10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About WrestleMania 39

9. Shane McMahon's Quad Tear

John Cena WrestleMania
WWE

Whether it was a one-off return or the start of a comeback, it doesn't matter: Shane McMahon tore his quad and created a suboptimal 'WrestleMania Moment'. Obviously, WWE would rather you forget the incident in and of itself. It was embarrassing.

Look a bit further into things, and it's an exposé of both the WWE system and the narrative WWE pushes.

Snoop Dogg fast-forwarded what was surely the planned payoff to his two-night angle with the Miz. The idea, more likely than not, was for Miz to blow his top at Snoop for booking him in two consecutive impromptu matches for which he wasn't ready - and then get punched in the mouth. Rescuing a confused scene with a huge pop was fantastic improvisation from Snoop, the likes of which, as many have pointed out, is something that countless WWE-trained talents have struggled with over the years.

Secondly: WWE has for years and years pushed the idea that other wrasslin' - which they claim to be above as a marketing strategy - is more dangerous and that indie guys need to learn how to work and that only they tell in-ring stories etc.

WWE can pretend to be appalled by "gory self-mutilation" all they like, but Shane suffering a serious injury by doing one of the first things anybody learns in wrestling school underscores that everything is dangerous.

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!