Reviews

The top 10 Things You Need To Know Before Traveling To Dubai

Tom Lynch Reviews, Travel , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As I write this, I’m actually on a plane coming back from an 8 day, 7 night stay in the United Arab Emirates- Dubai.  If you clicked this article it’s probably because you have some interest in traveling to Dubai yourself and maybe have some questions about heading there.  My goal here is to help answer some of the questions you do have but if I don’t feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at thedailyspotlight2@gmail.com with any questions you may still have.  I’m going to use my experience as your guide and present this as someone going from New York to Dubai because, well, it’s the experience I have but hopefully it will help you wherever you are traveling from.  Now before we get to my actual list, let’s get to some quick basics that you should keep in mind when planning your trip.  For starters, understand that their will be some jet lag,  Dubai is 8 hours ahead of New York so that’s an adjustment.  Unless you’re way better than me you’re not going to hit the group running when you land because your body isn’t able to reset like that.  Likewise you probably want to give yourself a day or two to catch up upon your return.  Next, no your driver isn’t an absolute maniac.  You may take a peak and see that you’re driving speedometer is approaching 100, but fear not, he isn’t driving 100 mph but actually 100 kmph which is equivalent to 60 mph.  Likewise, please don’t bring your winter coat on your trip to Dubai.  It will take up space and you won’t need it despite it being 37 degrees outside.  This is because Dubai measures temperature in degrees Celsius so that 37 degrees is equivalent to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Finally realize that when you book a place in Dubai, don’t necessarily look for a hotel near the city centre.  This does not mean your hotel will be in the city center where it’s busy but actually a place near the city centre mall.  Hopefully this helped you in someway and if you are planning on visiting Dubai, have a safe trip.    Without any further ado, let’s get right into the list.

1) Safety First-  The reactions I got from people in my home town New York when I told them I was going to Dubai ranged from a plethora of places.  Some people were happy and shared in my excitement over the trip. Yet for every person that was excited, there were an equal number, if not more, that were generally concerned.  I even had best friends or family members who thought I was nuts for traveling to the middle east most of which stemmed from general concern for my well being.  I can’t say I necessarily blame people as for those who don’t know about Dubai immediately equate it to the middle east and who in turn equate it to war or to 9/11.  So which one is it?  Is there cause for concern here?  The answer, pretty simply is no.  Dubai is one of the safest countries in the world and I can tell you that I felt better about taking my girlfriend to some of the clubs in the Dubai after 1AM than I have ever in Manhattan.  Dubai is one of the most luxurious countries in the world and plays host to millions of tourists annually.  I have never felt so welcomed by a country and you can put any fears you have at ease.  Sure there are some things that may make you uncomfortable in the city, like prostitution, but no where near as many as you would see along the Las Vegas strip.

2) The Expense: Behind safety, the number one thing I heard about was how much money I was going to be spending while in Dubai.  Well it’s important to be aware of the money change in Dubai.  One US Dollar is equivalent to 3.67 durhams.  This means that while it may seem like 7 Durhams for a bottle of water is outrageous, the fact is that the bottle of water is equivalent to a little less than 2 dollars USD, not as bad huh?  One of my first nights in Dubai, my girlfriend surprised me by booking us an all day safari tour across the dessert, one of the premier to-do excursions while visiting Dubai.  I asked her how much she spent on the trip and she replied about 400…I about lost my mind, FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?!?! What was my girlfriend thinking?  After I collected myself and checked the receipt, I saw a little box checked off that said $140 USD, again not so bad.  The point is as long as you do your research you can actually get a great meal for $30 or a bottle of water for $.50.  Of course expensive restaurants are still expensive but in what city aren’t they?

