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Lil Yachty Pushes Back Against WWE WrestleMania 42 Criticism

Rapper Lil Yachty appears to be heading to WrestleMania 42 after aligning with Trick Williams this past Friday night on WWE SmackDown.
Rick Ucchino|
Lil Yachty
Lil Yachty | IMAGO / MediaPunch

Lil Yachty appears to be on his way to WrestleMania 42, and he wants WWE fans to be cool with that.

The rapper and songwriter was featured in multiple segments this past Friday night on SmackDown, having now aligned himself with Trick Williams as he prepares to challenge Sami Zayn for the Men's United States Championship later this month in Las Vegas.

Yachty is the latest celebrity to be brought in along the road to WrestleMania, joining the likes of IShowSpeed, Jelly Roll and most controversially, believe it or not, ESPN's Pat McAfee. Seven-time Super Bowl Champion and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner, Tom Brady, is also reportedly in talks to make an appearance at Allegiance Stadium.

Lil Yachty responds to online criticism after SmackDown appearance

The influx of outside star power has drawn heavy criticism from some of the more traditional hardcore wrestling fans. One user on X even posted an edited WrestleMania poster that featured Yachty, Speed, Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee in place of CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes. Tom Brady also took the place of Paul Heyman, even though he hasn't been confirmed for the show.

That post prompted Yachty to respond, and he's asking fans to let him enjoy the opportunity of living out one of his dreams.

“I understand y'all upset but don’t try and step on my f—ing moment. I’m at the tv screen every Monday and Friday religiously. I’ve been to more PLE’s than most. I probably know more history than most of y'all. Who’s to say I don’t deserve to be apart of something I love so dearly?”
Lil Yachty

This year's 'Showcase of the Immortals' is now less than two weeks away, and the fact remains that WWE is still struggling to move tickets. As of April 1, a little more than 38,000 seats had been sold for night one and just above 40,000 had been bought for night two. Both figures are way behind WrestleMania 41 at the same venue last year.

Stating the obvious, it's really expensive to attend WrestleMania, especially in a city like Las Vegas. Tourism is down across the board for Sin City, in large part due to the increased costs for many.

TKO executives are reportedly under the belief that bringing in mainstream stars like Lil Yachty, IShowSpeed and Pat McAfee will help drive up interest in the show and boost ticket sales over the next couple of weeks.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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