Here's how stations and newspapers in the Houston-area are covering Wrestlemania:
Houston Chronicle To hear the hype and to believe the bluster, you’d think nothing less than light, goodness and freedom from eternal damnation were on the line in Sunday’s encounter between Shawn Michaels, aka the Heartbreak Kid, and the Undertaker, aka the Deadman from Death Valley, during WrestleMania XXV at Reliant Stadium. Truth be told, it’s really just an old boy from San Antonio, Shawn Michael Hickenbottom, against an old boy from Houston, Mark William Calaway, engaged in the loosely choreographed but nonetheless full-contact representation of competitive athletics that the WWE bills as sports entertainment. Click here to continue.
Why is Wrestlemania 25 in Texas? Obviously, wrestling is huge in Texas, and WWE knows it can draw a crowd. Another reason: some of the most veteran performers comesfrom our state. Here are some Texans to keep an eye on:
John Bradshaw Layfield - The Sweetwater standout turned ACU star defend his Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio. You can count of JBL to deliver a rough, smash-mouth performance in front of his home state. He's proud to be from Texas...and even more proud to have made enough money to move away!
Shawn Michaels - Michaels is definitely one of Texas' favorite sons. He was able to sellout the Alamadome in 1997 and has always bragged about being a Texan. However, cheers from this Houston crowd won't come easy. He'll be fighting for attention with his opponent and other native Texan.
Undertaker - The Undertaker is a Houston native who also has a home in the Austin-area. He'll battle fellow Texan Shawn Michaels. These two have had classic battles of the years and are expected to have one of the night's best matches. Though he's a resident of Houston, he's billed as being from Death Valley, California.
Mark Henry - The 1996 olympian is a product of Silsby, Texas near Austin. Though he's been around wrestling for more than a decade, this will be his biggest Wrestlemania match since his battle with Undertaker at Wrestlemania 22.
Shelton Benjamin - Benjamin isn't from Texas, but he moved here as soon as he could! Benjamin is a product of the University of Minnesota where he was an All-American. He'll be competing in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match where he's shined over the past few years. He's a Houston resident...will a hometown Wrestlemania finally be his big break?
Plenty of Texans to root for at Wrestlemania. Expect Shawn Michaels and Undertaker to have the biggest nights!
Professional wrestling has a rich history in Texas. Throughout time, the business has found great success in the lone star state. Many of wrestling's biggest stars were either born here or developed their careers in Texas.
The night before Wrestlemania, it's tradition to recognize those who have laid the foundation for today's success. This year, it's no surprise that a majority of the inductees are products of Texas. They've all sold out arenas in Abilene and the Big Country.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin - Austin is Texas through-and-through. He was born in Austin, grew up near Houston, and trained as a wrestler in the Dallas area. He spent the early part of his career battling the Von Erichs and Chris Adams before competing in WCW, ECW, and eventually WWE. As part of WWE, he was a six-time world champion and helped bring the business to new heights. His fued with WWE owner Vince McMahon garnered some of cable television's highest ratings. Austin is widely regarded as one of the most important wrestling figures of all-time.
Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr.- The Funk brothers are no strangers to Abilene. The pair was born and raised in Amarillo and made regular stops in the Big Country throughout their careers. Dory was an NWA world champion who may have been most successful as a wrestling trainer. He helped develop current stars like Edge, Christian, Jeff and Matt Hardy, as well as Kurt Angle. Terry Funk remains one of the most popular names in wrestling. Even at 64 years young, Funk will step into the ring and perform. He developed a cult following in his late 50s while wrestling for ECW.
The Von Erichs - Prior to the WWE's rise to the apex of wrestling and the birth of Hulkamania, the Von Erichs may have been wrestling's biggest and brightest stars. Fritz Von Erich was a fairly successful wrestler turned promoter who started World Class Championship Wrestling from the famous Sportatorium in downtown Dallas. His biggest starts were his sons: Kerry, David, Kevin, Mike, and Chris. The Von Erichs managed to win world titles, sell out Texas Stadium, and "wow" crowds across the country. However, they're best known for their tragic end. David died in 1984 from an illness. Mike, Kerry, and Chris all committed suicide. Kevin Von Erich is the sole survivor of the Von Erich sons.
These Texans will be inducted into the HOF alongside other notable names like Ricky Steamboat, Bobo Brazil, Bill Watts, Koko B. Ware, and legendary ring announcer Howard Finkel. The festivities occur this Saturday from Houston's Toyota Center.
WWE brought RAW to Dallas Monday night and continued building this weekend's big matches. Here are my thoughts on how the storylines are coming together after Monday's RAW.
