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It is once again almost time for the biggest wrestling event of the year, WrestleMania. Over the past 33 years the WrestleMania weekend has just kept on evolving to the point where it is now WrestleMania week, where it not only features several other WWE events but most other wrestling company's, both big and independent, set up shop for the week wherever WrestleMania is being a help and host events of their own.
If you are lucky enough to attend, you are really spoiled for choice as you have too many great events to choose from. If you are attending WrestleMania this year, here are the top 5 events outside of WWE that you must attend.
#5 House of Hardcore
Founded by ECW icon Tommy Dreamer in October 2012, House of Hardcore has maintained the spirit of ECW, with a modern-day audience. To date, Tommy has held 37 HOH events, which have featured the like of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, the Hardy Boyz, The Young Bucks, Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Kassius Ohno, Bobby Roode and so so so many more, who have all delivered some epic matches.
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HOH will be holding their 40th show in New Orleans on Saturday, the 7 of April, shortly after NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, comes to an end. The show will feature Impact Global Champion Austin Aries, Billy Gunn, Carlito, Super Crazy, the Rock N Roll Express, Tommy Dreamer and more to be announced. House of Hardcore 40 will be held in The Sugar Mill, in conjunction with Wrestlecon.
#4 Impact Wrestling
The former TNA will be hosting a live event for the first time in the vicinity of WrestleMania week, since WrestleMania 28. Impact Wrestling has lost so much popularity in recent years due to a large number of performers parting ways with the company, but they still deliver on an exciting TV show every week, and that should be more than enough of a reason to attend.
The Impact Wrestling show will feature Global Champion Austin Aries, Alberto El Patron, Eli Drake, LAX, the Impact Wrestling Knockouts, and many more. The show will be held in The Sugar Mill, in conjunction with Wrestlecon.
#3 An Evening With Paul Heyman - Inside The Ropes
It is not just wrestling shows you can attend during WrestleMania week, another popular kind of show is Q & A shows. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has spearheaded this kind of show many times over the past several years during this week, while there have been others featuring the like of WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, Rob Van Dam, and more.
This year there will be a much different one, a very special one. UK Q & A touring company Inside The Ropes will be making their U.S debut. ITR have toured all over the UK and Ireland for years now with big shows featuring the like of Shawn Michaels, Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Sting and Paul Heyman, among more. And they will be bringing one of their most popular guests, WWE's Paul Heyman to the JOY Theater on Thursday, the 5 of April, at 10 p.m. Meet & Greet packages are available through the official website for Inside The Ropes Live UK.
The Paul Heyman tour of the UK in the summer of 2016 was a huge critical success and featured crazy moments, including Paul bringing Will Ospreay on stage and offering him a contract with EVOLVE.
#2 Ring of Honor - Supercard of Honor XII
Ring of Honor's annual Supercard of Honor event has taken place every WrestleMania weekend since WrestleMania 22 in 2006. Every year the show has featured many huge epic matches including Daniel Bryan vs. Roderick Strong, Seth Rollins vs. Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong, the Hardy Boyz vs. The Young Bucks, and many more.
This Supercard, Supercard of Honor XII will be no different in the huge match department as it will feature the first time meeting of Bullet Club members Kenny Omega vs. Cody (Rhodes). The event is already becoming bigger than past events with this match alone, and will also feature IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, with many more names to be confirmed.
#1 Wrestlecon
As mentioned when talking about 'An Evening With Paul Heyman', it is not just wrestling shows you can attend during WrestleMania week, and the biggest event of all next to the WWE events is, of course, the wrestling version of Comic-Con, Wrestlecon.
The annual extremely successful extravaganza has been running since the WrestleMania 29 weekend in 2013, where although it wasn't as huge as it is today, did feature iconic names such as Hulk Hogan and the late Ultimate Warrior. The event has only grown from just a 2-day convention to 5 days worth of events including 3 days of the convention featuring 200 - 300 stars, Brunch with wrestlers while you discuss your favourite Wrestling moments and several wrestling shows.
This year the wrestling portion, all taking place from The Sugar Mill, includes WildKat Entertainment, the annual Wrestlecon Supershow, The Crash, Revolution Pro (UK), Pro Wrestling Revolver “Pancakes and Piledrivers”, Combat Zone Wrestling and the aforementioned Impact Wrestling and House of Hardcore.
Prices for photos and/or autographs range from $15 - $150, and this year will feature the like of Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Sting, Jerry Lawler, Trish Stratus, Lita, Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, the Steiner Brothers, Sabu, MMA Superstar King Mo, along with 100 + more to be announced.
