40 Years Of Fascinating WWE WrestleMania Facts (Part 3)

1. WrestleMania XXX - The Ultimate False Dawn

Kurt Angle Shawn Michaels Bobby Heenan
WWE.com

When WrestleMania XXX concluded, it was easy to believe that WWE had finally embarked on a bold and much necessary new direction.

The Shield squashed three Attitude Era dinosaurs in under three minutes. Cesaro won the inaugural André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal when you thought WWE believed in both the performer and the stip. The Undertaker, and this was key, actually lost at WrestleMania to Brock Lesnar. The stages of grief that WWE perfectly orchestrated in the aftermath inspired as much negative emotion as the Daniel Bryan double-header sparked wild scenes of jubilation.

WWE had pissed its vocal hardcore fans off one too many times. WrestleMania XXX was a show of contrition. New stars were made, old souls were buried.

Except it wasn't. It was a one-night exercise in preventing a PR disaster of a full-scale main event exodus.

Cesaro's push was quickly abandoned. Brock Lesnar amplified the worst characteristics of the part-timers. And Daniel Bryan was not made as "the guy". He won the belts, yes, but he wasn't the guy: he was told by Vince McMahon the week of WrestleMania XXX that Roman Reigns was his pick to be the next John Cena.

At least let him enjoy it for a day, FFS.

 
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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!