Walemania Kicks Off WrestleMania Weekend with a Bang!

Photos credit: Donjai Gilmore

Last night, Walemania, the largest wrestling party of WrestleMania Week, kicked off the weekend with a bang. Sponsored by Cricket Wireless, Hennessey, and ZOA Energy, the event rocked the Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia with high energy and memorable moments throughout the evening. 

The tag team behind Walemania include, the founder Grammy-nominated rapper/actor/poet Wale, host and curator The Ringer’s Kazeem Famuyide and Emilio Sparks and producer Andria Parides 

The show started with a live podcast episode of The Masked Man Show with Van Lathan, David Shoemaker, Emilio Sparks, and Kazeem Famuyide. The crew introduced the night’s master of ceremonies, female wrestler Big Swole. Ronnie Singh, the face of the 2K gaming company, made a surprise appearance to give away copies of WWE 2K24.

Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford of The Street Profits came on stage and received an outstanding ovation. The crowd was chanting throughout the venue in excitement for the Street Profits match alongside Bobby Lashley against the Authors of Pain and Karrion Kross at Wrestlemania XL.

It was announced at Walemania that WWE announcer Samantha Irvin would announce both nights of Wrestlemania XL. This would be the first time in Wrestlemania history that an announcer gets to call both nights by themselves. She also gave a surprise performance, singing and playing the flute for the crowd over Razor Ramon’s “Bad Boy” theme song. TNA Impact’s own AJ Francis also performed several songs to keep the crowd energized.

This iteration’s “Guest of Honor” was Shelton Benjamin. The 20-year veteran was recognized for his contributions to the WWE and Ring of Honor, including his charisma, athleticism, and more. Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Cedric Alexander, and Bobby Lashley introduced Shelton and gave a toast to the Guest of Honor with some Hennessey. The crowd saw a surprise video package that honored Shelton, featuring some of his friends in the industry, such as Mia Yim and Kurt Angle.

Cory Townes, DJ Gigi Rosa, DJ Tommy Carlucci, DJ Aye Boogie, and DJ Money provided the sounds throughout the night. The event ended with a lively performance set by Wale, Beanie Sigel, 3OhBlack, Connie Diamond, Armani White, and Young Chris. The legendary Philadelphia emcee, Freeway, performed alongside Beanie Sigel.