WWE Announces USA Network Programming For 'WrestleMania Week'

TheSportster

By Lorenzo Tanos

Published Mar 31, 2018

In addition to the usual Hall of Fame ceremony on USA, WWE will also broadcast a WrestleMania special on Thursday and the Kickoff Show on Sunday.

Via Den of Geek

We’ve only got a week and change before WrestleMania 34, and with most of the card already on paper, it’s sure to be an interesting event, at the very least. And with that in mind, WWE has just released its schedule for “WrestleMania Week” on the USA Network starting with the coming Monday and Tuesday episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live, respectively.

According to WWE’s official press release, the April 2 edition of Monday Night Raw will take place at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, and will feature appearances from WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, and Sasha Banks. No surprises there, as Lesnar and Reigns will be fighting for the former’s Universal title at ‘Mania, with Rousey, Rollins, and Bliss also booked for matches on the WrestleMania card. Banks, on the other hand, is fresh off a heel turn on Bayley, which may be the main story to look out for during the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal. Conspicuous by his absence, however, is The Miz, who, on Tuesday, became a first-time father and may want to spend as much time before ‘Mania with his newborn daughter.

On April 3, SmackDown Live will be airing from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and will feature AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair, The New Day, and Randy Orton — all confirmed WrestleMania competitors in singles or tag team action. Becky Lynch was also mentioned as one of the featured performers, though like her fellow “Four Horsewomen” Banks and Bayley, she is among the first few confirmed entries in the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.

For the rest of the week, fans can check out WrestleMania’s Greatest Moments on the USA Network on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, which is just as advertised — a look back at the event’s most memorable moments. At 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, WWE will be airing a one-hour special for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, fans can check out the second hour of the WrestleMania Kickoff Show on USA, and WrestleMania 34 itself an hour later on PPV and the WWE Network.

All in all, it's just as what most may be expecting, but the most important pre-'Mania dates, arguably, may be Monday and Tuesday, as Raw and SmackDown prepare their go-home shows. Fan expectations for 'Mania appear to be divided this year, so WWE will have to knock it out of the park on the go-home shows, to convince viewers that certain matches will be worth seeing at the Showcase of the Immortals come Sunday.