Travel Blog: California Trip Featuring WWE Wrestlemania 39 Videos, Fitness Photoshoot, and More.

WWE Wrestlemania 39 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California featured one of the most anticipated main events in recent memory: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. Prior to this match being even being announced, I knew that this Wrestlemania was going to be the biggest ever. And it was. According to WWE, Wrestlemania 39 broke records for viewership, sponsorship money, merchandise and social media. As a lifelong professional wrestling fan (I’d call myself a casual fan), I thought that they were angling towards The Rock vs. Roman Reigns. In my history with media companies and attending WWE live events, I’ve seen a wrestlers live. But never The Rock. As things played on TV, the main event was Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes. I was sold on Rhodes winning and me being there to witness one of the most monumental moments in WWE history.

I got worked though. Reigns defended his WWE Universal Championship and will continue a reign that is nearly 1,000 days long. I was shocked and also reminded of how WWE is the ultimate emotional rollercoaster. WWE pulls every string, regardless of what the fans want, which is both frustrating but also awesome because it shows that grown men can be vulnerable to a literal scripted TV show. Before I share this moment on video, along with the amazing entrances I witnessed from my decent 100 and 200 level seats, let me take you through my entire California weekend.

NJ To LAX

Back to Cali.

I flew into LAX from Newark, NJ on Thursday, March 30. Then, I rented a car and drove straight to the M Malibu, where I checked in to this sleek quiet, cool hotel.

Driving Through the Malibu Hillside

Malibu arrival

After settling in, I was hungry. I decided to walk to Jack in the Box, since it was close by and I’d never eaten there before. If you’ve been following my Instagram recently, you’ll see that I “review” cheeseburgers now. I did a review on this burger which can be viewed here. After eating a burger, I drove to Whole Foods, which is something I always do when I travel. For example, I flew to Miami and Colorado before and one of the first things I did was drive to Whole Foods to stock up on essentials like fruits, water, a hydration drink, nuts, and protein bars.

Whole Foods in Malibu

DAY 2: Malibu
After going to Whole Foods, I decided to stay in for Night 1. After all, it was a 5+ hour flight from NJ and another 1+ hour to get the rental car and drive to Malibu. On Day 2, I woke up and went to Malibu Pier, where ate a nice brunch in the Pacific Ocean. I went to the top floor of this local farm/restaurant and quickly found out that there are birds that are loud and fairly close to you up there. Next time, I’d probably eat downstairs away from the birds. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and oatmeal, fueling up for what turned out to be a long day.

After brunch, I walked on the Malibu Beach decided to lay down for some relaxation time. I tried to enter the water and swimmed but I learned that there are so many big, round rocks above the sand in the ocean. SO i went above knee height in, and turned around. I think Malibu Beach is meant for surfers, as there were only surfers in the ocean at this time, not swimmers. After learning about the ocean terrain, I packed up and went to the gym for a cardio workout. I went to LA Fitness in Woodland Hills since I’m an LA Fitness member. Also, I wanted to pay homage to the former HQ of American Media Inc, where I used to work.

Malibu Coastline

After this workout, I went back to the hotel to shower, change and prepare to go back to the Malibu Beach. But this time, it was to shoot with famed fitness photographer Alex Ardenti. Back when I was an Editor at Muscle & Fitness, I saw that we used several photographs of fitness models with the Alex Ardenti credit. So, prior to this trip, I reached out to Ardenti to schedule a beach photoshoot. I wasn’t prepared for this as much I would’ve liked. My clothes were wrinkled from the travel, I didn’t have a pump (instead I choose to do a lot of cardio to appear more lean in the stomach), I didn’t have a tan, and I didn’t use any lotion/baby oil. It was truly a “raw” photoshoot. Here are some photos we took.

Post shoot, I went back to the hotel, changed again and went to Nobu, the iconic Asian restaurant. I literally said, “Table for 1 please” and they sat me in one of the dining room areas. I may have sat at the Sushi bar or the alcohol bar next time, in order to be able to spark up conversations. I didn’t want to disturb other guests while sitting in the main room by starting random small talk. My sushi was amazing, as was the dessert. I ordered shrimp tempura and couple of other rolls.

By now, it was around 10pm. I decided to drive to the Comedy Store in Los Angeles to watch some standup comedy. I’m a standup comedy fan and enjoy watching comedian's’ podcasts so I’ve heard about the Store from the likes of Bobby Lee, Theo Von, Joey Diaz, Pauly Shore, and of course Joe Rogan. When I arrive, Bobby Lee was on stage. That was awesome because I’ve really enjoyed some of Bobby Lee’s TigerBelly podcasts and even his Impaulsive Episode was funny. This was a great way to unwind and just chill.

The Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.

Walking on Sunset Blvd.

After visiting the holy grail of comedy, I headed back to the M Malibu and called it a night. What a day that was.

NIGHT 3: DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
I woke up on Saturday morning ready for Night 1 of Wrestlemania 39. I went for a walk along the Malibu beach then went into the pool of the M Malibu. This was the sunniest day of the trip, and after I swam around a bit, I laid out in a pool chair next to the pool. Nap time! I woke up with a tan and ready to check out of the hotel. I’d be checking out because I was staying in a different hotel in a different city. I was on my way to Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

I didn’t wind up checking into Ace Hotel until past 3pm. Wrestlemania was set to start at 5pm PST which is way earlier than I typically go on a Saturday. By the time I drove to Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, it was around 6pm and the Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul match was on. So, I missed the John Cena vs. Austin Theory match apparently.

Arriving at Sofi Stadium for Night 1 of WWE Wrestlemania 39.

Check out some exclusive entrance videos and action photos from Night 1 of WWE Wrestlemania 39.

