MNINAWA NTLOKO: Throngs of memorabilia-covered fans add glitz to WrestleMania extravaganza
Try telling the devout that the event is scripted and they will tell you where to get off
The image of a grizzled gentleman and his elderly wife proudly brandishing their WWE replica belts outside MetLife Stadium in New Jersey a few days ago will remain etched in my memory for the rest of my days. The occasion was WrestleMania 35, wrestling entertainment’s most sacred night, and the fans had descended on the US city in their thousands, many of them dripping with WWE memorabilia from head to toe. I’ve seen wrestling shows on e.tv and SuperSport over the years but nothing prepared me for the spectacle on April 7. More than 82,000 wrestling fans of all ages, races, shapes and sizes excitedly descended on the home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets, creating an exhibition of glitz and colour second to none. The replica WWE belts were everywhere and the fact they cost up to R15,000 clearly meant very little to these devout followers. The elderly couple I saw when we arrived at the gigantic American football stadium were by no means a rarity — many other senior ...
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