Throngs of memorabilia-crazy fans add glitz to WrestleMania
The image of a grizzled gentleman and his elderly wife proudly brandishing their WWE replica belts outside MetLife Stadium in New Jersey a few days ago will remain etched in my memory for the rest of my days.
The occasion was WrestleMania 35, wrestling entertainment’s most sacred night, and the fans had descended on the US city in their thousands, many of them dripping with WWE memorabilia from head to toe.
I’ve seen wrestling shows on e.tv and SuperSport over the years but nothing prepared me for the spectacle on April 7.
More than 82,000 wrestling fans of all ages, races, shapes and sizes excitedly descended on the home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets, creating an exhibition of glitz and colour second to none.
The replica WWE belts were everywhere and the fact they cost up to R15,000 clearly meant very little to these devout followers.
The elderly couple I saw when we arrived at the gigantic American football stadium were by no means a rarity many other senior citizens were decked out in the colours of their favourite wrestlers.
They mingled freely with the younger fans and all spoke one common language that of the WWE universe, as they call it.
Standing outside the stadium and observing the numerous animated conversations in the crowded parking lot was highly entertaining. They nameddropped WWE billionaire owner Vince McMahon, his son Shane McMahon, wrestlers Triple H, John Cena and The Undertaker, among many others, as if they were members of their families. It was the craziest thing.
Folks, wrestling is huge in the US and it’s no surprise that WrestleMania 35 broke the attendance record for MetLife stadium’s highest-grossing entertainment event.
The annual extravaganza grossed $16.9m, surpassing the venue’s previous record of $12.3m set by WrestleMania 29 six years ago. While the stadium normally plays host to American football, it is wrestling that holds attendance records.
Try telling the fans that the whole thing is scripted and they will tell you exactly where to get off. Try telling them that wrestling is fake and it may be the last gaffe your loose tongue makes.
Hell, I asked superstar
Mandy Rose if wrestling is fake and the incredulity in her voice was unmistakable.
The WWE and many other wrestling companies attract a fair amount of criticism, but one thing is certain it is stupendously entertaining.
The day after WrestleMania, I attended Monday Night Raw at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York. The place was packed; there wasn’t an empty seat in sight.
Smackdown took place at the same venue the following day and the arena was packed again. The fans cannot get enough of it and they keep coming back every week without fail.
I’ve occasionally thrown barbs at wrestling over the years but I have newfound respect for McMahon’s multimillion-dollar empire.
THE REPLICA WWE BELTS WERE EVERYWHERE AND THE FACT THEY COST UP TO R15,000 CLEARLY MEANT VERY LITTLE TO THESE DEVOUT FOLLOWERS.
Like McMahon himself, the characters are loud and larger than life. The glitz and lighting at the events is extravagant, and everything is done on a scale that rivals Hollywood.
I am a devout, lifelong soccer fan. I have attended the World Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations, the Champions League and was privileged enough to witness some of the world’s biggest derbies in Europe, South America and on the continent.
But the WrestleMania was very different to what I am accustomed to, and when I saw the amount of work the wrestlers and many other dedicated people put into this production, I cannot help but give McMahon’s much-loved travelling circus some measure of respect.