Wrestlemania 2022's Highlight Was Watching A Fan Wedding

Wrestlemania weekend contains a multitude of events for WWE fans that are more than just wrestling show after wrestling show. Fans can visit the Axxess Superstore and pick up some cool merch, check out WWE memorabilia, or even attend a wedding. That's right, during Wrestlemania weekend, on Friday, there was a wedding, and it was one of the most wonderful moments of the weekend that didn't involve someone getting beaten up or drinking beer while laying down at ringside.

Nestled between an airbrushed tattoo station from Peacock and a set up for the worst energy drink I've ever tasted in my life was a giant video screen and flower arch for two couples to get married. 2K Games, who published the recently released WWE 2K22 video game, held a Match Made in Heaven contest where two couples were chosen, based off of videos submitted through social media. Their prize was a trip to Wrestlemania to get hitched in front of of a group of strangers at the Axxess Superstore. It was perfect.

Michael Whited and Jordan Attarian from Maryland and Delaware were married at the same time as Emma St. John and Sam Lyle of Illinois on the show floor. Surrounded by them were their lineups of WWE superstars including 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke and Tamina Snuka as maids of honor, with Akira Tozawa and Reggie stepping in as best men. WWE legend "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart led the ceremony.

Speaking to GameSpot, Lyle and St. John admitted they spent a lot of time on social media to gauge their odds of winning, prior to the announcement. "We have been watching Twitter and all that stuff for a while because we were like, 'Oh my god. I think we had a shot at it,' so we were like checking it," explained Chicago native Lyle. "It was a little bit later that they announced things."

After they were announced as one of the two winning couples, their first thoughts went to who they were going to bring with them. "We have to figure out four people to take off of work in a week and come to Texas," St. John told us. "We didn't really know if it would be in a ring or going to be in the convention hall or what the deal would be so we just kind of went in with an open mind."

With those in attendance looking onward, the two couples got married in what was actually a very nice, wholesome ceremony. Each bride and groom came out to their own individual music--all of which was WWE entrance music, and everyone had fun with it, strutting down the makeshift entrance ramp.

For 2022, the keyword for Wrestlemania was "fun," with Johnny Knoxville beating up Sami Zayn with the Jackass crew, Vince McMahon taking one last Stunner, and Stone Cold Steve Austin drinking ALL the beer. And while a wedding wasn't a part of the big show itself, it filled the mold WWE was trying to build as many people head back into public in what we hope is the tailend of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also allowed two pairs of die-hard wrestling fans to start their marriages in a place where they were surrounded by like-minded people who were as excited for Wrestlemania weekend as they were.

And, of course, the happy couples didn't walk away empty-handed. 2K awarded them with championship belts with customized sideplates to celebrate the event, grooms for WWE Championships, while the brides were given Raw Women's titles. Naturally, they also got prime seating at Wrestlemania the next day.

Recently engaged on WWE television to Tozawa, Tamina spoke to GameSpot about the wedding after the event had ended. "It was definitely exciting because I got engaged myself this past week," Tamina said. "To be able to be part of this though, it's an opportunity to be able and open up to everybody. 'Hey, I want to actually have a dream. I love wrestling. I love this. I want my [spouse] to love it as well.' This is why I love that kind of stuff because we're always breaking barriers, and you want to do something and this is why we love to hear the feedback from the fans or from anybody at this point because you guys give us that feedback."

What made this event such a special one was that everyone seemed so happy about it. From the perspective of someone watching the event, it was beautiful. It's a large group of people, who love wrestling, watching two people who also love wrestling, getting married by a wrestling manager with wrestlers at their side. It's the most wrestling-ception moment of Wrestlemania weekend that couldn't have been improved at all. Ok, that's a lie. A 24/7 Championship title change would have made it even better, but not by much.

And while, yes, this was a mere promotional tool at its heart for a new video game, it added some new flavor to the Axxess Superstore--flavor that wasn't overly-sweet and as acidic as those free energy drinks being handed out. What's more, those who happened to be walking by that stopped to watch the nuptials seemed just as moved as everyone else.

As wrestling fans, there's a fair amount of cynicism inside us. We're watching a sport that is predetermined, and our suspension of disbelief is constantly being tested, like when a new wrestler debuts claiming to be the younger brother of another wrestler who's been missing for months. So it's times like these, when we're presented with something so pure and filled with love that we all melt a little bit inside, and we're reminded that we all love wrestling and sometimes, that love carries over to loving each other.