My Insane 2016 WrestleMania Experience

WrestleMania week officially came to an end on Monday and WWE closed another successful chapter in its impressive history. They came to Dallas with promises to make this year the biggest WrestleMania yet and they delivered.

A record-breaking 101,763 fans filled AT&T Stadium to see the biggest spectacle in sports entertainment, which has become a staple in pop culture.

WWE pulls out the big guns during their company’s biggest week and makes sure to create a heaven-like atmosphere for all of their fans and deliver an economic boom to the hosting city. Being someone who has attended Final Fours, National Championships, the Kentucky Derby and a plethora of other events, there is nothing like the atmosphere of WrestleMania. It’s a thrill for the fans and for the talent as well.

Kevin Owens, who had entered WrestleMania as the Intercontinental Champion, had spent the previous 15-years in the independent circuit and was finally experiencing his first WrestleMania as a member of the roster.

“When I was 11-years-old, the first WWE tape I watched was WrestleMania XI and that’s what made me want to be a wrestler. Then during WrestleMania XXX, I bought a ticket to go to the show and was sitting by myself,” Owens said. “Then during WrestleMania 31, I was brought by WWE as a part of NXT and I remember watching Seth [Rollins] win the title and thinking ‘All I want is next year to be called up the day after WrestleMania. A month later I was wrestling John Cena. It’s a pretty incredible feeling. My entire family is going to all be there for it so it’s going to a very special experience.”

It was even more special due to the fact that Owens was going to be in a match with long-time friend Sami Zayn, which would be a first for him as well. The two Canadians came up the ranks with each other and have a feud, which has become one of the most enjoyable rivalries in WWE.

For some talent, WrestleMania can be heartbreak because it’s the goal of every person on the roster to get on the card in that show and if it doesn’t happen, it stings. One man knows that feeling all too well: Neville. He’s coined “The man who gravity forgot” and a few weeks before WrestleMania, he broke his ankle. Not to be deterred, the former NXT Champion still made his way to Dallas for WrestleMania Axxess and to experience the weekend’s spectacle.

“I had the option to stay home because I’m injured and I’m not the most mobile right now. Maybe I should have stayed home and rested but this was something I wanted to be a part of because it’s an opportunity to thank the WWE Universe who support us 365 days a year,” Neville said. “It’s a chance to meet them and reflect about what has happened over the past year before moving on.”

The English high-flyer who used to come home from school every day and pop in his “Best of HBK” silver vision VHS and watch it religiously, is optimistic about recovering and getting back to perform for the fans.

“I want the fans to know they haven’t seen anything yet. This is just the start. This is just a chance to reboot and I’m coming back better than they have ever seen before.”

WrestleMania Axxess

The sorrow of missing out on WrestleMania is understandable. It’s hard to not get caught up in the pageantry and atmosphere of WrestleMania week. The entire week is euphoric for the talent and most certainly the fans. There was WrestleMania Axxess, where fans can do meet and greets with their favorite stars, watch live NXT matches, do photo ops with props like climbing the ladder for a Money in the Bank briefcase or dawning a headset and sit at a commentating booth. You can also, visit WWE’s Hall of Fame section filled with ring gear, titles & other iconic props from the past, jump off the top rope into a full-size wrestling ring filled with foam padding, play WWE 2K16, walk down a ramp with their favorite wrestler’s theme playing behind them and many more fun things.

Outside of Axxess is the yearly desired WWE Superstore. It is filled with everything a WWE fan could possibly think of or want. Tons of wrestler’s shirts, action figures, collective mugs, vinyl pops, posters, autographed memorabilia, replica championship titles and more. The traction this store received was something you’d expect on Black Friday. It was here, where I actually ran into Linda McMahon, WWE’s First Lady. Obviously, meeting Vincent K. McMahon’s wife and such an important figure in WWE lure, you have to get a selfie. She obliged at my ridiculous request before she continued around the room interacting with fans.

As soon as fans would exit the Superstore, they would be near the booth WWE portrait artist Rob Schamberger was occupying as he was painting a portrait of WrestleMania’s main event between Triple H and Roman Reigns live and selling his impressive prints to fans.

NXT TakeOver: Dallas

If you’re not familiar with NXT on the WWE Network, you’re missing out on one of the most enjoyable products in entertainment and in pro wrestling. Like most, I had only watched from home and even there, I could hear the raucous crowd’s enjoyment and chants during the show where some of the best performers around the world showcased their talent. I can say this with the upmost certainty. It doesn’t do it justice. Being in that crowd is powerful.

On that Friday night in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, I saw matches that tore the roof off and was deafened by chants and cheers. When American Alpha won the NXT Tag Titles for the first time during the PPV’s opening bout, the crowd chanted “You deserve it” as Jason Jordan and Chad Gable was overcome with pure joy.

However, the next match featured one of the biggest highlights of the weekend for many fans including myself. It was the debut of legendary Japanese wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura. The man had so much style and swag that most of the women in that arena wanted to be with him and the guys wanted to be him. He proceeded to put on a 5-star match with Sami Zayn. The crowd was so loud that I couldn’t hear the person next to me but what could be heard was the “Fight forever” and “This is wrestling” chants echoing throughout the arena.

