BEMIDJI -- Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is coming to the Sanford Center for a live show at 5 p.m. as part of its SummerSlam Heatwave Tour.
This is the first time the “world’s leader in sports entertainment” has made its way to Bemidji and it is sure to be a night the audience won’t forget, organizers said.
“Fans are going to be royally entertained,” said Sanford Center Executive Director Curtis Webb. “One thing WWE does well is entertain you. There will be a lot of fun storylines if you follow the WWE and people are going to walk away going, ‘Holy cow, that was in our back yard’?”
The E in WWE stands for entertainment and the company is unlike any other.
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One of the company’s interesting teams is New Day, which consists of high-flying Kofi Kingston, the muscle of Big E and the brains of Xavier Woods.
Kingston and Big E will team up, with Woods in their corner, against their rivals and tag team champions, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil, The Prime Time Players, on Sunday in Bemidji.
“You can expect a hell of match there, because whenever New Day is in the ring we’re tearing the house down,” Woods said in an interview with the Pioneer. “We are looking to dethrone them and regain our tag team championships, so you can expect a heated battle nonetheless.”
The main event of the night will be a triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship when Seth Rollins defends his title against rival Dean Ambrose and newcomer, former NXT Champion Kevin Owens.
Those matches are two of many fans have to look forward to on Sunday.
“I can’t even say how huge this is for our building and the community,” Webb said. “And it’s in August, which is big because generally this is a slower time for us.”
Coming to Bemidji is a convenient stop for WWE with its televised show “Raw” being held Monday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Getting the WWE here has been something Webb has been working on for a few years and the timing was finally right.
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“I’ve been working with a friend of mine in their marketing and with “Monday Night Raw” in Minneapolis they are looking for a Sunday night show,” Webb said. “It’s really good for our community because Saturday they are coming in on a charter aircraft into our airport, staying in our hotels, we’ve got about 15-20 car rentals, so it’s really good for not only the Sanford Center, but for our community.”
As far as in-ring quality goes, fans should expect to see the same intensity they would normally see on WWE’s weekly televised shows, “Raw” and “SmackDown.”
The only difference is the fans will get a chance to see the action live.
“We’ve got the performers, we’ve got the music, we’ve got the pyrotechnics going on,” Woods said. “It’s cool because you feel closer and it’s much more of a relaxed environment, there is a lot more fan interaction.”
The only difference between Sunday and what fans see on TV, is fans won’t see what happens Sunday, unless you are in the Sanford Center.
Fans can get a little bit closer and it creates an intimate feel for the crowd and for the performers.
“It’s more intimate because you don’t have people so far away up in the stands,” Woods said. “You can feel the energy a lot better, especially if the crowd is really hot. It’s like the difference of seeing a concert at a stadium as opposed to a cocktail lounge.”
Tickets have been selling well according to Webb, but there are still some available.
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To order tickets you can go to www.thesanfordcenter.net/events or stop by the Bob Lowth Ford Pickup Window at the Sanford Center. Prices range from as high as $100 to as low as $15.
“The tickets are going really strong,” Webb said. “We should have about 3,000 people there, which is phenomenal. We’ve sold really really well the last few days. We set the building up for about 4,000, so we are going to look pretty darn full and it’s going to be fun.”
If you go
What: WWE SummerSlam Heatwave Tour
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Sanford Center, Bemidji
Tickets: To order tickets you can go to www.thesanfordcenter.net/events or stop by the Bob Lowth Ford Pickup Window at the Sanford Center. Prices range from as high as $100 to as low as $15.
