Flying leaps, fist-crunching punches, bone-snapping body slams… do NOT try this at home, kids. Seriously, don’t. WWE RAW superstars are ridiculously buff, outrageous risk-takers, who live to give and take a beating. They’re athletes at the top of their game. No matter how cartoonish it sometimes looks on telly, this stuff ain’t for amateurs.
The Babe quartet were invited** to WWE RAW London at the O2 for the second time last week. I had just as much fun as the first time, maybe more. I recognised a few more wrestlers by name, and I was primed to get into the spirit of things.
Visiting WWE RAW live, the adrenaline kicks in from outside the arena. Coming out of the tube station, we heard loads of people whooping like werewolves. ‘It’s the chant for New Day,’ the boys told us.
Wrestling team New Day weren’t even on the line-up, but those whoops kept going.
Our first stop was the WWE RAW VIP pre-show reception. We saw wrestling superstar the Miz, now a ‘heel’ aka baddie, doing interviews. ‘He’s so annoying,’ Jed said. Ezra was thrilled to pose with tag team Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
I missed tag team Lucha Dragons, from the 2015 show. Kalisto is still a wild card, but he doesn’t bring the same eye-popping athleticism and acrobatics as he did when paired with Sin Cara.
WWE RAW Live is like a mishmash of boxing, rugby, circus, pantomime and, thanks to the skimpy outfits, a little bit Magic Mike. To say I was having a good time was an understatement. As with our first WWE Raw outing, Abiye and I kept grinning across at each other. We loved how excited the babes got each time a WWE Raw superstar crossed the stage.
‘All I want is to see Finn Balor and Seth Rollins and I’ll be happy,’ Ezra said. The sight of my boy flinging his arms up in sync with his superhero Finn Balor will stay with me forever.
I’ve always thought Seth Rollins was a hottie and now he’s the ‘face’ of RAW. The energy was off the hook when he showed up. I wasn’t so keen on Samoa Joe pummelling him around the ring (top image). ‘Get off him Fat Joe!’ we screamed.
One thing I love about WWE RAW live is the pure showmanship, especially when superstars walk in. The crowd went wild as Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks and more took the stage. One of my favourite entrances was the Hardy Boys, who had half the stadium losing their minds.
Then there was the surprisingly lyrical appearance of crazy-eyed Bray Wyatt. He walked on in darkness, carrying a lantern, while fans lit up the arena with their mobile phones.
WWE RAW London was slick, sweaty, silly, sensational. It was the stuff of my boys’ dreams.
‘That was one of the greatest nights of my life,’ Jed said afterwards, twinkly-eyed.
As we headed out, the moon shone down and fans were still howling, New Day style. We threw our heads back and whooped into the night.
WWE RAW London: Babes Review
Jed, age 8
‘I like that Seth Rollins beat Samoa Joe. I saw the championship belts at the pre-show and they looked really cool. And I liked that Dean Ambrose did his finisher – the Dirty Deeds – on the Miz three times at the end of the show. I’d rate the show 5 stars! I think it’s best for ages 7+ as younger people might be scared of the fighting!’
Ezra, age 11
‘I thought the show was great, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first time because – well, it was my first time and I was a lot younger then. I still found it very enjoyable, WWE has been one of my favourite shows for 6 or 7 years. The experience was amazing, especially meeting the superstars before the show. My most exciting moment was when Seth Rollins came out. The Miz and Dean Ambrose were General Managers of Raw. I’d give it 5 stars. Age recommendation? Probably best for ages 3+, because the flashing lights, fireworks and other effects might be too intense for little ones.’
WWE Raw is the most-watched, regularly scheduled, live year-round program on US cable and a global smash hit. Stay tuned for more live appearances in London!
**press trip
London Kids Weekend Scoop (May 11-14, 2017)