Rey Mysterio Jr. Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Rhea Ripley WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Charlotte Flair Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Pat McAfee WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Lil Uzi Vert Performing “I Just Wanna Rock” at WWE Wrestlemania 39

The Usos Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

The Usos at WWE Wrestlemania 39

Kevin Owens WWE Wrestlemania 39 entrance

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Aftermath of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens winning WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships.

After an amazing Night 1 of Wrestlemania Goes Hollywood, I went to I n Out Burger in Inglewood, CA. I knew it would be very crowded with WWE fans but I wanted to witness the post show buzz and get my double cheeseburger with Animal Sauce with Animal Fries. I had been to In n Out before several times before during other California trips. But this time I did a burger review. Post burger review, I drove back to Downtown LA to my hotel. Little did I know, MTV was filming RuPaul Drag Race Season 15 Grand Finale at the hotel I was staying at (The Ace Hotel). So, within 2 days, I had been to Nobu Malibu, The Comedy Store to see Bobby Lee, Wrestlemania 39 and RuPaul’s Drag Race. There was also a line of people waiting to get into the party taking place on the rooftop of this Ace Hotel. I showered and changed and went upstairs to the Ace Hotel rooftop club/bar. I arrived upstairs around midnight and it was packed. Check out the view from the rooftop below. By the time I ordered a drink, it was tired. As much as I wanted to enter demon mode and dance the night away, I finished my drink, sat around for a bit outside, and went back downstairs to my hotel room to get some rest for what would be a fun night 4 of my trip.

NIGHT 4: Holiday Inn Los Angeles, CA
I woke up in LA, checked out, and ate brunch and drank coffee at the Ace Hotel. For the next two nights, I would stay at IHG Holiday Inn LAX in Los Angeles, CA. I love IHG and have stayed their properties more than 10 times and counting. I drove to the Holiday Inn, checked in, and got ready for the next stop on my trip: Zoo Culture. The first rendition of Zoo Culture, a gym owned by fitness influencer Bradley Martyn, was located in Woodland Hills, CA. Earlier in 2023, Martyn opened a new version of Zoo Culture in Encino, CA. I didn’t know anyone there. I pulled up ready to drink C4 Energy, hit the Stairmaster and train back and arms. I saw Bradley Martyn there, but I didn’t say anything to him. I didn’t want to bother the guy in his own gym. I just did my own workout. I enjoyed the gym very much and I could tell that if I did talk to people there, they would be open to it. It wouldn’t be weird to introduce yourself to gymgoers there because they are looking to meet new people and collaborate on content. Zoo Culture doesn’t have any locker rooms and there’s no sauna, steam room or group fitness classes. It’s a bodybuilding and functional fitness gym. It has machines that I haven’t seen since being at Powerhouse Gym in Long Island, NY.

Post workout, I headed back to the hotel and got ready for Night 2 of Wrestlemania 39. I was pumped up physically and psychologically for Cody Rhodes to have his moment! Check out these entrance videos and action scenes from Sofi Stadium.

Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 39 in Inglewood, CA.

Biana Belair Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Edge WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Finn Balor WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Hell in a Cell: Edge vs. Finn Balor at Wrestlemania 39

Shane McMahon WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Cody Rhodes WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Roman Reigns WWE Wrestlemania 39 Entrance

Aftermath of Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

Aftermath of Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

After Night 2 of Wrestlemania 39, I walked back to my hotel room. I wanted to go out somewhere, but I was pretty tired so I just stayed in soaked in the shock of Reigns winning that main event.

NIGHT 5: Holiday Inn LAX in Los Angeles, CA
I woke up in LA for the 3rd day in a row. I decided that I would workout again, this time at a gym that I had been to before: Gold’s Gym Venice. Before going to train legs there, I walk on Santa Monica Pier and visited the Original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, CA. I also sat on Venice Beach and even went in the Venice Beach water. It was freezing cold and I could only stay in for a few minutes.

While working out at Gold’s Venice, I saw the Gunns, the All Elite Wrestling tag team and former AEW World Tag Team Champions. When I saw them there in April, it was just days before they would win that championship. After this workout at Gold’s Gym Venice, I went back to the hotel, showered and went downstairs to the restaurant to eat dinner. I ate a huge dinner, enjoyed a drink, and 2 desserts then went back upstairs. I stayed in on this 5th and final night because I had an early morning flight the next morning.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, I have no regrets about this California trip. This was the 4th flight I have taken to California. Remember, I’m from New Jersey; I think I’ve been to California more times than many New Jerseyans. I’ve been to several cities in California now, including Carson, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Redondo Beach, San Jose, Los Angeles, Inglewood, Venice, Santa Monica, Encino, Woodland Hills, and Malibu. That’s a lot of Cali towns for a New Jersey resident. I enjoy the variety of experiences, landscape, and people I see at the different regions of California. Malibu had an exclusive vibe to it—you had to know someone to find out what’s really going on around there. Malibu also had very clean air, even walking along the road there wasn’t an absurd amount of traffic and the air still smelled like beach air. Compared to San Francisco, towns like Encino, Woodland Hills, and Venice seemed to have less homelessness and tent cities if any at all. If I were to go to California a 5th time, I would things try to :do some of the following things go to Disneyland, the Hollywood Sign, the Improv and/or Laugh Factory, a Lakers game, and a big LA nightclub. Would I go to Coachella? Maybe if it were a brand deal. Sometimes I feel like I am a Cali soul in a New Jersey body;like my vibe is totally Venice (laid back, chill). It seems like every few years I wind up in California. I hope to be back soon!

Comment below on where you’ve been in California, your thoughts on WWE Wrestlemania 39, and if more New Jerseyans should visit Cali.

WWE Wrestlemania 39 Souvenir Cup