3) The Exchange Rate- Keeping on the topic of money, the most important thing you need to do in regards to money in Dubai is to get the best exchange rate.  Having simple knowledge of this is a great way to protect yourself from being ripped off.    Your first instinct is to change your money prior to boarding your plane when you reach JFK.  After all it’s what you know.  The problem with that is this, most exchange stations in all of New York City know that money exchange is a great way to make money because nobody wants to go to a new country without any money.  Thus the exchange rate at JFK when converting from is usually anywhere from 3.0 DHS per USD to 3.2 DHS.  On top of that there is usually a fee that JFK charges in order to do the exchange for you.  If you wait until you cross over into Dubai, however, you’ll be able to get that same exchange in the Dubai airport with no fee for as much as 3.695 DHS per USD.  From there if you need more money throughout your trip I’d suggest attending any mall to do your exchange rather than your hotel because the rates as hotel are typically a little lower in the hotel since your paying for that convenience (ours was 3.45 for example whereas most malls you can get 3.6 DHS per USD easily).  Besides at the end of the day if you don’t have cash in Dubai, you can always use Visa or Mastercard virtually everywhere and your bank usually won’t charge any fee for using the card in Dubai.

4) To Dress Can Be A Stress- Dress code in Dubai is one thing to really think about before heading anywhere in the country and this mostly pertains to women.  The belief in Dubai is that women are sacred and should be protected at all times.  Due to this belief women are expected to be covered up in Dubai.  Hold on, hold on this does not mean that women are expected to wear burkas from head to toe everywhere they go, that’s usually only when visiting mosques (and burkas are provided for the women if they want to visit the mosque).  That said, women are expected not to expose their stomachs, knees and shoulders nor wear any shirts that are low cut, doing so is seen as disrespectful and you likely won’t be allowed into many establishments, including the malls.  While rules are a bit lax for the men, I saw one guy who was on a tour with us be denied entry into some of the more fine and religious establishments because he was wearing a muscle shirt and tank. It’s going to be hot in Dubai but play it safe and cover up. No shoulders, no knees and you’ll be fine!

5) PDA? No Way!- That’s right public displays of affection are really not accepted in Dubai.  This obviously goes for kissing in public which is probably the biggest no-no out there.  While we were at one of the more risque clubs in town there was a man taking photos for the club’s website.  When he approached a couple and asked them to pose, they kissed.  This wasn’t tonsil hockey but more like a simple peck.  It didn’t matter as people everywhere were disgusted.  The man quickly put away his camera and security warned them that this wasn’t allowed.  The same goes for holding hands is public.  If you pass by security in a mall or town they will likely politely ask you to let go of each other’s hands.  This only intensifies when you enter the mosques.  I made the mistake of putting my arm around my girlfriend while posing for a photo and was quickly warned that we had to stand shoulder length apart.  Again, I realize this could be seen as a prehistoric way of thinking but it’s the rules of the country and you should respect it while visiting.  The good news is most hotels do allow men and women to share a room but make sure you check ahead of time because some do require proof of a marriage certificate.

6) Food For Everyone- If classic Arabic cuisine isn’t your cup of tea have no fear.  There are plenty of different types of restaurants throughout the city of Dubai, virtually at every turn.  From chain favorites like California Pizza Kitchen to Chilis to fast food places like McDonalds and KFC to cuisine specific to Italian food or Japanese food, Dubai has it all.

7) If You Like Cocktails, try Mocktails- While smoking cigarettes is accepted at bars and many local establishments (in designated areas), this isn’t really the case when it comes to alcohol.  Dubai law, in particular, states that there is no alcohol consumption allowed in malls which means that if you eat at any of the thousands of restaurants in the malls, you won’t be able to buy alcohol with you meal.  Be careful, most places will still have a drink menu complete with all of your favorites like mojitos, margaritas and even beer but they will all be non alcoholic.

8) Save On Excursions- Tours are a lot of fun and can really add to your experience but, they can also be quite pricey and aren’t all that necessary.  Dubai has a great metro system that is both inexpensive, brand new (having launched in 2009) and is really easy to navigate.  Everything is listed both in Arabic and English throughout Dubai so you can get around on your own.  The Metro even has designatd section in which only women and children are allowed.  Many of the locals in Dubai also speak English and are willing to help if you get a little lost.  As it pertains to the buildings like the Burj Al Arab and Bouj Khalifa, while you have to pay a pretty penny to get into the building for a dinner reservation, you can get great photo ops right outside of the buildings for free either on the public beach, in the case of the Burj Al Arab, and right outside of the Dubai Mall For the Bouj Khalifa.

