PROVIDENCE — Eight-year-old Paisley Parisee learned about Finn Balor at camp during her first summer of pro wrestling fandom.
By the time the school year started, she and her parents had tickets to Monday night’s World Wrestling Entertainment event at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. And by 7:30 p.m. Monday, Paisley’s face was painted with a freaky scheme of red, white and black colors.
She hoped her favorite wrestler would choose to wear his own signature face paint as she demonstrated how Baylor likes to crawl around the wrestling ring.
After waiting almost until Christmas to attend her first professional wrestling match, Parisee was among the child followers of professional wrestling filing through the foyer of The Dunk on a school night Monday.
The girls and boys carried signs, wore T-shirts and seemed to know they were headed to a show — not a sporting event.
The fighting at Providence Bruins hockey games, which draw large crowds of singing and dancing children — many enjoying the first stadium experiences of their lives — can be quite real.
Monday night's event was about fighting that wasn't so authentic.
“I like how he smiles and he crawls and the music,” said Paisley, of Fall River. “I like how [the music] is scary.”
Jonathan Cuevas, 8, held two mini title belts over his shoulders like a prize fighter. He didn’t win them.
A friend gave him one and he bought the other one at Wal-Mart with money his mother gave him, he said. He was eager to see a wrestler named Demon Kane.
“He’s big,” said the third-grader. “He’s a monster.”
Nearby, two cousins, George Page, 9, of Providence, and Jaliyah Franco, 11, of Providence, handled a sign set up with illuminated lights. It featured an arrow arrow pointing down.
She hoped the snazzy sign held overhead would bring some attention to herself. It work on a reporter before she even made it into the event.
“So everybody knows who I am,” said the sixth grader.
Jaliyah said she finds the wrestling “entertaining.”
“It’s not real,” said her cousin George.
Is he sure about that? “Yes,” said the 9-year-old.
“It’s not,” he insisted.