WrestleMania Weekend: The Video!

In the final installment of my WrestleMania Weekend series, I thought you all might enjoy this video of the various clips I took throughout the weekend (at Axxess, tailingating, and at WrestleMania itself).  Enjoy!

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My WrestleMania Experience

Better late than never, right?

I originally intended on recounting my WrestleMania experience immediately after the show on Sunday, but I got home way too late to do that.  And then I ended up working late on Monday (and it was a jam packed day, which meant I couldn’t even write it during my lunch break).  But I did to do it before the excitement of WrestleMania dissipated, so here you go – a Tuesday night posting.

So we arrived at the arena at about 1:00 in the afternoon.  It was warm, but extremely windy.  The entire time leading up to the event we figured we’d be warm during the day but cold at night.  Once we got there, we realized we may very well be chilly during the day, while outside, and then warmer when we got into the arena (which would protect us from the wind).  While a sweatshirt or jacket was necessary, the sun was strong enough to keep us warm.

We had some chips, dip, sandwiches, and other snacks in the trunk of the car.  And we had a table set up for beer pong (which was EXTREMELY difficult to play given the power of the wind).  And there was plenty to drink – perhaps too much, as one person in our group ended up getting pretty drunk and was quite the annoyance to the people around us once we got to our seats in the arena.  I could hear some of them talking about how they were literally going to go to security in order to get him ejected.  He was that bad.  So, if you’re reading this and you were sitting in front of us or behind us, I genuinely apologize.

Speaking of the people around us, wrestling fans are an interest breed, aren’t we?  I’m not going to say that I’m the only normal person and everybody who knows less is a stupid mark, and everybody who knows more is overly “smart.”  And I completely understand how much of the enjoyment of wrestling comes from getting into the moment and treating it like a real competition.  But some of these people….I just don’t know.  There was this guy behind me, probably in his mid thirties, and the way he’s talking….it’s almost as if he doesn’t even realize that this is a scripted storyline.  Like he would say, with no sense of “being in the moment,” “Punk made things way too personal” and “no more talking, now it’s time to fight!”  Or during the Triple H/Brock match, noting that Triple H doesn’t have his submission move locked tight enough.  I’m all for enthusiasm and even taking things seriously, but this was an entirely new level.  But hey, he enjoyed himself, so who am I to judge?

Now to the show.  Jim’s girlfriend was along with us and one of the first things she noticed was that we couldn’t hear the impact of the wrestlers getting slammed onto the ring.  And even though our seats were pretty high up, a big reason for that was that these stadiums don’t exactly lend themselves to great acoustics.  I honestly don’t know how that translated on television, but I’m guessing the crowd sounded on the quiet side.  This is another reason why WWE should at least consider the possibility of doing WrestleMania in a smaller venue.  Compare the over 80,000 people who were at WrestleMania to the less than 17,000 people who were at Raw the next night.  There’s no comparison.

I do have to admit, though, that the crowd did seem a bit quiet at times.  Some crowd reaction moments that stood out, though:  the place was rabid for a Ziggler cash in during the World Heavyweight Championship match.  They spent practically the entire match chanting “We Want Ziggler,” and when the screen went black at the conclusion of the match (indicating that the camera was no longer on the in-ring action) the place really deflated.  Also, everybody was really surprised when Mark Henry beat Ryback.  Nobody expected it and it seemed to come out of nowhere.  As a result, it didn’t really get much of a reaction at all.

The match of the night was undoubtedly CM Punk vs. the Undertaker.  It was the most exciting and the crowd was definitely the most alive during it.  People were at the edge of their seats throughout, and they didn’t seem to resort to teased finishers and false finishes like the main event.  Magnificent job by both competitors.  The crowd was surprisingly tame during Brock Lesnar/Triple H.  The high spots got the expected reaction, but it was nowhere near  as consistent as Punk/Taker.

Most surprising, however, was the apparent disinterest in Rock/Cena.  Perhaps it was just my section, but people seemed to be openly mocking the match (particularly the rest holds.  It had a fair amount working against it, though.  For one, it came after the match of the night (Punk/Taker) and a brutal garbage match (Triple H/Brock).  If it wasn’t going to be a masterpiece, people were going to be disappointed.  Perhaps even more significant, though, is that nobody expected the match at that time.  Most of us figured we’d see the eight man match to calm everybody down.  Sure, it would only last a minute or two, but most people were sitting around waiting for Brodus’ music when suddenly Cena’s music played.  It really seemed like people didn’t know what to think at first.  And I really think that hurt the match (not to mention the fact that, unlike every other main event match of the past decade, there were no overly elaborate entrances).

Some random observations:  First off, A LOT of people already have a replica of the new WWE Championship.  I’d say I saw more of that championship than any other.  And it’s the most expensive ($450 to the usual $300)!  Also, about half of the people I saw wearing John Cena shirts were adults.  And speaking of John Cena, I think there’s something to the theory that people chant “Cena Sucks!” because it’s expected and part of the show.  Case in point:  The same person sitting near me started the “Let’s Go Cena!” chant and then immediately yelled “Cena Sucks!” in response to his own cheer.  Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of people who actively voiced their disdain for him, but I think there’s also a large portion of people who jeer him for fun.

