After much speculation, Indianapolis has been revealed as the host of WWE WrestleMania, Summerslam and the Royal Rumble.
It was previously reported that the city was in talks with the WWE over hosting these major events. A a report from WrestleVotes said that WWE was close to agreeing a multi-year deal with Indiana Sports Corp. It was slated to begin with next year’s Royal Rumble event, followed by two more huge shows.
That has now been confirmed in a recent press release from the WWE, which was released today. They announced a “first-of-its-kind partnership”, and will see the Lucas Oil Stadium host three of WWE’s biggest shows of the year.
Indianapolis will host the 2025 Royal Rumble on February 1st, 2025, and it looks likely that it will also host Summerslam next year, with Minneapolis hosting the 2026 edition. However, WrestleMania 41 has already been booked for the Alliegant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The earliest they would be able to host the event would be in 2026 for WrestleMania 42.
WWE EVP, Talent Relations & Head of Communications Chris Lengeti said about the deal, “Indianapolis is a fantastic city for major events and we’re excited to invite the WWE Universe to Lucas Oil Stadium for Royal Rumble in 2025, and a future SummerSlam and WrestleMania.” He added “Patrick and the team at Indiana Sports Corp have done a phenomenal job bolstering local economics and tourism. We’re proud to partner with them to shine a light on the great state of Indiana.”
WWE also confirmed Raw, SmackDown, NXT and WWE Live Events will take place across Indiana as part of the deal. This will likely include the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony when Indianapolis hosts WrestleMania.
Pat McAfee Reacts To WWE Indianapolis Deal
One man thrilled to see the WWE bring WrestleMania, Summerslam and Royal Rumble to Indianapolis is Pat McAfee.
The Indianapolis Colts helped Triple H announce the historic deal on Twitter. He confirmed that the 2025 Royal Rumble will take place in the Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Colts.
“Oh holy hell. The holy trinity of wrestling is going down in beautiful Indianapolis. Lucas Oil Stadium has hosted the Superbowl, the college football national championship, the college basketball national championship, Olympic trials and, of course, an anvil smasher too. It all kicks off Saturday February 1st with the Royal Rumble!”.
