{"id":12335,"date":"2019-04-30T21:53:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T20:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/?p=12335"},"modified":"2019-05-02T14:22:16","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T13:22:16","slug":"dreams-were-made-this-weekend-for-the-love-of-wrestling-convention-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/30\/dreams-were-made-this-weekend-for-the-love-of-wrestling-convention-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreams Were Made This Weekend! For The Love of Wrestling Convention – Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Monopoly Events, in association with\nWrestling Travel hosts the largest dedicated wrestling convention in the whole\nof Europe. Welcome to \u2018For The Love Of Wrestling\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first event of this kind was a resounding success and I\u2019d like to start by congratulating all the staff, security, photographers, sound techs, vendors, collectors, exhibitors and volunteers involved for making it so. It takes an army to organize and execute an event like this, especially with the calibre of guests they hosted this weekend. Ladies and gentlemen, take a bow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For The Love Of Wrestling hosted a who\u2019s who of wrestling stars both past and present. Ladies like Summer Rae, Kelly Kelly, Tenille Dashwood and WWE Hall of Famer, Lita. Current WWE NXT UK Superstar, Pete Dunne making a last-minute addition to the line up was a welcomed surprise for many. Also in attendance were some of wrestling\u2019s most beloved characters. Guys like Rob Van Dam and Christian to name just a couple. On top of that you have some of the greatest minds (and mouths) in wrestling history; \u2018The Million Dollar Man\u2019, Ted DiBiase, \u2018The Mouth of the South\u2019, Jimmy Hart and Eric Bischoff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just when you think it can\u2019t possibly get\nany better, out come the big guns, the living legends, the guys you have grown\nup watching and idolizing. The guys who perhaps, up until this weekend, weren\u2019t\nreal, they were simply, characters you watched on a flickering screen. WWE Hall\nof Famer\u2019s, \u2018The Nature Boy\u2019, Ric Flair and Bret \u2018The Hitman\u2019 Hart; The Ayatollah\nof Rock and Rolla, the GOAT, the man who was sent to save us and perhaps the\nbusiest man in professional wrestling, Chris Jericho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then of course, the main event, the\nheadliner, in perhaps his first and last appearance outside of his normal\nwrestling circuit. The man, the myth, the legend. The Undertaker! Pro wrestling\nhas had many different faces over the past 30 years, but one man alone has been\nits backbone and that is The Deadman. This once in a lifetime opportunity is\nthe reason many fans, both young and old flocked to this event. They wanted the\nchance to reach out and shake his hand, have a conversation, get an autograph\nand immortalize the moment in a treasured photograph. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monopoly Events promised dreams would be\nmade this weekend and boy were they?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Harvey over at Old School Wrestling https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OldSWrestling\/<\/a>\nhas spent eight years building up his collection of vintage wrestling\nmemorabilia. The display he came with was only two thirds of what he owns and\nto say his collection was impressive would be an understatement. He had\neverything from shirts, flags and programs to commemorative chairs, board games\nand everything in between. Even some weird and wonderful items such as a make\nyour own jewelry kit and wrestling themed Valentines cards. His stand out items\nare those in his Bret Hart Collection, particularly his action figures and\ncollection of autographs from the man himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure you can relate to how gratifying,\nrewarding and down right awesome it was when Bret himself came over to check\nout the display and to compliment James on \u2018quite the collection\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sometimes, there\u2019s no rhyme of reason as to\nwhy you do something or become passionate about something and it\u2019s deeply fulfilling\nwhen your passion is acknowledged and rewarded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To quote my new friend Mark at Grapple Arcade https:\/\/twitter.com\/grapplearcade<\/a> \u2018In the end it all comes together and we do it because we love it\u2019. I think this resonates with a lot of us this weekend. Wrestling was always something you followed when you were a kid and grew out of but for some people it sticks, it sticks for a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grapple Arcade are based in Newcastle and they packed up all of\ntheir retro gaming consoles, set them all up with their respective wrestling\ngames and let people play on them all weekend long, free of charge. I personally\ncan\u2019t think of a better way to keep the kids (and the big kids amused) whilst\nyou enjoy a well-earned