10 Things We Learned From WWE In 2016

Every year, there's one event that WWE fans look forward to more than any other: WrestleMania. While the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam are pretty big draws, nothing compares to the show of shows. Even as WWE's business has tumbled over the past 15 years, people have still lined up to throw their money at Vince McMahon for the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment.

As noted, this WrestleMania was particularly newsworthy, as it drew the largest crowd in the company's history. Unfortunately, it was also memorable for being a critical failure. Though several of the undercard matches were good, a reliance on champions from the past made the show feel like a confirmation that the company hasn't created any new stars.

The most-hyped match on the show was a Hell in a Cell battle between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker, and while it did boost interest prior to the show, it was a failure in practice. Fans were lost as McMahon was pushed as a physical equal to "The Phenom," and while his dive from the top of the cage was exciting, his loss meant (or was supposed to mean, anyway), that he was done with WWE, upsetting the crowd.

The main event was another flop. Starting almost six hours into the show, Roman Reigns captured the WWE World Championship in an awful match that fans rejected. At WrestleMania 31, WWE was afraid to put the title on Reigns. At 32, they bit the bullet, and the result was the top show of the year ending with "bullsh*t" chants.