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MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: Ten International Experiences of a Traveling Wrestling Fan: Part 2
Oct 10, 2008 - 11:17:41 PM |
By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch Specialist
I wanted to start off by sending a warm greeting to all of you Torch readers from Cork, Ireland while I enjoy this pint of Guinness. Last week I shared with you some of my "wrestling experiences" from traveling the world. This week, I wanted to share some more stories and memorable moments I have witnessed in my travels that have illustrated how popular wrestling is across the globe.
Interestingly, today I picked up a flyer from our hotel advertising a federation called Rampage American Wrestling. Apparently they are running a major event this Halloween in Cork featuring Eugene, Gangrel, Tatanka, Scotty 2 Hotty and Joey Matthews. Obviously this company is not worried about any trademark infringements because I would guess most of these names are WWE property. The featured attractions of this event will be none other than Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Sunny! I am sure Shawn Michaels would get a good laugh at looking at this flyer. The local malls over here have some really cool wrestling merchandise and some extremely hard to find WWE DVDs. It appears that the Irish love their wrestling as so many do from all over the world.
5. Portugal is DX Rated
In the early nineties, I stopped watching WWF for a few years because I had grown disgusted by the Hulkamania act, which I had never enjoyed. Ironically, in 1997, I became hooked on wrestling again, thanks mainly to the NWO and my shock at seeing the man I hated as a child suddenly playing a character I loved. While Hollywood Hulk Hogan may have reintroduced me to wrestling fandom, it was when I switched the channel to WWF Raw is War and saw another wrestler I was not too fond of as a child playing an arrogant, obnoxious and incredibly cool rebel with the best entrance I had ever seen, that I became a WWF fan again. It was Shawn Michaels and the original DX, still my favorite thing in all my years as a wrestling fan. Last year, I was in Lisbon, Portugal, and just walking down the streets and seeing wrestling merchandise displayed on walls of little shops everywhere made me realize that wrestling was extremely popular there. The most interesting moment was when I sat down on a park bench to relax for a bit. When I saw the bench next to me, I saw in green spraypaint the letters "DX" on the seat. While I did not enjoy the latest goofy version of DX, seeing those letters that made me a WWF fan again made me smile.
4. Making up for lost time in Thailand
My favorite wrestler growing up was "The Macho Man" Randy Savage. Unfortunately, when I was a child, my parents hated wrestling and would never take me to any events nor buy me any of the cool toys and tee shirts I wanted. Luckily, as an adult, I have been to many landmark wrestling shows and purchased cool memorabilia. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Bangkok, Thailand and it was one of the greatest vacations of my life. The exquisite food and the breathtaking temples were unforgettable. One thing I did not imagine when I planned this trip was the popularity of wrestling in the country. Shirts featuring WWE Superstars could be found everywhere from shops to the street vendors. Being an attorney, it would be fun to represent WWE trying to fight off all of the illegal merchandise that is being hawked off there. Legality aside, it was an awesome sight seeing the extent of the popularity of guys like Batista, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Undertaker all the way across the world. The best part was when I went to a mall and I ran into a store full of only wrestling memorabilia. This place was a wrestling fan's dream as you could find everything from classic tapes and DVD's to shirts from the last two decades. What caught my eye however was an old wrestling figure of my childhood idol "The Macho Man." It was an immobile rubber figure that the WWF used to market in the late eighties. My parents never bought me one as a child but who could have imagined that I would find that figure I craved so many years later ten thousand miles away from home.
