Rant #2,348: Big Shot

This weekend is one that a lot of people around the world have been waiting for, as Wrestlemania takes the stage in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

It is the culmination of a busy weekend of activities, starting on Friday night, when NXT: Takeover hits Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Say what you want about professional wrestling, but it is a true global phenomenon, and it will be covered for what it is--a combination of the World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, and The Finals with a lot of show biz mixed in--by the international press.

And I am not just talking about the wrestling press, I am talking about supposedly more legitimate periodicals like Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Yes, pro wrestling, namely the WWE, has become that big, and it has become that big in spite of itself.

Look, we all know that the outcomes of the matches have all been predetermined, the wrestlers telegraph their moves to each other, and the only thing about the matches that isn't planned are the injuries that do occur even with careful planning.

But people love it. It was a huge niche "sport" for most of the 20th century, then took off in the 1980s and 1990s when Vince McMahon--once simply the son of the owner of what was then called WWWF, and then its main announcer when it was called WWF, and then its owner after he bought the company from his father and WWF morphed to WWE--decided to take his wrestling brand not only regionally and then nationwide, but eventually, internationally.

And people bought into it hook, line and sinker.

This "soap opera for boys" morphed into something more than what males enjoyed as they grew up. And when I say people, I mean the female persuasion, too, who hooked onto the sport as more of their own gender became big stars.

There has always been a huge gender gap with male and female wrestlers, and McMahon saw that, and began using female wrestlers--more trainers and models who looked good in skimpy outfits and looked good period--more prominently in his shows.

Females have become such an integral part of the wrestling landscape that the main event of Wrestlemania this year is between three women wrestlers, Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

And what made pro wrestling the phenomenon that it is is what makes anything successful, and that is money.

Wrestlemania has become such a big show that cities actually battle it out like they do when they attempt to host the Super Bowl.

Lots of greenbacks put in means lots of greenbacks coming out, and hosting Wrestlemania can bring the host city more than $100 million in revenue, and with the event being at MetLife again this year, that figure is expected to jump this time around.

People come in from all over the world for this, they need hotel rooms, they spend money, and host cities just love this, of course.

Wrestlemania is part sporting event, part entertainment event, and part, well, something that really cannot be categorized.

It is an event beyond any other event, with a lot of spectacle, a lot of nonsense, and a lot of fun all rolled into one.

Those who cannot be there live can view it on the ultra-successful WWE Network on whatever device they use. Subscriptions are just $9.99 a month, and let me tell you, with my son and I watching wrestling every week, it is money well spent.

And again, give credit to Vince McMahon for having the vision of making the WWE a global phenomenon. He had the vision, the gumption and the courage to enter somewhat unknown territory by doing this, and he succeeded even beyond what must have been his own wildest dreams.

I have been watching pro wrestling since probably around 1965 or so, when Bruno Sammartino was the most popular wrestler in the old WWWF.

He was the one wrestler that the general population knew, as he was the face of the sport for probably around 20 years.

Then came Hulk Hogan, and that is when wrestling starting to go mainstream and become the worldwide sensation that it is.

Then we had The Rock, John Cena ...

But now, we have wrestlers like Kofi Kingston, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, A.J. Styles and the ladies I mentioned earlier that have taken over the reigns of the sport and made it there own.

The storylines haven't changed much from 50 years ago, but the characters have, and the spotlight has widened on pro wrestling so that it is as mainstream as Major League Baseball is.

And like probably many millions of others, my son and I will be watching this weekend, waiting to see who emerges as the champion, the next big thing, and maybe the newest face of the WWE.

It should be a lot of fun.

Speak to you again on Monday. Have a great weekend.