The Capitol Center, longtime home of the NBA’s Bullets/Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals, was demolished in 2002, a year before I graduated high school. Until my mid 20’s, it was the only venue where I’d ever experienced professional wrestling. In the early 1990’s, it was one of the popular stops for the former World Wrestling Federation. My parents had just divorced, and for a single Air Force Airmen with a first grader, one income wasn’t enough. My mother took a part-time job at the Capitol Center as an usher. I got to attend Bullets games, Capitals games, the Icecapades, even the greatest show ever performed, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live! As her de facto plus one, I rarely had my own seat, and would just kind of exist in the aisles, never out of her line of sight. Live dunks, live goals, live fights, live “COWABUNGA!” chants were all surreal, but the single event that stands out, that probably informs my fandom, is the WWF’s December 26, 1991 house show, main evented by Hulk Hogan defeating Ric Flair via countout. That live experience, the 6,000 or so fans in attendance going crazy for two of the biggest wrestling stars in the world, and everything, everyone being so much larger than anything I’d ever come across… I didn’t understand divorce, and what that meant for work, finances, didn't care about where I sat, if i sat… just the energy, the feeling of live wrestling still sticks with me to this day.
Almost 32 years later, I’m watching a kid go through a similar, yet vastly larger experience. He’s roughly the same age I was for my first event, standing knee high to most of the other people in attendance. It’s uncommonly chilly for Los Angeles in April, so he’s decked out in a Sour Apple Green John Cena hoodie and Wrestlemania Hollywood hat. His dad, a New Yorker who fell in love with a woman from Dallas is next to him in a matching t-shirt over a hoodie combo. They have ringside seats, but haven’t made it that far just yet- they’re currently in the outdoor VIP section of SoFi stadium, one of the events within the event provided by On Location, the company specializing in fan hospitality services. Owned by recent WWE purchaser Endeavor, they run the gamut of both sports and entertainment, partnering with the NCAA, NFL, UFC, Summer and Winter Olympics games, and of course, the WWE. In each of these fields, they pair with the sports organization to provide meet and greets, catering, up close seating, and for events like Wrestlemania, the chance to walk the same steps, literally and figuratively, as the talent they came to see. UFC seems to be the blueprint for the way On Location approaches the fight superfan setup: Your own dedicated entrance, ringside seats, and pre/post show premium lounge seating, depending on the standing of the event. They first partnered with WWE to sell VIP packages for 2022’s Money in the Bank Premium Live Event. The young Cena fan is holding a replica, elementary school scale, United States title belt, hoping his hero defeats Austin Theory to solidify his look. Luckily, his New York sensibilities haven’t kicked in yet, so he’s eager to talk about his day with a smile. I ask him who he’s met so far, and he runs down quite the list, occasionally looking to his dad to make sure he doesn’t miss anyone: Hit Row, Kurt Angle, Asuka, Dexter Lumis, Liv Morgan and Jimmy Hart all signed the leather interior of his title belt in gold Sharpie. His Dad, slim Stella Artois can in hand, explains the progression very succinctly. “I’m not gonna fly halfway across the United States to (at this point, he aims his finger to the highest seats) sit way up there… I’m gonna spend (he pauses) you know, to give him the experience. That’s what we did for (the Royal Rumble as well).”
As they disappear to another side of the sprawling Oasis, a woman with her two adult sons is seated in the middle of the area, and WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page is chatting them up about their experience. Both of her sons are in wheelchairs, so the ease of not having to wait in line, or skip the line, is something she values. She’s energetic with each interaction, her curly red hair and green velour jumpsuit creating a festive look about 8 months before everyone copies her style. While there is a photo op, currently occupied by Kurt Angle and Kelly Kelly, the WWE talent is free to walk through and mingle. Dexter Lumis, complete with his black driving gloves, is weaving through the area, shaking hands and taking pictures. Top Dolla and Ashonte the Adonis are both in bright tuxedos, being sure to stop and speak with all the fans. It’s Jim Halpert’s reverse petting zoo without the HR violations. Instead of feeling like you just may be part of the action, you are the action, the guest in position to be met. There are multiple bars for drinks, photo backdrops, and multiple chicken, beef and seafood items around the area. Both On Location and the Sofi Stadium staff are walking the area asking the patrons about their time, and assisting with anything they need. Whether it’s Wrestlemana, or Los Angeles, or both, it’s also an environment where celebrities outside of WWE can experience fandom while getting to step away from their usual media duties. Holes star and All Def Digital content creator Khleo Thomas purchased both nights of the On Location Priority Package. Night one, he’s flanked by Gui DaSilva-Greene, SAG winner for his work as Chadwick Boseman’s stuntman in Avengers: Endgame. Night two, he brings his mother, and they find a table for two off to the side to eat a quick meal before going to their ringside seats. He greets fellow fan and the newest Honorary Uce, Cocaine Bear star O’Shea Jackson Jr. You can sense the calm amongst them, getting away from cameras, even if it’s just for the two hour window the meet and greet/buffet is open. “Love this whole experience” Thomas says, recalling night one’s excitement and getting to interact with other fans in a smaller space. “… people get a chance to eat, grab a drink, a couple of WWE Superstars… sit in a very comfortable space… then enjoy the festivities!” He breaks out into an Elias impression, smiles, then goes to check on his mom.
