While there hasn’t been any matches officially announced for Wrestlemania in 2023, there is one match that has been heavily rumored for the past several years with the serious possibility of happening next year over the course of two nights beginning Saturday, April 1 and concluding on Sunday April 2 at the Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The long awaited return of Dwayne ” The Rock” Johnson is likely to happen at the extravaganza and The Rock would have the goal of being the one to finally stop the path of destruction of his own cousin, WWE and Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.
After not being accepted as a main eventer for years by WWE fans, Roman has since become a megastar. Reigns was able to win the Universal Championship, go into Wrestlemania 38 with that title where he captured the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar and hasn.t been pinned since Decemeber 15, 2019. This current run by The Tribal Chief is arguable the best story in wrestling currently and the most dominant wrestler in modern history. Much of this success can be attributed to Reigns taking on Paul Heyman as an Advocate or “Wise Man” and forming the faction “The Bloodline” with his cousins The Usos.
Is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Related to Roman Reigns?
Roman Reigns’ more famous cousin Dwayne Johnson parallels his cousins’ rough climb to becoming a megastar. Rejected by fans as the plucky newcomer Rocky Miavia, Johnson pivoted and developed The Rock into a character that the WWE fans loved in the 1990’s. Dwayne was able to parlay his success as a top act in WWE into a career as an actor in Hollywood. He has said in the past that he wanted a match with Roman Reigns and the two facing off at Wrestlemania might be the biggest attraction WWE could possibly offer.
Although the match is expected, it is not etched in stone at this point. This didn’t stop BetOnline for posting odds to this rumored bout of Roman Reigns vs The Rock. Opening odds see Roman favored at -175 and The Rock as a +135 underdog. For those unaware of what these odds mean, the minus sign indicates the favorite and the plus sign represents the underdog. The corresponding number after quantifying how favored or unfavored a wrestler or team is. So to win $100 on Roman Reigns, it would take a $175 successful bet to do this. Because The Rock is the underdog and graded less likely to win, it would take only a successful wager of $100 to win $135.
To follow these odds in real time as they have been known to change without warning, please visit BetOnline. For those wishing to make a wager, deposits can be made by Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express along with crypto currencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Moneygram is also accepted.
The Road To Wrestlemania continues today with WWE Fastlane. My predictions are based on my own views of wrestling and how it is presented by WWE. I also do not read the odds before posting my predictions. So here goes!
WWE Championship Match
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens – I think Daniel Bryan will retain. Especially since WWE would be stupid not to capitalize off the Daniel Bryan vs Kofi heat, which seems to be the only thing in the men’s division people have really gotten invested in this year.
RAW Women’s Championship Qualifier
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair — If Becky wins, she will be added to the Raw Women’s Championship Match at WrestleMania – If Becky loses we riot!
Six-Man Tag Team Match
The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin – The Sheild… Unless they murder each other.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina – I really would like to see the belts on Nia and Tamina. It would be great to see them walking into Wrestlemania with the titles. But at the same time, WWE knows the B N H Connection appeals to little girls. Will they see their hero’s fall tonight?
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon – Why? I would like to see the Uso’d retain to take on a real team at Mania.
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose – Are they still doing the Mandy Rose is a homewrecker storyline? if so, it would be nice to see her win by cheating so Naomi can kick her ass at Wrestlemania.
Raw Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
The Revival (c) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable – This match sounds fun. I would love to see the belts on Alester Black and Ricochet, however, the Revival will most likely retain.
Fastlane Kickoff Match
The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev – This also sounds fun. Whose day will it be? I am going with the New Day, unless Daniel Bryans lackey Rowan goes after Kofi, which could very likely happen.
Fastlane Kickoff Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade – the crowd wins. WHY IS THIS A KICKOFF MATCH? Andrade is going to win because he is a dirty cheater, but really this match will be one of tonight’s more energetic matches.
This event looks more promising entertainment wise than the last few months attractions. Betting odds are LIVE now and are open until bell time of each match. Click here for more info.
We are on the Road to Wrestlemania and along the way are many pit stops, including those that are non-WWE related! Here are our picks for the must-see independent shows during the big week in New Orleans this week. They are in order by the date and/or time they happen.
