By Carl Lamarre,Mitchell Peters

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The War and Treaty

BriOWskI Productions

As WWE gears up for its first-ever premium live event, Wrestlepalooza, taking place Saturday (Sept. 20) in Indianapolis, the wrestling conglomerate is tagging in Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty to perform “God Bless America” ahead of the primetime spectacle.

“Nothing beats moments like these in our career,” The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. exclusively tells Billboard. “In my head, I’m a character on the WWE roster. Hell, I have been since the early ’80s. WWE has always listened to the people, and this is something that I admire more than anything.“

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Trotter Jr.’s elation also lies in his and his wife’s opportunity to quell the tensions pervading the country, as violence continues to escalate and dominate headlines.

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“To be a part of Wrestlepalooza is one thing, but to bring a song of unity and prayer during a time of such inferno in our country means more to me than life itself. So as the words to the song we will sing serves as a prayer, this is a plea, our plea, ‘God Bless America,’” he says.

Trotter’s wife, Tanya, echoes her husband’s enthusiasm and is even looking forward to stepping in the ring for some physicality, if needed.

“We’re so happy to be a part of the WWE family. It means so much for them to ask us to be a part of their newest promotion with ESPN,” she says. “Hopefully more to come in the future. Who knows? Maybe, I’ll get in the ring and slap a chick or three.”

This year, WWE’s relationship with music artists expanded tremendously, as the wrestling giant has had Travis Scott, Cardi B and Jelly Roll get involved in their premium live events and programming. With WWE’s new partnership with ESPN, expect more artists to swiftly get a piece of the action, whether it’s performing some of their biggest hits or taking some bumps.

Tune in Saturday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Unlimited to catch WWE’s Wrestlepalooza.

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