coffee break. These guys also host wrestling watch parties\nand have their own podcast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to check them out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of doing things purely because you love doing it, I had the pleasure of meeting the team over at Taker UK https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Taker.UK\/<\/a> who hands down, had the most impressive and intricate display of the weekend. Taker UK was dressed in full garb, trench coat and hat and his minions were in full black robes. Pictures with Taker UK were free and he was a true gent, very warm and welcoming to everyone who stopped by. His photographer, UK Mankind, is the General Manager of Phoenix Wrestling Association in Coventry https:\/\/twitter.com\/PWA_Uk<\/a> The Taker UK team also run a community project where they intend to fund grassroots football for young people. https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/taker-uk-community-project<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another personal highlight for me, was\nbeholding the breath-taking collection of wrestling belts, held by Craig at\nEHOWB (Europe\u2019s Home of Wrestling Belts) https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/497609223998966\/<\/a>\nAnd I\u2019ll tell you something, the online community these guys have created is\nnothing short of brilliant. Be sure to join their Facebook group and follow all\ntheir adventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Last but not least, my whistle-stop tour of vendors got me chatting with Tom at Wrestling Travel, the partner of Monopoly Events. Did you know Wrestling Travel took 150 people from the UK to WWE Wrestlemania in New York this year? What sets their packages apart from other providers (besides the flights being included) is the sense of community they create along the way. Whether you\u2019re a first timer or enjoy the comfort of familiar faces and someone to take care of things for you, these guys should be anyone\u2019s first port of call if they are thinking of attending one of WWE\u2019s PPV\u2019s. https:\/\/wrestlingtravel.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I attended this convention on the Sunday\nonly and I didn\u2019t go with the intention of getting photo\u2019s and autographs. For\nme it was about soaking up the atmosphere, meeting like-minded people and\nwatching the looks on faces when someone had met their idol. None more so, than\nmy husband, who I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen happier than in the moments after\nhe met The Undertaker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve attended many conventions over the years and there was a part of me that wondered if a wrestling specific convention would translate as intended, but the second I walked in the door and saw the sea of wrestling shirts and cosplay, any doubts I had were put to rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendees, wrestlers and guests all\nappeared very relaxed, very present and very in the moment. There was no\nrushing, no frantic shouting or running around. It was well organized and\nappeared to be running very smoothly. Not only does this make staff happy but\nallows the wrestlers to have meaningful interactions with fans, creating\nmemories that will last a lifetime. Everyone I spoke to, including the workhorses\ncoordinating the photo printing section, appeared to be having a great time.\nThe room was set up well, you didn\u2019t feel closed in, it was well ventilated and\nwell catered. Staff were friendly approachable and professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conventions, for me, have always been a safe space for people from all walks of life to come together and celebrate a common theme, a shared interest, a passion. They are somewhere you don\u2019t feel judged, where you can be yourself and feel connected with others, which is something we all need in a world where most of our connections are through a small screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets for next years show have already\ngone on sale and if this year is anything to go by, For The Love Of Wrestling,\nthe sky is the limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.fortheloveofwrestling.co.uk\/tickets?fbclid=IwAR2yeJj7YyGV2d-Sy3XFD5wCLnfth9mSHZorugJGWdva3rvLfm4HMOCruB0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monopoly Events, in association with Wrestling Travel hosts the largest dedicated wrestling convention in the whole of Europe. Welcome to \u2018For The Love Of Wrestling\u2019 The first event of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":12344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1003,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-convention","category-featured"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jnWd-3cX","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/FTLOW-image.jpg?fit=960%2C660&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12335"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12367,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12335\/revisions\/12367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}