WWE leaves virtual reality behind in 1st tour since 2020

WWE is ready to hit the road and start a summer tour this weekend in Texas

PHILADELPHIA -- Triple H walked with his arms crossed like an X -- his signature Degeneration X symbol -- with his 7-foot tag-team partner Joel Embiid to ring a ceremonial bell last month before a Philadelphia 76ers playoff game. His theme music blared through the arena and nearly 19,000 fans hanging from the rafters roared when the wrestler hoisted his bad guy weapon-of-choice sledgehammer and struck the bell. Sure, the setting wasn’t WrestleMania -- though Triple H lost a match in the same building when the event was held there in 1999 -- but for the superstar-turned-executive, the frenzied atmosphere was a reminder of what WWE lost during the 16 months it ran without live events and raucous crowds. “It was a fun opportunity to get back into an arena packed full of fans and have them go nuts,” said Triple H, known these days as WWE executive Paul Levesque. “That adrenaline rush, there’s nothing like it.”