10 Biggest WWE WrestleMania 34 Missed Opportunities

6. A Needless Struggle

WWE WrestleMania 34 NXT Battle Royal
WWE.com

WrestleMania's Raw Women's Title match delivered the right outcome, but through the wrong means.

The fat-shaming storyline necessitated Nia Jax's victory. Had Alexa Bliss won, 'The Irresistible Force' would've been buried deeper than Bayley during 'The Hugger's' feud with the now former champ in 2017. Ideally, she'd have triumphed quickly, and decisively, with her over-matched opponent offering little in the way of resistance, but Jax was made to struggle.

After taking Mickie James out of the equation, a quick, decisive squash of Bliss would've made the limited Nia look like a million dollars. 30 seconds and a couple of moves was all she needed. Alexa's character is strong enough to not need protecting, and in crushing her, the new champion would have actually looked like the in-ring monster she's intended to be for once.

Instead of taking this route, WWE delivered a 10-minute plodder that presented a solid little vs. large format, but exposed the shortcomings in both wrestlers' work. It made for an uninspiring start to a reign that was always a hard sell, and thus required an exciting hook to get things going.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.