HOW I SPENT MY SPRING BREAK: WRESTLEMANIA
- 04/03/2008 (6:01:28 pm)
- Mike Informer
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How I spent my spring break: WrestleMania
Instead of relaxing on the beach with cocktails, why not watch sweaty men grappling in spandex?
by Tiffany Reagan | Associate Pulse Editor
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The weekend was filled with shows, autograph signings, a Fan Axxess tour, the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame and celebrities like Snoop Dog, John Legend, Kim Kardashian and Raven-Symone.
WrestleMania 24 started before I even stepped off the plane. Gary Davis, WWE's vice president of corporate communications, sat in first class on my flight. He pounded his BlackBerry as he waited for his bags and made several calls trying to set up interviews for ECW star Chavo Guerrero.
As I rode the escalator down to baggage claim, people dressed in boxing robes greeted me with "WrestleMania welcomes you to Orlando."
The first show of the weekend was later that night. TNA Wrestling aired a live broadcast of its weekly "Impact!" show from Universal Studios. But the "Wishes" fireworks spectacular at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom offered better pyro and the vocal stylings of Jiminy Cricket - who is a better talker than half of TNA's roster - so I skipped it.
Ring of Honor, an independent promotion that blends American, Japanese and Mexican wrestling styles, had the first of two shows on Friday night. Like TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor was in Orlando to ride the coattails of the WWE. Most of the event was consumed by a tag team tournament with ROH wrestlers competing against a Japanese promotion called Dragon Cage. If judging by athletic ability, I would choose ROH wrestlers over anyone involved in the WWE.
Saturday's main attraction was the Hall of Fame ceremony, which was held at the Amway Arena. WWE inducted its ninth class, including wrestling greats Eddie Graham, Rocky Johnson, Mae Young, the Brisco Brothers, High Chief Peter Maivia and announcer Gordon Solie.
The pinnacle of the night was the induction of the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Flair, who has been wrestling since 1972, is arguably the most recognized WWE superstar and one of the greatest wrestlers in the company's history. He received several standing ovations from the 10,000-person crowd and gave an emotional speech that lasted more than an hour. Flair's speech made wrestlers like tough guy John Cena and the 7-foot-tall Big Show burst into tears. Even though I am not a dedicated wrestling fan, when I was watching Flair's speech, it felt like I was witnessing history.
On Sunday, the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando was the place to be. I pushed through thousands of people to reach the Fan Axxess area set up across the street. There were video game and merchandise booths, photo opportunities and even a place where fans could record their own entrance video. Wrestling legends Jimmy Hart and Hillbilly Jim were handing out WWE merchandise to the crowd.
Fans from 50 states and 40 countries broke a Citrus Bowl record, selling out 76,000 seats. I sat by international fans at every event. I could not go anywhere - WrestleMania or Splash Mountain - without hearing a British child screaming "wicked" over my shoulder.
WrestleMania hosted nine matches including a 24-man Battle Royal, an ECW title match, a Money in the Bank match, a World Heavyweight Championship match, a Triple Threat, a Raw vs. SmackDown match, a career-ending match, a match between a boxer and a giant and even a "BunnyMania" diva match. Some of the matches were lame. Kane won the ECW title from Chavo Guerrero in one move and Umaga vs. Batista was little more than filler.
Those two matches couldn't hold a candle to the BunnyMania match. The crowd was so silent you could hear every sound from the ring. At one point, the stadium lights turned off and a spotlight was used so pay-per-viewers could not see people leaving their seats.
The highlights of the night were Floyd "Money" Mayweather knocking out the Big Show; CM Punk winning Money in the Bank; and Shawn Michaels sending Ric Flair into retirement with his "Sweet Chin Music."
On Monday Night Raw the following night, the entire WWE company paid a special tribute to Ric Flair. Members of his old wrestling stable, the Four Horsemen, came out to the ring during Flair's good-bye speech. By the end of the show, every current member of WWE came out ringside and gave Flair a standing ovation.
This year's WrestleMania weekend should have been named FlairMania weekend because he was definitely the main attraction.
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Robert D'Andrea contributed to this article.
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