Everyone knows about San Diego Comic-Con International (SDCC). Every year the event is covered from every angle, as the news and projects announced there unfortunately, almost never live up to the hype (looking at you Batman v Superman). Comic-Con is now about as mainstream and corporate as you can get.  What was once a niche, subculture event for your average comic book fans and cosplayers, has been sterilized and barcoded by studios, TV networks and video game publishers.

But don’t fear, my spandex loving friends. The sanctuary of professional wrestling is here to keep you smiling and enjoying the festivities while down in San Diego. The WWE Universe and pro wrestling fans are no different from any other fandom. Wrestling diehards (or geeks like myself) like to meet up to talk mat wars, rumors and purchase/trade action figures and other memorabilia. The WWE recognizes this and has built a strong yearly presence at Comic-Con. Whether it’s making big reveals at their Mattel panel or having WWE Superstars walk the floor, talk with fans and sign Autographs, the WWE embraces the four-day event.

With that in mind, here are some things to keep an eye out for while walking the convention floor or cruising around the Gaslamp Quarter (while trying to sneak into those Hollywood hotel parties).

WWE/Mattel Fan Panel

The hottest WWE ticket at SDCC is their Mattel panel. Sure, you’ll get news on the latest superstars joining their action figure line. That’s great and all, but fans go expecting to see surprise storylines from the weekly shows bleed over into real life. The best example of this was in 2011, when then champion CM Punk invaded the conference presentation to call out and get into a verbal confirmation with Triple H. A masterful move by WWE Creative, in creating a viral piece that enhanced the angle of Punk as the renegade, going against and creating havoc for the corporate machine.

In 2014, the WWE Universe witnessed something they never thought they’d see: The Icon Sting, making his first official WWE appearance as his action figure, was unveiled at the panel. Legends such as Hulk Hogan, Daniel Bryan and Paul Heyman were on hand to see Sting, in his full “Crow” gimmick, finally join the fold of Vince McMahon’s “sports entertainment” juggernaut. Unfortunately for Stinger fans, his WWE run was brief and basically a disaster, including a WrestleMania loss to Triple H (of course) and a career ending injury.

They’re Not Only Wrestlers, But Geeks as Well

The classic image most people have of a pro wrestler is that of a hard living maniac, which amongst other things includes heavy drinking, pill popping and run-ins with the cops. Basically, jacked up Rock and Rollers! The makeup and mindset of today’s wrestler seems to be drastically different. Instead of being at a bar, these new generation Superstars are content playing video games, expanding their toy collections and updating their social media accounts. It’s a New Day indeed (see what I did there)!

Superstars such as Xavier Woods, Finn Balor and Zach Ryder will be down on the Con floor rubbing shoulders with the rest of us, looking to buy comics and toys, while fanboying over franchises they love.

At the head of this geeky wrestler revolution is Xavier Woods. The alpha nerd if you will. Not only does the man love video games—as apparent by his awesome YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown—but he’s also a fan of anime, comic books and monthly subscription mystery boxes. Let’s not also forget that he used to wrestle in the Black Power Ranger garb, calling out “Its Morphin Time” during matches. Only the epic Kenny Omega, can rival Woods when it comes to being Wrestling Geek Champion, but that’s a story for another day.

Beware of The Arrow’s Arch-Enemy

It doesn’t matter that Cody Rhodes—aka Stardust—is no longer with the WWE. His feud with the Arrow’s Stephen Amell continues. Things started last year when Stardust (Rhodes) crashed Amell’s Dallas Comic Con panel:

That run in eventually lead to a match between the foes at SummerSlam, when Stephen Amell stepped into Rhodes’ wrestling world. Now the flip’s been switched to a different environment, where Rhodes is set to guest star in the upcoming season of Arrow this fall. No character details have been released for who Rhodes will play, but it’s a pretty safe bet that he will play some sort of supervillain fighting it out with the “Emerald Archer.”

Not since “Macho Man” Randy Savage (as “Bone Saw”) fought Spiderman has there been a cooler hybrid of comic books and pro wrestling. This feud is entertaining and will keep you guessing on the possibilities of where it will continue (UFC?). The next chapter will happen at the Con this year, as Arrow has a big panel this year inside the lion’s den known as Hall H. For those there, keep those cell phones ready to capture the magic.

WWE and BOOM! Studios Team Up For Some Fresh Ink

In anticipation of Comic-Con, just last week WWE and BOOM! Studios announced a team up of a new series of comic books based on WWE Superstars. This isn’t the first time the WWE has had its own series of comic books, but previous incarnations have failed to properly capture the over-the-top soap opera antics of pro wrestling.

Fingers crossed that this version can please both wrestling and comic book fans alike. You’d think that since WWE Superstars are larger-than-life heroes/villains to begin with, this wouldn’t be a hard thing to get wrong. Well apparently it is. Even WWE Hall of Famer and New York Times Best-selling author Mick Foley took a stab at writing some comics a few years back. The new rollout will begin at SDCC, with a set of six, one-page comics titled WWE: Then. Now. Forever.

Jamal Campbell