Getting to Barclay's wasn't difficult at all, it was just that the timing of the trains kinda sucked. Originally, Corey and I were supposed to meet at Jamaica, with my train getting there about 3 minutes or so before his. However, I guess because of "congestion" or "switch problems" or whatever the MTA decides to blame their incompetencies on, Corey's train was delayed a bit longer than expected so I ended up waiting in Jamaica for a bit longer. It was nice to see fellow wrestling fans on the train--though I was definitely the odd one out at Jamaica with all the baseball fans headed to Citi Field for the Home Run Derby that was going on at the same time. It also didn't help that I was carrying a plastic sheep mask (more on that later...).
While waiting at Jamaica I saw an old acquaintenance from high school there with one of his friends. They were on their way to the show too. I got on the train with them as Corey's was delayed even further and it was nice catching up. I thought the friend was cute and he seemed pretty intelligent so that was a plus. When we arrived at Atlantic Terminal, they went off to get food and I waited for Corey. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long and when he and I met up we went across the street to Barclays.
This arena is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Everything was so clean, neat, and organized. My only complaint is that I felt that the hall that you walk around in (atrium?) to get to your seat section is a bit too narrow. After checking in, Corey and I headed straight to our seats as we got there a bit later than we wanted to and the show was scheduled to start in 30 minutes. Our seats had a phenomenal view and I had no idea how close we were actually going to be when I bought them. I was impressed!
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This picture makes it look like we were far, but we had amazing seats!
After getting settled in to our seats we began taping our wrists and putting big black X's on them ala CM Punk (our personal favorite) and started chatting with a couple of the people around us. I debated bringing a sign with me and I was so glad that I didn't because it would have been one more thing to carry/worry about. Around 7:30 PM, the ring announcer did his job and got in the ring and announced that the show was about to begin! In addition to doing RAW live at 8:00 PM EST, they also film matches for a show that airs on Wednesday nights called "Superstars." It was during those matches that Corey and I realized "Oh crap, we could potentially be on the titantron from where we're sitting."
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Corey and I ready for the show to start! My sheep mask was on backwards when I wasn't using it.
At 8:00 PM, the lights dimmed, the pyrotechnics went off (something Corey was REALLY excited for) and then the house lights came back on as the camera panned the crowd and RAW kicked off! Part of me was a little anxious knowing that this show is 3 hours long--as much as I love my WWE, I was afraid I was going to get bored and want to leave early. To say that last week's show was fantastic would be an insult and an understatement. And I really think the crowd made the show even better. We were incredibly lively and you could tell even on TV that we just wanted to have a good time.
I won't write a synopsis of the show because I know none of you are wrestling fans and it wouldn't make any sense to any of you. But I will say that when the Wyatt family came up, I immediately had my mask on, I stood up the entire time and weeped tears of joy because their segment was AMAZING. The Wyatt's are basically like a bayou Charles Manson-esque family. I love them and they only debuted a couple weeks ago. They are so different and they remind me of the larger than life characters I got to watch growing up like Kane, the Undertaker, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
Towards the end of the show, CM Punk came out to the ring to cut a promo addressing what happened at the PPV the night before--his manager, Paul Heyman, turned on him during the match and cost him a chance at a guaranteed title shot. They have been together for years so their promo was incredibly emotional. Corey, myself, and a bunch of other people in our section stood during this entire segment. I actually found myself tearing up from excitement--and some of the things Paul Heyman was saying actually reminded me of some things one of my ex-boyfriends would say to me when we had arguments so it was like a double-whammy for me. During that segment, Corey pointed out that he saw on the tron a few times during that segment (you can see us right by CM Punk's head when he's in the ring).
The rest of the show was fantastic and ended around 11:30 PM (they usually have one dark match after every TV taping--usually it's a match that we'll see on TV at some point in the future, and it's a way for the wrestlers to work on certain spots and see what the crowd reaction is/make sure they don't injure each other and get used to working with each other). The train ride back to Jamaica was hilarious--singing different entrance themes, mocking some of the things that happened on the show/shows past. I didn't get back home 'til 1:00 AM and I was so thankful that I had the foresight to take off work that following Tuesday because I would have been miserable that whole work day. Then Tuesday I cleaned and watched the show on my DVR.
That's me in the black shirt with the white square. Corey is to my left in the white shirt with his arm raised. This is also the closest I will ever be to CM Punk's beautiful, stapled head.
I am so glad that I started watching WWE again after about a 10-year hiatus. Shows and experiences like the one I had last week are the reason why I keep watching and I am happy that I do. I would love to go to more shows, and Corey and I just might go again when they come back for a house show in early September. I think a lot of my friends forget that I am actually a pretty big sports fan, I just never really go to games or shows because of lack of funds. I love my Yankees but honestly, who the hell can afford to go to a game now? One thing I give credit to the Mets organization is the fact that despite their remodeled stadium, they kept their ticket prices in check and they seem to do a lot more events geared towards families/kids. No one who needs to work for a living can afford to go to a Yankee game. The last one I went to was last summer when my mom's (now my) bosses got tickets for everyone in the company for free. I was my mom's +1. WWE's ticket prices are pretty reasonable (though I think they're more dependent upon the arena--Barclays was WAY cheaper than MSG).
So that's been the highlight of July so far. I was in a pretty dark place the past two months or so but things are starting to turn around. I just realized that in two weeks, it'll be one year since my Grandma Helen passed away. It's crazy how quickly the past year went and how many things have happened within that span of time. This weekend my mom and I are meeting up with Barbara and Melissa in Baltimore to celebrate her birthday. She's turning the big 5-0. I'm really excited and it'll be nice to get away for a couple days and be somewhere totally different.
Have a good weekend all!
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