Hulk Hogan, Titus O'Neil To Host Wrestlemania In Tampa

TAMPA, FL — World Wrestling Entertainment announced Friday that well-known professional wrestlers and Tampa Bay residents Hulk Hogan and Titus O'Neil will host WrestleMania 37 when it comes to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Tickets are now on sale for the professional wrestling's premier event Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11.

A longtime Clearwater resident and owner of Hogan's Beach Shop and the newly opened Hogan's Hangout bar and eatery on Clearwater Beach, Hogan is one of the biggest names in WWE history.

"Hulkamania" was officially born on Jan. 23, 1984, when Hogan (aka Terry Eugene Bollea) defeated The Iron Sheik to become WWE Champion at Madison Square Garden.

He headlined WrestleMania III, where he successfully defended the WWE Championship against Andre the Giant in front of a record 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome. Hogan went on to win six WWE Championships.

During and after his wrestling career, he appeared in a number of films including "Rocky III" in 1982, "No Holds Barred," "Suburban Commando" and "Mr. Nanny," and starred in the television shows "Hogan Knows Best," "Thunder in Paradise" and "China, IL."

Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by the star of the "Rocky" films, Sylvester Stallone. And this year Hogan will become a two-time Hall of Fame inductee in the pro wrestling stable New World Order.

WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil (aka Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr.) is as well known for his philanthropic pursuits as he was for his tag team championships.

The Tampa Bay native played football for the University of Florida and then the Arena Football League before launching his wrestling career, appearing on the second season of WWE's television show, "NXT," and the show's fifth season, "NXT Redemption."

He was named WWE Tag Team Champion as part of The Prime Time Players with Darren Young and holds the first WWE 24/7 Champion title.

He is now an ambassador for the WWE and his nonprofit organization, The Bullard Family Foundation, has raised millions for children in need. His passion for the community and uplifting others inspired him to write his first book, “There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Kid: How I Went from Stereotype to Prototype” in 2019.

Wrestlmania takes place in a different city each year. It was scheduled to take place in Tampa last year but was moved to the WWE training facility in Orlando and staged without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, Tampa is getting another chance to host the pop culture extravaganza featuring the top names in the wrestling world. However, there will be a limited audience and coronavirus protocols in place.

In one of the marquee bouts on April 10, Grand Slam Champion Sasha Banks will put her title on the line against Bianca Belair during the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Other key matchups include Edge against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, Bobby Lashley versus Drew McIntyre for the WWE title, the Fiend facing Randy Orton and Braun Strowman taking on Shane McMahon.

Ticket prices for WrestleMania range from $35 to $2,500 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Two-day combo tickets will also be available.

For those who can't be there in person, the event will be live-streamed exclusively on Peacock at 8 p.m. in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else.

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