WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium live results: Matches, start time ...

By Nadine Smith

Wrestler Riho, left, challenges Yuka Sakazaki, right, at AEW Rampage in May 2022.

(AEW)

The ecosystem of indie wrestling shows running alongside WWE’s annual Wrestlemania has become a tradition. It’s a time rife with opportunities for wrestlers, with plenty of work to go around and the chance to connect with fans more directly — it’s even become protocol for countless wrestlers from overseas to book their American tours around Mania Weekend. As Los Angeles continues transforming into a worldwide showcase for the richness and diversity of wrestling, this year fittingly features a bevy of international talent, particularly for practitioners of Japanese wrestling.

One of this weekend’s major events involves a direct collaboration between American and Japanese promotions: Thursday night’s IMPACT and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s “Multiverse United” at the Globe Theater, which brought together major Japanese stars such as Hiroshi Tanahashi and KENTA, along with North American indie darlings such as “Speedball” Mike Bailey and Lio Rush. Prestige Wrestling’s “Nervous Breakdown,” on Friday night, which features legends such as Aja Kong — one of the most celebrated women to step foot inside the ring — and up-and-coming talent such as powerhouse bruiser Shigehiro Irie will also take the Globe stage.

Read more >>>

By Christi Carras

Brie Bella, left, and Nikki Bella attend the 2017 Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles.

(Jordan Strauss / Invision via the Associated Press)

The former Nikki and Brie Bella, also known collectively as the Bella Twins, announced Wednesday that they are leaving World Wrestling Entertainment and embarking on “a new chapter” — with new names.

From now on, the retired pro wrestlers, TV personalities and podcast hosts will go professionally by their birth names, Nikki and Brie Garcia. The duo reflected on their decision to exit WWE after 17 years on the latest episode of their podcast, “The Nikki & Brie Show.”

“We’re gonna be 40 in November. We’re mothers. We’re entrepreneurs. We’re executive producers. We’re ... hosting shows. And when our contract came up with WWE, we mutually ... knew we just needed to head into this new chapter,” Nikki Garcia said.

Read more >>>

By Houston Mitchell

Rey Mysterio

(WWE)

Rey Mysterio is headlining the 2023 class of the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday, yet he is also in one of the premier matches at WrestleMania on Saturday or Sunday. It’s like inducting Mike Trout into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. How is this possible?

“I found out I was going into the Hall of Fame not too long before the whole world found out,” Mysterio told The Los Angeles Times. “And the reason from my understanding was, this is the closest we are to San Diego and Tijuana, two of the cities that witnessed my birth in real life, and witnessed my wrestling birth as well.”

The induction makes even more sense when you consider that Mysterio, real name Óscar Gutiérrez, started wrestling in 1989 when he was 14. Now at 48, he remains one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE history with replicas of his many masks being top sellers at arenas where they are on sale.

Read more >>>

By Chaz Kangas

The WWE’s brand of sports entertainment has always existed in its own reality, sometimes unmistakably outlandish and sometimes resembling our own with the satirical volume turned up. It’s a universe where someone could conceivably be in two places at once — especially someone like Vince McMahon.

He has had the final say in the company for the better part of four decades while also portraying “Mr. McMahon,” a Lynchian evil boss character whose onscreen appeal draws on McMahon’s actual reputation for being a bit of a Lynchian evil boss. He has lied to wrestlers about their matches; engaged in petty business feuds and been accused of backstage abuses of power.

Facing sexual misconduct allegations last summer, he tweeted his retirement in July, only to return as chairman in January. But through it all, we’ve known little about the real Vince — his early life, his personal struggles — until now.

Read more >>>

By JAIME FALCÓN

Lucha libre masks are displayed for customers at a stand on Olvera Street in Los Angeles.

(Jaime Falcón / For The Times)

If you want to understand how embedded lucha libre is to Mexican American identity in Los Angeles, all you have to do is take a walk through Olvera Street.

It won’t be long till you see the mask of Santo himself, and next to him — forever paired to the god of Lucha — is his rival, his co-star, his compadre Blue Demon. Their heyday of sellout crowds, and silver screen stardom may be 60 years past, but their legacy lives on in the booths that line the Mexican heart of Los Angeles.

