The biggest wrestling card of the year goes down this weekend as WWE’s WrestleMania “goes Hollywood.”
The Miz (Mike Mizanin) — who began his entertainment career on MTV’s “The Real World,” then transitioned to pro wrestling and now splits time as a wrestler, host and co-star of “Miz and Mrs.” — will serve as emcee for the event, which means he’ll likely get physical with someone, perhaps even fellow wrestler-turned-entertainer The Rock (Dwayne Johnson).
When is WrestleMania 39?
WrestleMania 39 spans over two nights — as it has since 2020 — taking place this year on Saturday and Sunday.
Where is WrestleMania 39?
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers hosts WrestleMania 39. It also hosted Super Bowl LVI in 2022 and the CFP national championship game earlier this year.
It will be the sixth WrestleMania card held in Southern California after 2 (Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena), VII (Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena), XII (Arrowhead Pond), 2000 (Arrowhead Pond) and 21 (Staples Center).
How to watch WrestleMania 39
Peacock: Streaming in the U.S. ($4.99/month)
Pay-per-view: Over the air in the U.S. ($59.99)
WWE Network: Streaming outside the U.S.
WrestleMania 39 start times
Night 1: 8 p.m. ET Saturday, April 1 (Kickoff show begins at 6 p.m. ET)
Night 2: 8 p.m. ET Sunday, April 2 (Kickoff show begins at 6 p.m. ET)
WrestleMania 39 match cards
Night 1
United States Championship: John Cena vs. Austin Theory (C)
Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos with MVP
Six-woman tag team: Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky) vs. Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus
Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair (C)
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (C)
Night 2
Undisputed Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (C) with Paul Heyman
Night TBD
Intercontinental Championship triple-threat: Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther (C)
Unified Tag Team Championship: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) (C) with Solo Sikoa
Hell in a Cell: Edge vs. “The Demon” Finn Bálor
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Dominik Mysterio
‘Fatal 4-Way’ tag team: Braun Stroman and Ricochet vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) with Valhalla
‘Fatal 4-Way’ tag team: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shotzi and Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey vs. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville
WWE 2023 Hall of Fame inductees
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Rey Mysterio, to be inducted by Konnan
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The Great Muta, to be inducted by Ric Flair
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Andy Kaufman, to be inducted by Jerry “The King” Lawler
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Stacy Keibler, inductor TBA
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Tim White*, inducted by Dana Warrior
*Indicates Ultimate Warrior Award recipient
‘Go-home’ Monday Night RAW updates
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Cody Rhodes maintained his undefeated streak — ending Solo Sikoa’s — in a final tune-up match ahead of Sunday’s main event
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Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville formed a tag team and qualified for the women’s Fatal 4-Way showcase match by defeating Candice LeRae and Michin
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Stacy Keibler was announced as the fourth WWE Hall of Fame inductee for 2023, joining Rey Mysterio, The Great Muta and the late Andy Kaufmann
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Omos weighed in at 410 pounds for his match vs. Brock Lesnar, then attacked Lesnar with the scale before the weigh-in could be completed
Which celebrities are set to appear at WrestleMania 39?
Celebrity involvement is in the DNA of WrestleMania dating back to the very first edition in 1985. Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Liberace, Cyndi Lauper and The Rockettes all appeared that day at Madison Square Garden. Over the years the event has seen the likes of Aretha Franklin, Burt Reynolds, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Lawrence Taylor, Bad Bunny, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and many others.
A year after making his WWE in-ring debut, YouTuber Logan Paul will take on Seth Rollins (Colby Lopez). Paul has looked impressive and drawn praise for the four matches he has wrestled in WWE, most recently authoring a viral spot with Ricochet (Trevor Mann) during the Royal Rumble match.
Although it’s not quite in the L.B.C., legendary rapper and entertainer Snoop Dogg has been advertised to appear at the event in some capacity.
With three members of his extended family wrestling, another scheduled to appear and it being reported that he was offered a match on the show, it has been heavily rumored The Rock will have some sort of involvement. Longtime Rock rival “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (Steven Anderson) reportedly turned down a match on the show, but with his A&E TV show “Stone Cold Takes on America” to debut later in April, it’s anticipated he’ll make a promotional appearance. Though he has since attempted to throw water on that speculation.
In lieu of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” WrestleMania is opened by a rendition of Vince McMahon-favorite “America the Beautiful.” This year pop/reggaeton performer Becky G will perform Night 1 while country singer Jimmie Allen will perform Night 2.
Don’t be surprised if superfan Freddie Prinze Jr. gets some camera time in a ringside seat. Prinze Jr. is a fixture at pro wrestling shows in Southern California and hosts the panel for A&E’s docu-series “WWE Rivals.”
What are the top storylines going into WrestleMania 39?
Families, friendships and legacies are at the heart of the biggest matches on this year’s card.
The most encompassing of which involves feuds surrounding “The Bloodline” — consisting of real-life cousins Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i), Jimmy Uso (Jonathan Fatu), Jey Uso (Josh Fatu) and Solo Sikoa (Joseph Fatu). The Usos are biological twins and the older brothers of Sikoa. They are related to Reigns by marriage and are part of the greater Anoa’i wrestling family that also includes The Rock, Yokozuna, Rikishi and many other former WWE/F acts.
Reigns defends the unified WWE and Universal World Heavyweight Championships against Cody Rhodes (Cody Runnels), youngest son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes (Virgil Runnels). Rhodes returned from a legitimate torn right pectoral muscle to win January’s Royal Rumble match, which in storyline entitles him to a championship match at WrestleMania. The narrative WWE is pushing here is that Cody must “finish the story” and win the championship his late father, himself a legend of the business, never could.
The other Bloodline feud sees the Usos defending the WWE unified tag team championships against longtime in-ring rivals and partners Sami Zayn (Rami Sebei) and Kevin Owens (Kevin Steen). Zayn spent much of the last year as a hanger-on to the Bloodline — or “Honorary Uce” — as they victimized Owens, only for Zayn to try and save him from a four-on-one beating after Owens lost a championship match to Reigns at the Royal Rumble.
The primary feud on the women’s roster sees Charlotte Flair (Ashley Fliehr), daughter of legendary 16-time world champion Ric Flair (Richard Fliehr) defending the WWE Smackdown women’s championship against Rhea Ripley (Demi Bennett), who earned the opportunity by winning the women’s Royal Rumble match. While not outright saying it, perceived nepotism and the Flair family legacy has been at the forefront of Ripley’s motivation and promotional work for the match.
Lucha libre legend Rey Mysterio Jr. (Óscar Gutiérrez) will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the night before WrestleMania and then go on to compete against son Dominik Mysterio (Dominik Gutiérrez), so an angle during the ceremony seems likely. After teaming up for the first three years of his WWE career, Dominik turned on Rey last summer and has spent the last two months challenging and berating his father, portraying him as an absentee deadbeat when Dominik was younger. After repeatedly declining the match in the name of being a good father, Rey finally relented on the March 24 episode of “Smackdown” during a segment involving his wife, daughter and Dominik.
