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WrestleMania comes to Tampa next year at Raymond James Stadium. Tickets will no doubt sell for hundreds to even thousands of dollars for ringside seats. But The Minnreg Hall in Largo hosts the students WWE is training to become the next "Stone Cold" Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan. Tickets are cheap... starting at $10. WWE calls their pro wrestling school "minor league" NXT. And even though these aren't the wrestlers who headlined WrestleMania last year, they could very well be on the card at WrestleMania in Tampa next year. Thus the name NXT.
You may not know this, but yours truly was a pro rasslin' ring announcer back in the day. As a kid, I wanted to be the next "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. My high school buddy and I learned the moves so we could become pro wrestlers. I detoured and got hooked on radio. My buddy though stuck with it and was a WWE wrestler for a few years. These days, he's one of the coaches who gets these kids ready for the big time. They learn all the ins and outs, from knowing how to take a fall without breaking your back to developing a catchy character that fans will love or hate.
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Wrestling or ballet?
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This guy was in the main event and a big crowd favorite "Velveteen."
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I didn't recognize many of the wrestlers, but I did know this guy from UFC... it's funny how many wrestlers and MMA fighters bounce back and forth from wrestling to legit fighting.
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"How's my breath?"
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Farting fire?
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Only downside of NXT shows in Largo is the lighting is terrible. They're filming matches for the students to learn from but the way they light the right blocks gives you a headache if you're sitting up close.
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The tag team champs!
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Little kids don't often get to meet or get an autograph at big WWE shows. But NXT wrestlers make a point of giving kids cool moments like this.
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Tip: don't sit near the entrance. The camera recording all the students is put near the fan entrance. And since all these guys are hoping to make the WWE, they're practicing playing to the camera.
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As you can see, it's not a big place. You can't have a bad seat.
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They fill the place up each visit. It's cheap... tickets start at $10 for general admission or $20 for reserved seats in the first couple rows.