The days of wrestling territories have been and gone but some states still have very specific regulations in regards to pro wrestling. With this year's WrestleMania taking place in New Orleans, a new report has surfaced detailing the laws laid down by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission and it makes for interesting reading and shows how many hoops WWE has to jump through!
This doesn't only affect WWE either because other wrestling promotions in town that week will also have to abide by these rules if they intend on holding shows in the state of Louisiana.
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No blood is allowed in pro wrestling events in Louisiana. WWE is usually on board with this rule anyway, although they do like to make exceptions from time to time.
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No piledrivers are allowed in Louisiana. This rule is apparently the result of an injury that happened in a wrestling match years ago.
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Every promoter has to have a license to run shows in the state, but licenses can be loaned by their holders. So if you’re a licensed local indie promoter in Louisiana, you can let an out-of-state promotion use your license to run a show.
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All wrestlers have to show recent blood tests that show they’re negative for HIV and Hepatitis B and C .
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On the day of a show, the promotion has to show all their paperwork including their performers’ blood test results.
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It costs $25 to become a licensed wrestler in Louisiana.
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Wrestlers will be subjected to a ringside physical on the day of the show. The Louisiana commission will provide an official at every show, plus an EMT.
In fairness, a lot of these make sense, especially the points about blood tests and piledrivers! However, having to pay $25 to wrestle seems a little odd, especially when we don't know whether that's something anyone can do or if you need to have a resume of sorts beforehand. Either way, these rules clearly didn't stop WWE wanting to hold the event in New Orleans for the second time now.