8 Things We Learned From WWE 24: New Orleans
Nobody likes being belted in the face.
As the build to WrestleMania 35 begins in earnest now the annual Royal Rumble has raised the curtain on the season, WWE have dropped another of their consistently brilliant documentaries reflecting on the drama and emotions from last year's outing.
WrestleMania 34, ironically, was more of a critical rollercoaster ride than the 2017 edition which took place within the bounds of a facsimile theme park. Its immense highs - the spectacular debut of a brand new superstar and a stellar opening contest - bleakly contrasted with its significant lows - the deflating disappointment of Shinsuke Nakamura as our next hope, and the absolute shambles of the mishandled main event.
WWE's latest documentary only really focuses on the former, whilst constructing novel new narratives to explain away the latter (and in the case of Nakamura, ignoring him completely, proving once and for all he's no longer a concern). Unlike past 24 features, it was evident the film-makers failed to capture quite as many intriguing subplots this time around - much of the flick was filled with match footage - but we were still able to glean some interesting tidbits all the same.
8. Vince Told Ronda To Smile
Ever wondered why Ronda Rousey, the so-called 'Baddest Woman on the Planet', began her early-WWE career with a beaming smile every time she made her way to the ring?
Vince McMahon told her to. Of course he did.
Apparently, the boss told Ronda that "the whole world wants to hug you when you smile" - even if such a countenance ran entirely contrary to her bad-ass persona. You can't say no to Vince on your first day on the job - not given the size of that contract, anyway - and out Ronda comes, grinning ear to ear like a Cheshire cat on nitrous oxide.
After the match, Rousey echoes Vince's comments. "It felt like the whole world was hugging me, and I was hugging them back." Guess he was right all along.