9) Don’t Expect Local TV and Sports- While OSN has done a great job in offering a variety of packages for most American TV and Sports, most hotels have very limited amount of these channels.  This probably means that your local television favorites will have to be waiting for you on the DVR when you come back home.  Netflix and Hulu are both not available in the UAE and so you’re basically limited to what’s available to both Youtube and Dailymotion.  In regards to sports, baseball is about nonexistent as can be.  If you are in Dubai right now, you would have no idea that the World Series is currently ongoing.  I asked a bartender if there was a place to catch the games and he suggested I try watching a sport whose World Series includes more than two countries. Ouch! Thankfully, however, both the NFL and WWE are available both online and offer free trials to no users.  The NFL’s is free for 7 days but be sure to cancel or you’ll be charged $270.00 thereafter.  WWE Network is available free for one month for new subscribers and is just $9.99 per month after that.

10) Fly With Emirates–  Yes Emirates Airlines is the most expensive way to fly but this is the one time I’m going to tell you to suck up the price.  You’re going to be flying (if you’re going from NY to Dubai) for 14 hours, wouldn’t it be nice to do so with a bit of comfort?  Emirates also pays back for itself on what it offers in terms of complimentary wifi, complimentary meals (usually three per flight and they are hearty four course meals), complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks and, perhaps most important, complimentary bag fees, up to two per person.  Emirates airlines also has a kick ass entertainment system that is complimentary and so expansive offering thousands of choices in games, movies, tv shows and music.  On this flight alone I’ve watched, Ant Man, San Andreas, While We’re Young and Pixels so these are all new movies that won’t be on Netflix for another month.  In the end in booking Emirates as a part of a package on Expedia or Travelocity I was able to do so for only an additional $300 for the two of us and it was more than worth it.

In the end Duba is a a great city and a once in a lifetime experience to visit.  Hopefully this helped you in some way and if you are planning on visiting Dubai, have a safe and enjoyable trip.

The Spotlight On Dean Ambrose at iPlay America

Tom Lynch Reviews, Travel, Wrestling , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend, her younger brother and I took the 90 minute drive from Queens, New York to Freehold, New Jersey to meet “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose.  My girlfriend’s brother’s favorite wrestler is Ambrose and he wanted to originally meet Dean during Summerslam weekend at the Barclays Center but the cost was a little steep at $150 per person.  Thus, I did a little research on the WWE superstars appearances section of WWE.com and saw that Ambrose was signing autgraphs at iplay America for a fraction of the cost at only $50 per person and that included both a photo op and a signed 8 X10.  We also figured that we may be able to turn it into a bit of a day out in Jersey.  Let’s get into a bit of the highlights of the event.

Highlights:

 The iPlay  America Venue and Deal: The way that iPlay set up this event was just fantastic.  The second you approached iPlay America there was a huge Dean Ambrose billboard along the highway that immediately drew you in and also got you excited for the event.  Also included in your price tag for the autograph session was a $10 gift card to redeem at iPlay America the same day.  Iplay is actually a really big place and we ended spending a good amount of time there.  They have a state of the art arcade, lazer tag, a 4D movie (we did the penguin one and it was great), indoor rides, and so much more.  IPlay also had a number of different events going on from hosting a UFC viewing party later that night to hosting a free concert later that week with former American Idol contestant Casey James.  It also is a great place for families and birthday parties for the little ones.  It was really nice to see a venue so open to so many different things and offering deals and promotions to make the exciting experience affordable at the same time.  From Autograph Signing to WWE Event: We’ve all been to those autograph signings that can be a bit of a drag where you stand on line for 2 hours and it’s excruciating.  Then when you get up to meet the WWE superstar you get two seconds to grab your autograph and go.  If the photograph is even an option, it’s often as the talent is signing or you’re leaned over the table awkwardly.  Well I’m happy to say that this was not the case at IPlay America, not at all.  Instead, they made the whole event seem like a really big deal.  It started when you walked into a big arena setup where Dean Ambrose was and immediately you saw big screens everywhere playing Dean Ambrose entrance videos, best of WWE videos, and Dean Ambrose matches (against Bo Dallas, Bray wyatt, Sheamus and more) so that you could enjoy the matches while you waited on line.  From there they were also selling a variety of really unique WWE memorabilia and light up gimmicks at the event.  The highlight for me, however, was that Dean Ambrose was standing in front of a backdrop waiting for a posed photo.  I’ve never seen this at a signing and it was really cool as you got to stand for posed photos with Ambrose. Then, in order to save time, Iplay took a professional photo of you with Ambrose and, after you were finished talking with Dean and getting your picture,you were given the code to download your photo the next day and your signed 8X10.  By having Dean pre sign all of the 8 X 10s and eliminating anyone’s need for their own personal camera, it saved so much time and gave people the chance to just focus on their time with the superstar.  I feel like anyone running a signing should take a page out of iPlay’s book because it was really well done.  As for Ambrose, it was also great that (maybe because WWE had a show in town that night or because he was asked to do this) he was dressed like the Dean Ambrose you see on television and also acted the same way.  I remember one time I met the ultimate Warrior when I was a kid and he was wearing lounge clothes and a baseball cap, it was still cool but also sort of killed his allure.  Ambrose was out and about after the signing, checking out the iPlay America candy shop and walking through the restaurant on site.   It was a great experience but that wasn’t all. IPlay America also had a special guest in attendance as the host of the festivities which leads us too…

