Johnny Gallivan here, wrestling fans. This is the first of several reports I'll be writing during my trip to London on the company's dime. (gotta justify my expense account somehow, right?)

Well, I got my ECTS preview book before I left. Looks pretty impressive. Last year, ECTS was criticised, but I think they're putting more emphasis on it this year, and plenty of developers are showing up to push their wares. Sony has their own building for the show, so I expect to see a lot of upcoming PS2 games. (although strangely no PS2 wrestling games are listed) Sony also has an 18+ Restricted Zone, which I intend on checking out. (only in the interest of unbiased reporting, you understand. Nothing purient) Considering that I'm a wrestling reporter, here's a quick list of the wrestling games that are supposed to be shown at ECTS:

GBA
WWE: RTW X8

GameCube
Legends of Wrestling
WWE: Wrestlemania X8

XBox (the real king of consoles)
Legends of Wrestling
WWE: RAW

PC
WWE: RAW

The first part of my epic journey consisted of finding the airport, and catching my flight. I won't use my position of power as a respected journalist to trash the airlines, but if you've ever seen the South Park episode where Mr. Garrison invents the "IT", then you know my feelings about the airlines. Slightly less comfortable than a large rod up your ass.

My flight was long, and tedious. I was seated next to a large sweaty man (as per airline regulations) who was more nervous than I was. He spent the entire flight downing miniature bottles of scotch, so to say that his odor was a presence unto itself by the end of the flight would be an understatement. The food was surprisingly good, provided I covered my nose while I ate. I won't even tell you what the inflight movie was, but suffice it to say, I watched it for free... and still didn't get my money's worth.

The first thing that struck me about Heathrow airport was that it was laid out much better than the dozen or so American airports that I've visited. It was big. (boy, was it big) But, it was much easier to navigate, and despite having to walk about 12 miles to find my luggage, it was relatively painless. Deciding to save The Beast a few £££'s, I took the Tube (subway) instead of a cab. (or a limo, as I am accustomed) After a few transfers, and 5 people asking me if I had a fag (I knew England was liberal, but this is a bit much!), I reached my hotel. Lassiter and company had really pulled out the stops, as I was located within walking distance of the Tower of London.

I took a quick walk around the hotel area, seeing some of the major sites, including Big Ben. (it's really not that big) After that, I was pretty beat from the flight, so I picked up some traditional english fare (take-away curry), and spent the rest of the day sleeping and watching British soaps.

That's it for my first day. Tomorrow, I meet up with the LWA legend, The Beefeater, and he's promised to take me out on the town. Frankly, I can't wait to down a few pints, chat up a few birds, and play me diggery-doo. (oops, wrong country) Til next time... ah, you know the catchphrase.