By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch Specialist

Every week, the WWE is now presenting us with facts that congratulate itself on its greatness. This week, we learned about its recent international tour to inform viewers of the enormous popularity the company has around the world. I can tell you from personal experience that it is not an exaggeration. One of my personal hobbies besides watching wrestling is traveling. I have been to eleven countries thus far this year and been to about thirty-five countries so far in my life. Although I am not traveling for the purpose of following the WWE, circling the globe has brought me many moments that have enhanced my experience as a wrestling fan. This week, I wanted to share with you some interesting stories from around the world that will not only give you a personal insight on the unique experiences of a wrestling fan, but also illustrate to you how huge of a presence that wrestling has around the world. I hope all of you who have encountered similar moments in your travels, especially you Torch readers from outside of the United States, and you can email me some stories as well. By the way, I am writing this column in Dublin, Ireland so perhaps I may see some distant relatives of the McMahons on this journey.
 
10. Watching Raw over Niagara Falls
 
When I was really young, my parents and I had the tradition of an annual vacation to Niagara Falls. Gradually those trips slowed down as I got older and eventually I had not been to the world wonder for fifteen years. A couple years ago, I had driven across the country from Los Angeles to Boston to see Summerslam. (Yes, I am a dedicated fan.) On the way back to my hometown of Michigan I decided to take a nostalgic stop to Niagara to see the place that had so many childhood memories. To my amazement, within walking distance from the falls, on the Clifton Hill tourist area, was a towering structure with the WWE logo on it. I had no idea that there was a WWE Niagara Falls, so the sight of the towering trademark added a magical aura to an already surreal trip. Coincidentally, it happened to be Monday so soon there I was watching Raw in a building full of wrestling memorabilia and merchandise right above Niagara Falls. Speaking of being above the Falls, there is also a ride called the Piledriver that pops up from the store and rockets you 220 feet into the air and gives you a majestic view of Niagara Falls. Although Canada is only a short trip across the border from the US, when you are at WWE Niagara Falls, you will feel like you are in another world.
 
9. A culture where wrestling is cool.
 
I went to law school in Los Angeles, California and on weekends when I did not have that much work to do, me and my friends would take a short road trip to Mexico. It is incredible that on a short walk from San Diego across the border to Tijuana, you are transformed into another culture. One of the first things you notice is how popular wrestling is in the Mexican culture. No sooner than about fifty feet past the border and you see hawkers selling all types of lucha libre masks. I have heard for years about the importance of the mask in the Mexican wrestling heritage, and seeing these masks everywhere is amazing.  Additionally, WWE shirts are found everywhere and Rey Mysterio is a cult hero that can be seen on magazine covers.  When I had gone to Mexico City, one of the more popular shirts I saw young kids sporting were John Cena shirts. While wrestling is popular in the United States but not widely respected, just a short trip south of the border brings you to a country where wrestling is a huge accepted part of the culture.
 
8. Undertaker and the country's biggest movie-star?
 
Earlier this year, I was doing a tour of India. Wrestling is hugely popular in the country and I was able to keep up with watching Raw as well as pay per views while I was over there. People might wonder why The Great Khali has a solid spot on the WWE roster, but his presence is more than because of his immense dimensions. He is a huge star in India, a country with over one billion people, and a large market for the WWE. I would often see specials on Khali on television as well as Indian newspapers. Speaking of newspapers, one of the more interesting "headlines" I saw on the major papers over there was when Shahrukh Khan, the biggest movie-star in Bollywood sported a new haircut. Apparently, the wild hairstyle reminded people of another superstar's hair, none other than the Undertaker. So on the front page of the news was a picture of Khan next to the Taker with the headline, "Is Shahrukh imitating the Undertaker?"  I know Indian movies are not very popular in the United States, but this guy is an enormous star all over the world and is essentially worshipped as a god in India so seeing him compared to a WWE star shows how hugely popular wrestling is in the country. 
 
7. Finding a lost shirt across the world.
 
Although I am critical of many aspects of WWE, one of the things I believe they have done a consistently excellent job in is their merchandising. Simply put, the level of quality of WWE products is remarkable. One of my favorite shirts I had a few years ago was a Triple H shirt that said, "Pain is Temporary, The Game is Forever." I know the shirt is not exactly the personification of cool, but I loved it more for the unintentional comedic aspect of Hunter's overinflated opinion of himself. Somehow, I lost the shirt and I was unable to find it again because WWE no longer carried it. I am sure The Game would tell you it was because they were selling out at such a rapid pace, the company could no longer keep up with the demand. Seriously speaking, I did love the shirt and wanted to find it again. Who could have imagined where the shirt would show up? On a trip to Japan, I was doing some shopping in the overpriced shops of Tokyo. One of the stores had a large selection of wresting merchandise, and what else did I see but the same Triple H shirt that I had lost in the US. You see fellow Torch readers, The Game really does rule the world.
 
6. Johnny Nitro: International superstar?
 
I know that in the realm of international wrestling legends, the name Johnny Nitro, or John Morrison as he is now known, is not exactly the first person we think of. Being a huge Shawn Michaels fan, however, I see Morrison as a star with the charisma and the athleticism of a young HBK. He has the best entrance and look in wrestling and is a sensational athlete. He is the superstar I would like to see emerge in the ensuing years. This brings me to my trip to Spain last year. While I was walking down the streets of Madrid, I ran into a small shop that had all types of international sports merchandise. They also had a selection of artistic WWE jerseys of various superstars with their likeness on the front and back. These were some of the coolest wrestling shirts I had ever seen, and to my surprise, as I was flipping through jerseys of Triple H, Mysterio, Batista, Undertaker, I ran into a Johnny Nitro one! Knowing I would likely never find it again, I immediately purchased the jersey.  Now, you cannot exactly wear an obnoxious looking Nitro shirt just anywhere, but the perfect city to sport something so gaudy and flashy is Las Vegas. Earlier this year, I was in Vegas, strolling through a convention at the Venetian Hotel with sunglasses and a Johnny Nitro jersey on when some photographer stopped me. He started asking me where I had bought the shirt as he thought it was spectacular.  It turned out he was a friend of John Morrison from his days of working with the WWE. He told me he wanted to show pictures of it to Morrison. A few months later, I was in Orlando for Wrestlemania and I was staying in the same hotel with the WWE wrestlers. I was walking down the lobby and ran into none other than Morrison himself. We chatted for a bit and I asked him about his friend showing him the jersey and he said how cool it was and how he, himself does not have it! Just imagine that. I purchase a WWE shirt across the globe in Spain, run into a friend of the person o the shirt while wearing it in Las Vegas, and then I run into the superstar himself in Orlando and talk about that very same shirt! So for all you fans who see Morrison as the next big thing, mention this story to people as confirmation of his international popularity.
 
This is the end of the first part of this two-part series. I hope it gave you some perspective from one fan's eyes, just how huge of a conglomerate the WWE machine is, and no, you should never be ashamed to be a wrestling fan. There are millions around the world.  Well, this is one fan that needs to stop typing and hit up an Irish pub and start drinking. Not sure what country I will be in next week, but look out for more international experiences from a traveling wrestling fan.
 
Please send questions, comments and feedback to valentino.torch@gmail.com

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