 Howard Finkel: If everything I wrote above wasn’t enough, Howard Finkel was on hand as the host of the event.  He hosted “OutThink The Fink” trivia contests for free tickets to the WWE event in Wildwood that night, Dean Ambrose T Shirts and IPlay America gift cards.  Fink would ask fans how long they’d been fans for and from there would ask questions ranging from “What is John cena’s catchphrase?” for kids to “What Sumo Wrestler did the Big Show wrestle at WrestleMania 21?” for lifelong fans.  This kept the fans entertained while on line and gave ambrose an opportunity to meet with some of the fans who paid for a VIP experience.  Howard was then available for a photo op of his own positioned right at the end of Ambrose’s signing and was also included in the price of admission.  I can tell you that Howard Finkel was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  He seemed genuinely touched by everyone in attendance their to meet him and chatted with everyone for as long as they wanted.  He was also open to taking selfies and signing autographs and even handed out free WWE trading cards to the kids.  A really cool bonus, in a way it was like Dean was there for the new generation of fans an Howard was there for the lifetime fans.  I personally got to reminisce with Howard about meeting him at the Fanfest for WrestleMania 10 when I told him I was afraid of every superstar there and he told me that I didn’t have to be because all of the superstars were told if they weren’t polite they wouldn’t get to wrestle at WrestleMania (protecting the business) which he got a good laugh out of.

Closing Thoughts:  All in all this was one of the best signings that I’ve ever gotten to go to.  I hope Iplay America continues to do events like these and I believe that they will because I did look back at their twitter feed and noticed that some of the superstars they’ve had in the past included Hulk Hogan, Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan.  Even if their aren’t any WWE superstars their Iplay America is a great place to watch a UFC show and a great day for the whole family.  For more information on Iplay America, check them out at http://www.iplayamerica.com/ .

The Spotlight On Sam Roberts Live From Caroline’s On Broadway

Tom Lynch Entertainment, Reviews, Wrestling , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 This evening I attended a live recording of the Sam Roberts Show (yes with my eyes dilated so if you saw the guy at the event with sunglasses, that was yours truly).  The show was taped for tomorrow’s Sam Roberts Show on Sirius XM and so if you don’t want the show to be spoiled (though I won’t really go into too much detail) stop reading now.

The event itself was a lot of fun and lasted over two hours.  The show for the most part was focused on wrestling almost entirely with guests including Paul Heyman, Corey Graves and Katie Linendoll.  I’ve been a fan of Sam’s for a few years now, subscribing to his videos on YouTube and enjoying all of his interviews that he kicked off with his trademark “What’s The Haps?”.  I’ve touched on his wrestling podcast a couple of the times on the Spotlight On Wrestling Podcasts section of the site in the past and have continued to enjoy those as well.  This particular live show, however, was not the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast as much as it was a taping of Sam’s daily radio show on the Opie station of Sirius XM Radio.  Let’s get right into some of the highlights from the taping.

