6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE WrestleMania XXX

YEStleMania!

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WWE's first visit to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in 2014 confirmed what many had thought about Vince McMahon's sense of sentiment for several years - what little he still held had been gradually stubbed out as he entered the winter of his existence.

Gone was both the need and/or needling to have the event pay homage to itself by returning to Madison Square Garden, even if the main event plot offered echoes of the legendary 'Show Of Shows' that took place in the "World's Most Famous Arena".

New Orleans had replaced New York due to nothing more than economics. McMahon packed a reported 75,167 into a building instead of compromising with around 50,000 less than that. It was the measure of his insane genius that he did it with a plot he blatantly despised too.

Said plot pulled more at audience patience than heartstrings, but little did they know that their frustrations wouldn't even take centre stage by the time McMahon's blackened ticker had delivered its most fiendish surprise in decades.

(Want more WrestleMania Ups & Downs? We got 'em: I, 2, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, 13, XIV, XV, 2000, X-Seven, X8, XIX, XX, 21, 22, 23, XXIV, 25, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, 29)

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett