Titans to host 2027 WWE WrestleMania in new stadium

It has been said nobody hosts a party quite like Nashville.

Now, the city will get the chance to host one of the biggest events of the calendar year down the road, with Tennessee Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill confirming on Friday that Nashville will host World Wrestling Entertainment’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year, WrestleMania, once the Titans’ new stadium is finished in 2027.

“WrestleMania isn’t hypothetical, by the way, WrestleMania is already committed to 2027,” Nihill disclosed during a radio interview with “3HL.” “It’s possible (it could be the first event in the building).”

The Nashville Metro Council approved the funding for the enclosed stadium project at the end of April. According to Nihill, construction on the $2.1 billion stadium -- which will hold roughly 60,000 seats -- will not begin until after the 2023 season ends, likely sometime in late February or early March of 2024.

Nihill has stated in the past the project’s time frame from planning to completion would include approximately 18 months for design and architectural plans, plus another 30 or 31 months for the actual construction.

WrestleMania is just one of many marquee events including the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoffs, the Final Four and the World Cup that Nashville is eyeing as a host city.

“The NFL is jazzed about this building,” Nihill added. “I can’t make any sort of formal declaration, I don’t represent the 32 owners of the NFL, but there will be a Super Bowl that is played in this facility because this is exactly the type of facility the NFL wants to bring its biggest and best events to, and it’s the type of city where the NFL wants to bring its biggest events.”

The most recent WrestleMania was held at SoFi Stadium -- home of the Rams -- in Los Angeles. The event drew a two-day crowd of 161,892 and the $21.6 million gate revenue set a new company record. The economic impact of the event for Los Angeles is estimated to have been north of $200 million.