WWE coming to Corbin on March 10

Arena Director Kristi Balla said it was a long road to bring the Superstars of the WWE to Corbin, but it was high on her list when she took the job in August 2016.

Courtesy WWE

“This was a big one for me,” Balla said of booking the event for March 10 featuring the stars of WWE’s Smackdown brand.

Balla said she reached out to a friend who, in turn, was able to get her in contact with WWE officials who had the authority to put Corbin on the schedule.

“It is not like you can Google, ‘Who to talk to, to book WWE,” Balla said adding that once she was able to speak with someone, it was a matter of convincing them that Corbin was a viable option.

“I told them WWE was one of the most requested things here,” Balla said. “I explained to them how much people love the WWE and that we would sell out the building because a lot of people in eastern Kentucky can’t necessarily get to go to a bigger Lexington or Knoxville to see a show.”

The show will be part of the WWE Live Road to WrestleMania.

Superstars scheduled to appear include: WWE Champion AJ Styles, Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Tag Team Champions The Usos, Jinder Mahal, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Rhoode, Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, Natalya, The New Day and more.

The main event match will feature AJ Styles taking on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match for the WWE Championship.

Balla said The Arena will hold approximately 5,200 people for the show.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. at The Arena box office and on Ticketmaster.

Ticket prices range from $19 to $104.

“If this show goes well, they (WWE) are very loyal and they will come back on a regular basis,” Balla said. “We could really build a big partnership.

Balla said building that relationship along with what she is attempting to do with Live Nation, which is the promoter responsible for the upcoming Cole Swindell concert, are big steps in bringing bigger events to The Arena.

With the addition of the WWE event, the four weekends in March now feature four different events that will appeal to a full spectrum of people in the community.

In addition to wrestling and the Cole Swindell concert, The Arena is scheduled to host 13^th Region basketball tournament and Super Bull bull riding.

“It was a perfect fit,” Balla said of having WWE fill out the March schedule.