On Thursday night, George Antoun, 39, dressed in yellow and red feather boas, a ripped yellow T-shirt and a bandanna, after the style of his favorite wrestler, Hulk Hogan, waited in the VIP line to get an autograph from Randy Orton at the first of the WrestleMania Axxess events, held at the Georgia World Congress Center.
His eagerness undimmed by a 27-hour flight from his home in Sydney, Australia, Antoun looked to be having the time of his life. "I haven't missed one WrestleMania in 10 years," he said.
The cavernous convention hall was ablaze with activity. Wrestlers staged mini-bouts in a full-size ring, children pranced in front of video screens, aping the grand entrances of their heroes, and fans stood in serpentine lines, as they waited to get autographs and shake hands with the giants of the ring.
"There's Santino! There's Santino!" shrieked Madison Williams, 11, looking across the hall toward the ring, as she waited to put her tiny hands in the gargantuan mitts of the 7-foot Big Show.
There will be seven such Axxess events this week, at which fans can meet and get autographs from their favorite wrestlers. WrestleMania spokesman Adam Hopkins said the company estimates about 100,000 fans will come through the World Congress Center.
Some heroes are more elusive than others. "The Undertaker is tough to get," said Jared Thatcher, an emergency room physician who flew in from Kansas City, Mo., for WrestleMania and will attend every Axxess event. At $35 a ticket ($50 with add-on charges) for the opportunity to rub shoulders with new stars such as John Cena and older "legends" including Jerry Brisco, that privilege is expensive.
Tickets to VIP sessions, with more access to the wrestlers, are even more expensive, at $75 each (or $90 with the additional charges). Thatcher estimated that he, his friend Mike Harvey and Harvey's mom, Patt, will spend about $2,000 just getting autographs.
Antoun, who owns his own audiovisual installation business, said he would spend between $8,000 and $10,000 this week for the Atlanta events, including airfare, which is a good chunk of his $28,000 yearly "budget" for attending wrestling events.
What draws this audience?
"I am enthralled by the athleticism," said Lyne Butterworth, 35, a petite redhead from Orlando, who planned to attend every WrestleMania event. Butterworth is a performer at Disney World and owns her own boutique that specializes in Lady Gaga-style fashions. As a coordinator of parades and other large-scale Disney events, she also admires the production values of such World Wrestling Entertainment undertakings. "They have it down to a science."
Scott Williams, 53, of Canton watched wrestling as a child but lost interest during what he calls "the steroid years." Lately his interest has revived. Williams waited to see Big Show (aka Paul Donald Wight Jr.) with his wife, Nancy, 45, and daughters Abby, 19, and Madison, 11.
"This is something our family can do together," said Williams, adding that it's hard to find activities that engage such a broad audience, including college-age adults and little kids.
Patt Harvey, 70, attended the event in a wheelchair, carrying on her lap several of the wide leather souvenir championship belts that sell for up to $375. She and her son were seeking autographs on one of their belts from the red-bearded Sheamus (Stephen Farrelly).
A social worker, Harvey said on many days "I hear really bad stories" from families in trouble. Wrestling offers a breather from such reality, she said.
"‘Rassling," she said, "I get a kick out of it. Of course it's escapism, but I get a chuckle out of it. You have to be athletic to do what they do and not get killed."
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