Perhaps more than everything else, I loved the various allusions to last year’s show.  First you had a recreation of the Daniel Bryan/AJ Lee kiss, with AJ kissing Dolph this time, and Bryan responding with a swift kick to his face that almost led to the end of the match.  It really was played perfectly.  I also really loved the two in the Rock/Cena match, where they twice made reference to the manner in which their match ended last year.  The first had Rock imitating Cena, only for Cena to cut him off with his finisher (a recreation of last year’s ending, with the roles reversed).  The other had Cena once again mocking Rock, but this time expecting the Rock’s defensive attack.  Well done.

The only thing I hated about the event was leaving.  We were in our car for literally an hour before we even left the lot.  THE LOT!  Dreadful, dreadful way to end the night.  But overall, a great experience.

Be sure to check out my photos from the event (includes photos from the actual event as well as tailgating and Axxess): 

WrestleMania Weekend Photos

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Today is the day!

The day has finally arrived -- it's WrestleMania!  Like I said in my True or False earlier this weekend, I'm looking more forward to the experience and spectacle of WrestleMania than any match in particular (which is a bad sign), but I AM looking forward to it.  So that's a plus.

My buddies are going to be picking me up in about 20 minutes, at which point we'll head to the arena and begin tailgating.  So, like yesterday, I encourage you to follow me on Twitter for immediate photos/observations:  @acaseofthetwit

Also, here are my final WrestleMania predictions:

Cena over Rock
Undertaker over Punk (Punk wears WrestleMania colors)
Triple H over Lesnar
Del Rio over Swagger, Ziggler successfully cashes in
Team Hell No over Ziggler/Langston (likely the show opener)
Fandango over Jericho (cheats to win)
Ryback over Mark Henry
Team Rhodes Scholars over Tons of Funk (likely gets moved to the preshow)
Miz over Barrett
If Kaitlyn vs. AJ wins, I'm going with AJ

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WWE WrestleMania Axxess

So I went to the 1:00 session of WrestleMania Axxess and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  The photos and video packages all made it seem like an amazing experience, but I couldn't imagine a scenario in which there wouldn't be gigantic lines for just about everything.  And while there were plenty of long lines -- more on that later -- overall it was nothing like I had feared.  I honestly thought that there would be lengthy waits to even get your photo taken with the bronze Andre the Giant statue.  Instead, you really could just walk right up to it and snap a photo.  Aside from the autograph sessions, this was pretty much the standard for all of the attractions.  From the WrestleMania banners to the classic championships to the various displays, you were pretty much free to just go right up there and take a picture.  And that was a VERY pleasant surprise for me.

And speaking of photos, I was pretty impressed with the helpfulness of the staff as well.  My friend and I only ended up waiting on two lines -- for the most part, all of the autograph sessions and photo opportunities were way too long to wait -- and in both cases the event staff either took a photo for us, or allowed us to take each other's photos and then switch places.  My only other real experience has been going to book signings, where everything is so incredibly rushed that you're ostracized if you hold the line up for even a second to take turn on your camera.  So, again, this was a very pleasant surprise.

My one major complaint, though, was the lack of organization -- especially in regards to the Superstar appearances.  For example, when you come in, you're given a map and that map indicates where everything is.  Except the map pretty much just says "Superstar Signing Station 1" and "Superstar Signing Station 2."  I recognize that they do this because it isn't entirely feasible to print out different maps for every single session, but even so it would be helpful if they could let us at least know -- in some way -- where everybody is and how long they'll be there.  To an extent they do (if you go down to the actual arena, there are signs above each signing station that says which Superstar is there), but if you're walking around you're roaming kinda aimlessly.  This turned into a bit of an issue about halfway through the session, when the Superstars who were signing swapped places.  We literally had to jump on a line without actually knowing who would be signing autographs or taking pictures.

This whole thing gave me two funny stories, actually.  When Jim (who doesn't watch as often as he used to) saw a sign for "Ted DiBiase," he got excited.  I had to tell him, "No, not the good one."  And then when we got on line without knowing who would be making an appearance, it turned out to be 3MB.  We -- along with a few others -- opted to just get out of line.  Sorry guys!

The two lines we ended up waiting on were ones that were short at the time that we walked by.  The first was the Money in the Bank photo op, which allowed you to reach for the briefcase on a ladder (well, sorta.  You had to keep one foot on the ground).  And the other was with Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat.  For the brief moment I met him, the Dragon seemed very friendly and personable.  Cool experience.

Just because we didn't wait in line for autographs doesn't mean we didn't have any cool run ins.  While on line for the 3MB shoot, Mr. Theodore Long walked past us and was about 3 feet away as he waved to the crowd.  I crossed paths with JTG at least three times.  Hilariously, Hornswoggle walked past us too, but very few people saw him because he's so short.  He has a really weird body, by the way.  At the end of the session Jim and I also found the exit the talent was using, so we stood there and came within talking distance of various Superstars and Legends.  Superfly Jimmy Snuka actually spoke to us (basically just saying thank you when we said hello).  William Regal came right by us.  Several NXT Superstars and Divas that I didn't quite recognize did as well.

