10 Signs That WrestleMania 36 Could Be A Crushing Disappointment

2. What Is Aleister Back Even Doing?

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Also: where does Aleister Black fit in, and what does it say about the purpose of television that he doesn't?

What will his (actually committed) push mean, in the end, where it matters?

Black was pushed deep into 2019 in a very well-worked series with Buddy Murphy. In a sign of the State Of Things, that this push didn't end after three weeks framed him as an outsider to win the Royal Rumble, and indeed, only close scrutiny of RAW's quarter hours saw Drew McIntyre pushed in his place. Since then, Black has continued to work squash matches and twice defeated Rowan, who also received a push concurrently. He's been given interview time to flesh out his character. F*ck know what that character is - an angry, procrastinating motivational speaker? - but the point remains: he's an established rising star, a winner, and yet he won't do anything of note at WrestleMania. The biggest WWE audience will not receive him as a star, which paints WrestleMania as a crushing disappointment because it doesn't pay off the things you watched last month - just the things now, when the real stars come back.

This is a tale as old as time.

Why, again, are the best and often most profiled full-time workers missing from the matters of most importance?

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!