Report From The WrestleMania Art Event Inside Here
Report Credit: Gregory Davis and Pwinsider.com
This was my first time attending WrestleMania Art, and I left very impressed.
Among the stars here were Bret Hart, Jerry Lawler, the Bella Twins, Cryme Tyme, the Miz, Rosa Mendes, Santino Marella, Jimmy Wang Yang, Slam Master J, Hornswoggle, Layla, the Hart Dynasty, Funaki, Tony Atlas, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Tiffany, and Vickie Guerrero. I believe Teddy Hart was there as well, primarily hanging around Bret.
The event began around 5:15. We were allowed in a roped area about 30 feet from the photo spot. The stars would walk down the line for various photo ops and interviews. Many of them did come to us for photos and autographs.
VIPs were let in first for a private meet and greet, and then around 6, those with GA tickets were let in. The first thing we saw were eight drawings by Tony Atlas.
We then went to the main outdoor area, where all the art was out for display, with bidding being conducted by silent auctions. It was a wide range, from a painted piggy bank by Layla, which she said was based on her Mickie feud, to amazing art from Beth, Bret, and others. My absolute favorite was Santino's: several Mona Lisas, with his face on it. Other notable displays were signed photos of the top stars, former clothing of Layla and Michelle McCool, and an Eddie Guerrero display. All art items started at least at $100, with a few starting even higher.
Matt Striker was the MC. After about an hour, everyone was brought up to the presentation area. Each were personally introduced, and we had several short speeches from folks from WWE, Make a Wish, and the city.
The auctions then resumed, and several were spotlighted in order to get more bids. Santino's went over $350, and JTG was in a bidding war over a framed portrait of various wrestlers by Bret.
Many have said that Fan Axxess isn't that interactive with the stars because you don't know who'll be there, or for how long. This was so much better than that. Everyone was walking around, chatting, taking photos, signing autographs, and having a great time. For $50, and going to a great cause, this should be a must-attend for fans who want to meet wrestlers.
The session ended with two live auctions. Jerry and Bret were doing live art during the whole thing. Jerry had a cartoon of Bret sitting on Vince, with a "Bret Screwed Vince" sign. Bret had a drawing of a WrestleMania poster. The art sold for $3,000 each. It was also announced that the McMahons would match all donations that night. They might have had a final amount announced, but I think they raised about $20,000 in art donations, before counting ticket sales.