One story I have to share is about the Prime Time Players.  When they were heading towards the back, several children asked them for autographs.  Darren Young said "We're not allowed to" and walked through the curtain.  He then kept his back towards the crowd until his elevator arrived.  Titus O'Neil, on the other hand, stood there and signed every single child's program.  Even as his elevator came (while Darren stood inside, of course), Titus held up as one kid hurried over to him.  It was actually really sweet, and I have a tremendous new level of respect for Titus because of it.  He's clearly somebody who deserves to make it big.

The coolest run in, however, had to be with LINDA MCMAHON!!!!  That's right, Linda McMahon was at Axxess....and she walked right by me on TWO occasions.  The first time was when she walked down one of the corridors towards the arena area, and actually got turned away because it wasn't the right section.  She passed us a second time (and smiled!) as she walked to the next section.  She was with some small children, I presume her grandchildren.  Which means they may very well have been McMahon-Helmsely spawn.

There was some in ring action as well.  Antonio Cesaro fought, which made my friend and I joke that the United States Champion was defending his championship at the 1:00 Saturday session of Axxess, opening for an NXT Divas match (but hey, at least he won).  There was also an awesome in-ring promo with CM Punk and Paul Heyman.  Punk noted that Randy Savage needs to be in the Hall of Fame.  And when asked if he'd be wearing Savage's colors tomorrow night, he said no, but that he would be wearing somebody else's.  As an attires mark, I became intrigued.  In a rather hilarious moment, at the end of the promo, Punk and Heyman recreated the classic Randy Savage/Elizabeth "let me open the ropes for you" routine from WrestleMania VII.  Awesome stuff.

Overall it was tiring, but a whole lot of fun.  If I had one suggestion, it would be to figure out how to incorporate the autograph sessions into the event a bit more.  If your intention was to walk away with as many autographs as possible, you'd be SOL.  I think you'd basically just wait on one line and go to the next, and maybe walk away with 3.  And in doing that, you'd miss out on pretty much everything else.  You wouldn't see any of the displays and you wouldn't catch any of the action (the lines were along the hallways of the arena).  It's a tough thing to figure out logistically, but I'm sure there's a better way to do it.  And maybe having the announcers announce over the house mic who would be where might help as well.

More than anything else, this thing made me wonder why the HELL WWE doesn't have a Hall of Fame.  They have so many cool things on display that they could be making real money all year round, every year, just by charging $20 or so to get people to visit and view it.  Right now they have a warehouse full of old merchandise, PPV/show banners and various other memorabilia that is really just costing them money (due to rent).  Why not put it on display in a facility where they could make some of that money back?  At least give a permanent home to the awesome Andre the Giant statue, instead of trekking it out two or three times a year.

Anyway, be sure to check out photos from the event.  I'll update the page tomorrow with my WrestleMania photos as well:
WrestleMania Weekend Photos

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I'm off to Axxess!

My WrestleMania Weekend continues as I'm about to head off to pick up my friend Jim (who participated in yesterday's special True or False, along with WrestleChat.Net) to go to the 1:00 session of Axxess.  I'm pretty psyched, as I really want to see the life sized bronze statue of Andre the Giant, and CM Punk is scheduled to be there as well.

I'll post my experience later on tonight, but in the meantime follow me on Twitter as I'm sure I'll be posting pictures and tweeting about the event:  @acaseofthetwit

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True or False #5 - With WrestleMania Attendees (WrestleMania Edition)

I’m kicking off WrestleMania weekend with a very special edition of True or False.  As you might remember, I did a similar two-part feature last year (featuring long-time readers Kyle & Javier, as well as notorious wrestling reviewer and author Scott Keith).  This year I’m doing something a little different, with each panelist being somebody who will be attending WrestleMania this year at MetLife stadium!

The first participant is actually the person who will be attending WrestleMania with me – one of my best friends from Rutgers, Jim.  The two of us first bonded over wrestling, and since our dorms didn’t initially carry Spike TV, we would take the bus to the main campus every Monday night to watch Raw on the big screen at the Red Lion Café (which was a pretty awesome experience).  We both went to WrestleMania X-8 in Toronto, although not together, and we will be going to Axxess this Saturday (the 1:00 session).  We’ll also be tailgating somewhat recklessly in the stadium parking lot Sunday morning.

My other guest is one of the finest wrestling websites on the net, WrestleChat.Net.  Along with being supremely appreciative to all of their followers and supporters, these guys do their homework.  They research their stories and they don’t post something that’s questionable all for the sake of “being first.”  They’re cool guys and I definitely recommend their site (they’re also fun to interact with – they’re open to differing opinions, many of which are mine).  Be sure to follow them on Twitter:  @WrestleChatNet.

Anyway, let’s get to it…

Continue reading "True or False #5 - With WrestleMania Attendees (WrestleMania Edition)"....

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