WWE WrestleMania 33: A Live Report from the Weekend in Orlando

WrestleMania 33

Ah, the main event of the weekend. By the time you make it here, you’re already fighting exhaustion. And you only have ten hours left.

That’s not an exaggeration, mind you. If anything, I’m undershooting how long we were all there for. You think WrestleMania is long when you’re watching at home, try sitting outside in the Florida sun while doing it. It’s interminable – but in a good way.

The transportation included in the travel package stated a pickup time of 2pm from the hotel. My travel party decided to get to the pickup location a little early – better to be safe than sorry. Well, we got right onto a coach bus at around 1:35, making our long day even longer.

Once at Camping World Stadium (or the Citrus Bowl, as WWE still calls it), we had about 45 minutes until doors opened. After that, it was another two hours until any matches started. And after that, it was only six and a half hours of matches until we started to head back!

Pro tip number three: find a shady or air conditioned area to kill some of that time. The stadium had a club/lounge section, and the air conditioning was more glorious than Bobby Roode. A couple of adult beverages later (thanks, not having to drive!), and we made our way to our actual seats.

Surprisingly, the seats we had for WrestleMania were actually better than the seats for TakeOver – at first. Once the sun went down, we (and many other people, based on social media posts) found that WWE’s crowd lights were right in our faces all night. Despite multiple chants from many areas of the stadium, those lights stayed on for every. Single. Match.

Leaving that aside, WrestleMania was really good. Being a part of a crowd is always more fun than watching at home, you know? When you multiply that by a billion for the biggest show of the year, it’s crazy. Cosplay enthusiasts up their game even more at Mania, so it’s a huge spectacle all over. Before the show kicked off, there was an impromptu match in the crowd between “Steve Austin” and “The Ultimate Warrior.” Seriously, there was a referee, a run-in from “Ric Flair,” and a high-risk maneuver when someone jumped over the barricade from several rows up.

I know a lot of people weren’t really looking forward to certain aspects of the card. And you know what? Even though almost all of those things still happened (namely Undertaker losing), those people were ultimately happy with how the show turned out, talking about how much of a good decision it was to make the trip on their way out of the building.

All in all, if you have the chance to go to WrestleMania, do it. Don’t pay attention to the card. Ignore spoilers. Forget about part-time vs. full-time superstars. Just go. Some things are bigger than just being another show. Even if you end up going to the worst WrestleMania of all time, it’s still WrestleMania.

Must Read: 25 Greatest WrestleMania Moments in WWE History

And if you have to pee, there’s always a Flo Rida concert to accommodate you.