Big Update on the WrestleMania 30 Venue

Undoubtedly, 2014's WrestleMania 30 will be one of the biggest events in WWE's history. It being Wrestlemania, coupled with the 30th anniversary of the show, guarantees it will be an epic sports entertainment extravaganza.

And, unsurprisingly, speculation has already started running rampant about just what city (and venue) will be selected to host the once-in-a-lifetime pay-per-view.  

In this week's (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans is the current leading contender, as it looks to be an astute move from a financial standpoint. The Los Angeles Coliseum is also a dark horse candidate.

Discussing the situation, Meltzer writes,

"

As for WrestleMania XXX, the frontrunner is the Superdome in New Orleans. Part of it may be that WWE can get a lot of tax credits (they did a lot of their movies based in New Orleans for that reason) for it. Right now the Mercedes Benz Superdome’s listed capacity is 72,000, so it’s not like the old days with 100,000 capacity and using WrestleMania 30 to break the Pontiac record. There was talk this past week of Los Angeles as well. The Coliseum has a capacity of 93,600.

"

As Meltzer mentions, WWE are very familiar with New Orleans, having shot many of the movies for the company's film division there due to the city's attractive tax incentive plan.

Filming for 12 Rounds, That's What I Am, Knucklehead, Legendary and Breaking the Rules all took place there. In a 2010 article, Nola.com discussed in-depth the business relationship between the WWE Studios and the city, noting the significant financial benefits for the company to film in New Orleans.   

It will be interesting to see if WWE management go with the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. On paper it looks like a great idea: not just because of the tax breaks, but it would be a whole new market, and audience, for the event. More so than somewhere like Madison Square Garden, which, as F4Wonline.com has noted in the past (via Wrestlinginc), is also in the running (MSG has hosted three WrestleManias, including WrestleMania 20, so it's not exactly a new destination).