The latest WrestleMania 24 information to be released indicates that there were around 11,500 free tickets given out for the show, with the actual paid attendance being 63,100. This makes it the most heavily papered Mania since VIII in 1992, which had 15,000 free tickets.
The Undertaker’s absence is said to be part of a long-term storyline between him and Edge, which will play out following his return. The writers were only told he was going to be taking some time off when the retirement stipulation was added to the One Night Stand match. No details were provided, Vince McMahon simply told them what had to be done and asked for suggestions on how to do it. Vince has in recent months had far less interaction with the creative teams than usual and has kept them less informed about such things as Undertaker taking time off or the main objectives of the draft. He has also taken to changing his mind on booking decisions more frequently than had been the case, which frustrates the writers as Stephanie McMahon presses them for long-term ideas that will most likely wind up being altered several times by Vince. Last week the writers and producers had a closed-door meeting to discuss some of these creative frustrations. One of the main issues that came up was the amount of time spent on aimless backstage skits, which the producers are not keen on, and the lack of time given to matches on Raw.
Batista has been doing some Muay Thai training recently.
Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 09 June 2008 (subscribe here)
