Orlando and Vanessa Roque filled up a stroller with colorful John Cena merchandise as they shopped at a special popup superstore close to D.C.鈥檚 Capital One Arena.
The Laurel, Maryland, couple shopped with their children, looking for gear to wear Saturday night as the pro wrestling star plans to have his final match.
鈥淚t’s great to see,鈥� Vanessa Roque said. “Especially for my husband, he’s a big fan; he didn’t mind dropping some bucks to see his John Cena for the last time.鈥�
D.C. will play host to WWE’s Saturday Night鈥檚 Main Event show at Capital One Arena. The event will be headlined by Cena, who will take on Austrian pro wrestling star “The Ring General” Gunther.
The showdown will cap off the final match in Cena鈥檚 farewell tour after announcing last year that he planned to retire.
Justin Harrison, senior director of special projects for Events DC, told 海角精品黑料 the District outbid multiple cities 鈥� including Boston in Cena鈥檚 home state of Massachusetts 鈥� to host the event.
The idea to host Cena’s final match came after fans sold out D.C.’s CareFirst Arena in February for “Vengeance Day,” a premier live event for WWE’s developmental league NXT. Harrison, a self-admitted wrestling fan, said he, along with Events DC CEO Angie Gates, wanted to add more wrestling programming to meet the demand.
鈥淓vents like this are heavily sought after, and there’s a lot of demand,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淚 think that there was a compelling story here of, perhaps, WWE鈥檚 greatest American athlete 鈥� to finish his career in the nation’s capital.鈥�
Along with hosting Saturday Night鈥檚 Main Event, WWE will have its performers make multiple appearances around the city over the weekend, and its superstore will be open through Sunday.
But that’s not all. The Undertaker, a notable WWE wrestler who’s since retired, recorded an episode of his podcast at the Howard Theater. The city will also team up with WWE to air a special Make-A-Wish announcement during Saturday鈥檚 show, Harrison said.
Events DC expects 40,000 people to be Downtown over the course of the weekend during WWE activities, with the projected economic impact expected to be about $28 million, Harrison said.
鈥淚 think that’s what signals out locally and nationally and internationally, that D.C. is a great place to host large-scale sporting events, and we know how to do it well,鈥� Harrison said.
鈥業nsane鈥� ticket prices not scaring fans away
Some tickets remain on sale, with starting at over $400. For some fans, the price is worth it.
Carlos Rodriguez, of Missouri City, Texas, told 海角精品黑料 he found his tickets in the 100 Level between $400-$500, and had no regrets over paying for them.
鈥淚t’s a memorable moment. It’s his last match ever, one of the greatest of all time in any sport, like wrestling, football, basketball,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淪eeing somebody that you’ve watched growing up, like, live for the final time is going to be something special.鈥�
Josh Dumlao traveled all the way from San Jose, California, to see Cena鈥檚 final match. He called the ticket prices 鈥渋nsane鈥� and the most he has ever paid. However, while wearing a Cena hoodie and hat, Dumlao said people are going to pay whatever possible to be a part of history.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 not feasible for a lot of people financially. I get that,鈥� Dumlao said. 鈥淏ut, if you really want to make memories and enjoy these memories and cherish them, find a way.鈥�
For those who cannot go to the show, Events DC will organize a special fan fest for Cena鈥檚 final match.
It will feature WWE鈥檚 pregame show recording on F Street, a sign-making station, photo and video booths to record personal goodbyes to Cena, live music, food trucks and a merchandise stand. 聽is closed and limited walk-up spots will be available.
The experience of hosting a large-scale arena show also gives D.C. a preview of what it could expect if the city ever wanted to host one of the promotion鈥檚 larger stadium events, such as SummerSlam and WrestleMania.
Harrison said the possibility of D.C. hosting a WrestleMania is an idea Events DC will explore in the future.
鈥淲e plan on continuing to build out this relationship, so when the infrastructure is in place, we’ll have a competitive bid,鈥� he said.
Traffic advisory for John Cena fan fest
a list of street closures and parking restrictions for those traveling near Capital One Arena on Saturday.
Starting at 6 a.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday, F Street, NW, from 6th Street to 7th Street, will be posted as Emergency No Parking.
Starting Saturday at 6 a.m. until Sunday at 4 a.m., the following streets will be closed to vehicle traffic:
- F Street from 6th Street to 7th Street NW
- F Street from 5th Street to 6th Street NW (westbound traffic only will be closed)
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