Highlights- 

Mike Cannon-  Comedian Mike Cannon came out for a standup routine to get the crowd warmed up and really got the crowd going.  He was hilarious and did such a great job that Sam invited Mike back up on stage to do his open with him.  The two continued to talk about Deez Nuts, which Sam has really been at the forefront of even before Deez Nuts became such a big overnight sensation.  They also discussed this insane Josh Duggar-Ashley Madison story with Cannon joking that most of the wrestling fans in attendance were probably wondering if Ashley Madison was a new NXT Diva.  Good stuff all around.


Katie Linendoll- Really good to see Today show correspondent, Katie Linendoll on hand for Sam’s live show.  She has been a great addition to Sam’s wrestling podcast and seems to be a true fan of the wrestling business with a good amount of knowledge.  You can tell that Katie was really excited for Summerslam weekend and i think she also did a great job in asking questions to Paul Heyman.

Corey Graves-  For those who don’t know, Graves and Roberts have developed quite the friendship over time and Graves has made multiple appearances on Roberts’ podcast.  What I like about Graves’ appearances is that they’re always a little different and it seems that Sam is able to get a little more in depth with each interview.  For an example, they explained that while Corey can’t wait for NXT in Brooklyn this weekend, part of him really misses being in the ring and he would have loved being in the ring on the show.  He explained that it’s a little weird for him to be in NXT right now because he was one of the members of that old guard for NXT with guys like Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt.  He explained that the time period for someone who first enters NXT to the time that they get to the main roster has really changed since he was competing in NXT. He explained that it used to be that you would come into NXT and then if you were good you would go through the system rather quickly and up to the main WWE roster and if you weren’t good you would get cut quickly.  Nowadays, however, with the invention of the performance center, guys are able to stay down in NXT for a long period of time provided that there is consistent improvement during that span.

Paul Heyman- The main event of the evening was Paul Heyman who came across fantastic on this show.  Paul started off by singing another rendition of “Glory Glory Brock Lesnar” which got everyone singing along.  He then asked one of the fans in the middle of Caroline’s to join him on stage so he can take her seat and proclaimed that he was sitting exactly where he belonged, in the Cesaro Section (a bunch of fans in the middle two tables had brought the Cesaro Section posters into Caroline’s and were holding them up throughout the show) which got a huge reaction.  When Sam asked Paul if there was another star that he wanted to align himself with if and when Brock Lesnar retires, he said all of NXT.  He equated it to if he would ever take over the Yankees back in 2010 the first two things he would have done would be to trade A-Rod and Derek Jeter for about five or six 21-24 year old players who could be the future of the team, which is what he would like to do with some of the NXT talents.

 

At this point Paul went on to mention that if he could draft one guy from NXT it would actually be Corey Graves.  He said that Corey is the best color commentator in all of wrestling because he succeeds in, not only getting one guy over, but in getting the entire NXT Roster over.  He said that Corey Graves is like WWE’s Joe Rogan but is so good that it’s only a matter of time before everyone starts saying that Joe Rogan is UFC’s Corey Graves.  From here Paul was asked about his plans in 1993 to try and take on Howard Stern by becoming a morning radio host.  Paul confirmed that their was in fact plans for him to become the morning guy for Hot 97 but people wondered how you could put a jewish guy on a hip hop radio station.  Of course, years later, Peter Rosenberg is now the morning host for Hot 97.

 

From here Sam wondered what happened when the Undertaker went to a UFC show years ago and if that was part of some plan.  Paul explained that their was no plan but that Brock Lesnar was really pissed because he felt that when he was finished with wrestling, he never had any interest in going back and wasn’t showing up at WWE events and sitting front row.  Whereas, here’s the Undertaker showing up sitting front row at a UFC fight, Brock felt that he had no right to do that. Paul also joked that Brock lost that fight due to diverticulitis which was a spell cast on him by the Undertaker.  When Paul was asked if he believes that he’s the greatest talker in the history of the business, he explained that you’ve never seen Paul Heyman hit a dropkick off the top rope because he knew he would never be able to do that better than anyone else, however, there was nothing that was holding him back from being the best talker in the business and so that is where he focused his energy.  He also added that one of the advantages he has is that he’s one of the few guys who is able to write all of his own promos.  The interview then ended with Paul handing out “Paul Heyman Guy” and “Paul Heyman Girl” shirts to members in the audience.

