10 LIVE Observations From WWE WrestleMania 35

7. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

The Show Is Too Long. The Show Is Too F*cking Long.

At 7.5 hours, it was literally physically impossible to react to everything in the way you might have expected to react in the weeks and months prior. Imagine it's February. Roman Reigns has just announced that his leukaemia is in remission. Future you, eyes bloodshot from WrestleMania's punishing duration, taps you on the shoulder. Hey - this is all very life-affirming and courageous, but nobody is going to react to his redemptive arc on a hostile battleground because we're all too knackered. I felt such a pang of guilt when Roman toiled for no reaction. This man overcame a life-threatening illness, and he didn't even command a big reaction, before the match underwhelmed, because myself and everybody else had simply experienced a few too many hours of a realised lifelong dream.

This new model of the 'Mania card isn't just an inconvenience to the jetlagged; it undermines narratives because it spews out too much content to process.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!