Matt Riddles Bloodsport – Thursday 3PM:
The description on their ticket site says it all: “What happens when GCW and Matt Riddle team up to bring you an event where Pro Wrestling and MMA’s baddest and best collide?What happens when you strip away the rules of professional wrestling, take away pinfalls and every match must end with a KNOCKOUT or a SUBMISSION?Join us on Thursday, April 5th at 3 pm for a unique crossover event as GCW presents “Matt Riddle’s Bloodsport”!” Already announced:
Matt Riddle vs. Low Ki
Timothy Thatcher vs. Nick Gage
WALTER vs. Filthy Tom Lawlor
Dan Severn vs. Chris Dickinson
Eddie Kingston vs. Tracy Williams
Dom Garrinni vs. KTB
Who wouldn’t want to see this? For tickets click here.
The Crash – Friday Noon
We love Lucha Libre, and this show has a fantastic lineup!
Lucha Super Estrella
Penta Zero M vs Austin Aries
Lucha Semifinal
L.A. Park, Nicho El Millionario, & Damien 666
vs
Bestia 666, Garza Jr., & Mr 450
Lucha De Luju
Ret Fenix vs Flamita vs Rich Swann
Lucha Especial
Daga vs Brian Cage vs Willie Mack vs Sami Callihan
Lucha De Parejas
Bandito & Black Boy
vs
Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz
vs
Dave & Jack Crist (OVE)
Poder A Poder
Rey Horus vs Flip Gordon vs Laredo Kid
Lucha De Escandalo
Lacey Lane & Black Danger
vs
Christi Jaynes & Oraculo
vs
Barbie Hayden & Joey Ryan
vs
Diamonte & Douglas James
Lucha De Alarido
Aeroboy vs Draztik Boy vs J.Spade vs Amarok vs Matthew Palmer vs Jason Cade vs Angel Fashion vs Kurt Stallion
This is one of the most anticipated shows of the Week next to Wrestlemania itself. As soon as Lucha Underground was announced as a partner, tickets started selling like hotcakes. Expect a lot of high flying action, blood, and plenty of violence on this show!
The Matches announced so far:
Eddie Edwards vs Jeremiah Crane (I Quit Match)
Dezmond Xavier, Andrew Everett, DJZ vs Drago, Aerostar, King Cuerno
LAX vs Willie Mack & Killshot (IMPACT Tag Team Title Match)
Austin Aries & Fenix vs Alberto El Patron & Pentagon Jr
This is SHIMMER’s 100th show!!! They are the longest consecutively running womens promotion in the US right now… and possibly ever? SHIMMER has given many young women from around the world a chance to showcase what they do in the ring. Also, it is important to note many of the women you saw in the Mae Young Classic are from the current SHIMMER roster or are alumni! This is going to be an action-packed show with women’s wrestling like you have never seen before! This is also a pretty family friendly event, so bring the kids!
SHIMMER Championship Match
Nicole Savoy defends vs. Mercedes Martinez
Heart of SHIMMER Championship Match
Shazza McKenzie defends vs. Tessa Blanchard
Nicole Matthews vs. Toni Storm
Madison Eagles vs. Deonna Purrazzo
SHIMMER Tag Team Championship Match
Leva Bates & Delilah Doom defend vs. LuFisto & Hudson Envy
Shotzi Blackheart vs. Cheerleader Melissa
Britt Baker & Chelsea Green vs. Charli Evans & Jessica Troy
Ring of Honor has a lot more going on than just this card, so make sure you check the ticket link below to see what exactly they have in store for the week. As ROH has grown it has managed to keep true to its roots while evolving to meet today’s wrestling audience. This show looks to be another amazing card produced by them!
Matches Announced:
Cody vs Kenny Omega
ROH Championship Match
Dalton Castle vs Marty Scurll
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match
The Briscoes vs Jay Lethal & Hiroshi Tanahashi
ROH World 6 Man Championship Match
SoCal Uncensored vs The Young Bucks & Flip Gordon
HOH is Tommy Dreamer’s branded enterprise featuring not only Legends from ECW but stars of today as well! This show is set to begin one hour after NXT ends!
Headlining:
Rich Swann vs. Austin Aries
Already scheduled for this event include:
Rock N Roll Express
Pro wrestling monsters!!! If you have not seen Kaiju Big Battel before, you have been missing out on some of the wildest action and storylines available in sports entertainment. It doesn’t matter if you don’t follow the company or know the storylines, you will be entertained!!!
No Matches announced but expect some sort of trouble from Dr. Cube!
