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WWE event an eye-opener for reporter

By: Allison Grant Posted: 10/10/07 7:06pm

If someone told me a couple of weeks ago that I would be attending a pro wrestling event, I would have laughed. Then I would have refered that person to Matt Bishop, the State News hockey reporter who loves wrestling.

I guess the joke is on me however, as I attended WWE Smackdown at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night.

I’ll try anything once, so when a friend offered up a free night in a suite at Joe Louis Arena during this coveted wrestling event, you better believe I took it.
Honestly, it was fun. Everything about it is fake – from the bad acting to the nicknames (The Undertaker?), to the moves and hits – but it was still fun to see how the wrestlers pulled it off.

Also, seeing the type of crowd that the WWE pulls rivals any country concert I have ever been to. Quality/hilarious people watching is always a good time in my book.

The only wrestler I had even remotely heard of, The Undertaker – who stands at almost seven – feet tall and weighs 305 pounds – faced off with a wrestler who didn’t even come up to his chest, and probably weighed around 220 pounds. Who the heck came up with that matchup? Obviously The Undertaker won the fight, without really trying, and with a whole bunch of acting involved.

That was the only match I really remember, because The Undertaker was the only name I semi-recognized. I was distracted the rest of the time by the deli and desert trays and the endless supply of beverages.

All in all, while I don’t plan on going out of my way to attend another pro wrestling event, or to even watch it on TV, I am glad I got to experience it once. The over-the-top theatrics and ostentatious set displays were something only a bunch of steroid filled men in tights could pull off.

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