wrestling

Sold-Out Crowd Descends on Levi's Stadium for WrestleMania

A sold-out crowd of 76,000 screaming fans descended on Levis Stadium for WrestleMania 31 — also known as the Super Bowl of wrestling. Tickets weren't cheap either, some wrestling fans paid more than $10,000 for a ticket. That helped make it the highest ever grossing event ever for WWE. It raked in more than $12.5 million.

Fans said it was well worth it.

After four days of buildup, the gates to the main event opened at 1:30 p.m. The crowd was loud and enthusiastic all night.

Joe DiBenedetto came from Fresno to watch the show. He said he had a great time at WrestleMania.

“The charisma, the camaraderie — everybody around us," DiBenedetto said. "It was like one, big happy family. And I mean you got to see some old characters, new characters, arising, departure. Everything was great.”

Fans watched as Sting stepped into a WWE ring after 14 years of anticipation, and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was named a Hall of Fame inductee. Also, East Bay native The Rock paid a visit to the event.

But 15-year-old Damian Prado had his own highlights.

"I got to spend time with my father, and not just that, but I also got to spend time with the WWE Universe," Prado said. "So, it was awesome.”

WrestleMania 31 drew an international crowd with fans from 40 countries. People like Frankie Lawrence came from Bedford, England.

”This was a dream come true, coming across to America for the first time and actually watching my dream, WrestleMania,” Lawrence said.

Many jumped on light rail and came directly from a fan event at the San Jose Convention Center. The trains were definitely crowded, and many people had to stand for the trip.

"The light rail was an easy way to get from the hotel and convention to Levi's Stadium. You don't have to worry about car and parking parking and all the hassles," WrestleMania attendee Jason Heinitz said.

For those who opted to drive, many complained about a major backup once they got off Highway 101 and tried to make it to the stadium. But late Sunday afternoon, that seemed to clear up.

After the event, the parking lot cleared out within 45 minutes.

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