(there always is!)
Why? Because we feel that Joey Janela puts his opponents at risk for his own benefit. He has been wrestling far too long to wrestle this unsafely, and honestly, we are astounded that this mark hasn’t seriously injured any of his opponents yet. He disrespects not only those who came before him, but his callous behavior and recklessness also show disrespect for the entire wrestling industry. Even advertising it as a “Clusterfuck” is disrespectful. We seriously hope he doesn’t do anything to put the promoter’s license being used for this show in jeopardy so he can get his rock off. And besides, who over 25 besides perverts and losers go to “Spring Break”?
Sadly while we do not support nor have any respect for Janela, there is some great talent on this card.
If you are still looking for tickets to Wrestlemania or aftermarket tickets to any of these shows that may be sold out check out StubHub and Ticket Liquidator.
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If you cannot make this historic event in person, you can still watch at home on the WWE Network, and new subscribers get their first months FREE! What are you waiting for?
You can check out the odds here and place your bets on 5Dimes!
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As always here are my picks for this years WWE Fastlane special event tonight! Early betting odds are already up, click here to check them out!
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler (Six-Pack Challenge Match) – why bother having this match if WWE won’t let these guys do what they do? I hope John Cena wins so everyone riots.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The New Day – This match will be fun as always. I like all these guys and this match has a lot of promise. I think the Uso’s will retain the titles.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott – I have high hopes for this match. I like both women and think this could be a great match. Will outside interference cost Charlotte the title? Perhaps.
United States Champion Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton – This matchup should be pretty decent. I like Bobby Roode a lot, and I feel like Randy Orton will be a great opponent for him, but I also think he will retain the US Championship!
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev – This is going to be a very sad Rusev Day. However, I feel like this match could be a lot of fun. I love both Nakamura and Rusev, and feel this will be a fun match. Nakamura should pick up the win.
Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya & Carmella – Again this will be a fun match, all these women are great, but this almost feels like a throwaway match. I hope they kill it. My money is on Nattie and Carmella!
Football madness is sweeping both America and the rest of the world as the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the biggest sporting event of the year other than Wrestlemania. The Eagles are the underdogs, but “The Birds” have been overcoming the odds throughout the playoffs. To follow the betting odds 5Dimes has your hookup with a multitude of prop bets offered to players worldwide.
Here is a selection of what WWE talent is saying about “The Big Game” on social media.
Watch WWE Superstars Give Their Predictions
Great compilation of wrestlers giving their thoughts on the Superbowl and who they want to win. Daniel Bryan is on fire with his comparison to the Seattle Seahawks and The Eagles and Drew Gulak sneaks every piece of Philadelphia Jargon into his footage.
I know we are all playfully teasing over a football game, but that sir was the meanest thing anyone can post on the internet. I hope you feel terrible about your actions. https://t.co/ZVyraB5Icy
I apologize for the lateness of this article… I moved since getting back from Orlando, and have had some technical difficulties that kept me from uploading the media I wanted to use for this article!
As some of you know who read my articles, I have been a life long wrestling fan. I have been watching as long as I can remember and it has always been a part of my life, one way or another. When WrestleMania was announced, and I found out my grandparents friends were getting it on closed circuit tv, I begged to be allowed to watch, as they said it was an “adult party” that I wouldn’t be interested, in wrestling anyway, as it was “for boys”. Begging, pleading, and naming all my favorite wrestlers worked, and I got to watch it with the guys my grandfathers friend had invited over. This was just the beginning. When pay per view became a thing, we would order the special box for the wrestling shows, my grandfather would invite his friends, my moms sister, and her family would join us in watching it at our house, or invite us to theirs to get the PPV. Wrestling was the one sport that brought my family together in any way.
