5 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Feb 12)

2. Live For The Moment

WWE has worked hard for years to change fans’ mindsets about what’s really important in the world of professional wrestling. It’s not all about winning titles, the fame and the money (though some characters still espouse those things). Now we hear about putting smiles on faces, competing, putting on a good showing, building momentum, and of course, creating a WrestleMania moment.

It’s that WrestleMania moment that really is mind-boggling. On one hand, we all remember those major moments at big shows, far too many to list. But it’s the fact that WWE tries to sell a “WrestleMania moment” as a goal of every superstar that’s completely disingenuous.

During Raw, the announcers kept pushing that trope over and over. At one point, it seemed as if winning a spot in the Elimination Chamber to get a shot at going to WrestleMania was more about the moment than fighting for the Universal Championship.

None of this is to say that the moment is unimportant, but WWE plays it up as if it’s the most important thing. That’s akin to saying that Tom Brady got his “Super Bowl moment” by passing for the most yards ever in a losing effort, so it’s all fine.