Everybody knows the story by now, so rather than pick a billion holes in WWE's "security threat" fantasy regarding the switch from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the smaller Sports Arena, it's perhaps worth reflecting with some fondness on what made the show great again in spite of the arena swap.
Decked out in Betsy Ross flags and a luxurious WrestleMania logo co-opting the red, white and blue colour scheme, the venue at least looked the part even if it didn't quite capture Vince McMahon's grand vision of somehow going even bigger than his iconic 1987 Detroit masterpiece.
His wailing promo for the event a year earlier promised a triple figure attendance he wouldn't be able to deliver for another two decades, but who could have known that America would be at war within months of that grand proclamation? Or that said war would trigger the worst of his promotional instincts? Or that said war would be over before he could deliver a payoff to his petty creation?
His golden goose was cooked, and The Golden Era was over...
(Other WrestleMania Ups & Downs? We got 'em: I, 2, III, IV, V, VI)
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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