This was my first opportunity to go to WrestleMania, despite many offers and failed attempts in the past. Like when my friend spent $4k on fake tickets, he insisted were real, despite not being from Ticketmaster. He was arrested for trying to sell the fake ticket I refused to attempt to use to an undercover, and spent 2 nights in jail. (Don’t buy tickets through scalpers who put ads on craigslist, or in the paper, only buy them through Ticketmaster, or verifiable reseller sites.) Even last year I was asked to go to WrestleMania, but the person wasn’t ever intending on taking me, or so it seems…
When the possibility of going this year came up, I didn’t put too much into it, as I rather not get excited about things that may not happen. But when my plane tickets were purchased, and we began forming an agenda, I knew it was real. Holy shit…. I was actually going! We procured tickets to WrestleMania, The WWE Hall of Fame, RAW, and Axxess for Thursday. We also booked for PromoterCon at WrestleCon, and planned on hitting up some of the independent events. When we began looking for a hotel, all that was available was lower end motels, so I began looking at other options. Usually I wouldn’t do this, but since we were heading to Orlando, Florida, I didn’t feel bad about booking an airbnb, as its a city full of vacation rentals. We found a lakeside rental, only 10 minutes from the airport, that could sleep up to 8 people, and it cost less than a small cheap motel for the week!
We flew out last Wednesday, and luckily had no big issues. We got our rental car, picked up our WrestleMania Flyers and went to the spot we rented. It was quaint, but clean and spacious and perfect for working when we had downtime as well as entertaining guests. We called it an early night so we could be ready for the weeks events, and the fact is I am on Los Angeles time, so the three hour time difference made it harder for me to be a morning person. I managed to get up and get dressed up, and we hit the road just about on time. On our way we stopped at WaWa, which is a treat for me as I live in Los Angeles, and we don’t have them there. And anyone who has been involved in east coast independent wrestling knows just how important WaWa can be, and I procured my favorite beverage, WaWa Green Tea!
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Our first stop was PromoterCon, which was a panel on promoting wrestling shows featuring: WWE Hall Of Famer JJ Dillon, Owner/Founder of WrestleCade Entertainment & AML Wrestling Tracy Myers, Owner/Founder of Gimmick Tree Entertainment & Modern Vintage Wrestling Charlie Armstrong and Owner of Combat Zone Wrestling and WSU, DJ Hyde. The event’s tagline was “Putting Butts in Seats” but honestly they could have done a better job getting folks to this. With my background in promoting shows, and working in production, I was quite interested in this event, but honestly I didn’t learn anything new. It was more geared towards beginners and folks who had limited knowledge of how to run live events. It probably was helpful for a few in the room. And it was nice to see Bill Apter there, who gave a short speech on wrestling media. Bill Apter is the longest running wresting journalist I know of, and he is full of all kinds of useful info, and I wish I would have had more time to chat with him of all people, but we had more to do!
Our next stop was WWE Axxess, which I already wrote a little bit about. The first person I saw that I know was “The Hobo” former CWF Hollywood Champion. The line was huge to get in, it took half an hour but moved pretty quickly. When we got inside it was a little overwhelming, as there was a lot to see and do. Some of the highlights were the Foam Pit Ring, the Superstar entrance way, the promo cutting booth, as well as many other interactive displays.
There was a ring set up for a few 205Live/NXT matches, presentations, interviews, and more. Fans also go opportunity to get autographs and photos with their favorite WWE superstars, and there was a massive WWE Pop Up Shop there as well. Overall it was a fun experience. Here is a clip of WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blaze on women’s wrestling.
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The next day we attended the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony and watched the class of 2017 be inducted, which included: Beth Phoenix, the Rock and Roll Express, Ravishing Rick Rude, Teddy Long, Kurt Angle, and others. There were heartfelt speeches from Nattie Niedhart, Ricky Steamboat, Jim Cornette, and JBL and Ron Simmons as they inducted this years class.
Day 3 we headed to the WWN shows, which due to miscommunication we did not actually have tickets, for, but due to our connections we did end up attending the afternoon Chikara Pro show. If you are not familiar with Chikara, they are my favorite independent wrestling promotion. They are one part lucha, one part Japanese, one part catch, with some american independent wrestling blended in. You never know what to expect. They kicked it off with a trio’s match, which is a tag team match with teams of 3 instead of 2. Chikara actually has whole tournament built around these teams called “King of Trio’s” which if you can get tickets, is not to be missed! We also got the rare opportunity to see their trainer and mentor, Mike Quackenbush in some action with Zack Saabre Jr. This match was yet another technical masterpiece. I really enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed the matches so much, I didn’t bother with a review. Its really hard for me to write up reviews when I am really into watching something. The lighting also made it impossible to take photos if you were not sitting at ringside, so all my pictures came out blurry.
