This year's Venue

[TangSoo]

Let me start with a couple disclaimers. I travel a lot, and admittedly, the state of Ohio is literally the last place I've been that I ever want to return to (my contempt for that state started before we joined the Big Ten). But who the **** wants to spend a weekend in Cleveland in 20 degree weather? Conversely, to show I'm not a complete hater, their baseball stadium is fantastic.
Anyway, I travel to the site to insure I get there an hour early on Thursday morning (which I did). So, it's 11:30 and there are these quarter mile long Russian bread lines to get in to the arena. At around 11:50, somebody gets the bright idea to get on a bullhorn and tell people where to go. I got in late for the start of the session. Bush league.

Decent enough arena, but my seats, literally the next to last row in the endzone, gives me the feeling of watching a game from the second deck at Beaver Stadium. I'm thinking, I paid $600 for this? Not a good start.

I come back for the second session to find that they lowered the Jumbotron, thereby blocking my view of Mats 7 & 8. I literally saw Nolf's knee wrestle Crone.

Bad experience. I cut my losses and headed home today. TV and computer. Much better experience today.

Those quaint days of wrestling tickets being the best value going by far are over. Football stadiums next? I'll pass.

How about some warm locales? Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix? Not known for it's warmth in Mach, but what's wrong with Chicago?
Pittsburgh's arena will blow this place away, but I fear navigation between sessions will be a problem for out of towners.

 

[Ban Basketball]

 

[SetonHallPirate]

Let me start with a couple disclaimers. I travel a lot, and admittedly, the state of Ohio is literally the last place I've been that I ever want to return to (my contempt for that state started before we joined the Big Ten). But who the **** wants to spend a weekend in Cleveland in 20 degree weather? Conversely, to show I'm not a complete hater, their baseball stadium is fantastic.
Anyway, I travel to the site to insure I get there an hour early on Thursday morning (which I did). So, it's 11:30 and there are these quarter mile long Russian bread lines to get in to the arena. At around 11:50, somebody gets the bright idea to get on a bullhorn and tell people where to go. I got in late for the start of the session. Bush league.

Decent enough arena, but my seats, literally the next to last row in the endzone, gives me the feeling of watching a game from the second deck at Beaver Stadium. I'm thinking, I paid $600 for this? Not a good start.

I come back for the second session to find that they lowered the Jumbotron, thereby blocking my view of Mats 7 & 8. I literally saw Nolf's knee wrestle Crone.

Bad experience. I cut my losses and headed home today. TV and computer. Much better experience today.

Those quaint days of wrestling tickets being the best value going by far are over. Football stadiums next? I'll pass.

How about some warm locales? Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix? Not known for it's warmth in Mach, but what's wrong with Chicago?
Pittsburgh's arena will blow this place away, but I fear navigation between sessions will be a problem for out of towners.

Shhhh...nobody tell him where the 2020 Championships are being held.

 

[kjb32812]

Sorry OP but Cleveland is a fantastic city for a visitor who is looking to kill a few hours a day. Great food, great beer and great people and all is extremely close to the Q.

Yes, definitely have it in a warmer climate where wrestling is just a notch above high school baseball and people from the places where wrestling is huge have to shell out a couple extra $1,000 just to attend.

 

[tgambo]

I agree. Love the event but this is the worst yet. Never been to Cleveland but dead city. Sure hope Barkley doesn't get drafted by Cleveland.

 

[TangSoo]

What can I say? Paying $600 for tickets and having my view obstructed by a ****ing scoreboard affected my enjoyment a bit. On the plus side, the commute home was do-able and I enjoyed a perfect view of the matches on tv and the computer. To each his own

 

[Hotshoe]

I think they need man up and wrestle outside in the snow.

 

[kjb32812]

I agree. Love the event but this is the worst yet. Never been to Cleveland but dead city. Sure hope Barkley doesn't get drafted by Cleveland.

Can you explain how it is dead because I'm seriously interested. You're sitting in an arena from about 12 - 11. Is it the breakfast food, the night life or the lack of food and spirits from 4-7?

As a disclaimer, I think the RnR HOF sucks but given the amount of free time it would actually be okay I suppose.

 

[Cali_Nittany]

Sorry OP but Cleveland is a fantastic city for a visitor who is looking to kill a few hours a day. Great food, great beer and great people and all is extremely close to the Q.

Yes, definitely have it in a warmer climate where wrestling is just a notch above high school baseball and people from the places where wrestling is huge have to shell out a couple extra $1,000 just to attend.

Vegas would be fantastic.

 

[kjb32812]

Vegas would be fantastic.

I think the flights for people from many places where the crowd draws from would be a deterrent.