Singer: Wrestling is not a sport — it’s more

For nearly 50 years, Mellon Arena has been a Pittsburgh staple. In addition to thousands of sporting events, the venue has hosted the most talented artists that ever lived — while serving as the link between its generations.

For half a century, this was the best place — the only place? — in the city where an adult could take his son or grandson to share an experience where they’re both entertained, and through that entertainment, brought closer together.

As technology and culture make it increasingly difficult for people of different generations to relate, Mellon Arena has become the essence of Pittsburgh’s desperate fight to protect that bond.

While a newer, better arena emerges just across the street, Pittsburgh has begun to say goodbye to its old friend.

In the shadow of its state-of-the-art replacement, Mellon Arena will welcome patrons for its final concert, its final circus and its final comedy show over the next 12 months.

Consequently, Pittsburghers packed Mellon Arena Sunday for what might be another last-time-ever spectacle: the arena’s final professional wrestling show.

Did you just make a wisecrack about pro wrestling? I’m sure it was original and well founded.

Professional wrestling contributes to the arena’s mission just as much as any Penguins game held in the same building. Through its unique style of storytelling, wrestling intentionally tailors its plotlines to suit all age groups.

Blended in with the aged mystique of Mellon Arena, there was a special ambiance present in the arena Sunday night, a vibe that went unnoticed by most — but only because they were the ones creating it.

More than 13,000 people descended upon Mellon Arena for the World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event, Bragging Rights — not an unusual statistic for many of the arena’s events. But the attendees didn’t match the profile of those for a normal performance. There was a unique mix of very young children — accompanied by parents, of course — and a separate mass of adults who came purely for their own enjoyment.

According to a 2009 market survey, one-third of WWE viewers are either younger than 18 or older than 49. The other two-thirds of viewers aren’t much closer in age, spanning somewhere in within that 31-year range.

It’s one thing to just look at the numbers, but when you’re at a live event and you a see a 6-year-old cheering for the same reason as a 60-year-old, you know that something special is happening that just doesn’t happen enough anymore.

Perhaps no event better epitomizes the reason why Pittsburgh loves Mellon Arena than professional wrestling. There’s the world-class entertainment, but more importantly, there’s an opportunity for two very different generations to share something.

One man stood in the will call line Sunday, waiting to pick up his wrestling tickets. Because of the event, because of the nature of this arena, he had a connection with those around him.

“You know, the dome of this building used to open and close,” he said to someone at least 30 years younger than he.

It’s possible that the man in line and the child he was talking with had nothing else in common, and at any other event, they wouldn’t even notice each other. But right then, right there, as they stood in line for the very same reason, they bonded.

Neither of them noticed their generation gap.

Either that, or it just didn’t matter here.