Arn Anderson to Make First Post-WWE Appearance at Starrcast

WWE recently parted ways with the wrestler, and his Starrcast appearance will mark his first non-WWE sanctioned appearance in nearly 20 years.

Courtesy of WWE

Sports Illustrated has learned that WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson will appear at the Starrcast II wrestling convention in Las Vegas.

“It used to be a dangerous setting when they handed me a live mic,” Anderson told SI in the first interview since his release from WWE. “So we’ll see if it will be again.”

WWE recently parted ways with Anderson, and his Starrcast appearance will mark his first non-WWE sanctioned appearance in nearly 20 years.

“I was fortunate enough to work with WWE for 18 years,” said Anderson. “Certainly that provided my family and myself with a nice living, and I have no regrets. A lot of my best friends still work there. Everything has a shelf life, and I guess mine ran out.”

Starrcast II will feature a no-holds-barred interview with Anderson.

“We’re proud to have Arn Anderson on stage as one of our marquee events,” said Conrad Thompson, who is the architect behind Starrcast. “We can’t wait for Arn to have a live mic in his hand, and stay tuned for more details.”

Starrcast, which takes place from May 23-26, will run out of two venues–official hotel Tuscany Casino and Suites, as well as Caesars Palace, which was the site of WrestleMania IX.

“We’re paying homage to the history of wrestling, and a large part of Starrcast is nostalgia, so Caesars Palace is the right fit,” said Thompson. “It just makes sense.

“And Tuscany Suites and Casino is our official Starrcast hotel, offering fans suites as low as $79 per night without a daily resort fee, and that is a bargain on a holiday weekend in Las Vegas. Tuscany will also host events each day including Superstarr Breakfasts, a Kick-Off Party, Jam Session, Video Game Tournament, Cosplay Contest, Karaoke, Wrap Up Party, and so much more.”

Thompson’s star-studded event includes must-see events in “The Hitman” Bret Hart being interviewed by former WWE backstage host Sean Mooney, a one-man show with Sting, as well as a live viewing of Chris Jericho’s “Talk is Jericho” podcast.

The original idea for Starrcast was a wrestling podcast convention, but that has grown exponentially into a weekend that celebrates wrestling.

“I am very proud to announce a partnership with Podcast Movement, who will feature roughly two dozen shows across two stages Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all at Tuscany,” said Thompson. “Podcast Movement will feature shows like ‘Keepin’ It 100 with Konnan,’ ‘The Lapsed Fan,’ an old wrestling magazine retrospective with Bill Apter, the ‘Bruce Mitchell Audio Show,’ ‘WrestleCrap with RD Reynolds,’ ‘BotchaMania with Maffew,’ and many more.

“Podcast Movement tells me they plan to organize a panel for aspiring podcasters to learn how they can create and develop their own show. Aspiring podcasters will learn everything from what equipment they need to what marketing techniques have proven effective. In the coming weeks, Podcast Movement will allow podcasters the opportunity to register online to feature their show on their Starrcast stages at Tuscany that weekend, so keep an eye out for that as well.”

All Elite Wrestling’s inaugural “Double or Nothing” show is also set to take place on May 25 in Vegas at the MGM Grand, highlighting a uniquely compelling, nonstop weekend of wrestling.

“You’ll have more wrestling at Starrcast than you’ll know what to do with,” said Thompson. “We can’t wait for fans all across the world to attend.”

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.