Another WWE Axxess Report - Lots Of News & Notes

Sam Stichter sent in this report:

Hi Ryan, First let me say Wrestlemania Axxess was worth every penny! It was awesome! I advise anyone who ever has a chance to attend to do so.

Also, spending the extra $20.00 for the VIP ticket upgrade was the smartest move I ever made. I got to bypass the crowd at all of the events, except for the autograph signings. The VIP's were let in about 10 minutes early so we were still first in line for at least one of the signings.

Here's the highlights:

In the ring: WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel was the Master of Ceremonies all night long. With my VIP wrist band I was able to stand right next to the ramp (very similar to the one on RAW) and wait for the Superstars to make their entrances.

First up was the Undertaker. He came out in full gear and shot a promo for his Wrestlemania match for about 10 minutes. He remained in character the whole time. He stated that his match with Shawn Michaels would be historical no matter who wins. The crowd went crazy!

Undertaker did not sign any autographs (no surprise there).

Next was EDGE. He came to the ring in street clothes and did about a 20 minute interview with Howard Finkel. This also included a fan Q&A session. Biggest Reveal: EDGE stated that he has been considering retirement for the past few years, but always came back, especially this time, because he didn't he didn't want to be forced out due to an injury. He also said that he just can't walk away from a challenge such as returning from a possible career ending injury or competing as a top singles star. After that he stated that while a reunion with Randy Orton as the team of Rated RKO is very unlikely, he would love to reunite with Christian one last time. He hinted that Vince McMahon doesn't think that the fans remember E&C and he wants to prove him wrong! Finally, he talked about his match with Jericho for the WWE Heavyweight Title. He put Jericho over saying he was a great wrestler and that he will fight tooth and nail to become the new champion.

Great interview! EDGE came off very likable and humble. He signed many autographs at ringside.

The highlight of the evening for me was the Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 video game challenge with many of the WWE Superstars, Divas, and Legends.

Here is a list of the in-ring competitors: Kofi Kingston, Shad Gaspard (with JTG in his corner), Hornswoggle, The Great Kali (with Ranjin Singh), Matt Hardy, Carlito, Evan Bourne, Maryse, Nikki Bella, Jimmy Wang Yang, SGT Slaughter, and Beth Phoenix.

Shad Gaspard defeated Kofi Kingston in the finals. Kofi was the defending champion from 2009. Shad, with JTG, talked a lot of smack before and especially after the match.

Matt Hardy stayed at ringside, what seemed like forever, after his match signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans. What an awesome guy!

The Great Kali looked like he was having a lot of trouble walking.
Signed only a few autographs.

Kofi and Shad hung around ringside afterward and signed many autographs.

Autograph Sessions:

Christian was featured in the main signing area. Nice guy!

Vickie Guerrero signed for at least two hours! She seemed very happy to be there.

Shelton Benjamin's line was very long because he was posing for pictures with everyone. Very cool!

Santino Marella was very comical as usual. When I asked him if WWE was going to give him a bigger push, he replied that he is going to be forming a tag team with Vladamir Kozlov. Seemed excited about it.

Primo and Dolph Ziggler signed together on stage to signed autographs.

The Bella Twins, Chris Masters, Teddy Long, and Mickie James also signed autographs.

All in all a great night! I left being reminded why I love being a pro
wrestling fan!

Can't wait til Wrestlemania Sunday Night!

I attached a few pictures of me with some of the Superstars.

Yours Truly,

Sam Stichter