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Officials in Kentucky are under the impression they could lure WrestleMania to the state, but they’ll settle for just televised WWE events again.
WWE has not brought TV or PPV events to Kentucky’s top markets like Louisville or Lexington in recent years because of strict wrestling regulations.
WWE issued a statement to the Courier-Journal newspaper this week explaining their position: “Under the existing rules in the state of Kentucky, WWE is unable to produce our televised entertainment events in a manner that is consistent with other states. Working with the new Commission, we hope we can return to Kentucky with live WWE televised events, including Monday Night Raw, Smackdown, and our Pay-Per-Views.”
The new chairman of the “Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission” has made it a priority to relax certain rules, such as blood stoppage, to bring back WWE’s big-ticket events.
Chairman Chad Miller is attempting to have conversations with WWE to find a happy medium where certain oversight remains in-place, but not at the previous levels.
Regarding blood stoppage, the current rule reads: “If a person accidentally bleeds while participating in an exhibition, show, or appearance, the individual bleeding shall cease participation in the match and may rejoin the match once the bleeding has stopped.”
This is consistent with WWE’s own blood policy, but governed by a third party instead of WWE.
Chairman Miller said the goal is to draw up new legislation that will be suitable for promoters and regulators “that has to be passed by the general assembly” to be put into place.
If the new legislation is passed, Miller hopes that WWE will bring back TV in April 2017 once paperwork is complete.
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