Q & A-  One of the things that i really enjoyed about this show was that Sam then opened up the room for questions for both Corey Graves and Paul Heyman.  This was great as both of them didn’t shy away from any of the questions that were asked of them, in particular Paul Heyman.  When Paul was asked about what he would do in ECW when different wrestlers would leave and if he ever considered a guy like Sakuraba, he explained that he was always looking for ways to do something different with ECW.  He mentioned how he was able to turn the Sandman from a beach bum to beer swelling hardcore legend and he was able to get the most out of guys like The Public Enemy.  He continued how when technical wrestlers like Benoit, Guerrero, and Malenko left ECW, he knew there was no way to replace them so he looked for something different by bringing in some of the high flyers like Tajiri and Super Crazy.  He added that at one point there was a big idea he had to bring in Frank Shamrock.  When Paul was asked about the success throughout his career, he attributed it to his ability to reinvent himself.  He explained that when he used to work for the NWA and he would walk down the streets of New York City people would ask him where his big phone was, then during the ECW days, people would chant ECW at him and now people chant “BBBBBRRRROOOOOOCCCCKKKKKKKK LLLLEEEEESSSSSNNNNAAAAAAARRRR” at him.

Probably the most interesting thing to come out of this show was when a fan asked Paul why it didn’t work out with Cesaro since he was such a fan of his work.  Paul explained that period of time as a catch-22 for Cesaro as he said that the original plan post Wrestlemania 30 was for both Brock and Paul to take time off.  However, once Brock broke the streak, WWE felt that Paul needed to remain on television so that he can continue to remind fans about Brock breaking the streak.  Thus, he chose to work with Cesaro so that he can stay on television and, on every single show, say that he was ” The one behind the one in 21-1…” and so on.  He explained that the problem was that this relegated Cesaro to a background player and in doing so, the hope of transferring some of Brock’s heat onto Cesaro didn’t really work out.  He added, however, that because Vince was so invested in what Paul was doing (with every intention of building to the inevitable rematch), this gave Vince the opportunity to notice Cesaro, who he claimed Vince had never really noticed as much of anything, prior to this program.  He also attributes these promos that he cut as the vehicle that lead to the rematch at Summerslam because it made Brock’s victory over The Undertaker a bigger deal than if Paul had been taken off television for an extended period of time and the streak being broken was never mentioned for months. He ended by saying that to him this rematch really is the match too big for Wrestlemania because they needed a main event focus and would get lost in the shuffle as a part of the big Wrestlemania card.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, there was so much more to this show and you should go out of your way to listen to the Sam Roberts Show tomorrow when it airs Sirius XM Radio on Opie 103 at 12PM EST.  It is a great way to get excited for Summerslam and NXT Takeover being that both Paul Heyman and Corey Graves are such big parts of those shows respectively.  In the end, this was one of the most enjoyable live radio shows/podcasts that I’ve attended. A great job by all of those involved.

That’s going to do it for me but tomorrow will begin our dailyspotlight rankings of all of the Summerslams in history and I’ll be back Saturday with coverage of the Live NXT Panel.  Until then thanks for reading and have a good night.

The Spotlight On WWE Night at MCU Park

Tom Lynch Entertainment, Reviews, Sports, Wrestling , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 Last night I was able to attend WWE Night at MCU Park, the ballpark of the Brooklyn Cyclones (The Single A Affiliate of the New York Mets). It was the first time I had been to the Park and it was a really great night for a baseball game. MCU park is a nice atmosphere for a game, located at the center of Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.  This gives you the chance to can see some of the landmark roller coasters going right behind the game as it is going on.  WWE night was obviously in conjunction with the promotion of Summerslam week here in and around the New York City area. The event was presented by Tapout which is now being heralded as the official athletic apparel of WWE.

Photo Courtesy Of WWE

The game started with a celebrity softball game featuring local disc jockeys like WFAN’s Craig Carton & Z100’s Skeery Jones, newscasters Rosanna Scotto & Greg Kelly (who actually both had their bobble heads given out prior to the game), New York Mets legends John Franco & Edgardo Alfonzo and of course WWE Superstars Fandango & Intercontinetal Champion Ryback as well as WWE Divas Eva Marie & Charlotte.

