1. Better Trophies
The Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is basically a football on a stick, will sit on some shelf and collect dust for most of the year. You can’t even drink out of it like the Stanley Cup. A WWE Championship, on the other hand, is paraded around by the champ 24/7. Plus, the title itself is great for keeping pants up.
2. Zero Commercials
The cost for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl XLIII? Three million dollars. For that reason alone, commercials have taken on nearly as much significance as the game, if not more. Throw in the over-hyped halftime show, and the 60 minutes of actual football action becomes an afterthought. At WrestleMania, matches are never overshadowed by anything, especially not by a bunch of Budweiser horses.
3. Our Post-Game is Raw
Super Bowl winners talk about making that pilgrimage to Disneyland after their victory. Win or lose, WWE Superstars compete on Raw the very next night.
4. Hallelujah! No Bob Costas
With Super Bowl XLIII airing on NBC this year, you’ll be subjugated to at least four hours of inane pregame chatter spewing from the mouth of diminutive, non-athlete Bob Costas. He’s not nearly as entertaining as the similarly-sized Hornswoggle, but he is much cleaner.
5. Our former GM Actually Played in the NFL
Back in the day, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was a sports star … at his high school in the ultra-rich suburb of Bronxville, NY. The man never played a single down in the pros. Say what you will about Mike Adamle’s time as Raw’s GM, but the man scrambled at running back for seven seasons with the Jets, Bears and Chiefs during the smashmouth 1970s. For that, he has our respect.
6. Hardys Trump Mannings
A big game match-up between Peyton and Eli would be an instant on-field classic. But figure they’d also appear in at least half of the commercials that night, and it’d add up to just too much Manning. Wouldn’t you rather see Matt and Jeff Hardy team up or face off? Well of course you would.
7. Tickets for the Fans —Not Corporate Stooges
This year, Roger Goodell and the NFL have set aside a thousand Super Bowl tickets for fans. Face value? Five-hundred dollars a pop. Considering that Raymond James Stadium can hold up to 75,000 strong, the NFL is doling out a scant 1.3 percent of the total tickets. Good luck scoring one. Reliant Center, the host site of the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania (and home to the Houston Texans), can seat 71,000 fans and offers admission for as little as $40 per ticket. What’s the better value? You do the math.
8. Bookmakers Need Not Apply
There is absolutely no chance Las Vegas has any undue say in the outcome of any of the matches at WrestleMania. We’re just saying.
9. Higher Standards
Wide receivers will go horizontal to catch a pass, but will they leap from a 16-foot high ladder to notch a TD?
10. The Undertaker’s Streak
The Steel Curtain Pittsburgh teams took three Super Bowls in the 1970s, Dallas took three in the 1990s, and New England has dominated the new millennium with a trio of wins. If those franchises qualify as “dynasties,” then what do you call Undertaker’s streak of 16 wins and zero losses? Phenomenal.
11. Superior Fashion at WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony
Every summer in Canton, Ohio, the Pro Football Hall of Fame honors a select group of retired players … by making them wear ghastly cream-colored blazers. Honestly, they make that green jacket from the Masters Tournament look stylish. The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, prior to ’Mania, has no such dress code … although black tie is preferred. All class.
12. You Actually Watch IT with Fans
Remember the last Super Bowl party you attended? No? Probably because the guests (specifically your girlfriend or wife and her annoying friends) were more concerned with idle chitchat than gridiron action. Fact is, when ’Mania begins, fans are glued to the action.
13. Helping H-Town
Ticket holders at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania are headed to the largest city in the Lone Star State. We don’t have to remind you about the hell that hurricanes wreaked on Houston in the summer of 2008. While in town, lend a helping hand to local charities, or at the very least crack open that wallet and help stimulate the local economy (we’ll show you where and how next issue). Now that’s patriotism!
14. Hotter Reporters
Sorry, Andrea Kramer. Although your sideline reporting skills are second only to Suzy Kolber’s, you’re no match for the stunning Eve Torres.
It just depends on what you like.I LOVE both.I watch them both every year with friends and family (even today).And it's great everytime.I love both,but I gotta go with WM on this one.