WRESTLEMANIA RECAPSo I went to mania this year. It was the first time I have ever gone and I got to be honest, for as many problems as I have with WWE, it was totally worth the money and I highly recommend every wrestling fan (even if you are not a huge WWE fan) go at least once.
WWE's attitude for the entire week that I was out in California was totally different. For all the buzzwords they usually use, and the nonsense propaganda they usually spit out, this felt like the company was actually listening to the audience. Not just at the event itself, but just in general. For example, during Wrestlemania week it's called professional wrestling, not "sports entertainment." In all the local news papers, on the local radio and TV ads, any time a wrestler was interviewed by the local media they called it "professional wrestling." It was a nice change for sure. They knew they were catering to the "hardcore" fans.
Me and my friends got a Wrestlemania travel package. If you ever want to go to mania I
HIGHLY recommend you get a travel package. Their are several different versions available and we got the cheapest one. It included:
- 2 different day passes for Axxess
- WWE Hall of Fame
- Wrestlemania
- Monday Night Raw
- Hotel accommodations
- Transportation to and from Levis Stadium
- $50.00 dining card for local restaurants/bars
For every event we were in the lower level of the stadium camera side. We had really great views and could see everything. In addition to this package we also got 2 day passes to Wrestlecon and the WWN/Evolve shows.
Wrestle Con is a really great event because of how many indy guys and non-WWE guys are their. Its WAY more affordable than anything at Axxess and the lines are half as long. It's also WAY more casual than anything at Axxess. You get a lot more personal interaction with the wrestlers. While at Wrestle Con I met:
- Chris Hero
- RVD
- Colt Cabana
- Jake the Snake Roberts
- Lita
- Johnny Gargano
- Austin Aries
- Kevin Nash
- Gunner
- MVP
- D-von
- Bully Ray
- Rey Mysterio
- Jushin Thunder Liger
- Ricky Steamboat
- The Brian Kendrick
- John Morrison
- Tommy Dreamer
- Mick Foley
- Honky Tonk Man
I'm probably forgetting some people. The point is for like 20 bucks you can meet all these people and buy stuff they are selling. It was a really cool experience.
We also went to the EVOLVE 39 show associated with Wrestlecon. It was a great show.
A few pictures from Wrestlecon:
WWE Wrestlemania AXXESSWresltemania Axxess is cool because they have a giant merchandise store, a really cool museum that dates back to 1950's, and tons of exhibits about different things in the WWE. For example you could go inside the elimination chamber. You could handle and take pictures with tons of different belts. You could get inside the undertakers coffin. All that stuff was really cool.
Axxess is also really sweet because NXT is just constantly going on. They have live matches everyday along with contests, meet-and-greets, promo segments. While at Axxess I was front for a bunch of NXT matches with guys like Finn Baylor, Tyler Breeze, Neville, and Hideo. It was really awesome. Paul Heyman also came out and took questions from the crowd and cut a massive promo on Roman Reigns.
What sucks about Axxess is the lines to meet wrestlers. WWE has a TON of people there from every generation. They had a TON of WCW/NWA guys there as well. The problem is it can literally take 2 hours to meet and get an autograph with a wrestler. For example, it was a 2 hour wait for Stardust. I didn't even ask about somebody like Triple H or Cena (which cost 200 bucks extra btw)
Pictures from Axxess:
I took a bunch of pictures. I'll post more later if anybody wants to see.
The event itself was amazing. It was awesome to be apart of that crowd. Obviously I am not going to go into it with a whole lot of detail because at this point, you've probably all seen it. Needless to say, we were
GEEKED Roman did
NOT with the title.
Like I said, even though I usually grump about WWE and how stupid they are, I am glad I went and I recommend you all go someday if your situation allows.
