Twenty-five Reasons WrestleMania is the Real Super Sunday

As seen in this months WWE MAgazine.

Houston’s Reliant Center plays host to the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, and we guarantee it’ll be better than the so-called “Big Game.” Let us count the ways that the Show of Shows beats the Super Bowl…

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
Ticketholders 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.

15. WrestleMania is Not Named After a Lame Children’s Toy
The Super Bowl took its name from a popular 1960s toy, the Super Ball. Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and founder of the AFL, saw his children playing with the bouncy sphere, and the rest is history.

16. No Two-Week Gap Between Regularly-Scheduled WWE events and ’Mania
The AFC and NFC Championship Games are both played on Sunday, Jan.18. Then fans must wait 14 days until Super Bowl Sunday. Meanwhile, the WWE Universe is treated to a full week of in-ring action prior to ’Mania. And 45 hours after SmackDown goes off the air on MyNetwork TV Friday night, WrestleMania begins. Plus, you’re sleeping through at least half of that span anyway.

17. You Can Ogle Godaddy.Com Spokesbeauty, Candice Michelle, For More Than 30 Seconds

18. You Make The Call. Which Is Better?…
An NFL Field Goal kick or Shawn Michaels’ Superkick?

19. The City Of Buffalo Could Use A Championship
The words “Norwood wide right” still send chills down the spines of Buffalo fans. The town hasn’t won big since the Bills took back-to-back AFL Championships in ’64 and ’65, and Buffalo hasn’t made a playoff appearance this century. That makes Nickel City native Beth Phoenix the best (and per-haps only) chance for the B-Lo to savor an actual championship victory. Jinx.

20. Freedom Of Choice
Chances are, your favorite team isn’t even playing in the Super Bowl. You’re lucky if they even made the playoffs. At WrestleMania, however, you’re guaranteed to see your favorite Superstars in action.

21. Fewer Blowouts
Of the first 43 Super Bowls, 21 have been won by 14 points or more. Total blowouts. Of the first 24 WrestleManias, 245 matches have been contested and only six of those bouts lasted less than a minute and can be considered squash matches. That’s value.

22. No Injury Timeouts
When’s the last time you saw an NFL pro play through a broken collarbone?

23. Spring Fever
After the Super Bowl, you can look forward to seven more bone-chilling weeks of winter before the thaw. After the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, which is on April 5, by the way, spring has already sprung. For those of you who live south of the equator, disregard this entry and enjoy your autumn.

24. Our Refs Pay The Price When They Screw Up
During week two of this NFL season, referee Ed Hochuli ruled Denver QB Jay Cutler’s fumble an incomplete pass. The Broncos won the game by a point. For his screw-up he received a “bad grade” from the league. When a WWE ref blows a call, you better believe the punishment is more severe…and meted out on the spot by the offended Superstar.

25. Rematches One Month Later
The Super Bowl loser has to wait until next season (nearly seven months!) for a shot at revenge. For the defeated at ’Mania, one last long shot opportunity presents itself a mere three weeks later at Backlash on April 26. How convenient.