From its packed arenas to the larger-than-life superstars, World Wrestling Entertainment claims to have the best value in live entertainment. Sunday night, WWE Live brought that excitement to the Salt City.
The air inside the Oncenter War Memorial Arena was filled with energy from the opening match to the main event. A cavalcade of big-name superstars that included Big Show, Sheamus, Mark Henry, Seth Rollins [11] and 15-time world champion John Cena [12] left it all between the ropes.
Before fans were treated to a grueling “street fight” between Rollins and Cena, WWE announcer Tony Chimel began the event by introducing the opening contest between Damien Mizdow [13], formerly known as Damien Sandow, and the Real American, Jack Swagger.
As the stunt double for the Miz, Mizdow showed off his comedic skills inside and outside the ring. Fans enjoyed every second of it and soon chanted, “Let’s go Mizdow!” Although Swagger won via submission to the Patriot Lock maneuver, Mizdow was the real star.
Then, the children in attendance watched in awe as the 7-foot, 485-pound giant known as the Big Show took on the villainous Russian sympathizer Rusev [14], who was accompanied by his manger Lana. Given the size of both superstars, sitting at ringside gave fans the opportunity to hear and feel each and every move. Chants of “USA! USA! USA!” engulfed the arena, giving even the smallest fan the chance to be part of the show.
But before long, the evening’s main event pitted Cena, WWE’s most recognizable face, against Rollins, “Mr. Money in the Bank.”
Fans young and old came unglued once Cena’s iconic music hit. It was clear that the future WWE Hall of Fame inductee had arrived.
After grinding through the no-disqualification match, Cena found enough strength to defeat Rollins by putting him through a table from the top turnbuckle.
As Cena saluted the Syracuse crowd, it became apparent the “PG Era” is here to stay. Gone are the days of the “Attitude Era,” when pushing the censorship envelope was the theme. Today’s WWE landscape is much simpler with families making up the majority of the audience.
Last night’s show could be summed up in one word: Energy. It’s not every day a child can see his hero in person. But at least for a couple of hours, WWE and John Cena made the dream of many children in Syracuse come true.
