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WWE Event Blocks Ben Roethlisberger-Ashley Harlan Wedding Reception

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s engagement to New Castle, Pa. native Ashley Harlan was first reported months ago, but never confirmed by Roethlisberger himself until yesterday, when he spoke to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and opened up about his wedding plans and history with Harlan.

Roethlisberger gave reporter Ed Bouchette details like the wedding date (July 23, one week before the Steelers report to training camp…if the lockout ends), and how he met Harlan through a fan he talked to at training camp in 2005 (who happened to be Harlan’s brother), and they were “on and off” for years after. The engagement news struck many as sudden when it first broke, so it was no surprise Roethlisberger emphasized that Harlan isn’t “a random new person.”

This is all well and good, and we wish the best for the couple, and hope for the sake of both Roethlisberger and everyone he comes into contact with that the “happy place” he says he’s in is for real. But one anecdote from Bouchette’s piece is especially striking:

They’re still looking for somewhere to hold the reception after trying to rent the Consol Energy Center, which has a previous engagement — a World Wrestling Entertainment show.

You can win two Super Bowls, you can go to another, you can be the cornerstone of a proud franchise, you can be as sincere as you can possibly be in your quest to turn your life around…but you’re still not getting anywhere if you mess with the WWE.

[h/t Jimmy Traina]

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