I loved WWE (then WWF) throughout my younger years. Beginning with Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling cartoon, it sparked when the Hulkster beat the monster of a man, King Kong Bundy, in the ominous, blue-barred steel cage. It grew when the Macho Man Randy Savage, Bret “The Hitman Hart”, and the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels proved that there was more to wrestling than giants making scary faces. It was taken to the next level with the groundbreaking talent and personalities of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Rob Van Dam. I learned the meaning of “love to hate” because of Mr. McMahon. WWE was a part of me.
Then life happened. Work, dating, friends, more work, marriage, kids. I kept missing more and more episodes of RAW and Smackdown until I didn’t “miss” it anymore. I slowly aged out of the key demographic of WWE fans.
I never forgot WWE though. I knew one day, my kids would be old enough to attend a WWE event.
I finally had that chance on a recent Monday. WWE was coming into town and my oldest kid was old enough. I bought tickets knowing she would love the experience. The theatrics of the entrances, the music, the pyro, and the Titantron would be enough for her. Everything else would be a bonus. I was playing with house money, knowing there was almost no way this could go wrong.
However, I didn’t know what to expect out of the WWE experience. It’s been so many years since I attended a RAW or Smackdown event. I knew it would be good, but the event far surpassed my expectations.
WWE is a great deal when it comes to ticket prices. We got excellent seats facing the Titantron for significantly less than I expected to pay.
WWE had already won me over on the ticket prices, so I went right over to WWE Shop and searched for a T-shirt for myself now that I was already paying less than I expected. Much to my surprise, they had merchandise for at least 20 superstars from my era for me to browse through, including a Yokozuna tee shirt. Yokozuna!!
If you are interested, I got myself a Macho Man Randy Savage and an Austin 3:16 tee shirt, both on sale. WWE, you sly dog, you really know how to appeal to a penny pinching Dad.
Merchandise at the event was a big hit. I knew my kid would want to get something there, so I promised to get her a T-shirt from the merchandise booth. Naturally, she also ended up with a doll, a chain for both her and her younger sibling, and a Shawn Michaels DX Funko Pop, which she snuck in at the end (but how am I saying no to my kid asking me for Shawn Michaels merch?).
I did say no to the replica WWE Women’s Championship. That will have to wait for another day.
My kid loves gymnastics. I had a hunch she would be locked into the matches, especially the women’s matches. She was able to recognize the gymnastics craft in a lot of the moves. I saw the pride she had as she realized she not only knew, but could also do the basic gymnastics techniques in order to pull off the moves.
Between the entrances with the pyro and theatrics, the exciting, fast-paced matches, and larger than life personality traits such as Bianca Belair’s boa constrictor-like braid and Brock Lesnar’s sheer size, she was absolutely hooked.
I was locked in too. As a lapsed fan, I had no preconceived notions of who would win each match, which added a layer of excitement.
The most surprising aspect of the night, which I hadn’t given any thought to beforehand, was the fan community. WWE is probably the best fan experience of any live sporting event, because we’re all rooting for the same team. Fans may differ on which superstars they like the best, but everyone in attendance is rooting for the same thing, an exciting show.
WWE unity brings out the best in people, a fact that I experienced just within my seating area. A woman sitting next to us gave my daughter high-fives all night long, especially after the women’s matches. When she asked who her favorite superstar was, my daughter’s answer of Carmella shocked the woman a bit. Carmella is a bad guy, but as my daughter explained, one of our cats is also named Carmella.
There were two men sitting in front of me, probably brothers or life long friends, one of which was definitely military. They each had their sons with them, and I could tell they were in the same situation as me, lapsed fans taking their kids to their first event. Within that small area of seats, three fathers were each taking a child to their first event. We were all having the same experience. The kids were learning about WWE for the first time, and the dad’s were experiencing the nostalgia of childhood while suspending disbelief, with no guess as to how the matches would end.
My first Monday Night RAW with my kid was a memory I’ll hold onto forever. It was a great night to be a Dad. I knew I really knocked this one out of the park when first thing Tuesday morning, the gymnastics mats were getting set up and the flips looked a whole lot crisper! I’m not rushing my second child to grow up quickly, but I am looking forward to the night she gets to attend her first WWE event.