National Guard Presents WrestleMania(R) 22 Fan Axxess Tour Starting In January 2006
Monday January 9, 11:03 am ET
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 9, 2006–The road to WrestleMania 22 begins this month when World Wrestling Entertainment® kicks off its annual “WrestleMania 22 Fan Axxess Tour.”
The 13-week promotional tour gives WWE® fans a chance to go behind the scenes to interact with WWE Superstars, Legends, memorabilia and more. The tour will make multiple stops at shopping malls, sporting events, festivals, and WWE live events across the country before ending in Chicago, the site of WrestleMania 22 on Sunday, April 2, 2006. Alongside the tour stops, a series of “Monday Night RAW®” and “Friday Night SmackDown®” viewing parties will take place in local bars and restaurants. WWE Superstars and WWE Legends will appear throughout the tour, which will again be hosted by WWE Legend Hillbilly Jim(TM).
The National Guard is the presenting sponsor of the tour. USA Network, UPN, THQ, GameStop, Electronics Boutique and WWE 24/7 are participating sponsors.
“The WrestleMania 22 Fan Axxess Tour” features a 4,000 square foot modular, interactive exhibit that will be transported around the United States in a custom built 48-foot tractor trailer. Activities will include the following:
“Guardian of the Ring” presented by National Guard: Using green screen technology, fans will referee an actual WWE match and walk away with a DVD of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
“Friday Night SmackDown Call-A-Match” presented by UPN: Fans will have the opportunity to call their favorite matches from past SmackDown shows and take home a DVD of their experience.
“Show Us Your Character” presented by USA Network: Fans will have the opportunity to impersonate their favorite WWE Superstar while being filmed for potential viewing on the USA Network “Show Us Your Character” website.
“A Lifetime of Legends” presented by WWE 24/7(TM): Fans will view one-of-a-kind memorabilia, rare video clips, interviews and backstage footage of past and present events.
“SmackDown vs. Raw ’06 Video Game Arcade” presented by THQ, GameStop and Electronics Boutique: Four screens allow fans to play WWE video games head-to-head.
“Big Time Reading” presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and WWE Get R.E.A.L. Read: Everybody who attends the Fan Axxess Tour and shows their library card to a tour representative will receive a free Big Time Reading poster featuring John Cena®, Batista(TM), Triple H®, Rey Mysterio®, Big Show® and Undertaker®, while supplies last.
“The WrestleMania Fan Axxess Tour has developed into a fantastic annual event for WWE fans,” says Dan Levi, Senior Vice President of Marketing for WWE. “We are especially excited about this year’s WrestleMania 22 Tour, as it brings a new level of interactivity to the events, giving fans direct access to the fun, the action and the WWE Superstars and Legends that they love. In addition, the Tour is yet again providing WWE’s affiliates, sponsors and promotional partners the opportunity to connect with WWE’s loyal fans and witness firsthand their passion for the WWE brand and Superstars.”
The schedule for the tour is: Philadelphia, Penn. (Jan. 10), Raleigh, N.C. (Jan. 13-16), Tampa, Fla. (Jan. 20-22), Orlando, Fla. (Jan. 23), Miami, Fla. (Jan. 26-29), Memphis, Tenn. (Feb. 3-5), Columbus, Ga. (Feb. 7), Atlanta, Ga. (Feb. 9-13), Dallas, Tex. (Feb. 17-19), Phoenix, Ariz. (Feb. 24-26), Los Angeles, Calif. (March 3-5), Denver, Co. (March 10-11), Kansas City, Mo. (March 13), St. Louis, Mo. (March 17-19), Detroit, Mich. (March 24-26), and Chicago, Ill. (March 29-April 2).
WWE will aggressively promote the tour through a multi-media campaign. The tour will be supported nationally via WWE’s top-rated weekly television programs, monthly magazines and on the web, and locally via extensive local TV and radio promotions and WWE live events. Lead Dog Marketing is the agency of record for the tour.
More information on the tour can be found at WrestleMania.com or at wwe.com.
More information about World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE – News) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
Trademarks: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Press Release Source: World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
