After five months of planning between Ball State University and World Wrestling Entertainment officials, the Smackdown Superstars and the ECW Extremists featuring Kane, Mr. Kennedy and the Divas will return to John E. Worthen Arena on Jan. 7, according to a press release Wednesday.
The last time the WWE came to Muncie was in 2002, and due to the success of that show, WWE officials said that they are ready to come back to Muncie.
"[The WWE is] extremely exited about coming to Muncie," said Brent Rossi, who is the senior live event marketing representative for WWE. "This event is a new one for the WWE. We don't combine the two events very often, but there will be double the superstars, which is a huge bonus for fans."
No formal contract between the university and WWE has been signed at this point, but an official in Ball State's Office of University Compliance says that the contract should be signed late next week.
Scheduled to headline appearances are Batista against Finlay for the World Heavyweight Championship as a part of the Smackdown series, and Lashley against Test for the ECW Championship, according to the press release.
Rossi also said that the people that are scheduled to appear are due to the current story lines and could change between now and the show date.
Kevin Hennessy, the Director of Publicity and a spokesman for the WWE, said that it is a happy coincidence that former WWE superstar Trish Stratus will be in town as a part of the reality show "Armed & Famous," but she is not the reason why the WWE is coming to Muncie. Trish ended her professional wrestling career in September 2006 before becoming a part of the reality show.
"There are no planned events with Trish, but that's why we have these shows," Hennessy said. "You never know in the world of the WWE and that's why we invite fans to show up."
Kelli Raftery, a public relations spokeswoman who represents the CBS reality show "Armed & Famous," could not be reached for comment.
Rossi also said that the shows are zone scheduled. Zone scheduling allows multiple local venues to be played at a time and is similar to what bands do when they tour. The WWE will be stopping in Terre Haute on Jan. 6, and in Hammond, Ind. on Jan. 8.
"We don't hit the larger cities every time because we want every fan to experience the WWE live, because it is such an interesting experience," Rossi said. "Indiana has extremely loyal WWE fans. There were a lot of fans in Muncie and it was successful for us, so we wanted to return."
Tickets, ranging from $20-$60, go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. at all Ticktmaster outlets.
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