10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About WrestleMania 39

3. We've Been Here Before

John Cena WrestleMania
WWE

This is something that WWE wants you to forget about Royal Rumble 2015, technically, but the similarities are striking.

Everybody who stopped watching WWE in the 2010s, as it became agonising clear that Vince McMahon had no interest in booking for the hardcore wrestling fan, has their own "f*ck this" moment.

CM Punk becoming a scab after the second 'Summer of Punk' fizzled to complete sh*t. WWE only pushing Daniel Bryan as a WrestleMania headliner when they were nagged into doing so. Bray Wyatt - who was over to a major extent in 2014, much as that has been forgotten now - losing his programme with John Cena.

If there was one inciting incident that plunged WWE below wider trends in cable TV viewership, the excellent Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics theorised that it was the events of Royal Rumble 2015. His statistical deep dive makes a compelling argument that this was the driving factor behind WWE haemorrhaging viewers. That theory could be elaborated upon to speculate that Roman's win ultimately created the market for All Elite Wrestling.

WWE has reversed that trend in recent years, but at WrestleMania, they undid the good will. It was the time. It was the time for Cody to win and the fact that he didn't win ruined faith in the process.

WWE fans, stunningly enough, don't enjoy feeling that the promotion is punishing them. WWE fans wanted something at WrestleMania 39. They didn't get it. If it's still going to happen, can it ever feel as hot as it did in LA?

Since Cody was outsmarted and then annihilated over a 24 hour period - and Vince is back - probably not.

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!