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Philly fans' pysche further beaten down
By
DALE PLUMMER -- SLAM! Wrestling
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AT THE RUMBLE -- In a town desperate for a championship, fans will
latch on to any ray of hope, even that of a professional wrestler. Welcome to Philadelphia.
I saw this first hand at the Royal Rumble in
Philadelphia, home of the Eagles. A team that lost in
the NFC Championship game last Sunday, their third
straight loss in the title game. Which begs the
question, can outside events influence the reaction of
a crowd? I say yes.
As a die-hard Eagles fan, I had visions of the
Wachovia Center being a sea of green for the Royal
Rumble. I bought my Rumble tickets weeks before the
NFC Championship game. After the improbable comeback
win against the Green Bay Packers, a so-called 'Team
of Destiny', I thought there was no way the Birds
could lose to the up-start Carolina Panthers.
In the week leading up to the game, I though ahead
to the Rumble. How the Wachovia Center would be a sea
of green and silver jerseys, with the chant of
'E-A-G-L-E-S' breaking out during every match. How I
would blend into the crowd, adorned with my Eagles
apparel. How I would be talking Super Bowl strategy
with total strangers. And, most importantly, how my
fellow SLAM! Wrestling writer, Nick Tylwalk, would
hate it, him being a Cowboys fan and all. I was
looking forward to a hot crowd at my second-ever PPV
event.
The Eagles didn't hold up their end of the
bargain, though. They were thoroughly beaten by the
Panthers, and a city and its fan base were shocked and
left in total disbelief. I was part of that crowd.
Instead of my Eagles jersey, I wore my Phillies
throwback, in support of John Cena of course. More
importantly though, as I entered the Wachovia Center,
I could feel a diminished sense of excitement.
Don't get me wrong, the crowd popped for the start
of the event. They popped for the first match of the
evening with the Dudleys. But that excitement didn't
last long, partially due to poor booking of matches,
and the hangover from the Eagles' loss. The Dudleys
are local heroes in the Philly area from their ECW
days, but a match that ended in under 10 minutes and
with them losing, just sucked the life out of an all
ready deflated crowd.
The rest of the card was pretty uninspiring, don't
even get me started on Lesnar/Holly debacle. Then the
music of the Heartbreak Kid filled the arena. Shawn
Michaels inspired the crowd, making them believe he
could pull of the win over Triple H. With both men
down, and the ref counting to ten, the crowd grew
tense as HBK tried to pull himself off the canvas
before the count ended. But, like every Philadelphia
franchise since 1983, HBK couldn't pull himself up and
claim the championship. Had HBK climbed to his feet
and won the Heavyweight Title, a new roof might be on
order for the Wachovia Center right now, as Philly
fans would finally have a champion to celebrate, even
if it's only sports entertainment. Alas this match
ended in a draw, with Triple H retaining his belt. In
any other city there may have been a riot, but this is
Philly, where fans have been conditioned to handle
disappointment.
The premier match was one of the best I've seen.
The crowd was pretty hot through the whole thing. Mick
Foley had one of the biggest pops all night, and so
did the tolling of the Undertaker's bells. Even if it
was just a distraction to eliminate Kane. The crowd
did leave happy, though. Chris Benoit, a fan favorite (except with Nick's brother) won the Rumble. And he did
it in a way the Philly fans could respect. He entered
number one, and worked his butt off for over an hour
to claim what he ultimately deserved. Even the fact
that he's Canadian didn't stop the crowd from
showering him with praise. He's a blue-collar champion
for a blue-collar town.
Hopefully the next time the WWE swings through
Philly, circumstances will be better. Then the world
can see what kind of wrestling fans really live in the
City of Brotherly Love.
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Further explore interesting psyches:
Order The Missing Link Shoot Interview Double DVD-R
Dale is a close to entering his second year of service on the SLAM! Wrestling staff. Dale was hoping to have some pictures from the Royal Rumble, but he would of had a better chance at getting photos from the Mars surface, than any in-ring action.
