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WWE: A Spectacular Spectacle
We did it. We made the trek to Nassau Coliseum to see WWE's Monday Night Raw. It was our first time seeing a wrestling event live--we had no idea what to expect.
Once the agitation from the Long Island traffic wore off, we made our first foray from the car to the vendor set up outside the venue's entrance. Brilliant. Plenty of room and time for customers to make choices, and in some cases, time for more than one trip to buy those "on second thought" purchases.
I was disappointed to see the selection of Roman Reigns t-shirts. I'd planned to buy one but they were ugly. I can find better online. I purchased a Randy Orton/Viper t-shirt instead...And a Randy Orton sweatband, a Roman Reigns autographed poster, and of course the official program. Lots of awesome pictures in there!
Purchases made, we sat on the wall surrounding the courtyard to watch the crowd and wait for the doors to open. But the wind kicked up so fiercely we couldn't keep the sand out of our eyes. We ran back to the car.
When it was time for the doors to open, we ventured back to the courtyard only to find there were two--count them, TWO-- lines to enter the 18,000 seat arena. Both lines stretched for blocks, and merely inched along as the security personnel searched each person. Many people were refused entrance for one reason or another. After nearly an hour it became clear the show would start before we'd make it inside. I suppose it became clear to the powers that be as well, as other doors were finally opened. We were let inside.
Inside the venue we ran into a solid wall of unmoving flesh. The wide corridor was like a subway station at rush hour, bodies shoulder to shoulder, backs pressed into chests, moving at the speed of zombies to their designated sections. Briefly we wondered how quickly we'd be trampled to death if we had the misfortune to slip and fall. By the time we reached our seats the lights were out and the music blaring. But it didn't matter--our seats were perfect, with close views of the stage and ring.
The matches themselves were a little perplexing. As it was broadcast live on the USA channel, the timing was quite different than we'd expected. There was also no running commentary like there is on television, so we didn't always know what was going on, and occasionally the cameras, cameramen, and other wrestlers blocked something we wanted to see. On the other hand, we were privy to some interesting things going on at ringside--and in the ring--that views at home never see.
For example, once the televised portion was over, the audience started leaving. When we go to concerts, people always leave when they think the show is over, rushing to get to their cars to be the first out of the parking lots. The same was true for this event. But we've found our routine works fine. We stay, letting the crowd disburse, and avoiding the mad rush. Often, there are unanticipated benefits--and encore, a chance to catch a few guitar picks...and on this night, we got The Viper--Randy Orton.
The remaining crowd exploded as Randy Orton emerged and sauntered to the ring. His match was exhilarating--and of course he won. Afterwards, he walked around the ring, talking to the lucky patrons on the floor and taking pictures with them, smiling and being very much NOT The Viper.
Once the agitation from the Long Island traffic wore off, we made our first foray from the car to the vendor set up outside the venue's entrance. Brilliant. Plenty of room and time for customers to make choices, and in some cases, time for more than one trip to buy those "on second thought" purchases.
I was disappointed to see the selection of Roman Reigns t-shirts. I'd planned to buy one but they were ugly. I can find better online. I purchased a Randy Orton/Viper t-shirt instead...And a Randy Orton sweatband, a Roman Reigns autographed poster, and of course the official program. Lots of awesome pictures in there!
Purchases made, we sat on the wall surrounding the courtyard to watch the crowd and wait for the doors to open. But the wind kicked up so fiercely we couldn't keep the sand out of our eyes. We ran back to the car.
When it was time for the doors to open, we ventured back to the courtyard only to find there were two--count them, TWO-- lines to enter the 18,000 seat arena. Both lines stretched for blocks, and merely inched along as the security personnel searched each person. Many people were refused entrance for one reason or another. After nearly an hour it became clear the show would start before we'd make it inside. I suppose it became clear to the powers that be as well, as other doors were finally opened. We were let inside.
Inside the venue we ran into a solid wall of unmoving flesh. The wide corridor was like a subway station at rush hour, bodies shoulder to shoulder, backs pressed into chests, moving at the speed of zombies to their designated sections. Briefly we wondered how quickly we'd be trampled to death if we had the misfortune to slip and fall. By the time we reached our seats the lights were out and the music blaring. But it didn't matter--our seats were perfect, with close views of the stage and ring.
The matches themselves were a little perplexing. As it was broadcast live on the USA channel, the timing was quite different than we'd expected. There was also no running commentary like there is on television, so we didn't always know what was going on, and occasionally the cameras, cameramen, and other wrestlers blocked something we wanted to see. On the other hand, we were privy to some interesting things going on at ringside--and in the ring--that views at home never see.
For example, once the televised portion was over, the audience started leaving. When we go to concerts, people always leave when they think the show is over, rushing to get to their cars to be the first out of the parking lots. The same was true for this event. But we've found our routine works fine. We stay, letting the crowd disburse, and avoiding the mad rush. Often, there are unanticipated benefits--and encore, a chance to catch a few guitar picks...and on this night, we got The Viper--Randy Orton.
The remaining crowd exploded as Randy Orton emerged and sauntered to the ring. His match was exhilarating--and of course he won. Afterwards, he walked around the ring, talking to the lucky patrons on the floor and taking pictures with them, smiling and being very much NOT The Viper.
Oh yeah, we took this one.
The night was unexpectedly awesome. As we left the arena we turned to each other and said, "We GOTTA do this again." And we will.
