10 Signs That WrestleMania 36 Could Be A Crushing Disappointment

10. A Bad Omen Informed By Recent History

A returning superstar returns from years-long hiatus in a white-hot angle that builds towards a marquee WrestleMania match.

Interest is high. This is classic WWE business when WWE most needs it.

The angle is furthered on television with very good promos.

A WWE Legend is destroyed to heat it up.

The issue is that the returning star's opponent is a very overfamiliar headliner with a penchant for working methodical, overlong slogs that don't generate a level of heat that makes up for how little he does or is capable of in his matches.

The above describes Triple H and Batista's WrestleMania 35 programme and match, but the dynamic is eerily similar to the ongoing Edge Vs. Randy Orton feud.

Randy Orton almost invariably disappoints at WrestleMania. He hasn't worked an over, very good match since 2015. Really, 2015 and 2014 were aberrations; Orton has mostly turned in quite good midcard performances (2012, 2013) or outright disasters (2009, 2013). His deliberate style fails to project to and ignite the upper bowl of the stadium-sized crowd. This storyline is hot, believable, and very well-performed. That doesn't matter much either; fans enjoyed his operatic but entertaining programmes with Triple H and Bray Wyatt.

And then the bell rang.

Basically, Randy Orton works 'Mania like a guy Bruce Prichard writes off on his podcast. He is Virgil in a stadium; good for memes, not so good for the semi-main.