After checking out what was going on in the independent scene we headed out to meet up with my friend Melissa Coates, who is currently working with Sabu, as his wrestling genie sidekick.We met up with Melissa, Sabu, Jaime Dauncey, Crystal Carmichael and others, and headed out to Kevin Nash’s Shenanigans VIP Party. Though I did not see everyone who was listed in attendance, I am sure way more folks were there. We got there later in the evening, and the place was packed. It seemed the venue was far from prepared for the madness that ensued. You literally could not walk. Plus as we were in attendance with Sabu, fans were so excited to see him, at times it seemed they were more excited to see Sabu than Kevin Nash! I finally got opportunity to meet Al Snow, and I couldn’t help but mark out a little, as he really has done a tremendous amount for the wrestling industry and those in it. Other notable folks in attendance were: Shane Helms and his lovely wife, RVD, OBD, So Cal Val, Abyss, Amber O’Neill, Billy Gunn, and so many others we either did not spot or can’t remember to name at the time of this article. Shout out to The Pro Wrestling Report for putting together such a fantastic event! Here is a clip of the the crowd preparing to do a shot with Kevin, as you can see it was packed, and pretty wild.
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We got back to our rental extremely late/early depending on how you look at it. Everyone else went directly to sleep, but I was so stoked… WrestleMania was only a few hours away! After a couple hours of browsing through twitter, I finally fell asleep. When I woke up it was time to prepare for the biggest day of the year! We got ready to go, waited for the rest of our party to return from their early morning expedition and headed to the Camping World Stadium, aka The Citrus Bowl. One thing that blew my mind was that parking was $150 per car. No I didn’t add a zero or extra digit… you read that right… one hundred and fifty dollars to park a car!!! Seriously that has to be the most ridiculous parking charge I have ever heard of in my life. If I were to pay that, the motherfucking valet better clean and polish my car, and drive me home. My plane ticket home to Los Angeles cost less than parking at the stadium!!! So we did what any smart folks would do, we found a business owner a few blocks away who was renting his trucking company lot for $30 per car. Whoot! If I wasn’t in heels, I would have been down to park even further away. Note to anyone ever going to Orlando for major events, parking is expensive and can be a bitch, as there is not much street parking to be found.
We got inside, and much to my horror, we were sitting up in the top of the stadium. I have issues with vertigo, and an ridiculous fear of falling, (probably because I am a total klutz.) so it took me about 15 minutes to adjust to our seats. I wrote the match results as we sat there, but they were brief as there is no pause button on a live event. I was so happy that we got there in time to see Neville vs Austin Aries. I don’t care what anyone says, I love watching these guys wrestle. I been a long time fan of Aries, and Neville just keeps getting better and better. This was one of my favorite matches of the night and it wasn’t even on the main card! Ambrose vs Corbin was way to short for my liking. Shane and AJ were just as wild as I expected. The Owens/Jericho match was meh. I think I had enough of it the month before. The RAW Womens Championship match was also disappointing as I would have liked to see Nia Jax go further in the match. The 4 way Tag Team Championship Ladder match was OFF THE CHAIN!
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We saw the return of the Hardy’s, which though speculated for 2 weeks prior, got one of the biggest pops of the night. The Hardy’s walked away as the new RAW Tag Champions. Next was Miz and Maryse vs Cena and Nikki Bella. Cena Proposed to Nikki after the match. She should have said no. Rollins vs HHH was kinda a snoozer. As much as I love Rollins, I am incredibly bored by HHH. Stephanie saved the match by falling through a table though, and effectively putting her out of commission for a while. Orton vs Wyatt was interesting. Watching them project worms on the ring was a nice touch, though it would have been nice to see Orton sell it as if the ring was moving and writhing under him. Hopefully that storyline gets buried with the worms… Lesner vs Goldberg… I can’t even remember watching it, I am so bored by those two. SmackDown’s Womens Championship match was WAAAAAY too short. So happy for Naomi, she has come a long way and deserves that belt! And finally the main event… The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns. It was really hard to see The Undertaker moving so slowly, and really having difficulties with things he once made us go crazy for. That man has put his body through an incredible amount of hell for our entertainment. I think it was a huge honor for Reigns to be the one working him in his last match, and to be handed the torch so to say. Overall the match wasn’t of the highest wrestling quality, but for nostagia, and pulling at the heart strings, it was a 10. Wrestlemania ended with The Undertaker leaving his hat, gloves, and jacket in the ring, signalling his retirement.
