5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (April 12)

4. Stephanie McMahon Is Amazing

SHANE LOL
WWE.com

Though covered on the 'Mania recap itself, the sheer extent to which the mixed tag match was perfect remains astonishing, several days after the fact.

Ronda Rousey entered an incandescent performance on the most nerve-rattling stage of all. She looked so composed out there, slipping between modes of indignation and intensity so seamlessly, that the nerves affecting her at Elimination Chamber must have been a work.

This was a different performer.

She attacked Stephanie McMahon like a sh*t-talking rash, dripping in fury, restoring fully her aura as a dangerous firecracker of an individual by contorting Steph into positions of agony in a relentless blur. Triple H helped put over Ronda as a terrifying entertainment machine of a threat, selling her rapid-fire punching machine gun shots like Hitler in Inglorious Basterds.

The match was magic, but it was Stephanie McMahon who cast the spell - something for which she deserves major plaudits, especially since this author page was more than happy in the past to bury her awful contributions. This was a sensational contribution; Stephanie, timing her interferences to crowd-spiking perfection, sold her terror in such a way that her father, perhaps the best heel ever, would be proud. Stephanie wrestled a better match than AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at the Show of Shows in a performance so brilliant your writer has changed his tune about her character.

That's the magic of pro wrestling, provided you are willing to let yourself in on the work.

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!