10 WrestleMania 34 Mistakes WWE Can't Repeat At 35

3. Expecting Perfection

AJ Styles Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Before diving in here, it is necessary to point out that (again) WrestleMania is supposed to be the pinnacle of WWE's year. Performers are supposed to be at their best, production is meant to be flawless and everyone should come away thinking things are sh*t hot.

Perfect though? Nah, not by a long shot.

It's fine to strive for perfection, but another thing entirely to put such pressure on performers that it becomes expected and the match they end up having, whilst fine, is viewed as a mild disappointment. That's what happened to AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura pre-New Orleans. WWE themselves seemed to forecast a New Japan botherer that'd blow Wrestle Kingdom 10's socks off.

When they didn't get it, everybody sorta' deflated. Some on social media even remarked that it was boring and would've been lifeless without Shinsuke's heel turn. Go back and watch today; you'll find a fine match that was choked by preconceived ideas of grandeur. People (and WWE themselves) were expecting a magic show, not a wrestling match.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.