25 Diva Battle Royal While the concept of a 25 diva battle royal doesn't interest me at all, not knowing who some of the competitors are is intriguing. I expect some of the past ladies of the WWE like Trish Stratus and Sunny to show up -- which will make the match fun. The other element to watch is Santino Marella's involvement. There's no doubt he'll make some sort of an appearance. Judging by the reaction he received in Dallas, he's someone everyone loves to hate!
Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, and Jimmy Snuka I think Jericho has done a great job with this angle. The build up has been pretty good. However, it feels like a rerun. Remember, "The Legend Killer" Randy Orton? What's so different about this? I keep waiting for some great legend who still "has it" to come to the rescue of these old folk....Steve Austin? Hulk Hogan? I'm holding out hope someone along those lines will make an appearance Sunday. I'm not sure that I care about Mickey Rourke's role in this angle. To get the audience to care about him, they really need him the show up prior to Mania.
Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena We saw a great segment between Edge and John Cena towards the beginning on RAW. They've always had great chemistry. Unfortunately, they've tainted this angle with the "love triangle" involving Vickie Guerrero. While I think Big Show deserves a main event match, his "push" seemed to come from nowhere. He's the misfit in this matchup. They're working hard to establish him as a dominant force. However, that's tough when he's been getting beat up most of the year. A big win for the Big Show on RAW. I was glad to see Guerrero stay out of the mix!
JBL vs. Rey Misterio This match hasn't received a lot of buildup...and probably hasn't needed it. Not every match can get main event promotion. These guys have long-standing reputations that they can rely on. Anytime you can pit the regular guy versus the rich guy you'll garner interest. We saw on RAW that these guys work exceptionally well together and will put on a great match at the big show. I liked seeing Rey win on Monday. It adds a little spice to the angle!
Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker The promotion leading up to this match has been odd to say the least. It seems like there's a natural storyline: Mr Wrestlemania vs. 16-0. However, we've tossed caskets, funerals, and religious imagery into the mix. Quite frankly, all those things have made this a tad cartoonish. This will be a great match -- maybe the best at Wrestlemania. Do we need fake funerals to promote it? Although I must admit, I enjoy seeing Michaels beat the Undertaker at his own game. I look forward to seeing what happens Friday on Smackdown.
Money In the Bank Ladder Match They've done a lot of random things to promote this match, but it's a match that really needs no promotion. This one always delivers and I'd expect the same this year. The biggest question has to be: who will win? On RAW, Kane came out on top. I don't expect to see the same result Sunday. But for all his years of service and popularity, Kane certainly deserves it.
Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy I don't feel like this match has been promoted very well. There just isn't enough hatred here. I'm not sure that anyone buys it. They need to do something crazy to make people believe in it on Sunday. Hardy has to win, right?
Randy Orton vs. HHH There's certainly a great story to go along with this one. I'd say Randy Orton has become the best in the business and has shined throughout this feud. It was great to see the return of the McMahons. I love the dynamics of Legacy and the McMahons getting involved in this one. Dallas ate this up, and I have no doubt Houston will do the same Sunday!
We all do something that serves as an escape from reality. Some people find their escape in a book, in music, video games, or an afternoon of yard work. I'm a little different. I find my escape in professional wrestling.
I'm a life-long fan. While I looked up to Nolan Ryan, Jose Canseco, and Ken Griffey Jr, I also idolized Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and the Ultimate Warrior. That's probably why I'm a little off-kilter.
In college, I worked in the wrestling business to make extra cash. I wrote and edited a professional wrestling show that aired on the former UPN in Dallas-Fort Worth. Suddenly, the action figures I played with as a child were the real people. I had to the opportunity to fulfill (in a way) the dream I had as a child to work in the business I loved.
After a couple years of this, I knew I needed to refocus on school so I could get a "real job" after graduation. So, I called it quits. However, I've always stayed in contact with the guys from my old gig and followed WWE television to get my kicks since I'm no longer around it.
As a child, I watched it as a fan. Today, I'm still a fan -- but I'm a bigger fan of the business/production aspects: why a storyline was developed a certain way, why certain entrance music was selected for someone, and why certain people were chosen to compete at shows. I know better than anyone that wrestling is fake. However, it's also very real. Most "fake" productions get the opportunity to yell cut and reshoot. Wrestling doesn't work that way. I enjoy watching to see if things go "as is" and if the talent can pull everything off.
When it was announced last year that Wrestlemania 25 would be in Houston, I knew I'd have to go. It was far too close to home not to may the trip. My wife wasn't happy...she still isn't. My family tells me it's time to grow up and quit watching. They're probably all right. However, I'm just not read to give it up yet. For me, it's imagination on display. It's a daydream I can see.
For the next few days, I'll update you on my road trip and experience with 70,000 other "crazies" who converge in Houston for the granddaddy of them all...Wrestlemania!
Here's how stations and newspapers in the Houston-area are covering Wrestlemania:
