As long as WWE insist on allowing shows to spiral beyond a reasonable runtime or refuse to split the 'Show Of Shows' over two days in an arena rsther than an empty gym, there'll perhaps never be a WrestleMania fans can unanimously agree on again.
There were loathsome moments on this card. Spells of moribund misery that would be mourned to this day if they'd taken place during the height of the Attitude Era. Segments so sh*tty that they simply didn't belong on the 'Grandest Stage'.
It also featured one of the greatest Sports Entertainment showpieces in company history.
Such is life on the 'Grandaddy Of Em All'. WWE want people watching every last minute for those valuable Network statistics, so the carrot/stick philosophy underpins the entire card. 12 matches made up the main card with two shunted to the kickoff, but this may look quaint by the time WrestleMania 40 takes up an entire week.
All bets are off now and forever more. They were a year before this show. Back then, they were doing mad sh*te like putting a major singles title on Jinder Mahal.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
