After 23 years, WWE wrestling comes home to the dome this weekend in Toronto
Rogers Centre will play host to the World Wrestling Entertainment's "elimination chamber" event on Saturday, featuring superstars like the Rock and John Cena, now well into his retirement tour.
It's hallowed ground for Toronto wrestling fans, who, depending on their age, will remember the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania X8 event there in 2002 or WrestleMania IV in 1990.
With Netflix now the exclusive hot of WWE programs such as Monday Night Raw, bringing wrestling back under the dome represents both the sport's growing popularity among a new group of devotees — and a nostalgic homecoming for Toronto fans.
"To me, it's still the SkyDome," said Canadian wrestler Sami Zayn, who remembers driving to Toronto to watch wrestling before going pro himself.
Zayn, who is set to compete against fellow Canadian wrestler Kevin Owens on Saturday at the Rogers Centre, called the upcoming event "one of those perpetual, sort of can-you-believe-it moments."
The elimination chamber isn't the only event in town this weekend: the WWE is also hosting a Friday Night Smackdown at the Scotiabank Arena, complemented by smaller shows hosted by independent organizations like Smash Wrestling and Superkick'd.
"I'm loving the fact that Toronto is getting lots of love," said lifelong wrestling fan Vanessa Lima from her home in Oakville, Ont. "Toronto is a large wrestling city."
Fans come back into the fold
Speaking to the CBC in front of a wall of glittering replica wrestling belts, Lima said she's seen more and more former fans make their way back to wrestling recently.
"I've been speaking with friends of mine who stopped watching it … and they're getting [back] into it, they're bringing their kids into it," she said.
Outside of the WWE, other brands are also being revived, including Maple Leaf Wrestling — a Canadian promotion that got its start back in the 1930s.
It will host a show at another historic Toronto venue in May: Toronto Metropolitan University's Mattamy Athletic Centre, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens.
Gary Fonseca, a die-hard fan from Mississauga, Ont., is part of a wrestling-focused Facebook group that's gone from 10,000 members to just over 100,000 within a few years.
Fonseca, who fondly remembers the cheering that filled the SkyDome at WrestleMania IV back in 1990, is thrilled to see wrestling heating back up enough to fill the venue again.
"I like the fact that we're able to do that again. I've been waiting for a show at the dome for so long," he said.
For other fans, though, the price tag this time is too high a barrier to get over.
Nathon Gurnick, from Barrie, was there in 2002 for WrestleMania X8, with his ticket running him about $100 to sit in the 100-level section.
With tickets in the same section going for approximately $800 for this event, he's opting to stay home this time and watch on Netflix.
"You have a family of four, and it's going to cost you a grand almost to get decent seats," he said. "It's definitely not a cheap night anymore."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Junos introduce Latin music category in effort to recognize more Canadian-made sounds
TORONTO – The Juno Awards are adding a dash of Latin flavour to next year's festivities. Organizers at Canada's biggest music awards show say they plan to introduce Latin music recording of the year at the 2026 edition. The new category will recognize Canadian musicians across all Latin American languages and genres who've released music in the eligible year. It's the latest move by the Junos to diversify how it recognizes Canadian creators and the evolving national music scene. Last year, the Junos added a South Asian music category, while in 2022 it split the Indigenous category in two to honour both contemporary and traditional Indigenous artists. The 2026 Junos are set to take place in Hamilton with the main show broadcast from Hamilton Arena, formerly FirstOntario Centre, which is finishing off a $290-million renovation. Another tweak is being made to the rap categories, which answers calls for clarity around the involvement of Canadian MCs. The revised rules state that vocalists on releases eligible in the rap single and rap album or EP categories must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Tate McRae brings the Miss Possessive tour to Rogers Arena
Tate McRae is one of the hottest brands in Canadian pop music at the moment. Opening night of the Canadian leg of the Miss Possessive tour at Vancouver's Rogers Arena showed why she's where she is. From the opening fog and flashing lights, this was one of the most social media savvy stadium shows on tour today. In fact, the show sort of began before you even entered as the singer gazed down at you from giant billboards hawking Neutrogena, a product the 22 year-old Albertan is definitely in no need of at this particular time in her career trajectory. Beauty to a Science proclaimed another ad from the campaign bordering the stage. There was indeed science at play. The concert was a calculated to the decimal to deliver maximum delight for fans. