(no subject)
So, our for Backlash seats were awesome. We were technically second row, but sat directly next to the timekeeper and ring announcers. Security was pretty lax at the Dunkin Donuts Center, though that wasn't a bad thing. Mauro and his friend were able to come down and hang out with us ringside befor ethe show, which would take an act of God at the Banknorth garden. I really like getting close enought to see how the whole production is run, it's fascinating. We learned that (horror of horrors!) wrestling is fake! ;-) Lara saw that the timekeeper had a list of who was going to win each match BEFORE the show started :-) He guarded this thing like it was the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. We also discovered that the sweet-seeming and personable ring announcer Lillian spends most of her time yelling at the timekeeper or texting on her blackberry during big matches. Boooo! The timekeeper was a very nice guy who let people takes photos of the championship belts he was holding and chatted amiably after the show, whereas the announcers blew off everyone. He informed Lara that he got yelled at over the headset for ringing the bell at the wrong time (apparently, even though he knows who will win, he doesn;t know "how" and has to make sure the bell is rung immediately after the ref's hand hits 3. (when he miscued, Lillian gave him hell). He also seems to serve as an assistant production manager, cueing the talent.
The show was phenomenal. Three world title changes (for each ofthe three WWE TV show brands) and a host of other good matches. We found that Lara and I may be on the "crowd reaction shot" for the DVD as, during a Bugs Bunny-esque exchange between a man-in-drag funnyman Santino Marella and a seven foot Punjabi loverboy The Great Khali, the cameraman was trained right on us for the particularly silly "reveal" as we stared slack-jawed. So, um, yeah, we'll see :-)
We were also in the most active corner as Shane McMahon was thrown into our area, then struck with a steel chair about a foot away from us by Cody (son-of-a-son-of-a-plumber) Rhodes. Shane and Lara had a *moment*, and she is allowed to leave me for him... he's a billionaire and heir to the empire, after all. We also got buzzed by the night's main eventers, John Cena and Edge (not the U2 guitar player) as they brawled through the crowd.
Things that were cool:
* Batista, the 6'8" muscleman, has perhaps the most impressive human physique I've ever seen, since once I saw him up close all I could say was "holy sh*t".
* Christian winning the ECW title. It was the first televised match of the show and the main reason Lara wanted to go. Every match on the card was good (which is rare) but this one stood out and had a happy ending for Christians and his Peeps.
* Stunts! In the end of their match, John Cena was thrown into a giant spotlight, causing a huge pyrotechnic reaction that left the spotlight in flames. People ask why I like wrestling so much but don't really care for baseball, boxing, MMA, etc. If boxing added pyro-rigged stunts, I'd watch.
* seeing meowmoto 's lost twin Ricky 'the Dragon' Steamboat! Even though he lost, it was a real treat to see his "One More Match" and join in the chant of "You still got it!"
*The dark (non-televised) match of Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler. I always like the dark matches; they're simple, fun and only seen by people in the arena.
The card!
-Kofi Kingston d. Dolph Ziggler
-Christian d. Jack Swagger for ECW Championship (Yay!)
-Kane d. CM Punk (boo!)
-Jeff Hardy d. Matt Hardy in an "I Quit" match (Jeff won this match by gaff-taping his brother to a table and threatening to leap off a ladder on him. Matt quit and Jeff did it anyway. Boys will be boys)
-Santina Marella (aka Santino in drag) d. Beth Phoenix to retain the Miss Wrestlemania title (after Khali bopped Beth on the head a la Andre the Giant in "Princess Bride"... Fezzik, jog his memory.)
- Randy Orton, Ted Dibiase jr. and Cody Rhodes d. Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon (Orton was awarded the WWE championship in this match due to a series of events too complicated to go into)
- Edge d. John Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match (Cena was thrown into the spotlight by the Big Show, who could throw a Buick if he wanted)
All in all, the show was a lot of fun and we had a great time!