Wale's WaleMania really returned in epic fashion
It’s no secret - Wale is a huge wrestling fan. The hip-hop veteran made sure to get into the WrestleMania mode by putting together an epic WaleMania at House of Blues in Dallas, Texas heading into the same weekend as the WWE’s biggest names went head to head.
WaleMania is back-back
After mounted anticipation, Ralph Folarin hit the green light on having friends and fellow wrestlers pull through for an unforgettable celebration. The line-up included everyone from wrestling fanatics like Griselda’s Westside Gunn and Smoke DZA to the 7-foot brawler Omos ahead of his bout with Bobby Lashley.
On Thursday, March 31st, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Walemania re-emerged partnering with Spotify to kick off a weekend showcasing the immortals. Led by Wale and hosted by Kazeem Famuyide, a mega mashup of wrestlers and hip-hop stars filled the House of Blues, in Dallas, Texas. Foot Locker teamed up with Walemania to sell a recurring series of merchandise catered for the show at an onsite pop-up shop. This was a unique leveled-up merch experience. Wrestling superstars in attendance included Montez Ford from The Street Profits and Angelo Dawkins kicked off the show with stellar dance moves to New Edition. Even Mr. Pay-Per-View Rob Van Dam with his wife and fellow wrestler Katie Forbes joined some of the rappers on stage.
One of the best moments might have come in the form of Wale delivering ‘Lotus Flower Bomb’ to the masses.
The House of Blues witnessed Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, Yella Beezy, and DJ Poizon Ivy shut down the venue with main-event-level performances. Swerve Strickland from AEW pulled up to the party and shut it down with his own performance. Fans saw the giant Omos rap Jay-Z’s Public Service Announcement with such flair that wooed the crowd. There was a surprise guest appearance from AEW’s TBS Women's Champion Jade Cargill on stage with Wale as he performed one of his popular songs Lotus Flower Bomb.
Even bigger and better things on deck for ‘23
It’s only going to get crazier in the years to come. Plans are currently set for WaleMania to go down in California 12 months from now.
In wrestling, there’s this term known as the “forbidden door,” notably coined by AEW’s Owner Tony Khan. The vernacular relates to how certain businesses or wrestling worlds would not want to work or intersect with each other. Walemania is not just an event. It’s an annual statement that kicks down the forbidden door and brings stars from all possible wrestling companies to step into the ring with hip-hop culture to become a powerful tag team. It’s an eye-catching tag team with all the gold chains and gold title belts in attendance that would even impress The Bad Guy Razor Ramon. Next year, Walemania is set to be in Hollywood. If Thursday can be an indicator of how next year’s Walemania would go, it’ll continue an undefeated streak of stellar collaborations and performances
Endless WaleMania moments
There’s currently tons of footage circulating online showing just how much fun WaleMania turned out to be. From Wale performing ‘No Hands’ to The Street Profits pulling through, it was an event to remember.