 Following the game Eva Marie, Charlotte and Fandango (who was accompanied by Ryback) each threw out a ceremonial first pitches and there were giveaways from both WWE and Tapout throughout the night.  There were even 8 tickets to the, impossible to come by, sold out Summerslam event on Sunday, given out at random to fans who attended the event.  There was also autograph signings with the WWE superstars and MCU Park was smart to separate out the Superstars and Divas so that there were more opportunities for the fans to meet the Superstars and Divas.  At one side of the park Ryback and Charlotte greeted fans while Fandango and Eva Marie signed for everyone else.  Here are some quick observations from the event in general…

  • Interesting to note that Ryback did not participate in any of the baseball related activities.  Ryback did not play in the softball game and did not throw out a first pitch like the rest of his peers.  I’d assume that this is likely due to Ryback having a big match on Sunday and also recently recovering from his staph infection on his knee.  That said, it was great to see the big guy and the people really seemed most excited to see him as their was a fear that his injury would hold him out of the event.  Their were many fans who lined up on the Ryback/Charlotte line from the second they entered the park. 
  • Charlotte is someone who is really gaining a following especially from her father, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.  There was a big “wooo” chants every time she came to the plate.  This was nice to see and a sign, to me at least, that the Divas Revolution continues to gain a following throughout WWE.
  • Eva Marie was booed quite heavily at times by WWE fans throughout the event.  I’m a firm believer that when you pay your money to go to a WWE live event, you should be able to cheer or boo whomever you’d like.  However, this was a charity event.  This was not the time or place for fans to boo Eva Marie, or anyone for that matter.
  • It has to be stated that a lot of fans spent upwards of 2 hours waiting on line to meet the superstars and walked away with nothing.  The falls on the shoulders of the event planners.  It’s completely acceptable to cut off a line once you get to 100 people and I know the event planners wanted as many fans to meet the superstars and divas but when you allow people to get on line, they expect to get autographs.  This also led to people getting upset with the Superstars and Divas for leaving prior to the fans getting to meet them but it really isn’t their fault.  At the end of the day the Superstars and Divas only signed up for a limited amount of time and couldn’t sign for the never ending line of people that were allowed to line up.  What they could have also done was separate each and every one of the Divas and Superstars to create four lines and more opportunities for people to meet the Superstars and Divas. 
  • At the end of the game, MCU Park donated $5,000 to the New York Police and Fire Widows and Childrens Benefit Fund.  A really classy event all around and it was for a really worthy cause.

In closing, this was a great start to Summerslam week.  It reminded me of those really old school WWE softball games that you would see clips of during the 1990s.  It was a fun night at the park and it was a great deal to boot.  MCU Park does this promotion called “WayBack Wednesdays” in which tickets at only $10.  This means that for $10 you got admission for the celebrity softball game, autograph signings with the WWE Superstars and Divas and admission into the regularly scheduled Brooklyn Cyclones game after that.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

That’s going to do it for me but I actually just returned from the Sam Roberts Live Podcast Event In New York City this evening and will have coverage for all of you upcoming.  Until then be sure to hit subscribe so that you can get all of the Summerslam coverage on the site all week.

The Spotlight On Triple H’s NXT Media Conference Call

Tom Lynch Reviews, Spotlight On The WWE Network, Wrestling , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Embedded image permalinkPhoto Courtesy of twitter.com/tripleh

Earlier today Paul “Triple H” Levesque met with members of the media for an NXT Media Conference Call to preview WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.  This has been a tradition that Levesque has kept going prior to every NXT Takeover Special and, to his credit continues to do so to this day.  The call, which lasted a little over 30 minutes, featured a very proud Levesque who was rightfully boasting over the recent success of NXT and WWE in general.  Levesque said it best in this call when he proclaimed that he couldn’t think of another entertainment entitity that could sell out the Barclays Center for three straight nights like WWE has this upcoming weekend.  Let’s get right into some of the highlights of the call.

