March 29, 2016

Wrestlemania: why you should watch, even if pro wrestling isn't your thing

23 minutes

This Sunday the WWE will host the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. Wrestlemania will takeover the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, which has a maximum capacity of 105,000. If things go as the WWE plans, the show will be the biggest pro wrestling event in history. That's only partly why you should tune in. After decades of ups-and-downs, pro wrestling is expanding beyond the ring, becoming a superhero-like universe of comedy shows, gaming streams, and reality programs. Wrestlemania is the culmination of storylines that span thousands of hours of live and prerecorded events and programs — and is somehow made accessible to newcomers.

I will actually be in attendance. I haven't been passionate about pro wrestling since childhood, but I've always heard that Wrestlemania — like the Kentucky Derby, a NASCAR race, and competitive noodling — is a sporting event that must be experienced in person. To prepare, I invited my friend and colleague Bill Hanstock to appear on this week's What's Tech. Hanstock is the wrestling editor at SB Nation and Cageside Seats, and hosts pro wrestling podcast Rudo Radio. Hanstock is a passionate evangelist for the sport, and he provides countless reasons why now is the best time to welcome pro wrestling into your life.

Wrestlemania 32 begins Sunday at 7PM ET. You can watch it the old-fashioned way on pay-per-view, or stream via the WWE Network.

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