Sky Sports.com

The Undertaker: At WrestleMania XXIV

WrestleMania XXIV is in town and all the normal rules of sports reporting no longer apply. This is a world unto itself, and it brings with it a circus of mind-boggling proportions.

View from America
Quotes of the week

WWE's Wrestlemania XXIV is live on Sky Box Office, and in HD! Find out how to book it right here...

View from America: US-based British sports-writer Simon Veness offers his thoughts from Over There on the hype surrounding WrestleMania XXIV

I am in Orlando this week. There's nothing unusual about that as it is one of two US bases which I call 'home.' Except that it has been taken over by a strange phenomenon.

Some curious signage has been springing up all over town, highlighted by an eye-catching 90-foot high logo painted in a cow pasture near our international airport (visible to all planes as they land or take off).

Yes, WrestleMania XXIV is in town (as well as being live on Sky Box Office on Sunday night), and all the normal rules of sports reporting no longer apply. This is a world unto itself, and it brings with it a circus of mind-boggling proportions.

Main Event

Everything has taken on WWE overtones that stretch way beyond merely promoting the event locally. This is the Real Deal for many people hereabouts (and certainly the 70,000 crowd likely to be in attendance), despite the scorn it continues to raise from some quarters of the sports media.

Buses have been given a complete WM 24 makeover, the local paper and the city centre are full of ads and banners for the big event, and our TV stations are bombarded with appearances from the likes of Jimmy 'The Mouth of the South' Hart and Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat.

NBC's This Morning programme also featured another head-to-head appearance from Floyd Mayweather and The Big Show (Paul Wight), who promise to bring their bizarre 'Little and Large' confrontation to realistic life in the massive setting of the Citrus Bowl stadium (only the second WrestleMania event to be held outdoors).

There's simply no escaping the fact this weekend sees the total package of sporting hoopla being brought to bear on Central Florida (where the locals are counting on a $30million bonanza from visiting fans, merchandise sales and other spin-offs).

Promotion

And, the more you look at it (and hear the 'disciples' spreading the WWE gospel - yes, it really does comes across very much like some kind of evangelical gathering), the more you have to admire the marketing behind this manifestation of heavily-muscled posturing.

They have been savvy in the extreme by borrowing a page from the NFL's handbook of 'gravitas' and using Roman numerals to underscore this annual entertainment fiesta - XXIV it is, indicating WrestleMania is an Event with a capital E.

And there is plenty more which puts you in mind of the Super Bowl and the massive supporting cast of associated happenings which attend gridiron's annual extravaganza.

There are four full DAYS of special events leading up to the headline act itself, including such visionary offerings as WrestleMani-Art (showing original works of art by various WWE stars); the WWE SuperStar Challenge (a video game tournament); WWE Fan Axxess (a two-day interactive travelling exhibition at the Universal Studios theme park); the Bacon, Bagels and Biceps Brunch (yes, seriously); and WrestleMania Rocks the Block (a huge street party which just happens to be visiting some of my favourite bars in downtown Orlando!).

Media

And the local press is lapping it up, publishing special WWE supplements, souvenirs and event schedules. The poor old Orlando Magic (one of the current success stories of the NBA) can hardly get a look-in in their own city.

The accent, of course, is on entertainment, and this is where WWE scores big time. Just being around the build-up to the event is pure fun (along with a smattering of charity fund-raisers, which is always good to see) and it is easy to see why this bastion of mock-barbarity draws fans from not only all of the 50 states of the USA but also all over the world.

Amazingly, the Citrus Bowl reported they sold 41,000 tickets in the first half-hour of going on sale last year, while WM24 is well on the way to being the highest-grossing event of all-time at this not-insignificant 72-year-old venue (which staged World Cup matches in 1994 and pre-season NFL games in 1997).

In fact, there is so much supporting hype and associated activities, you could be forgiven for thinking some event of national importance was about to be unveiled.

Action

Thankfully, the organisers deliberately fight shy of investing their multi-dimensional carnival with anything other than a purely entertainment angle; it is showbiz of the highest kind, but nothing more than that.

Which is why they gain so much sympathetic coverage (away from the growling dissenters of mainstream sports punditry) in the TV and newspapers, who thrive on the larger-than-life figures, extravagant boasts of mayhem in store and colourful publicity stunts.

In fact, you almost wonder if someone from the NFL is lurking furtively in the wings of downtown Orlando, taking notes at how to generate genuine fan frenzy and wring every last dollar out of the attendant masses.

And, despite the presence of regular residents Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, Shamu and Co, WrestleMania is definitely the Big Noise in town this week. Tiger Woods may even be able to venture out of his house without having to berate any cameramen - because they will all be trailing 'Pretty Boy' Floyd, The Undertaker, John Cena and others.