Magic, Memories, and Mania - WrestleMania 28 Weekend
By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch specialist

When I was growing up during the Hulkamania era, wrestlers were larger-than-life and the mere thought of meeting my heroes was but a fantasy. Always a fan of the heels, I looked up to Randy Savage, Jesse Ventura, etc. Little did I know that when I would grow up that I would meet nearly every major wrestler of the past 25 years. This week, I have been watching the WrestleMania 28 DVD. I was there live at the show in Miami so it was fun to watch the event with commentary and close-ups. Unfortunately, what the DVD did not display was an adequate look behind-the-scenes of what it is like to be there during WrestleMania Week. I will look to provide that in this edition of Magic, Memories, and Mania.

AT THE HOTEL WITH THE WRESTLERS

I call it Mania Week because WrestleMania really has become a week-long event packed with festivities that bring wrestling-lovers closer to their favorite Superstars. I have been to WrestleMania for ten out of the last eleven years, and each time, I had the unique experience of staying at the same hotel as the wrestlers. This year, my friends and I checked into the Intercontinental Hotel, a supposed luxury establishment overlooking the bay in Downtown Miami. As we entered, we saw Daniel Bryan and Sheamus checking in, although a few days later I would wonder why they bothered! Later that night, I ran into Rima Fakih and John Laurinaitis having drinks. The former Miss USA was nice as can be, as I spoke to her numerous times over the week. Big Johnny was extremely friendly all week, which was obviously aided by the cocktails he was sipping on every time we saw him.




I believe that WrestleMania is the one week where Vince McMahon pays for the lodging of his wrestlers so every Superstar is staying under the same roof. It is an absolutely surreal atmosphere. I was sipping and ordering drinks right next to Ric Flair at the bar, and yes, even after all these years, The Nature Boy parties until the wee hours of the night. John Cena was seen a few times outside the hotel and every time he was seen by fans, he would stop to get pictures and sign autographs for all of them. I met Cena a few times early in his career, and his rapport with fans has been consistent throughout the years. Despite my frustration with him as a performer, one of the reasons he sustains his position as face of WWE is his ability to connect with the people.

On the opposite end of that is the “Pipe Bomb” C.M. Punk. I have run into Punk many times over the years, and he has always been unfriendly, swarmy, and stand-offish. He does not have that engaging personality like Rock, Austin, Hogan, and the really big stars of the industry. A perfect example of his prickly personality was displayed at the WWE Fan Axxess event. I did not attend the convention this year like I had in the past, but many fans paid over a hundred dollars to get a personal picture with the wrestlers. Little did they know that most of the stars were staying down the street, and it would be possible to get photos with many of them for free. One fan stood in line for a picture with the World Champion. Punk recognized him as somebody that regularly gets autograph and pictures so when the guy posed with him, Punk put a hoodie over his head and put his face to the table, hiding himself as the camera snapped their shot. The fan complained and called him a douche and the Straight Edge Superstar got him kicked out of the convention. If Punk wants to take his stardom to the next level, he might need to take a Dale Carnegie course in dealing with people!

Then you have the always cordial Randy Orton. There was a group of fans outside that saw him walk by and they asked for a picture. He told them to wait there until he returned and he would take care of them. Orton came back over an hour later and many of the fans were still there awaiting his promise. He blew them off, and in a classic moment, when a fan reminded him that they were waiting for so long, Orton simply yelled back, “Wait longer!” That was absolutely brilliant! In fact, the wrestlers in general seem to have an apprehension when it comes to interacting with those who come to see them. Perhaps remnants of the kayfabe days still remain, and they want to keep a distance. Another reason, to be frank, is that too many wrestling fans live down to the stereotype of being socially awkward and a little bit creepy.




This is in stark contrast to UFC fighters. I am not an MMA fan, but my friends that are have told me that they are always friendly with their fans. Then again, Ultimate Fighting Championship attracts a cooler demographic and more upscale fan base than WWE. That being said, staying at the WWE hotel always creates an atmosphere that you simply cannot imagine unless you are there.

Unfortunately, due to this desired separation between fans and superstars, security at the hotel was unbelievably rude and confrontational. My friend was kicked out of the hotel simply because he took a photo of me with Miss USA. The security cited a “strict” no-photos rule, despite the fact that there were a row of fans had lined up and taken pictures with her. When we complained about their rude behavior and the fact that we were spending about $3,000 to stay at what was supposed to be a high-class hotel, the head of security smugly replied, “So what? WWE is paying us two million dollars. Who do you think we are going to give priority?” He said this right in front of the hotel manager, who was obviously being bullied around himself by WWE. Sadly, the type of mistreatment we faced at the hotel sorely impacted our vacation. If any of you want an overpriced hotel with horrific customer service, go stay at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami!

THE HALL OF FAME

WWE always has top-notch production values for their shows, and nowhere has this been showcased better than at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony. I have been to this celebration of wrestling history every year since they made it open to fans. Unfortunately, this was probably the worst of the bunch, and it even made me think twice before purchasing a ticket next year. Mike Tyson, as expected, was incoherent for his ten minutes on stage. We wished there was a time limit on Edge’s speech, which included fart jokes and other bad humor catering to Vince. Over the years, I have enjoyed the long speeches and have loved the Hall of Fame ceremony, but this year simply did not live up to their usual high standard of excellence.

WRESTLEREUNION

If you saw the movie "The Wrestler," many of you may recall the disheartening scene at a fan convention of wrestling legends, where the former stars sat there in an empty room trying to sell their memorabilia to a crowd that never arrived. I have been to a few of these wrestling conventions, and, thankfully, it usually is not like that. This year, my friends and I went to the WrestleReunion event in South Beach. We saw people we had not seen in a while like Ahmed Johnson and even Dennis Rodman.

I spent an extended amount of time talking to one of the greatest performers of the eighties, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. He was extremely friendly, and I discussed with him why he was never given the World Championship during his prime. He said that he had enough appeal that he did not need the belt to be an attraction. I also asked him if he had really left the Hall of Fame ring in the hotel room after his induction, and he laughed and admitted that he had. We talked about Hulk Hogan for a bit, and Ordorff mentioned that Hulk was out for himself, but surprisingly he did also say the Hogan was “a good guy.” The best part of all was how healthy he looked after just beating cancer, and I must say I was thrilled to see one of my favorite performers.

THE HOST CITY

When my friends and I learned that WrestleMania would be in Miami, we were thrilled that we would be able to party in South Beach as well as attend the Grandest Stage of Them All on the same week. The host city always seems to roll out the red carpet for WWE and its fans. There is usually a big greetings sign at the airport, and the entire city has all types of events that create a buzz around the spectacle. My friends went to a VIP party on a yacht, where they were able to have long interactions with the McMahons, Triple H, etc. They paid $3,000 to attend the soiree, but none of them had any regrets, as they said it was a lavish affair that they will never forget.

Despite the highlights, I felt that Miami was the least prepared out of all the cities I had watched Mania to host an event of this magnitude. To illustrate this, I must talk about driving to and from the show. After being shocked to see the parking prices were a whopping $40 dollars, we were even more turned off by the awful organization of the stadium exits. It took us nearly three hours to get back to the hotel, a drive which should not have taken longer than 45 minutes. Some attendees had to wait outside until the middle of the night to find transportation back to their lodging. It was an absolute mess.

Not only that, I just did not feel that certain Mania magic in the air that generally takes over a city when the Showcase of the Immortals comes to town. Cities like Detroit, Orlando, and Atlanta did a much better job in setting the stage for wrestling’s biggest pay-per-view.

Overall, it was another memorable week, and if you plan on attending WrestleMania in the future, I strongly suggest that you take advantage of the entire week’s worth of festivities. It can be a wrestling fan’s dream, even though sometimes it turns into a nightmare. I hope to see you there next year, both at the arena and behind-the-scenes.

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Please send questions, comments and feedback to valentino.torch@gmail.com and check out my new book The Showstopper Lifestyle on Amazon. Feel free to add Shawn Valentino on Facebook.

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