Black Widow
03-30-2008, 06:40 PM
Everyone calls it the Super Bowl of wrestling. Now, the people of Orlando get to judge for themselves whether WrestleMania is worth all the hype.
Tonight at 7, nearly 70,000 fans will fill the Citrus Bowl to watch the biggest pro wrestling event in the world. They will see Snoop Dogg and Kim Kardashian ham it up. They will see whether 5-foot-8 Floyd Mayweather can handle 7-foot Big Show. They will see whether the Undertaker finally loses a WrestleMania match. They might even say good-bye to Ric Flair.
"WrestleMania is the event all other events wish they could be," said Triple H, who is in a triple threat match against John Cena and Randy Orton. "It is the pageantry the Kentucky Derby wishes it had. It is the entertainment the Oscars and the Grammys wish they could provide. It is the classic contest the Super Bowl wishes just once they could put on."
Yes, indeed, lots of hype for the premier sports entertainment show. It is no wonder Triple H made these comments earlier this week at a news conference in Times Square to drum up pay-per-view sales for the big event.
Generally speaking, the four-hour extravaganza puts together gimmicks and high points in an attempt to make it bigger and better than all other WrestleManias. Last year, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had his head shaved when he lost a bet to Donald Trump.
This year, WrestleMania will be held outdoors for the second time, joining Las Vegas in 1993. WWE has been hard at work transforming the Citrus Bowl into a glamorous venue, and one that can withstand rain should it come. There is a chance of scattered showers in the forecast.
A steel roof was built over the center ring, and video boards will be all over the place. But there are advantages to an outdoor stadium. There will be a tremendous fireworks show and all the pyro you can imagine. WWE is estimated to have spent $300,000 on the fireworks alone, which will be set off from boats on the nearby lake.
WrestleMania also will feature a flyover, which WWE and Central Florida Sports Commission Officials are thrilled about having. The Central Florida Sports Commission worked hard to bring WrestleMania to town. In its initial pitch to WWE, Mayor Buddy Dyer went up to its headquarters in Connecticut just to show how much Orlando wanted the event.
The city has been an excellent host, featuring fan events nearly every day, including autograph signings at Universal and several other places around town. But whether it is the best host depends on what happens Sunday.
"It's going to be crazy," said Jesse, who tag teams with Festus in ECW.
"It's going to be absolutely nuts. Seventy thousand people are going to have their eyes on us."
The big gimmick WWE went for this year was having Mayweather take the ring against Big Show. The WBC welterweight champion has talked about turning the wrestler into the "Little Show."
Whatever happens, there must be a winner -- no draws allowed.
Flair will take on Shawn Michaels in a career-threatening match, one that most expect will be his last. The 59-year-old Flair got his Hall of Fame induction on Saturday night and could take his "Woooooooooos!" off into the Florida night.
WrestleMania is expected to bring $25-30 million into the Orlando economy. The Sports Commission is already making plans to bring the event back, perhaps in 2011 or 2012. "I hope you guys will be returning," Dyer said earlier this week at a WrestleMania art event. "Every year, every two years, every four years."
Whenever WrestleMania returns, you can expect even more hype and an even bigger show.
orlandosentinel.com
Tonight at 7, nearly 70,000 fans will fill the Citrus Bowl to watch the biggest pro wrestling event in the world. They will see Snoop Dogg and Kim Kardashian ham it up. They will see whether 5-foot-8 Floyd Mayweather can handle 7-foot Big Show. They will see whether the Undertaker finally loses a WrestleMania match. They might even say good-bye to Ric Flair.
"WrestleMania is the event all other events wish they could be," said Triple H, who is in a triple threat match against John Cena and Randy Orton. "It is the pageantry the Kentucky Derby wishes it had. It is the entertainment the Oscars and the Grammys wish they could provide. It is the classic contest the Super Bowl wishes just once they could put on."
Yes, indeed, lots of hype for the premier sports entertainment show. It is no wonder Triple H made these comments earlier this week at a news conference in Times Square to drum up pay-per-view sales for the big event.
Generally speaking, the four-hour extravaganza puts together gimmicks and high points in an attempt to make it bigger and better than all other WrestleManias. Last year, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had his head shaved when he lost a bet to Donald Trump.
This year, WrestleMania will be held outdoors for the second time, joining Las Vegas in 1993. WWE has been hard at work transforming the Citrus Bowl into a glamorous venue, and one that can withstand rain should it come. There is a chance of scattered showers in the forecast.
A steel roof was built over the center ring, and video boards will be all over the place. But there are advantages to an outdoor stadium. There will be a tremendous fireworks show and all the pyro you can imagine. WWE is estimated to have spent $300,000 on the fireworks alone, which will be set off from boats on the nearby lake.
WrestleMania also will feature a flyover, which WWE and Central Florida Sports Commission Officials are thrilled about having. The Central Florida Sports Commission worked hard to bring WrestleMania to town. In its initial pitch to WWE, Mayor Buddy Dyer went up to its headquarters in Connecticut just to show how much Orlando wanted the event.
The city has been an excellent host, featuring fan events nearly every day, including autograph signings at Universal and several other places around town. But whether it is the best host depends on what happens Sunday.
"It's going to be crazy," said Jesse, who tag teams with Festus in ECW.
"It's going to be absolutely nuts. Seventy thousand people are going to have their eyes on us."
The big gimmick WWE went for this year was having Mayweather take the ring against Big Show. The WBC welterweight champion has talked about turning the wrestler into the "Little Show."
Whatever happens, there must be a winner -- no draws allowed.
Flair will take on Shawn Michaels in a career-threatening match, one that most expect will be his last. The 59-year-old Flair got his Hall of Fame induction on Saturday night and could take his "Woooooooooos!" off into the Florida night.
WrestleMania is expected to bring $25-30 million into the Orlando economy. The Sports Commission is already making plans to bring the event back, perhaps in 2011 or 2012. "I hope you guys will be returning," Dyer said earlier this week at a WrestleMania art event. "Every year, every two years, every four years."
Whenever WrestleMania returns, you can expect even more hype and an even bigger show.
orlandosentinel.com