About a half hour before they shut down the area to take the fans to their assigned section for each night's show, a select few are asked to line up for a trip “backstage”. I chose to follow along for night two, guessing what I’d see would be a bit more fleshed out. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are in the raised bar area with their newly won Undisputed Tag Team Titles adorning each shoulder, so there’s enough attention that way to avoid any issue with attendees forming a crowd for the tour. Navigating the long walkways of the $6 billion installation, and going down a few floors, the fans stand on one side of an industrial elevator. About 25 yards away, with the elevator splitting the distance, the chosen few can both see, and hear, Paul Heyman cutting a promo stating his desires for Roman Reigns to retain the title. It’s John Hammond’s dream come to life: they’re absolutely in awe of Heyman, the wonder of seeing him in his natural habitat while not doing anything to interrupt his natural flow. After he finishes his promo, he’s escorted off, and the fans are taken to a large set of vertically stacked cases on wheels. One by one, the WWE representative pulls out different championship belts, from Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship, to the formerly used white leather Intercontinental Championship. They pass the belts around like a pet snake at show and tell, afraid of a false move but unable to resist a slight pause to take in the weight and scope. After a few minutes, they walked a bit further to WWE’s most sacred of locations: The Gorilla Position. You hear a man whisper to his wife “why do they call it Gorilla?”, and I break my observatory role to fill them in. He says “oh, of course, thanks!”, as they meet a few people behind the scenes. Everyone, regardless of their wrestling trivia knowledge, immediately recognizes Stu, John Cena’s favorite camera man. After a quick glance and the deluxe media board and titanium interior, they are asked to turn their attention to the Holy Grail: The WWE and Universal Championships that Roman Reigns will carry to the ring later that night. They are allowed to look, but absolutely cannot touch. From the moment we entered the room with the industrial elevator, they were asked to keep their phones hidden, so the Universal Title, Stu, Heyman, wil have to live on through shared stories and post-experience Facebook posts. So no one’s able to take a picture of the match order with proposed run times printed on the wall above the titles, or The Undertaker, Michelle McCool and company as they make their way up the elevator. After taking in the prestige of the titles, they are walked out the Wrestlemania stage, the entranceway made to look like the world’s largest movie premiere. Flanked by digital posters of made up movies with WWE talent, they are able to take a few professional photos that will be emailed to them after the show. They’re they brought back to the main location so that the next group can get that same behind the scenes tour, likely with a few different faces popping up.
On Location CEO Paul Caine is in the middle of the VIP area, overseeing the event with a few corporate partners. All dressed in blazers and button downs, he seems pleased. We have a brief conversation, mostly about the scope of the operation. There’s variance in what can be provided at each level, and he’s especially proud of the travel packages they provide for college events like bowl games and the Final Four, where families of participants tend to be larger, so they’re especially appreciative of their experiences, getting to see their kids/nephews/nieces perform at the highest level. That pride likely ran through the weekend, because with Wrestlemania itself breaking it’s all-time revenue record, the same happened for their VIP packages, outselling the initial Money in the Bank, as well as Summerslam, Survivor Series, and New York Cena’s first On Location trip, this year’s Royal Rumble. This go round, outside of the in stadium events, VIP customers got to spend Friday afternoon bowling with The Miz and Omos, and tour Mattel’s California headquarters to see their brand new WCW Nitro figures and scaled sets. We’re in the age of accessibility. You’re one tweet away from a response from your favorite singer, one tik tok away from a collaboration with your favorite influencer. On Location is trying to normalize the fan to athlete experience, not by creating some artificial friendship, but to have people in spaces where they don’t have to be extra to be seen, don’t have to lie to kick it. You can experience relaxed, at your own pace interactions with the stars you see every week, and the only pressure each side feels is the pressure to appear. What was a kid’s dream in the aisle has evolved into a full fledged sideline sequence, one scheduled sequence at a time. Like I told New York Cena: there’s nothing wrong with the word “spoiled” as long as you appreciate it. The superfans that decided to use On Location for their Wrestlemania experience left Los Angeles happy, and ready for their next chance to stand in that aisle.