Highlights-


The NXT Takeover Brooklyn Card- One of the main points that Triple H was quick to touch on prior to his conference call was some clairfication over how long the NXT Takeover Special was going to be and which matches were going to be on the show so here’s what we know.  On this Saturday’s NXT Takeover Special, the event card will feature a double main event of WWE NXT champion Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens: Ladder Match & WWE NXT Women’s champion Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, as well as WWE NXT Tag Team champions Blake and Murphy vs. The Vaudevillians, Jushin Liger vs. Tyler Breeze, Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin and the debut of Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger.  The rest of the matches will be taped for next week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network in what will be a special 90 minute edition of NXT on the WWE Network.  The matches taped that night for NXT are Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke vs. Emma, Bull Dempsey vs. Elias Sampson, Chad Gable & Jason Jordan & Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady & Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley and Eva Marie vs. Carmella.  Thus, if you’re attending the NXT Takeover show live, you can expect 3 and a half hours of NXT action but only two hours, from 9-11PM will air live on the WWE Network.

Embedded image permalink

WWE Performance Center: All Access Pass- Triple H had been teasing this idea of an all access event to the WWE Performance Center for a few days now and went into a few more details as to what WWE is planning with this venture.  For the first time ever the WWE Performance Center will open it’s doors to the general public and allow fans unprecedented access to the performance center.  For fans that sign up for the day- long event, that will take place on September 28th, 2015, it will include, according to a press release issued by WWE , “share breakfast and lunch with NXT Superstars and Divas (meals provided), participate in a Q&A and orientation session with NXT coaching staff, attend a Q&A and autograph session with NXT Superstars and Divas, sign a one-day WWE booking contract, granting admission to a private NXT Live Event at the WWE Performance Center that you will help produce, manage and watch alongside your favorite NXT Superstars & Divas, take an all-access Tour of the WWE Performance Center, which has never before been opened to the public, get an inside look at a private NXT training session, learn the ropes during a promo class and then create your very own unique promo video.Plus, you’ll be able to take the experience home, with exclusive keepsakes like: a commemorative WWE Performance Center: All Access credential, photo opportunities to capture and share your once-in-a-lifetime experience with friends, WWE Performance Center gift bag, limited edition event chair personalized promo video; available post-experience,  and downloadable highlight reel; available post-experience”.  The event will be open to the first 40 people on a first come first serve basis. While this is no doubt a dream experience for any WWE fan, it does cost $1500. Tickets go on sale monday August 24th on NXTTickets.com. 

Future NXT Plans- While Levesque did not confirm anything specifically when it comes to the NXT brand, he did mention that their are plans for NXT to head to the UK. He also said that while he likes that NXT is able to piggy back onto some of the bigger WWE events like Wrestlemania and Summerslam, he’d like to stop there for right now. He said with Wrestlemania and Summerslam, NXT is able to take advantage of some of the international fans who were coming in for that mega event. Levesque also said that he likes that NXT continues to be an alternative brand. He said he does not want NXT to be like Raw or Smackdown and likes that the brand is consistently forced to reinvent itself when the NXT stars go up to the main WWE roster.  Levesque ended by saying that he remains open to talent from all over the world, adding that it doesn’t matter if the talent come from independents or from the NFL or wherever. He finished with a great line about how Kurt Angle never toiled around on the independents and he ended up doing alright.

Closing Thougts–

In the end, I always really enjoy these calls and this time was no different. I feel they make each one of the Takeover specials feel like a big deal. I continue to say it, and don’t expect that it will happen, but I’d like for WWE to do these calls before their pay per views. I also liked how honest Paul Levesque came off during the interview tackling questions about the, rather silly in my opinion, claims that WWE is coming after Ring Of Honor. Levesque pointed out that for years other companies have been making money off Wrestlemania so it would behoove NXT to not do the same thing. As Levesque said, I really don’t think that he’s even all that aware of what Ring Of Honor is doing. I like Ring of Honor, been a fan of their product for years, but the fact is NXT can sell out 13,000+ seat venues and no matter what ROH does right now they aren’t on that level. Perhaps it’s because NXT has the WWE brand recognition behind if but whatever the situation, NXT right now is a success in and of itself and a lot of that is because of Paul Levesque’s hard work. 

That’s going to do it for me right now but I just returned from a fun night at MCU Park, dedicated to Summerslam and will have the highlights from that event tomorrow afternoon. Until then be sure to subscribe below so that you can get all of the Summerslam week coverage right here on the site delivered right away to your email.