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Arts & Entertainment

WrestleMania in Texas makes Dallas Cowboys games feel like a library

ARLINGTON -- A question about AT&T Stadium was answered on Sunday night.

It's not the mammoth building that causes a library-like atmosphere at Cowboys' games.

World Wrestling Entertainment staged its annual suspension-of-reality WrestleMania spectacle in Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' stadium and tore down the house. An event-record turnout of 101,763, fifth-largest in stadium history, rocked for more than six hours of cartoonish violence and daring acrobatics in the form of performance art.

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"This is Jerry-World,'' said Booker T., a retired wrestler and current WWE commentator from Houston. "It has to be big.''

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It was the biggest of shows under the biggest of tops. The only flaw was a late opening of the doors, which caused a majority of the ticket holders to miss early matches.

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When the house filled, the energy surged to a level rarely reached in the eight-year history of this building. It peaked at the finish.

The Undertaker, making his annual appearance, and Shane McMahon went at it for 30 minutes within a steel cage. Spectators shrieked when McMahon, son of WWE owner Vince McMahon, dove about 20 feet from the top of the cage.

Movie star Dwayne Johnson returned to reprise his wrestling identity of The Rock'' for a entertaining 25-minute segment of pure braggadocio.

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The finish offered the unusual: a booed baby face good guy in Roman Reigns, against a cheeredheel bad guy in Triple-H. Reigns won the WWE heavyweight title but did not bring the majority to his side.

Fans roared for heavily muscled men falling off ladders, driven through tables, receiving boots to the face and other assorted acts of mayhem.

In the Dean Ambrose-Brock Lesnar pairing, a chainsaw, a fire extinguisher, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and nine folding chairs came into play.

The rules were liberal for that one, which was billed as a "street fight" but could have been branded as a hardware store match.

Even Ric Flair, the 67-year-old former champion, took a bump, while at ringside for daughter Charlotte's match.

The women, a rising force in the industry, received the same level of approval for the work in their two matches.

The crowd also appreciated the comic moments, such as the three-man team The New Day emerging from a box of their favorite fictitious cereal, Booty-os, on the way to the ring.

The biggest of fan favorites did not participate in a match. Stone Cold Steve Austin, the former football player from North Texas, received a thunderous response in a special guest appearance.

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The WWE brought back past head-liners Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and Austin for a post-match encounter with the League of Nations, a collection of international no-good-niks. As expected, the old guys wreaked havoc on the heels.

The old guys also played along in a dance-fever moment with The New Day. Austin punctuated the brought it back to wrestling by applying his trademark hold, the Stone Cold Stunner, and taking another beer shower for old times' sake.

The crowd response said Austin's act never grows old. The spectators ate up every second.

In the WWE, trash-talking during a match is encouraged. Bubba Ray Dudley, of the Dudley Boys, won line-of-the-night award for crowing "just like we used to do to your daddy" while beating up an Uso brother. (They're hard to tell apart.)

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The Uso's father is retired wrestler Rikishi Fatu.

Chris Jericho yelling "you stupid idiot" at A.J. Styles during their match had its comic moment, too.

The performers answered the question of how many men does it take to climb a ladder and bring down an Intercontinental belt hanging over the ring? Seven participated in the top event of the card for its reckless stunts and unexpected ending.

Zack Ryder won the match in which every participant took a breath-taking fall. Ryder has spent much of his career as a lower-rung jobber used to make others look good. This was his one shining night.

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Cody Rhodes, known as Star Dust, honored his late father Dusty in the match by wearing polka-dotted attire and bringing own special-edition polka-dotted ladder to the ring. Dusty Rhodes, who died last year, wore polka-dots at times during his illustrious wrestling career.

How can Rangers opening day, across the street on Monday, top this?