"The AEW effect hard at work again" - Twitter divided after WWE legend John Cena hints at a future WrestleMania event in the UK
WWE Icon John Cena's appearance at Money in the Bank was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year so far. It seemed like the 16-time World Champion had something he wanted to say. He talked about wanting to hold the "Grandest Stage of Them All" in the United Kingdom.
For the longest time, WrestleMania has only been held in the United States of America. However, if attendance is the concern, The United Kingdom might just be a contender for a possible venue internationally. Last year's Clash of the Castle in Wales became the second most-attended WWE event in the UK, standing at around 62,000 in attendance.
Jimmy Van, the founder of Fightul, explained what he took away from Cena's segment, suggesting that THe Franchise Player may have been sending a wake-up call to WWE to match AEW's actions in taking over the UK. AEW All-In is set to grace London later next month, and ticket sales have reportedly gone up to almost 70,000, beating Castle in the Clash's sales.
John Cena’s segment translated to: “AEW did over 65,000 seats for All In at Wembley so we need to one-up them but London needs to pay us for Mania.” #MITB
Fans have reacted to Van's sentiments by saying that they think the same, and it is possible that WWE may be indirectly showing that they are threatened by AEW's sales. With the number at 70k and climbing, the possibility of sales going up depends on the match card. Who knows what milestone the promotion will achieve?
@jimmyvan74 The AEW effect hard at work again
@jimmyvan74 That's what I was thinking. Had to one up AEW
@jimmyvan74 BINGO
also those tickets are before a match is made once omega ospreay 3 is announced 10K easy
Others have dismissed Van's statement saying how John Cena and the wrestling fans in the UK have been clamoring for a major WWE show, and this isn't new news, and it most definitely wasn't said just to combat AEW.
@jimmyvan74 Cena would say this at the end of Raw tapings and house shows here in the UK as far back as a decade ago. Forgot AEW invented Wembley.
@jimmyvan74 But all in hasnt done 65k… check availability on tickets, its not even close 😂
@jimmyvan74 Tribalism.
UK wrestling fans have been clamoring for a WrestleMania for over 20 years, not a single thing to do with AEW.
Also, WWE would get PAID to go there, guess what? AEW has to PAY to go there.
MITB 2023 Recap: 13-time WWE Champion makes surprise appearance
13-time WWE Champion John Cena made his surprise appearance at Money in the Bank. He was seen in London days before the pay-per-view, so the speculation and anticipation for an appearance from Cena increased ahead of the event.
The Franchise Player did not disappoint, and he made a brief appearance in front of the London crowd. Cena talked about his visions for a WrestleMania in London and even rallied the crowd to raise their voices and let them be heard, and then wait for management to decide.
He was then confronted by Grayson Waller, who had plans of his own, saying how The Grandest Stage of Them All should instead be held in his home country of Australia. What happened after was no surprise, as Waller blindsided Cena, and the multi-time World Champion retaliated with an Attitude Adjustment.
The UK crowd has been known to be one of the loudest and the most "unhinged" of all. This is all in a good way, of course.
Do you see WrestleMania happening for the first time in London? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.