10 Major Lessons WWE Must Learn From 2017

7. Restore The Must-See Quality Of WrestleMania

Pete Dunne
WWE.com

WrestleMania should fly by; it should be a blur of an insane, expensive spectacle so special that it feels over before it's begun. That used to be its primary appeal, why the event was pro wrestling's version of Christmas Day.

WrestleMania 33, a continuation of a depressing trend, was a draining marathon. Even without factoring in the Kickoff, the show ran at a ludicrous five hours. The mega-match layout is as to blame for the duration; the card isn't a card, but a loose collection of contests. AJ Styles Vs. Shane McMahon went 20 minutes, which, given the length of the show, was too long for an opener. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho suffered as a result of the sapped crowd, which only tired further in the wake of a slew of minimum 10 minute matches.

By the time Triple H and Seth Rollins wrestled a methodical war of attrition, the crowd, baking in the scorching heat, could barely pop for the elusive sight of Stephanie McMahon selling.

What's telling is that the tens of thousands roared back into life at the prospect of Goldberg Vs. Brock Lesnar, with the knowledge that there was very little chance of a self-consciously "epic" match on the receding horizon.

WrestleMania is the palate cleanser for the residue that is the mundane episodic TV of the winter months - but it's in danger of turning into a greasy, bloated feast few can stomach to finish.

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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!