10 WWE WrestleMania Moments That Meant NOTHING In Hindsight
Meaningless filler
Raw Tag Team Titles on a kid, eh?! Oof.
Not since the discontinuation of Hulk Hogan's multi-vitamins had the wrestling fanbase so profoundly rejected a performer trying to engage with children. Braun Strowman plucking young fan (and referee John Cone's son) Nicholas out of the crowd in a designated 'WrestleMania Moment™' at the 2018 edition of the show instantly incensed a huge portion of the audience despite providing endless visual gags for vacuous publicity and a sizeable pop from those in attendance.
Then there were those substantially more annoyed 24 hours later when the duo dumped the belts back to Raw General Manager Kurt Angle due to the young lad's school commitments. It doesn't take a fourth grade maths exam to work out that a five-out-of-ten gag match followed by a zero-out-of-ten punchline payoff falls short of a perfect 10 in its execution, but will it lessen in stature when WWE repeats it ad nauseam over the next few years?
Honestly, probably not. Unless Nicholas disgraces himself in some manner over the next decade, he stands to relive his famous moment as often as the baby from Nirvana's 'Nevermind' cover. That chap's willingly whipped his gentleman's agreement out for remastered versions of the image on various birthdays ironically chasing a novelty dollar - WWE are sure to do the same with this guest appearance as the years fritter on. It'll be a necessary evil if so many of their other major moments require the level of whitewashing these ones do.
10. The Icon (And Sting)
Sting's November 2014 WWE arrival was monumental for some pleasingly old-fashioned reasons.
'The Icon' had somehow managed to keep away from Vince McMahon's clutches for 13 years since WCW folded, just as he'd done for decade and a half he'd spent in the business before then. It was a thrilling reminder of the constant buzz of the Monday Night Wars and the fantasy booking fans could greedily indulge in with talent constantly switching sides. As too was, unfortunately, how 'The Stingers' actual debut played out.
After being promoted as a vigilante on television fighting against the oppressive Authority, the WrestleMania 31 match completely abandoned the premise at the eleventh hour. Commentators reframed him as WCW's last minor threat and Triple H (still) as WWE's everlasting gatekeeper. The live crowd wouldn't have had a clue about the narrative shift had it not been for D-Generation-X and the New World Order making broadly illogical run-ins for their respective 'sides' and an absurd handshake conclusion after grappling over a sledgehammer just minutes earlier.
Sting's inadvertent retirement came in a WWE Title match later that year after a Seth Rollins' buckle bomb agitated his weathered neck. This being his WrestleMania one and done served as a frustrating reminder of the company's thoughtless wastefulness.