After that, we got to see NXT Women’s champion Bayley lose to Asuka, which resulted in Izzy, the 9-year-old Bayley super fan falling to the floor beside me and a flood of tears consuming her as her parents tried to console her.

NXT TakeOver concluded with a championship bout between Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. Balor would retain in an incredible match, where Joe’s face was filled with a constant flow of “color.” The crowd was split on who to cheer for but most people in the audience will remember Balor’s entrance over anything else. He came out dressed in “The Demon” paint swinging a chainsaw…A CHAINSAW to pay tribute to the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in front of the Dallas crowd. You got to love those type of theatrics.

“The Show”

Nothing prepares you for the WrestleMania experience. It’s pure adrenaline and it feels like electricity shooting through your veins. Last year in Santa Clara, I got my first taste of sports entertainment’s biggest spectacle and I was hooked but to have a chance to be in AT&T Stadium with a record-breaking crowd of over 100,000 fans, well, that’s something special in itself.

Hours before the show started, there was a festival-like atmosphere with people tailgating in the parking lot of the stadium; drinking, grilling, playing games and blasting WWE themes from their stereos. You had this wild scene of fans taking selfies with their replica titles over their shoulder and everyone dressed in WWE shirts and even in in-ring gear and costumes. One of my personal favorites was a female with a fake Daniel Bryan beard and wrestling gear.

Across the street from the stadium was a Wal-Mart, which is already like a circus to begin with but when WrestleMania comes to town, it takes it to another level of craziness. The entire store was filled with fans dressed in their gear and colorful characters dawning costumes like “Macho Man” Randy Savage as they bought drinks, coolers and snacks.

Once in the stadium, it took hours for fans to finally get inside as stadium staff wasn’t prepared for the massive amount of fans and only one entrance to the floor. However, once you entered the stadium, seeing that WrestleMania stage and huge screen hanging from the roof over the ring, you could not help but be impressed with the vision WWE continues to possess.

The Card

Kicking things off with the 7-man Intercontinental Championship ladder match was like a burst of expresso. There were tons of high spots from the ladders and bodies flying all over the place. The fans were invested in Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s scraps in the ring because of the backstory but there were two moments that were truly special. The first was Stardust [Cody Rhodes] pulling out a polka dot ladder in honor of his late father, wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes. Finally, the other was the pure unexpected winner in Zack Ryder. The lovable underdog got the fans emotional and thrilled.

A.J. Styles and Chris Jericho put on a wrestling clinic before Jericho finally pulled out the win. The fans expressed shock yet again from Styles dropping his WrestleMania debut.

After a tag match between the League of Nations and The New Day, AT&T Stadium went bonkers when Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and Stone Cold Steve Austin made an appearance. The teenager in me couldn’t comprehend seeing Austin again. I was lost in the moment, hearing that theme of glass shattering. All three would pull off their finishers on the League of Nations to huge pops. However, the stadium came unglued after Austin jokingly danced with Xavier Woods and then ultimately delivered a stunner and ended it with drinking several beers.

The match that stole the show was between Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch for the women’s championship and that beautifully new designed title. The entire stadium wanted Banks to win the title. Everyone felt this was her moment and the loud pops became even louder when her cousin, Snoop Dog, came out to her theme and introduce her. Charlotte, the reigning Divas champion, paid tribute to her father, Ric Flair, by wearing a flamboyant robe while pyros shot off beautifully behind her.

Charlotte would win the match and the air was sucked out of the building. However, these three women gave such an amazing performance that it did wonders for women’s wrestling.

When the cell started to lower from the rafters, everyone knew things were about to get crazy during the Shane McMahon and Undertaker match. Undertaker’s entrance is the most unique and fun entrances in WWE history so that was a blast.

The anticipation of this match stemmed from one thing and one thing only. We knew McMahon will jump off of anything. Midway through the match, while Undertaker was laid out on a table, the entire arena stood up as McMahon started climbing the cell. We immediately got our phones out in the press room and as soon as McMahon said a prayer and jumped from the top of hell in a cell, we all lost our marbles trying to comprehend the insanity.

The rest of the night was highlighted by The Rock coming out with a flame thrower and announcing the attendance record being broken and giving us some hilarious one-liners on the Wyatt family and surprising us with an unexpected match as he pulled off his sweats to reveal his ring gear. As a life-long fan of The Rock and admitted man crush, I stood the entire time acting like a giddy goof and John Cena returning to help him take on the Wyatt family was icing on the cake.

Most importantly, the thrill of the night was the WWE Champion Triple H’s entrance and the amazing promo by his wife Stephanie McMahon. The showmanship, music and epic dialogue was something out of a Hollywood film.

Many fans may have booed at Roman Reigns defeating Triple H to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion but it was very cool to see Reigns inadvertently spear Stephanie McMahon and deliver his finisher to Triple H to get that “WrestleMania moment.” The critics boos were deafening, which made Reigns smirking while holding the WWE Championship in the air all the more entertaining. As an admitted fan of Reigns, I was the lone wolf among the media that was happy that Reigns is now “The guy.”

Regardless of the matches’ outcomes, fans from around the world embark on this yearly journey to partake in WrestleMania and it’s an experience that WWE loves to deliver and one that fans will never forget.

Get your WrestleMania moment.

Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports, a surfing enthusiast, an avid basketball fan, a pro wrestling connoisseur and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or “like”CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.