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WWE great John Cena announced his return to the sport on Monday. The 45 year old has slowed his pace considerably in recent years, taking part in just one match since August of 2021: a December 2022 bout to keep his streak of yearly matches alive.
Cena made an appearance at Monday Night Raw in Boston earlier this week: he grew up about an hour north of the city in West Newbury. While at the event, current WWE United States Champion Austin Theory challenged him to a match.
It’s been a long time coming, and wrestling fans will finally see it happen. The bout is set for WrestleMania 39: it’ll take place the weekend of April 1 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and the United States Champion title hangs in the balance.
While just 25, Theory looks to be one of the next faces of the sport. Cena was his idol growing up, and this could be a moment where the torch is passed on.
WrestleMania 39 isn’t the only major event set to shake up the wrestling world in the coming weeks. Multiple news outlets have reported that Vince McMahon’s brand wants to make it possible to offer betting on scripted match results.
The move comes at a perfect time for a number of reasons. As states across the country continue to pass new laws regarding gambling legality, each state’s gaming control arm is reviewing what they should or shouldn’t legalize. It’s only natural that wrestling comes up in those discussions.
And for those looking to maximize their winnings, it's always a good idea to take advantage of Massachusetts sportsbook promo codes, which can provide valuable bonuses and incentives for placing bets. So if you're ready to start betting on sports in Massachusetts, be sure to do so responsibly and take advantage of all the opportunities available to you.
McMahon is looking to sell his way out of WWE, and he’s looking for a big payday in doing so. Fortune.com reported back in February that McMahon has named his price at a lofty $9 billion. Adding sports betting to WWE’s arsenal is one way to boost the stock and find a willing buyer.
Obviously, it’s a sticky situation to navigate, and they’d have to iron out a ton of wrinkles before the scheme sees the light of day to ensure that all parties involved have their interests protected. Gambling platforms are worried about predetermined outcomes getting leaked to the public, so the brand has offered to enlist the help of accounting firm EY to make sure that the scripts are kept under wraps.
EY has experience with this sort of thing: they protect the results of predetermined events like who wins the Academy Awards or the Emmys, which some states allow you to bet on. The onus would fall on WWE to keep things quiet, preventing nearly everyone in their organization from knowing how a match will play out until the moment it occurs.
On the other hand, it’s a thorny situation for prospective bettors to navigate as well. Sportsbooks don’t want the outcomes to get leaked, opening the potential for massive losses, but bettors won’t want to wager either if there’s a possibility that the books already know what will happen.
The scripted formula makes for literal storybook outcomes: think when Randy Orton got the last laugh over Triple H in 2019.
It’s a fascinating possibility for wary bettors to take advantage of, predicting how the drama intrinsic to WWE will take place next, but a lot of dominos will need to fall properly into place before it happens: it could be years, if ever, and legality will vary dramatically from state to state, and from sportsbook to sportsbook, as it’s at the discretion of the operators whether they want to offer a permitted bet.
State governments, which ultimately control how sportsbooks are able to operate, will have the final say on whether WWE can expand their horizons into this monumental next step.
WWE said in the same release that they’re already in talks with two states, Colorado and Michigan, about how to negotiate the prospect.
Per an article by Thomas Barrabi of the New York Post, those discussions might be pretty one sided as of now: “the Colorado Division of Gaming told CNBC the state currently bars betting operators from taking wagers on events with predetermined outcomes. A spokesperson said the state is not actively considering allowing bets on WWE events.”
Barrabi said that Michigan didn’t entirely rule the possibility out, with a representative of their Gaming Control Board (MGCB) saying that they’d announce any potential updates to what sportsbook operators can legally take bets on via the MGCB’s official website.
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