WrestleMania Axxess, A Fan Convention Where You Are Part of the Experience

Hello everyone! This was an article originally written for Journalism class that I decided to publish online. Hope you all enjoy it.

(Photo above: Matt Bloom, currently known as Tensai, poses with a fan at WrestleMania Axxess)

WrestleMania Axxess: A Fan Convention Where You Are Part of the Experience

By: Kalind Patel

Every year during the early spring, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) holds an event called WrestleMania. WrestleMania originated in 1985, and emanated from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The inaugural WrestleMania had the main event of Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndoff. The event became such a success that it led to more WrestleMania events throughout the years. The events took place throughout the United States, and twice in Canada. This past April, WrestleMania 29 took place at MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Jets and New York Giants of the NFL. The days before WrestleMania, WWE hosted a fan axxess event called WrestleMania Axxess (which has been a staple of WrestleMania weekend since the early 21^st century). During Axxess, WWE superstars and Divas would meet and greet the fans. This year’s Axxess event took place at the Izod Center, which was right across the street of MetLife Stadium, and lasted from Thursday night up to Sunday afternoon. People who attended this year’s Axxess were not only from the New York and New Jersey area, but some came from areas such as Boston and Virginia.

The WWE superstars that appeared were retired pro-wrestlers, performers who weren’t on top billing, or NXT Superstars from NXT Wrestling (WWE’s developmental program). The “main eventers” such as John Cena, Triple H, Sheamus, along with many more were only accessible to attendees who paid a VIP ticket. Majority of the people who attended Axxess paid general admission, but for those who were VIP ticket holders not only got to meet the top stars, they also had access to visit the backstage area and stand on the entrance stage. Other than a "meet and greet" with fans, there were also a Q&A session inside the arena floors where the WWE superstar would answer questions submitted by the fans to the moderator. One of the superstars that did a Q&A session was Ryback, and when he was asked the question, “Where did the phrase ‘Feed Me More’ come from?”, Ryback responded that “Feed Me More has nothing to do with food, but rather a mantra of him wanting to get better and as a way of saying, “show me what you got”.

Activities that took place besides meet and greets, and Q&As were watching live matches from NXT talents, visiting table events from names such as National Guard, 92.3 NOW, The Star-Ledger, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and purchasing merchandise from the concession stands. Overall, the staff at the Izod Center was generally friendly, and the WWE superstars were very polite with their fans. Although lines were long for pictures and autographs, if you are a dedicated professional wrestling fan, it’s definitely worth the wait. The experience can be referred to as a “once in a decade” experience, since WrestleMania will generally come to the New York area every 10 years.