, Reigns is likely to retain the title until Summerslam in early August in Detroit, but he could still be the champion by WrestleMania in Philadelphia next year.
“I want someone to step up and take this ball away from us,” said Reigns. “Because if you don’t, we’ll keep a stranglehold on this.”
SOURCE – (AP)
