WWE is a polarizing hobby. On one end of the schtick, it’s seen as childish and fake. Schticking opposite, it’s sports entertainment in its highest form. Professional wrestling is part acting, part fighting, and the rest stuntman. It’s a spectacle that stands alone. The WWE’s a 9-billion dollar industry that’s created megastars like John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock. It’s a connector like music and food, bringing diverse people together in an alternate reality. And it’ll be coming to the Moda Center this Friday. Here are three reasons why SmackDown’s the place to be this weekend.
1. New Life
The WWE-UFC merger is one of the hottest trending international sports stories.
The separate entities combined to form a $21.4 billion enterprise on Monday.
The monolith now has the potential to monopolize the sports-entertainment industry.
But beyond the money, what does this actually mean for the talent?
The short answer, no one knows. But there are likely to be some changes in a partnership of this magnitude.
Will the WWE lose its “P.G.” mantra, will there be more crossover fighters, and will Dana White finally discover his alter ego “Walter White” and become the Undisputed Universal Champion of the world?
It’s all-new, and Portland’s Friday Night SmackDown is the first one since the announcement.
This is an opportunity for Pacific Northwest wrastling fans to get a glimpse of their favorite stars before a potential transition.
Not to mention, WrestleMania happened last weekend, which means there’ll still be some spillover from the pay-per-view.
The SmackDown after WrestleMania could prove special, and PDX is lucky to hold it.
2. The SmackDown After
There’s something different about WrestleMania. It’s the industry’s biggest stars showcasing their abilities at the highest level.
Or, it’s men and women beating the crap out of each other in artistic form.
The latter feels simpler.
One problem with the showcase event is that there’s usually a lull in the product in the following weeks.
The key word being, “weeks.” The week after usually proves gold.
And this should hold true in the Moda Center this Friday.
The wrestling world still feels abuzz about Cody Rhodes’ loss to Roman Reigns, feeling Rhodes was the right man to take down “The Head of the Table.”
If not Cody, who?
But this creates an iconic storyline in which Reigns is chasing 1,000 days as the reigning Universal Champ. He’s in the realm of Rock and Cena.
Greatness is greatness, and Roman is an icon in his own field, and Portland needs to acknowledge him.
3. PDX’s Wrestling History
Long before Vince McMahon’s monopolization of the industry, wrestling was a territorial sport.
There were various promotions sprinkled throughout the U.S. and Canada. Some of the more prominent included Jim Crockett Promotions in the Mid-Atlantic States, American Wrestling Association in Minnesota (North Central States), and even the original World Wide Wrestling Federation (Northeastern States).
But there were also promotions in the northwest, one of the more notable proving Pacific Northwest Wrestling.
Pacific Northwest Wrestling was based in Portland and ranked at No. 10 on Bleacher Report’s 25 Very Best Wrestling Territories before WWE.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1036248-the-20-very-best-wrestling-territories
A lot of star power came through the Pacific Northwest; this is different than a sympathy statement.
Mr. Perfect, Matt “Doink the Clown” Borne, and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper had stints in Portland.
These guys all made it to the highest level.
Portland has a long history with wrestling, and SmackDown should prove a cool opportunity to represent the city.
