It's a magical world...

Over the next few days I am going to be in a world of magic and excitement. A world filled with hall of famers, an animal, a dead man, a marine, a showstopper, billionaires, a Samoan bulldozer, a little baby, a big red machine, a giant, a king, an Irish fighter, a punk, a Kennedy, a rated R superstar, high fliers, legends, a legend killer, extremists, divas, a rabid wolverines, and an MVP. It is a world that only exists once a year and it's borders encompass a different city every year. It's not Camelot, Disneyland, or Candy Mountain. The world is known as WrestleMania Week and I am as excited as a sixteen year old behind the wheel of a brand new Ferrari.

My history as a wrestling fan began around the same time I did. I was kind of born a fan. My brother who is twelve years older than me was a wrestling fan and he passed the love down to his baby brother. He grew up watching wrestling during the 70s and saw some of the men who blazed the path for the guys I would grown up watching. Guys like Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Superstar Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Roddy Piper, and Andre the Giant.

My first memory of watching wrestling is also one of my first memories period. Hulk Hogan ripping off his yellow and red Hulkamania shirt is an image that will forever be burned into my mind. Growing up Hulk was my hero and to this day I will pop out of my seat when the Hulkster re-emerges onto the scene.

As I grew into my teenage years, my natural rebelliousness lead me to like edgier characters. One such character was a brash young up-n-comer named Shawn Michaels. Much like Ric Flair before him, Michaels was a cocky, long haired prettyboy, who not only was a smartass on the mic but could back it up between the ropes. His brash attitude and pure ability appealed to my own desires to be a rebel who can talk a good game and play it just as well. He is my favorite wrestler of all time.

Over the next week I will be posting blogs about my experiences as I roam the Metro-Detroit area searching for opportunities to meet the superstars and legends that have captivated me since I was a kid. WrestleMania 23 is only five days away so get ready for a full review of my experiences this weekend.