LOOKING AT WRESTLEREUNION IN LOS ANGELES
By Mark Carpowich on 2010-02-02 12:41:46
The 2010 WrestleReunion convention is now in the books, and by all
standards has to be judged a resounding success. As has already been reported,
all advertised talents appeared for the convention, and from a logistical
perspective (parking, signage inside the LAX Hilton), fans had no problems
getting into and out of the convention area.
From an organizational standpoint, things appeared to run very smoothly. There
was plenty of room to walk and browse in the convention area. The temperature of
the room was comfortable, which was fairly surprising given the amount of bodies
inside, and a large container of water was available for self-serve. Photo ops
and autograph signings were held in a room adjacent to the main convention room,
and fans were able to line up for each session based on the level of ticket they
had purchased.
In addition to the advertised appearances of stars like The Great Muta,
Demolition, Sunny and Terri Runnels, several other big names were available for
photos and autographs in the vendor area. Former WWE wrestlers like Ron Simmons,
Rikishi, Orlando Jordan, Gangrel and Scott Taylor appeared in one corner of the
room, and at a nearby table, the Iron Sheik and Koko B. Ware greeted fans. TNA
knockout Daffney was also selling posters and pictures, as well as posing for
photos. Some of the wrestlers charged for their photos to be taken, while others
did not. Names that were part of the event's advertising - including Rob Van
Dam, Nick Bockwinkel and Jimmy Hart - also walked through the convention area at
unannounced times. Every one of these wrestlers appeared to be in a very good
mood and was friendly to fans.
WrestleReunion also featured a raffle, which awarded winners prizes like a $250
highspots.com shopping spree. There was also a silent auction, which featured a
variety of opportunities for fans to meet the wrestlers. Among the auctions was
a one-on-one dinner with Bruno Sammartino; drinks with Terri Runnels at the
hotel bar; breakfast with Sunny; the opportunity to be guest ring announcer for
any match on the Saturday evening PWG card; and the chance to "spend one hour
with Daffney." Not really sure what that last one was all about.
The sole potential issue I noticed was that the ticket booth was located right
inside the door, but was blocked a lot of the time by the line for the photo-op
room. I personally walked in, and made a full trip through the convention area
before finally finding the ticket booth. With this setup, it would be easy for
anyone to walk right in without paying, so hopefully this will be addressed
before the next convention.
Otherwise, the WrestleReunion convention was very well organized, easy to
navigate and impossible not to enjoy.
