Full disclosure: I am a huge wrestling fan and I am unashamed to profess my appreciation for it. I’ve been watching wrestling since 1999 and while I have love for many sports, wrestling is truly near and dear to my heart. While the popularity of certain companies such as WWE have seen a decline since the 90s, the product itself is still rolling strong and my love for wrestling has not waned. One of my dreams in life was to attend a WrestleMania one day. I am pleased to announce that this past April, I attended my first-ever Wrestlemania in New Orleans and it was one of the greatest experiences in my entire life. Never have I ever been a part of such an environment where I truly felt that I was accepted and normal. Among the sounds and sights of the event were plenty of photo opportunities and I am pleased to give you some of my favorite shots of my WrestleMania weekend.
Photo #1: Xavier Woods
Xavier’s Stats:
- 4x WWE Raw/SmackDown Tag Champion
- Has a PhD in educational psychology
- Hosts a video game channel called UpUpDownDown which currently sits at 1.5 million subscribers.
Meeting Xavier was really cool. This was at Barcadia in New Orleans. He didn’t mind kicking it with the fans at all there. He held a big video game challenge in which the winners would receive tickets to Wrestlemania and Wrestlemania Axxess. He’s definitely a cool person to talk to.
Photo #2: Carlito
Carlito Stats:
- WWE US Champion
- WWE Intercontinental Champion
- 2-time WWE/World Tag Team Champion
Carlito outside the ring is a person that has a very relaxed vibe. Once a cocky, abrasive superstar, Carlito has evolved into a more calm individual. He had a good, friendly aura about himself and he seemed genuinely happy to take a picture. Taken on Bourbon Street.
Photo #3: Ricochet
Ricochet’s Stats:
- 3-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion(New Japan)
- Best of the Super Juniors Trophy(New Japan)
- 2-time Battle of Los Angeles Winner(PWG)
- PWG World Championship(PWG)
This picture is completely near and dear to my heart as Ricochet is one of my favorite wrestlers in the world and one of the most talented. He is a current wrestler in WWE NXT a sub-brand of WWE but filled with arguably the best talent in the company. I enjoy watching his high-flying style but he also contains a deceptive set of power moves for a wrestler of his size. Extremely accommodating person to meet. He is shorter than I expected but he also in tremendous shape. By Ricochet being one of my top-5 favorite superstars, and being extremely exciting to be around, this picture is even more special to me.
Photo 4: Lita
Lita’s Stats:
- 4x WWE Women’s Champion
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2014)
Oh how sweet this picture is. This was taken during WrestleMania Axxess weekend, which is essentially a huge wrestling convention. This was the portion where you can get autographs from most of the WWE Superstars. The more popular superstars would have the longer lines, such as Ms. Lita here. I remember standing in line for an hour to get this picture and the wait was well worth it. Lita is someone that doesn’t need a career recap. But hey this is my blog so I’m gonna do it anyway! Lita is a true groundbreaker of WWE’s Women’s Revolution. The rivalry that ensued with Trish Stratus would go down as one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history. As an….unconventional valet of brothers Jeff and Matt Hardy, Lita wasn’t just a simple ringside manager. She constantly ingratiated herself into the action whether it was against the boys or the girls. Lita has garnered the respect of fans and fellow wrestlers alike no matter what the gender. Meeting Lita was awesome but it was pretty apparent that she had a long day. There were legions of fans waiting to meet Lita as she did tons of autographs and pictures. This is the picture that is the most special to me overall.
Got any WrestleMania memories that you are fond of? Let me know in the comments below.
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