My first in person WrestleMania was a great one, and probably the most memorable one in the 33 year history of WrestleManias.
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The next night we were back at it, and headed out to Monday Night Raw at the Amway Center. When you watch RAW on TV, some folks don’t realize in order to get the crowd riled up there are often matches for Main Event, or other WWE pre taped shows, so the fans have something to cheer for After the match taped for Main Event, the entire arena chanted “Undertaker” over and over. Those who watched RAW live that night, said the TV show opened with us chanting, and it gave them chills. The first segment was Roman Reigns coming out the the ring for a promo. The fans in attendance boo’d for what felt like an eternity. Roman said one simple statement “This is my yard now” and walked off. Other highlights of RAW were Kurt Angle being named the new GM, Cesaro and Sheamus becoming the #1 contenders for the tag titles, and the return of Finn Balor! The crowd was on FIRE when his music hit. I know I say it a lot, but it is awesome to see those I knew from my independent wrestling days make it to TV.
After RAW was over Goldberg came out and said his goodbyes for now. It was kinda sweet as he brought his kid to the ring and acknowledged his wife, and his life as a dad. Here is our after-RAW report from the rental.
The next day we went to breakfast with Osiris and his entourage, we caught up on some north east indy wrestling. After parting ways we then considered going to Smackdown, but instead decided to hit Disney World, specifically the Magic Kingdom. Can I say Space Mountain might be my favorite ride ever? Also got to spin around wicked fast on the tea cups, and look at the bizarre ideas Walt Disney held of the world.
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Our last day in Florida we decided to hit the beach. Cocoa beach is beautiful! The water was so nice, considering I have been on the west coast so long, I forgot how nice the ocean could feel when its not freezing and full of oil…
Overall the trip was great. It was nice to catch up with long lost friends, and make some new ones! We are already planning on next year, so watch out New Orleans, here we come!!!
As this is my first Wrestlemania trip, we are hitting up some of the events that WWE is doing leading up to the big event.
Yesterday we attended our first ever WWE Axxess event. What Axxess is, is basically a wrestling convention but done WWE style. There were autograph signings, live wrestling, interviews, and all kinds of interactive exhibits.
Some of the exhibits included: A Foam Pit Ring, The Elimination Chamber, A promo video booth, an superstar entrance way, The Undertaker entrance set, with druids, caskets, and all the creepy stuff to go along with it. Also there was the cage from WWE Fastlane, that Jericho was suspended in above the ring, so I locked my boss in it for good measure.
We only got opportunity to see a little bit of the wrestling, as there was a lot to look at, but we did catch Gallagher vs Davari, and it was a nice little match. I am really starting to dig Gallagher, he gets better and better with every match.
Also we got to see an interview with WWE Hall of Fame Alumni Alundra Blayze (Aka Madusa) about the current women’s division. Her insights were right on, and extremely inspiring.
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Harley Race and Ric Flair Ring Jackets
We also explored the massive WWE Pop Up Shop at the convention center… I really want some of those lunch boxes, they were probably my favorite thing there.
Again WWE has missed the mark on some of the womens shirts they have available, many of which have this weird beach tourist stand vibe, and at $30+ were ridiculously expensive for mid quality shirts. WWE could make more money from merch if it was more affordable to the masses. Just my opinion here as I know the costs involved in making merch, and at the level they make it, the cost vs what they make off the merch is an extremely large gap, and by lowering prices, they would probably sell double the amount of stuff. Not to mention there are great deals if you buy online this week from WWE Shop!
Also, it would have been nice for the ring to be more centered, so you could see the matches from the lines you were waiting in, and maybe slap hands with the wrestlers entering the ring. To me that would be the centerpiece of the event.
And lastly, getting people to pay for autographs of current talent seems to be a bit much, its understandable to pay for an 8 x 10, but you shouldn’t have to pay twice just to meet someone, especially current talent.
Overall it was fun, and definitely would have been more exciting if I was a casual fan, and not someone who works in the industry. They need to add contests, and I would have loved to see a set up to play WWE2k17 as well as a booth to make your character and upload it to play with.
I am glad I got to experience this first hand, and see the displays in person, because it’s just something you have to do at least once.
For more photos and videos make sure you follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @BetWrestling
And don’t forget, you can get WWE Hall Of Fame 2017, and Wrestlemania for FREE as part of your first month of WWE Network!
