2024: A year of Philly pop culture moments, from Jason Kelce to Sabrina Carpenter to WrestleMania

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania was in the spotlight a lot this year. From being a battleground state in the presidential election, to the City of Brotherly Love getting a front-row view into cities around the world, and pop artists dominating stages near and far, and everything else in between, which we’ll give you a taste of below.

While World Wrestling Entertainment frequently visits Philadelphia for its weekly television shows, the last time the company brought its flagship event, WrestleMania, was in 1999, at what was then the First Union Center. In the years since, Philly fans clamored for another taste of WrestleMania — and in 2024, they got their wish, when the 40th edition of the wrestling supercard took over Lincoln Financial Field.

Pro wrestling fans flocked to Philly from all over the world for the “Showcase of the Immortals.” WWE moved more than 90,000 tickets just on the first day of ticket sales, and reported ticket sales in excess of $36 million, making it the biggest WrestleMania to date.

In the week leading up to WrestleMania, Philly played host not only to a WWE fan convention but also dozens of independent wrestling events across the region, as well as related happenings like dance parties, comedy shows, live podcast recordings and even a fashion show.

And the show itself was a critical hit, gaining praise for its coherent storytelling across both nights, thrilling matches and a feel-good ending for the ages. “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes overcame the machinations of the “Final Boss” himself, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to end the 1,316-day championship reign of Rock’s cousin Roman Reigns.

It wouldn’t be WrestleMania without special guest appearances. John Cena and the Undertaker showed up to even the odds for Cody Rhodes in his no-holds-barred title match. Snoop Dogg was a guest commentator and Lil Wayne escorted “Main Event” Jey Uso to the ring for his showdown with his brother Jimmy.

But the event also paid tribute to Philly and its rich pro wrestling history. Rapper Meek Mill narrated the show’s opening sequence. A “Philadelphia Street Fight” match brought Extreme Championship Wrestling legend Bubba Ray Dudley back to a WWE ring as a guest referee, while members of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association played Seth Rollins to the ring for his title match against Drew McIntyre.

And a couple of green-masked luchadores who helped Rey Mysterio get the win over his son “Dirty” Dominik in a tag match revealed themselves to be Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson and retired center Jason Kelce. Speaking of that guy ...

Jason Kelce certainly kept busy in 2024. On top of his hit “New Horizons” podcast, Kelce and his Philly Special partners Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson welcomed legendary singer-songwriter Steve Nicks into the studio for their third and final Christmas album. He and his brother Travis adorned General Mills cereal boxes everywhere and even had their own limited edition “Kelce Mix” cereal — a combination of Reese’s Puffs, Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

If that isn’t enough, the Eagles great announced he’ll be hosting his own late-night talk show on ESPN. “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce” will debut on Jan. 5 and will tape all five of its episodes from North Philly’s Union Transfer venue.

Not to be left out, Kelce’s wife Kylie launched her own podcast, “Not Gonna Lie,” which immediately dethroned “The Joe Rogan Experience” at the top of the podcast charts. Even bigger was the announcement that she’s pregnant with their fourth child.

It wasn’t all good news, as Kelce made headlines for an incident in State College with a heckler who used a homophobic slur in reference to his brother’s relationship with Taylor Swift. Kelce threw the man’s phone and hurled the slur back at him. He quickly issued an apology, saying he regretted “[greeting] hate with hate.”

All of this activity begs the question: Have we reached peak Kelce? Are they in danger of overexposure? It’s something we may find out in 2025.

Singer and Quakertown native Sabrina Carpenter received a huge boost last year when she joined fellow Pennsylvania-born artist Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour as an opening act.

2024, then, was her apparent coronation, as the former Disney star became a bona fide pop princess. First, she dropped singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” the latter hitting the top of the Billboard singles chart. Then she unleashed her sixth album, “Short ‘n’ Sweet,” which launched at no. 1 on the album chart.

Co-produced by frequent Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff, the album drew raves for its slick sound and biting lyrics. “Please Please Please” was a particular highlight, a desperate plea to a partner to get their stuff together, with a cheeky, humorous video co-starring her then-boyfriend, Oscar-winning actor Barry Keoghan.

As Swift wound down her Eras Tour, Carpenter ramped up her own tour, packing fans in all over the world. In a wonderful coincidence, she landed back in Philly during Red October, showing her support for the playoff contender Phillies on stage with her own custom jersey. Whatever comes next for Carpenter, it’s good to know she keeps her Philly-area roots close to her heart.

Last year, it was a single day. This year, the city took an entire week to honor its favorite fictional son, Rocky Balboa.

“RockyFest” took over Philly in early December, drawing fans of the franchise to many of its iconic locations, from the Italian Market to the site of Mighty Mick’s Gym in Kensington — and all the way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps. There, “Rocky” star and creator Sylvester Stallone sent his personal replica of the Rocky Balboa statue to rest at the top, while the original version maintained its place at the bottom of the famed stairs.

RockyFest featured bus tours, happy hours, a movie marathon at the Philadelphia Film Center, and a lecture about the Rocky statue — but the most inspired events were Rocky-inspired date nights, one at the Penn Ice Rink and the other at the Philadelphia Zoo. Loyal Rocky fans will remember he and his long-suffering partner Adrian had their first date at an ice skating rink in the first movie, and that he proposed to Adrian at the Zoo in the sequel.

There were also Rocky and Adrian look-alike contests, part of a strange outbreak of those ...

Look-alike contests took the country by storm late this year, starting with one in New York for actor Timothée Chalamet in October, which he ended up crashing. The event drew hundreds and was quickly dispersed by police for being an unpermitted costume contest… But the event did not end then, as the group found a backup location in a nearby playground, where more than a dozen contestants gathered to finish what they started.

The trend naturally made its way to the City of Brotherly Love a month later, where celebrity doppelgangers flooded the streets for a Downingtown-born Miles Teller contest.

The prize, you may ask? None other than a Philly cheesesteak — an area staple that winner Henry Luce never had until that day.

In December, the streets of Philadelphia were filled with a lot of beards and bellies for a Jason Kelce look-alike contest.

Unfortunately, Kelce did not make an appearance, but he did react to the event days later, disagreeing with the chosen winner, and saying “Any overweight white guy with a beard” looks like him.

And just hours before the Eagles v. Steelers game on Dec. 15, a crowd gathered in Rittenhouse for a Jalen Hurts look-alike contest. The winner, a New Jersey native, won a ticket to the game and watched his NFL “twin” hit the field.