10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About WWE

6. WrestleMania Is The Pinnacle Of Sports Entertainment

WrestleMania 35
WWE.com

WrestleMania was once considered the zenith of pro wrestling.

WWE was once the monopoly. Wrestlers put themselves through a torturous, low-paying meat grinder with the ultimate, statistically improbable aim of headlining the Grandest Stage. The mere, faint prospect of WrestleMania likely gave pause to even the Elites of this world, or those otherwise not a mark for WWE. It's not just a payday; it presents an opportunity to blow away the biggest crowd on the most majestic stage with the eyes of the world watching. It's the art and commerce of wrestling working in unison to create magic.

But perhaps the past tense is more appropriate in 2019. It's no longer the biggest payday on the calendar. WWE's deeply ugly relationship with the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority - that being a thinly-veiled cover for a brutally awful regime - reaps that.

At seven-and-a-half hours long, what does it mean to headline WrestleMania now? Toiling for an exhausted crowd who can't physically react to even the most anticipated match, the most genuine piece of progressive, forward-thinking history?

The magic is fading. It's hard to be a mark for 'Mania when it's just too goddamn long.

In this post: 
Triple H
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!