Things I learned from Wrestlemania xXx

This was written for Maglomaniac, as of April 8, 2014

(All photo credits go to and are property of World Wrestling Entertainment, and any other entities and contributors)

Well, the thirtieth Wrestlemania is in the books.  30 years of grand spectacle in the squared circle is now over and recorded in the annals of wrestling history.  As I and my wife watched it unfold, a lot has happened and with only a few days out, it was a lot to digest.  Well, my mind is a little more focused after the event took place, and I even made some mental feeding room for Monday Night Raw.  So, here’s what I got out of Wrestlemania:

-Daniel Bryan is by far the best worker on the roster today.  Combined with that, he is also the most cheered babyface in the roster thanks to fan support that has grown leaps and bounds since 2010.  Combining the two, Daniel Bryan is not only a main event player with his title victory and win over Triple H, he can be seen as the best in the world…and doesn’t need a catchphrase to prove that.  

 

-C.M. Punk is not returning.  Sorry, Punk fans.  I think he’s just about had enough of what the WWE had to offer.  There’s no amount of prodding, poking, annoying, jabbing, etc. that the WWE can do to get him back.  He saved his money, he’s going to get married, and he’s still got fans that will support his endeavors outside of the WWE.  He’s good for now, if not for the rest of his career.  If he does return, it won’t be soon, but it won’t be on the WWE’s terms.

-Triple H still has it, but may have to learn to step out of the ring completely.  It doesn’t seem likely, but if he has to remain the measuring stick for people to get over, we may be seeing more matches with him in them.  And if perception remains reality in wrestling, he has to watch his words and actions or the person he’s insulting or beating up may not be perceived as a threat.  It hurt Curtis Axel (among other things), and it can hurt others.

-The Shield isn’t breaking up soon, but will have one amazing face run before doing so.  They have maintained a steadily growing fan base, especially women who find them very attractive.  As a unit, they have shown strength that puts even the Nexus to shame.  When the time comes to separate them, they’ll do just fine as singles stars.  

-If the Authority pretty much holds the most power, what’s the use of Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero running their shows?  My guess: someone has to be in charge when both HHH and Stephanie are not around for whatever reason.  However, isn’t that what Kane is for as Director of Operations?  My thing is, if there’s too many people in charge, with this person outranking that person, it can get pointless for certain people.  Then again, we had two general managers with Vince around.  But, if I recall, he was around sparingly.  I guess they need to throw Vickie and Brad a bone or two until they have other ideas for them..

-The Andre the Giant battle royal is probably one of the most novel ideas to add to Wrestlemania since Money in the Bank.  It takes any star that isn’t involved with any major angles and throws them onto the Wrestlemania card.  Plus, winning a trophy in honor of the first WWE Hall of Famer and all-time battle royal winner is one great feather in your cap.  It puts a spotlight on the winner that will shine for one whole year until the next year.

-Bray Wyatt is definitely going to be something big for years to come.  His timing on the mic is scary good and chilling.  His in-ring work is also very good.  He knows how to work a match right down to the core of his character.  Throw in his family members in Rowan and Harper, and he’s going to be a “made man” very soon, if his loss to Cena didn’t damage him that heavily.  I doubt it has, but who knows.

-John Cena is still WWE’s protected prize.  Don’t bet on him losing any key matches to put anyone over unless there’s an ulterior motive, like putting another star over to some effect.  I’d expect him to feud with more stars and winning.

-Cesaro is on the rise.  His strength, his wrestling acumen, his look, and his eloquence have solidified that, without a doubt.  Winning the battle royal the way he did was more than phenomenal.  He’s on his way to the top.  Now, he’s a Paul Heyman guy.  Yea, that’s got him in the spotlight.  Especially since…

-The streak is over.  The Undertaker is now 21-1, thanks to Brock Lesnar and a clean victory.  Heyman now serves as one of the few most hated WWE figures today, with Lesnar right above him.  But, the big thing is the end of the streak.  It was a shock felt through the wrestling world.  And it was ended by Brock Lesnar, as if he wasn’t despised enough.  Bonafide heel, through and through, but at a price that can’t be paid back.

-The WWE Divas title still has yet to maintain that amount of respect some fans would like it to have.  She stole a victory at Wrestlemania only to lose it via fluke on Raw, probably to pop ratings.  For A.J. Lee to dominate as the longest-reigning Divas champion in history, only to lose it via a fluke to an NXT superstar in Paige, former NXT Divas championship is pretty hollow.  For as much as they pushed NXT, the average star might have seen how good Paige is.  Why not have her threaten A.J. and build up to a solid match between the two that has Paige win solidly?  Or better still, if you want a quick title change, make it a dominant one with, I don’t know, Sara Del Rey beating A.J.?  The only time the upset win worked was with the 1-2-3 Kid and Barry Horowitz.  To me, it worked because you had a precedent set as these two lost matches all over WWE television before scoring that big win on television.  The Kid did it on Raw against rising star Razor Ramon, while Barry won on the new show, Action Zone, for the first time in over 500 matches.  Oh, and what happened to teasing friction between A.J. and Tamina?

-The WWE World Tag Team titles may mean much more than they used to, but to have it on the pre-show is a disservice to the value of the division.  Now that the Usos are the champs, why relegate them to the pre-show? Then, as they win the match, the next night, they are decimated by Batista and Randy Orton.  Oh, the titles were rejuvenated for sure, when the New Age Outlaws and The Rhodes brothers won them.  But, why not keep them in the loop as important? 

-The Hall of Fame may start venturing into the uncharted waters of the inductees that have been “a long time coming”.  It took years before Jake Roberts was inducted and all he had to do was clean himself up.  He finally did and now he’s in.  Mr. T should have been one of the first celebrities inducted, but to no avail.  Now, he is.  And there’s the surprise of the Ultimate Warrior who was always on the crap list of WWE and its management.  Now, he’s in.  The legitimacy of the WWE Hall of Fame may be in question but at least the fans of the old school are getting some of their faves inducted.  As to who’s next, well there’s a sea of them, older or newer, like The Rock, The Undertaker, Diesel, Rick Rude, The British Bulldogs, and even the unlikeliest of unlikely in Owen Hart and Randy Savage.  Anything is possible.

-Hulk Hogan’s involvement with the WWE along with the Ultimate Warrior’s must prove that Vince holds little to no grudges as long as money is involved.  More legends may follow….like Sting?

 

And that’s what I got from Wrestlemania XXX in a nutshell.  This may very well have been the best Wrestlemania the WWE has had in recent memory, as it easily trumps Wrestlemania 27, and even 28 and 29.  However, there still is the issue of booking matches with good buildup.  And now, with the biggest draw of the Undertaker’s streak no longer a selling point, the WWE has to go all out to make the next one worth watching.  They better get their acts together if they want this to work.  All in all, it was a memorable Wrestlemania.   Check it out if you haven’t already.