75,000 plus.

No, I wasn't at the NCAA Final Four in Dallas. No, I wasn't at the Super Bowl. No, I wasn't at a Major League Baseball or NHL game either.

75,000 people in the New Orleans Superdome for Wrestlemania XXX.

It is the biggest show in the year, and regardless of how you "feel" about professional wrestling it is a huge boost to each city it visits.

New Orleans was the benefit this year as they hosted Wrestlemania XXX and its week-long activities. Fans from all 50 states (although, I might be the only representative of South Dakota), and from all around the world went to the show. During my time in the Big Easy, I met people from Australia, England, Japan, China, and Germany

As pointed out by members of my family, the age gap between people traveling to the event was extreme. There was people in their 60s at the shows, 20-30 year olds, plus the younger crowd of under 10. People of all ages made the trip.

It's a GLOBAL event that takes place each year. The best part is, it is the cap of many events that occur during the weekend.

My trip started on Friday as I attended Ring of Honor's "Supercard of Honor VIII." The first event proved to be a tough show to follow. Highlights of the show included a ladder war between Adam Cole and Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Title, and Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Steen. Overall, the show was great top-to-bottom in front of packed house at the Alario Center in Westwego, LA.

On Saturday, I started my day by attending Wrestlemania Axxess. Axxess is a fan event that showcases many different autograph sessions, live wrestling, and memorabilia. Having been to sessions before, there wasn't much that was new. For the people with me that haven't gone before, it was a lot of fun for them.

Saturday afternoon was filled with another Ring of Honor show in Westwego. I had front row seats for the event, and was a part of the taping of a few episodes of their national television show. The show wasn't as good as the night before, but still overall strong. The tapings were highlighted by a six man tag match between Steen/Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs. Cole/Matt Hardy/Michael Bennett.

The WWE Hall of Fame was the nightcap on a busy Saturday. While there is no wrestling actually going on, the WWE Hall of Fame is put on each year to honor a class of individuals who have given a lot to the business. This year's inductees included the Ultimate Warrior, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall.

Sunday was left strictly for Wrestlemania XXX. The show turned out to be a major success in front of 75,000 people. Daniel Bryan left Wrestlemania as the new champion, thus throwing the company into a new era. The main topic of conversation, however, is that Brock Lesnar ended the streak of the Undertaker at the biggest show of the year. For my money, it was one of the best Wrestlemania's of all time.

The weekend finished up Monday night as Monday Night Raw took place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Ultimate Warrior made his final appearance before his sudden death just 24 hours later. The show also crowned Bryan as the new face of the company, and the crowd was on fire the entire way through. The show itself was massively fun to attend.

After all the fun that was had, the weekend surely ended on a sad note due to the death of the Ultimate Warrior. Growing up, he was always one of my favorites and I am very happy to have seen him this weekend.

As one just ended, I'm already looking forward to the next one on March 29th in San Francisco.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

  • 1

    Wrestlemania XXX sign from Wrestlemania Axxess. The sign was used to promote Wrestlemania on events leading up to the show.

    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
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  • 2

    A packed crowd outside the Superdome awaits entry into the stadium. The wait took about an hour worth of time to get in.

    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
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  • 3

    Wrestlemania crowd fills in 35 minutes before the show.

    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
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  • 4

    Hulk Hogan enters Wrestlemania

    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
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  • 5

    The Undertaker suffered his first loss at a Wrestlemania. The streak is over at 21-1.

    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
    Jerry Palleschi/ESPN 99.1
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