Summer of 2014. My dad is watching an episode of Monday Night Raw. Growing up, I never had an interest in it. I sat in the living room reading a book while he watched it. Slowly, I started listening, then bouncing between my book and the television. Eventually it had my full attention. They announced the next pay-per-view event, Summer Slam. The biggest event of the summer for WWE.
I asked my dad if we were able to watch that. He said that he would have to pay for it through the network. Again, I asked if we could see it. He paid for the WWE Network. It was all down hill from there.
I was obsessed.
I wanted to watch every pay-per-view, every Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live show. I immediately fell in love with a few wrestlers;
Paige, who sadly doesn't wrestle anymore due to injury,
The Man, Becky Lynch
and Dean Ambrose, who is no longer with WWE, but is currently with AEW, All Elite Wrestling under the name Jon Moxley.
Since starting my love of WWE, I wanted to attend a live pay-per-view event at least once in my life. But given how expensive it can be to go, especially if you purchase tickets early on, I doubted I would ever be able to afford to go. Along with money, not all the pay-per-views were good. There were some that were amazing, some in the middle of the road, and some that were just downright awful. My concern was if someone pays all the money to go, and the event is horrible, it's not worth going.
You aren't guaranteed a good pay-per-view.
However, as a graduation gift from my mom and dad, I would be going to Stomping Grounds.
Needless to say, I was very excited to go. My family had gotten me a The Man shirt for Becky, which I used for a sign I spent the night before the event making. As I walked down the stair to my seat, watched the preview of 205 Live wrestlers and heard Becky's music come on, the event was totally worth it on a personal level.
When we talk financially, it is still very expensive to go. However, if it is financially worth it will depend on the person and their finances.
If there is a pay-per-view event or some other WWE event, I recommend seeing who is going to be wrestling at the event if you can. If it's going to be wrestlers that you love and enjoy, matches you have been dying to see, then regardless of the outcome it will be worth it because even if your favorite didn't win, you still got to see the match in person rather than through a television set.
However, when you get to see a woman you admire fighting in the ring,
a Goddess,
and one of the greatest couples ever,
A one-time payment to see a pay-per-view live is worth the life long memories you will have by watching your heroes, inspirations, villains, characters, these people, do their very best to put on their best performance. And who knows, you might appear live on the WWE Network from time to time if you get the right spot!
I couldn't thank my family enough for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will hold this, my poster, the 400 plus pictures and videos and my poster with me for the rest of my life. And maybe when I have a family of my own, I'll convince them to go with me to another one to give them the same lasting memories you gave me.
