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Tickets For Wrestlemania At Citrus Bowl Go On Sale Saturday

Posted: Nov 1st 2007 By: CMBurnham

Wrestling fans around the world have this Saturday marked on their calendar as one of the most important days of the year.

That is when tickets for WrestleMania 24 go on sale with the event taking place at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on March 30, 2008.

Fans will frantically try to get seats to the annual extravaganza which is expected to sell close to 70,000 tickets within minutes of going on sale Saturday morning at 10a.m. Eastern.

This is the first time that World Wrestling Entertainment had brought the "Superbowl of sports entertainment" to the state of Florida with city officials expecting the event to pump about $25 million into the local economy.

As excited as wrestling enthusiasts are of WrestleMania, the biggest fans are the people who get to take part in the event itself. To them, it is the pinnacle of their profession, an opportunity to take part on the biggest stage the wrestling business has.

One of them is the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, a 16-time world heavyweight champion and considered by many of his peers and fans to be the greatest professional wrestler of all-time.

"I'm really excited," says Flair. "I think it's long overdue to be in the state of Florida. With the history of wrestling in Florida and all of the talent that has come out of here in the last 30 years, WrestleMania will be a huge success here."

Jim Ross, the long-time announcer of the Monday Night Raw show and WWE pay-per-views, is also thrilled that the event is making its way to the Sunshine State.

"I think with all of the heritage that Florida Championship Wrestling had and its place in the history of pro wrestling that to have WrestleMania in Florida is probably past due," says Ross. "I think it's going to be terrific for the state of Florida."

Ross, now a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, expects to once again be ringside calling the action at WrestleMania 24 next March. His current contract with the company expires soon but he says negotiations between himself and the WWE are going well and he plans on announcing for the WWE for at least a few more years if not more.

While he has been a life long fan of wrestling and has worked in the business for over 30 years, Ross still treats WrestleMania as a truly special event that he is proud to be a part of.

"It's the biggest thing that has ever been created in our genre," states Ross. "So to be able to perform your craft, it would be no different if I was a football announcer and got to call the Superbowl. To me, it's the same thing."

As for Flair, he may be 58 years old but he still has not decided on when would be the right time to hang up his boots and call an end to his legendary career. He hasn't been used on WWE programming over the past few months but expects to be back in the ring in November.

"I think they (WWE) were just trying to figure out what to do with me wrestling-wise because I still can wrestle," says Flair. "I still enjoy it but it's very hard for them to build a lot around me because of my age. I get that."

Despite his career winding down, Flair would still like that one last taste of championship gold and nothing would be better than to win the world title for a 17th time at WrestleMania.

"It would be awesome," exclaims Flair. "I have it in me to do that but they have to give me the green light."

Whether that fairy-tale story takes place in uncertain. But what is certain is that eager fans everywhere will flock to Orlando next March to witness the biggest wrestling event of the year in WrestleMania 24.

"It brings out the best in all of us," says Ross. "Every year it's a different emotion. Every year it's exciting. It's always something special."

Tickets for WrestleMania 24 can be purchased at all Florida Ticketmaster ticket centers (including FYE stores), Ticketmaster phone charge at 407-839-3900, and worldwide at Ticketmaster.com. In Orlando, tickets will also be available at the Amway Arena Box Office. Tickets are priced at $250, $150, $95, $55, and $40, with a limited number of "Platinum Ringside" tickets available for $750

Tags: WWE, Ric Flair, Jim Ross