Nashbli Rodriguez, a native of Nayarit and South L.A. resident, makes the trip to Olvera Street daily to help run booth C4, A La Mexican Imports, where she sells between 15 and 20 lucha masks a day. She says the most popular masks tend to be outlandish characters like Nacho Libre and L.A. Park — one a comedic take on a luchador, the other a luchador so comedic he’s a meme. Legends like Santo and Blue Demon may last, but they have to endlessly compete with the hottest fictional titans of our times: a Minion, Hello Kitty, and the visages of Marvel characters like Venom, Spider-Man, the Punisher and Black Panther (Namor is not easily turned into a mask, I suppose).

Read more >>>

By Houston Mitchell

Shawn Michaels

(WWE)

Shawn Michaels is known as “Mr. WrestleMania,” but would it surprise you to learn his WrestleMania record is 6-11? Seventeen times he stepped into the ring at wrestling’s biggest event, and 11 times he walked out without his hand being raised.

We recently talked to Michaels via video to get his comments about some of his most memorable WrestleMania matches.

WrestleMania 5 (Atlantic City), The Twin Towers (Big Bossman and Akeem) d. The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty)

“I remember the ending of it (the 400-pound+ Akeem splashed him). And again, it being that first WrestleMania moment and I was overjoyed to be just on that show. I think even then Marty and I felt like we were a group before our time. I think we’d probably be more appreciated now in this environment. But I thought we did some really special stuff that flies underneath the radar. But I think there are a lot of people that see this as really good work.”

Read more >>>

By Houston Mitchell

Rhea Ripley has become a top star in WWE over the last year.

(WWE)

Three years ago, many WWE fans expected that year’s WrestleMania 36 to be the launching point for Rhea Ripley. She was the women’s champion of WWE’s NXT brand, which often serves as the feeder league for the main WWE roster. Charlotte Flair, the most decorated female star in the WWE, won that year’s Royal Rumble, earning her a title shot against anyone she wanted. Instead of challenging the champion of the “Raw” or “SmackDown,” brands, Flair surprisingly challenged Ripley.

It was assumed that Ripley would win, move up to the main roster and become the dominate star. Instead, she lost by submission to Flair, then disappeared for a while returning to Australia to deal with work visa issues. She returned to NXT and didn’t get promoted until almost a year after WrestleMania 36. Over the last year, since becoming aligned with the Judgment Day faction, she has become arguably the most popular woman on the roster, even though she is a heel. With her goth look and power moves (occasionally even power slamming men), there is a definite buzz in the arena when she enters.

Read more >>>

By CHAZ KANGAS

Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman at a previous WrestleMania.

(WWE)

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime rarity to see two lauded dynasties clash on a worldwide platform. When two superstar talents with over a century of combined legacies meet face-to-face — it’s the type of dramatic conflict and spectacle of the human spirit only found in a pro wrestling ring. It’s Roman Reigns. It’s Cody Rhodes. It’s WrestleMania. And it’s this weekend.

This year, the event’s 39th installment will take place at Los Angeles’ own SoFi Stadium on April 1 and 2 with a build that’s truly special. For an event dubbed “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood,” the emotion and real-life circumstances surrounding WWE’s biggest event of the year couldn’t be more genuine.

The last time WrestleMania took place in L.A. — WrestleMania 21 in 2005, to be exact — the “Hollywood” subtitle wound up being rather prophetic, as the evening’s two biggest moments featured future Tinseltown A-listers John Cena and Dave Bautista winning their first WWE Championships. But 18 years later, beneath the glitz, glamour and pageantry that millions flock to Hollywood and WWE for, the stars have aligned for a reality-injected drama that no screenwriter could have put together. Allow us to provide you an easily digestible breakdown of all the plots to pay attention to in between body slams.

Read more >>>

By Houston Mitchell

The long-anticipated WrestleMania begins Saturday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with seven matches on the card. Here’s how you can watch and a look at each of the matches.

What: WrestleMania 39

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

When: 5 p.m. Pacific

How to watch: You must be a subscriber to Peacock TV to watch.

Matches

U.S. champion Austin Theory vs. John Cena

This match will open the show. The build has been interesting, with Cena rarely able to appear because of he is off shooting a movie. He still wrestles once or twice a year, and WWE hopes some of his superstar aura will rub off on Theory. If Theory wins, expect it to be via some type of illegal action, such as a low blow behind the ref’s back.

Read more >>>