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The technical savvy on display was slick enough that Disney should take notice. It used to be musicians from the Mouse factory were the ones you could depend on to have the dancing, singing, acting and other chops to carry a whole show focused on them. McRae is cut from that same cloth, but from Calgary. Every facet of the performance made effective use of blocking, strategically-placed cameras and back lighting to insure that there wasn't a single moment in the evening that you couldn't capture a perfect selfie with a multi-story McRae pouting at you. Estimating the data drain from a performance like this could overwhelm ChatGPT, but for the ecstatic fans capturing the moment in history repeatedly was part of the sheer joy in the room. Having the date and time code flash up on screen added that element of proof that you were legit there too. Very nice touch that, as were the mentions of tour support for both the Trevor Project and the Global Fund For Women. In four acts and 21 tunes, fans sang along to every period in McRae's relatively short career. There was a distinctly first show vibe to the choruses verging on screams in songs such as Guilty Conscience, a dramatic Siren Sounds and Like I Do and complete abandonment of melody for ear-shattering shrieks during Exes. Without doubt, that single is the best song in her set, with the rockier She's All I Wanna Be gunning for second place. But, for all of McRae's dance chops, her shows rely more on connecting with the crowd during moments such as when she heel struts down the runway to strike a pose while the impressively physical backing dancers drop another athletic routine around her, or when she arrived at the separate B stage. There, she played a succession of ballads such as Nostalgia and You Broke Me First as well as diving back to the YouTube channel songs she posted weekly starting at age 13. A surprising number of those in the room knew all of these songs as well as the newer megahits and doubtlessly will be clicking back on songs such as That Way and One Last Time in the next few days. For today's artists who reach their listeners via avenues such as this, those original tracks keep on delivering long after the latest single has left the commercial charts. It's the new music biz model breaking talents everywhere and McRae certainly has mastered the method. As to her dance chops, they are less a part of the performance than her racy videos might suggest. Wishing that she had been free to leave the mic behind on occasion to just cut loose seems unfair to the design of the experience. Miss Possessive is about packaging the moment in time. At this moment, that means giving people all the songs they want to hear and this show does that with bells on. It will be interesting to see what the future holds as McRae's song catalogue racks up more variety than it presently showcases. Her collaboration with Morgan Wallen on What I Want might be a strong indication of what might come next. Tate McRae Miss Possessive set list The show includes four acts and 22 tunes with many video and musical interludes. You'll even get a genuine extended guitar solo here and there. Act 1 Act 2 Act. 3 Act. 4 Encore sderdeyn@ Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.
Calgary Herald
4 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Breakenridge: Government right to let MAGA singer express his controversial views
U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht is facing new permit reviews and public safety concerns for upcoming Western Canadian performances in August. Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 As things stand, in just over two weeks from now, the controversial MAGA-aligned U.S. Christian singer Sean Feucht will be performing at the Alberta Legislature grounds. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Of course, that could change. Given the cancellations that dogged the first leg of Feucht's Canadian tour, and the potential subsequent cancellations that await his return to Canada, he might just decide it's not worth the trouble. Ideally, it would be a lack of interest that would keep Feucht at home, but those intent on boosting his notoriety are making sure that isn't the case. The would-be censors have almost become his de facto promoters. The so-called Streisand effect is on full display in this case. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again The Alberta government has resisted calls to cancel the scheduled performance, and that's the right position to take. While it would certainly be fair game to criticize any government officials or UCP members who attend the show and embrace Feucht, merely allowing the event to proceed does not constitute any sort of endorsement. Clearly, not everyone sees it that way. The Alberta NDP is demanding the government revoke the event's permit, citing a vague 'responsibility' to 'uphold the principles of inclusion and belonging for everyone' when it comes to the use of public spaces. By definition, any sort of religious performance or event is geared toward followers and adherents, which makes it very much not 'for everyone.' Governments and government policy can certainly strive to promote inclusion and belonging, but there are – and should be – obvious limits on how much that can be imposed. The criteria for using public spaces cannot be predicated on such a vague concept, since it could also be turned on its head to deny public spaces to the sorts of events that intolerant religious conservatives have tried to shut down. The ' Reading with Royalty ' events at the Calgary Public Library – and similar events at other public libraries in Edmonton and elsewhere in Alberta – are not to everyone's liking. Of course, much like Feucht's concerts, no one is forced to attend. But while these drag events have been prohibited in some parts of the U.S. (I'm curious how many of Feucht's free speech-loving followers object to those bans), officials here have stood up to the calls for censorship. No doubt the NDP would come down on the side of free expression in this case.
