Source: The Boston Globe
By Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff
Nearly eight hours before last night’s World Wrestling Entertainment’s sold – out SummerSlam, more than 100 people were gathered outside the VIP parking area at the TD Banknorth Garden yelling for each of the pro wrestlers and personalities as they entered. That kind of fanatic dedication might surprise some, but not WWE superstar John Cena. “That’s not just because we’re in Boston, I’ll get fans yelling at each stop, no matter how big the city is,” said Cena, a West Newbury native, who met with media yesterday at Legend s in the Garden. “They know everything about what we’re doing. . . . It’s actually great,” said the wrestler, who will be making his movie debut starring in “The Marine” this October. It’s a role Cena said he wanted because of “the story. We’ve done a lot with the troops, [the WWE] was over in Baghdad.” Cena, who got to spend a couple of days in his hometown , said he likes going back to West Newbury where his mom used to own an ice cream shop. Does he attract as much attention there ? “It’s not about that. When I catch up with the guys, we never talk about that, we just catch up,” said Cena. “It’s nice to have both.”
Wrestling stars, legends hit the town
Several of the WWE stars and legends hosted a party at WaterWorks in Quincy to launch on-demand WWE programming on Comcast. On hand for the Saturday evening party were Candice Michelle, Carlito, Mr. Kennedy, Gregory Helms, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBlase, Faarooq, and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. . . . Later a slew of the wrasslers and their crew (more than 50, we’re told) headed out to chow down at the Kowloon in Saugus. Among those nearly cleaning out the kitchen and sushi bar were Randy Orton, Carlito, Spirit Squad, The Highlanders, 500-pound Viscera, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, and Finlay. In the private dining room were a dozen of the WWE “divas” including Lita, Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson, and Lilian Garcia.
