Isai RochaThe biggest pro wrestling party of the year is happening in Los Angeles this weekend and while WWE has a deep lineup of shows planned, there are also numerous wrestling-related events and independent wrestling shows strategically scheduled around WrestleMania weekend.
For wrestling fans, this is the Super Bowl, it’s the Olympics, it’s the World Cup, and while some of the bigger WWE events will go down at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) and SoFi Stadium, you can also find yourself in a wrestling oasis at places like the L.A. Convention Center, the Novo and even the Ukrainian Cultural Center.
The wrestling scene in Los Angeles is typically alive and well, but will be extra vibrant with anyone and everyone in the industry ready to put on a show, whether it’s in front of 100 people, or 100,000 people.
If you would like to take part in the citywide celebration, here are all of your choices by date:
WWE Events
WrestleMania Superstore at the Los Angeles Convention Center: The WrestleMania Superstore is a WWE funhouse filled with all the wrestling merchandise you can imagine, a videogame lounge featuring WWE 2k23, and a museum-like feel. From Eddie Guerrero’s classic lowrider, to Rey Mysterio’s vintage WrestleMania gear, fans can enjoy a nostalgic wrestling experience for free. The superstore will be around until Monday, April 3, from morning to midnight.
Price: Free
Address: 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
West Hall, Hall A
Schedule:
Thursday, March 30 – 12 p.m. to midnight
Friday, March 31 – 9 a.m. to midnight
Saturday, April 1 – 9 a.m. to midnight
Sunday, April 2 – 9 a.m. to midnight
Monday, April 3 – 9 a.m. to midnight
WrestleMania: The two-day event will kick off Saturday, with John Cena making his ‘Mania return and opening the weekend with a bang against U.S. Champion Austin Theory. Headlining Saturday will be Smackdown Women’s Champion and daughter of the great Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair, trying to stave off the young and hungry Rhea “Bloody” Ripley.
On Sunday, Undisputed Universal WWE Champion Roman Reigns and “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes will face off in what should be an instant classic. Brock Lesnar will also test his strength against the “Nigerian Giant” Omos, as well as a dream match between Adam “Edge” Copeland and Finn Balor, inside a steel cage aptly called “Hell in a Cell.”
*Full WrestleMania Preview Here*
Location: SoFi Stadium, 1001 Stadium Dr, Inglewood, CA 90301
Streaming: Peacock App
Schedule:
Saturday, April 1:
4:30 p.m. Kickoff Show
5 p.m. Main Card
Sunday, April 2:
4:30 p.m. Kickoff Show
5 p.m. Main Card
WWE SmackDown: A day before WrestleMania, WWE will be hosting SmackDown live, at Crypto.com Arena (Formerly known as Staples Center). It will be the final chance for the WWE wrestlers to trash talk each other and let out their feelings before WrestleMania.
Location: 1111 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Start Time: 5 p.m.
WWE NXT Stand and Deliver: Known as WWE’s developmental brand, NXT has created some of their biggest stars such as Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Bianca BelAir and even Roman Reigns. Stand and Deliver will be a chance for these up-and-coming stars to show they belong with the main roster of wrestlers. The event will take place on Saturday, but not concurrent with WrestleMania, as we will see a rare morning WWE event.
Date: Saturday, April 1
Start Time: 10 a.m.
Location: 1111 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Monday Night Raw: The “Raw after ‘Mania” is known to have some of the livest crowds, at they are the first live shows right after WrestleMania and fans are still floating off the hype of the big event. This year should be no different, as Crypto.com Arena will surely be rocking.
Date: Monday, April 3
Start Time: 5 p.m. PST
Location: 1111 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Game Changer Wrestling
Game Changer Wrestling, an indie wrestling collective that frequently hosts shows in Los Angeles and has helped produce some of the game’s biggest stars, will run a marathon-like series of shows throughout the weekend.
Starting Thursday, these are the shows you can expect at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, located next to L.A. City College.
Location: Ukrainian Culture Center 4315 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90029
Prices: Vary from $25 to $90 on Eventbrite
Schedules:
Thursday, March 30
11 a.m., Santino Bros Wrestling
4 p.m., Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9
8 p.m., DDT Pro Wrestling
Midnight: For The Culture
Friday March 31
11 a.m., Jimmy Lloyd’s Degeneration F
3 p.m., DDT vs. GCW
8 p.m., Joey Janela’s Spring Break 7
Midnight: Emo Fight
Saturday, April 1
11 a.m. Effy’s Big Gay Brunch
9 p.m., Gringo Loco’s The World On Lucha
Sunday, April 2
12 p.m. The Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame
Ring Of Honor
Supercard of Honor: Ring of Honor is one of the most popular indie wrestling promotions in the world and will make their way to Los Angeles, featuring current ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe and the world famous Lucha Brothers.
Date: Friday, March 31
Start Time: 4 p.m. PST
Location: The Galen Center, 3400 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Streaming: Bleacher Report
WrestleCon: Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow 2023
Featuring one of Japan’s most popular wrestlers, Kenta Kobayashi, local favorite Mike Bailey and lucha libre superstar El Hijo Del Vikingo, this WrestleCon event at the Globe Theater is sure to be a sneaky good event, in the midst of dozens of events this weekend.
Date: March 30
Start Time: 4 p.m.
Location: The Globe Theater, 740 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014
DressleMania
DressleMania is a nique dress and memorabilia auction featuring former WWE Diva’s Champion Mickie James and hall-of-famer Mick Foley. The wrestlers will share old stories and hold the late-night auction, with proceeds going to Childhelp, a nonprofit organization supporting abused and at-risk children.
Date: April 1
Time: Doors open 9 p.m.
Location: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 6 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.