I should warn you, this is really, really long.  In fact, as I typed “Part I” in the title, I wasn’t even sure how many part this is going to be.

So, anyway…let’s get on with it…

A couple of months ago, I learned about WWE Smackdown coming to Manila.  To be honest, I wasn’t exactly spoiling to buy a ticket as soon as I learned.  At the time, two of my major favorite wrestlers, Triple H and Jeff Hardy were on the show.  But there was an impending draft in the WWE so, even though they were initially in the lineup of superstars who were coming, I decided to wait to decide if I was going to buy a ticket until after the draft.

True enough, the top guy on the show, Triple H was drafted to Raw.  Still, I was having second thoughts.  I mean, Jericho and John Morrison ended up in Smackdown after the draft.  And the top heel mainstay, Edge is also there.  But I guess I needed more pushing.  I got that when I read a recount in a form of an article in a sport website I frequent, written by one of the top writers in the Pro-Wrestling section of the said site.  It was about his “adventure” watching a Smackdown and ECW Live show, which was being taped for TV at the Madison Square Garden.  The writer was so ecstatic about it, that I could not help but feel…well, jealous.  I want to experience that, too.

So, then after a week of contemplating, I decided to buy a ticket.  The only choice left, that I gave myself was whether to buy a ringside ticket or a VIP ticket, which was half the price and five rows behind the closest seat to the ring.  Now, my number one favorite of all the wrestlers today is none other than “The Legend Killer”, “The Viper”, the Third Generation Superstar, Randy Orton.  And, since he’s on Raw, I didn’t see any reason why I would want to buy a ringside ticket and decided to buy a VIP seat ticket instead.

A couple of weeks after I purchased the ticket, I learned that not only was Smackdown coming but, ECW too.  Two shows in one night, baby!  I already felt like it was a steal buy for me.  Little did I know that it was going to be a whole lot more of a steal at the night of the show itself…but let’s not jump too quickly on that part.  There’s still a lot more areas to cover before that.

Then, I started looking for people I can hang around with at the night of the show through the Internet.  I posted an announcement on all four of my most active social networking accounts –Friendster, MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook—asking everyone who’d read to contact me if they were going.  I also posted on JackTV’s forum about it, and true enough, I found one in Mijiata.  There was actually two, but the second one came at a later date, or rather at the exact date of the event itself.

So, then, everything was ironed out.  I got my tickets to a Smackdown and ECW show and I’m in contact with possible company.  I told Mijiata of my plan of making a few signs for my favorite wrestlers, and she told me she was thinking of making one too, a tarpaulin at that.  I was only going to make some out of poster paper since they’re easier to carry and a lot less bulky too.  I decided to make one for her too, so she’ll be able to see me from my seat since we have different seat locations. 

I made signs for Edge, Jeff Hardy, and John Morrison each.  I also made one for Kane and the Hart Dynasty thinking they were coming. Unfortunately, they didn’t.  And I also made one especially for the Smackdown announce team –commentators Jim Ross and Todd Grisham, and the announcer Justin Roberts –which said: “I paid to see J.R., Todd and Justin Roberts.”  Well, of course it’s not entirely true.  I paid to see the wrestlers and the action, but, yeah, I still meant it.  I had to think about what I was going to write on the signs, so that took me two weeks to contemplate and actually make them, so when I was done, that’s when I got really excited.  After all, there was a week left.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Note: Will add picture as soon as possible.