Review: For The Love of Wrestling 2019 in Liverpool, England
For those unaware, For The Love of Wrestling is just one of 14 conventions/events run by the UK events company, Monopoly Events.
For The Love of Wrestling made it's debut in Liverpool, England on the weekend of the 28 and 29 of April 2019, and I was there to see their big first event. While it wasn't the first wrestling convention to ever happen in the UK, not even the first over the past year, it still managed to do what all to come before it couldn't do and that's bring in those huge names that fans had often only ever dreamed of ever meeting.
The event was sponsored by and worked alongside some of the biggest wrestling and wrestling-related businesses in the UK including Wrestling Travel, FITEtv, Inside The Ropes and Futureshock Pro Wrestling. Like all conventions, it featured Q&A's with the guests, vendors selling merchandise, exhibitions and of course the main attraction, photographs, and autographs with the superstar guests.
For The Love of Wrestling featured many of the all-time greats, as well as more modern-day superstars. Their biggest cue though, and attraction, was that of being able to book the iconic The Undertaker for what would turn out to be his first and last UK convention appearance, and last convention appearance period that wouldn't be selected by WWE.
Other than this ultra-rare appearance from The Undertaker, the event also saw guests like Chris Jericho, 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Ted DiBiase, Sid Vicious, Christian, Jimmy Hart, 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, Marty Jannetty, Brutus Beefcake, the Brooklyn Brawler, Lita, Tenille Dashwood, Kelly Kelly, Summer Rae, the always lovable Virgil, and WWE NXT star Pete Dunne.
Like all conventions, the Saturday was the busiest and people couldn't decide what to do first. There were some pretty great vendors selling an array of wrestling merchandise, most notably wrestling figures from the past and present, which seemed to be the most popular spot for shoppers. From what I saw off the Q&A's all went over very entertaining and interesting, particularly the show closing one on the Sunday with Bret Hart, as he was full of emotion, and hatred from WCW.
Despite the long travel from America, all guests were in good spirits and talkative with their fans upon the meet and greets. Even the headliners Undertaker and Chris Jericho were making light conversation during their photo ops. Futureshock Pro Wrestling also staged a wrestling show after then end of the first night, featuring their regulars along with appearances from Jimmy Hart, 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan and Pete Dunne, among more. The wrestlers went home happy, the convention and staff went home happy and of course, the fans themselves went home very happy, bringing an end to the first of what will be an epic annual convention.