WrestleMania left me disappointed, depressed, confused, annoyed and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt
I really wanted to enjoy this years mania, the build being bad should have been an indicator of the shows quality but it still felt like they where playing it safe in comparison to prior maniaās, even before Hunter took over booking.
Itās not even that the card was bad or anything, just mediocre. You had some stand outs, the womenās matches ruled, Drew VS Priest was fun, Fatu VS Knight gave us some cool moments, and Night 1ās main event was honestly the better of the two endings (telegraphed Heyman swerves be dammed).
But thatās just the thing, you have to *moments*, not story. I can only recall 4 matches (Both mains and womenās title matches) that gave us actual in ring storytelling. The IC 4 way did have some of that but it was, again, just a moment. Story beats with nothing connecting them beyond the start and end of the matches. The phrase āhype moments and auraā gets thrown out too much for my enjoyment but thatās what a lot of it reads like. Moments made to be clipped and reacted to on social media.
Wait about the mania weekend shows? Did they deliver? While I canāt comment on the quality of them, I can say that a lot of them became turn offs for me for one reason: WWEās Involvement.
As mainly pointed out, a lot of the Indy shows this year featured WWE talent featured prominently. And while seeing Pete Dunn work Bloodsport is cool, it kinda ruins the point of those shows. They are ment as a showcase of various talent, from legends to rookies, from the future stars to the current ones. Dragon Gate returned stateside for the first time in a decade. Sabu nearly died in a match that on one hand is scary as hell, but on the other is fucking awesome. Suzuki and Butterbean got into a shoot fight!!! But in the background thereās this knowledge that WWE is looking to take some of that āmagicā of mania weekend independent shows and use it for their own platform.
And then thereās the big news, the AAA buyout. Iām not going to sit here and pretend I know a lot about modern Lucha Libre, but seeing another company being bought out, while that company is still running shows, is sad. I want variety in my wrestling, I donāt want everything under one roof. And unfortunately itās only a matter of time before NOAH, TNA, and every other company WWE partners with goes under or is left high and dry. Look at literally every company WWE worked with in the late 2010s.
If mania left you disappointed like me, please, watch other companies! Thereās a vast array of shows out there with different styles beyond what you see on mainstream US wrestling. Wrestling is vastly more interesting when you donāt just stick to one company.
yousharknotpass
romaincrisis
2087
stormborns
titsay
