WrestleMania 37: The next main event for Tampa Bay

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TAMPA, Fla. - With Super Bowl LV in the rear-view mirror, Tampa officials have their sights set on transforming Raymond James Stadium for another big event – WrestleMania 37.

The two-night event will be held Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. Unlike last year, fans will be able to attend in-person. WWE and city organizers have not announced when tickets will go on sale or the audience capacity.

Because of the pandemic, it wasn’t until early October when Tampa city officials and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed a limited number of fans in the stands.

For the Super Bowl, the NFL didn’t announce the 22,000-fan capacity limit until Jan. 22 – just about two weeks before the big game. RayJay can hold 65,890 people.

Tampa has its own history in wrestling. It’s where many wrestlers work and play, which made fans even more thrilled to learn that Tampa was going to host WrestleMania 36. However, the pandemic forced those plans to change and it was moved to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

For the first time in its history, WrestleMania, which is basically the entertainment company’s version of the Super Bowl, had no live audience.

The WWE logo released in 2019 when Tampa was announced as the host city for WrestleMania 36. (WWE)

In the past, and before the pandemic, around 80,000 fans from across the globe descend in the host city. In 2019, WrestleMania 35 was held in MetLift Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Attendees spent $165 million between New Jersey and New York, the WWE reported.

Smackdown at the Trop

Tropicana Field became the new home of WWE's ThunderDome, which launched in August as part of WWE’s first-ever residency at Amway Center in Orlando but had to move elsewhere with the NBA's Orlando Magic set for a return-to-play.

WrestleMania 37 was originally set for March 28 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but for months, rumors spread across wrestling blogs and fan sites that Tampa will be given a second chance.

Those rumors were confirmed in mid-January.

Officials said additional information on ticket availability, COVID-19 safety protocols and events will be "forthcoming."