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| The most Philly sign of the night Photo Credit: Nick Menta |
A gentleman who brought a questionable placard lets a couple parked in the vehicle next to him use his spraypaint so they could put together matching signs: "Marry me?" on the one and "NO!" on the other. This was apparently a running joke between the two of them, although it seemed a lot funnier to her than him. You can guess who was holding which sign. Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee could take lessons from these two.
Another 50 yards down, there are some port-o-potties that have the unmistakable smell of weed. Goldust's entrance theme has been playing on and off for a while. It's at least 90 degrees out, and no one is sober.
This is the shaded section at the corner of the Wells Fargo Center parking lot that sits under I-95.
Still, in other places there are kids in John Cena sweatbands playing catch with their dads, families barbecuing both before and after they stand in line at the merchandise trailer.
This is not Jack Swagger's America. It's Vince McMahon's.
E-C-DUB, OR, I'll Be Able to Vote in Another Six Years and Drink in 10
The diversity -- I use this term semi-loosely -- of the crowd at a WWE event is never any less than stunning. Live events are simultaneously family outings and opportunities for anyone from ages 20 to 50 to double-fist $10 beers while dressed like Randy Savage.
The original ECW ceased operation in 2001. That's about the same year many of these young fans now watching the product were born.
This is especially relevant at a pay-per-view in Philadelphia on the night Rob Van Dam makes his return in a ladder match. Speaking of which...
WWBAD? What Would Bill Alfonso Do?
Two buddies of mine who pulled the Phillies-White Sox-Money in the Bank double-dip were down at the complex early enough to see some of talent shaking hands, signing autographs and taking pictures outside their buses.
As Van Dam was walking toward the building, one of them yelled, "RVD, is Fonzie going to be here tonight?"
Van Dam turned around, crouched, held out his hand, and drew a straight line down it with his other hand.
Right... down... the middle.
John Cena Is a Mid-1900s Mexican Union Leader
In a reasonable world, John Cena's mixed reaction is exactly that. After years of being booed and cheered, the writing team and announcers finally had to acknowledge it, and they worked it into Cena's character.
One group is chanting. "Let's Go, Cena!" because they love Superman, and another is chanting "Cena Sucks" because they love Batman. And because "Same Old Shit" isn't PG.
I thought this dichotomy was actually the case. Many of you probably thought so, too. Maybe in some places, this is still the case.
But one section to my right is a Caucasian man, with his hair in dreadlocks, wearing a Mike Vick jersey, starting -- along with the rest of the section -- both choruses. He's chanting "Let's go, Cena" and "Cena Sucks," as if his goal was not to support or jeer Cena's character, but simply to perpetuate the narrative.
After years of working in a company that co-opts, overexposes and subsequently kills all that was one spontaneous, John Cena has successfully managed the same off the basic premise that "some people like him" and "some people don't."
This guy should be teaching cognitive dissonance in Intro to Philosophy classes around the country, and I'm not talking about Cena.
Maria, Believe Me, I Like It Loud
Loudest pops:
1. Daniel Bryan
2. RVD (chants all night)
3. CM Punk
4. Randy Orton
5. Dolph Ziggler
6. Chris Jericho
7. Cody Rhodes
Loudest Boos:
1. John Cena
2. Sheamus
I always thought of South Philadelphia as extension of Canada for wrestling purposes, but as it turns out, there's just a lot more cheering than booing across the board.
No, you can't make everyone happy all the time, but Vince McMahon has certainly come as close as anyone.