3. Magical moment at the Mini-Taj
Earlier this year, I was traveling around India, home of the Great Khali. By the way, for those of you who do not know, Kali is a Hindu goddess associated with death and destruction, which is a bit disturbing when you realize that Khali had accidentally killed a man in the ring before. The moment I am about to describe, however, has nothing to do with the macabre and everything to do with magic. I am sure everybody knows about the legendary Taj Mahal, considered the most beautiful building in the world. I have been there and I can testify to that fact, but not too many people know that a few hundred miles away in a city called Aurangabad there is a smaller version of the famous structure and it is known as the Mini-Taj. When I was walking around the grounds of the landmark a few months ago, I had a surreal encounter. Some random young child no older than seven walked up to me and started asking me where I was from and what life is like in the United States. Amazingly, he was wearing a WWE hat and soon we were talking about wrestling. As I mentioned last week, wrestling is huge in India and widely covered on television and other media outlets. When I asked him who his favorite wrestler was he said it was Shawn Michaels. Then he demonstrated a superkick in the air talking about how cool the move was. HBK is my favorite wrestler of all time so this was especially remarkable. Two people who grew up twenty years apart on opposite sides of the globe run into each other in a mythical setting and we both share the same favorite wrestler. I watched Michaels growing up in the late eighties and this kid is watching him at the end of the first decade of the two-thousands. It is not only a testament to the Showstopper's incredible longevity as a top performer, but also shows that WWE stars are icons around the world. For me, personally, it was simply a magical moment.
2. Icon vs. Icon
Growing up as a child, my ultimate dream was to attend a Wrestlemania. The first Wrestlemania I ever saw was when I rented Wrestlemania 3 from my local video store. I would wake up early in the morning and play the tape over and over again, awestruck by the spectacle. In 2002, when I heard that Wrestlemania 18 would be coming to Toronto, only a few hours drive from my hometown in Michigan, me and my friends immediately bought tickets. We had no idea who would be main eventing the show but the sheer idea of going to the event thrilled us. I will never forget the day Hulk Hogan stood in the ring on Raw and The Rock came out to challenge him for the ultimate dream match. My buddies and I nearly blew the roof off the place, realizing we would be part of history. Speaking of blowing the roof off the place, those of you who were in the Skydome that unforgettable night, remember that we were part of something truly special. I put this moment on this list because I am not sure an American crowd could have delivered a similar reaction, but the uniquely passionate and rebellious Canadian fans helped create a dramatic masterpiece. I was never a Hogan fan as a child, but watching the returning legend in action that day and the time capsule he put that audience through proved to me that he is the greatest showman in the history of the industry. Even I was screaming like a little girl at a Hannah Montana concert when he started Hulking up. There was a surreal atmosphere in the air that electrified the massive crowd into an absolute frenzy the likes of which I have never seen. It was the ultimate in escapist entertainment and what wrestling is all about.
1. The worldwide mania of WrestleMania
Wrestlemania 18 provided me with one of the greatest moments in my life. The ensuing years, I knew I had to recreate the magic. I have been to six of the last seven Wrestlemanias, missing only 19. Viewing the pride and pageantry of the biggest show in wrestling is one of the highlights of my year. While attending the show itself is always spectacular, the greatest part of Wrestlemania week is meeting fans from all over the world. I have made some of my closest friends during these experiences and the passion and dedication that the WWE's overseas fans have is incredible. The sheer global scope of the event is colossal. This year in Orlando, for example, there were people dressed as wrestlers with signs welcoming travelers to Wrestlemania. Even though ratings are down, the popularity of the company's top event has increased through the years. The fact that fans are willing to spend thousands of dollars to come across the world to enjoy it shows what a grand spectacle it is. I encourage all of you to attend a Wrestlemania at least once. You will not only be part of wrestling history, but you will also meet people from all over the world that share the same common love of the Mania.
In conclusion, I wanted to address last week's audio update when Wade mentioned that wrestling often is perceived as not "cool." That is true and it is unfortunate because when wrestling is at its best, it is the ultimate form of entertainment, as it combines the athleticism of sports with the drama of movies. I hope my articles from the last two weeks illustrate what a mammoth scale of popularity wrestling enjoys. When I am traveling the world, rarely will I see a Tom Brady or Alex Rodriguez jersey, but you can find the likeness of wrestlers everywhere. While it is a sad fact, that many wrestling fans are uneducated and do not exactly present the product in the best light, I feel that if you showcase your love of wrestling both enthusiastically and intelligently, people will see it as cool. Perception aside, nobody can doubt the fact that wrestling is an artform that is here to stay and is loved all over the world.
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