10 WWE WrestleMania Myths EXPOSED

3. The Royal Rumble Winner 'Main Events' WrestleMania

CM Punk
WWE.com

The myth:

The winner of the annual Royal Rumble match receives an opportunity to "main event" WrestleMania!

The myth exposed:

They never said the Royal Rumble winner goes on last *head tap GIF*

Beyond the upcoming two-night extravaganza - if Braun Strowman proving himself clever by beating 51 year-old Shane McMahon using brute strength can be classed as an "extravaganza" - the Rumble marketing spin is provable bullsh*t. There are now two Royal Rumble matches, and in 2022 and 2023, there will be just one match that goes last.

Drew McIntyre headlined WrestleMania 36, but Seth Rollins opened WrestleMania 35. Shinsuke Nakamura was slotted into the upper midcard at 'Mania 34. Randy Orton shrugged at bullsh*t maggot projections in a similar slot at 'Mania 33. The modern history of WrestleMania reveals several more examples of WWE's trademark mendacity.

An argument can be made that the main event is the match the fans are most interested in seeing, irrespective of where it is positioned on the card. But several fans don't buy that. And nor, in the case of CM Punk, driven in part to leave by what he felt was a glorified midcard role, do the talent.

On the subject of the Second City Saint...

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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!