50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE WrestleMania
1. Cody Rhodes Was Worth The Wait
Rage filled reactions hogged bandwidth in the afterglow of WrestleMania 39. That afterglow didn't come from happiness. The "glow" part was molten lava spilling out as mental volcanos erupted all over the place and people temporarily decided they hated Roman Reigns being pushed to the top every bit as much as they had when he was an often intolerable babyface between 2014-2020.
Roman was standing in the way of Cody Rhodes "finishing his story", but all haters had to do was show a little bit more patience than 2023 attention spans allowed. In 12 months, they'd have their wish. Cody would be WWE Champion, and all would be well with the world. Personally, not to brag about...something that's nothing to brag about, this fan backed Roman beating Rhodes the first time to anyone who'd listen.
The backlash and disappoint was understandable, of course, but Cody was always going to have his day eventually. That came at 'Mania 40, and it proved to be worth the wait. Emotions were running high before the event when it seemed The Rock might replace Rhodes outright as Roman's opponent. WWE went back and forth on that, realised it was self-sabotage after booking Cody so carefully, then Triple H elected to run with the result many thought he should've gone with at 39.
40's celebrations showed that a bonafide babyface can work in the modern era. You just need to find the right wrestler with the right connection to fans and the right story to tell. This will be called one of the greatest creative triumphs WWE has produced forever.
What else have you learned from watching old WrestleMania shows? For more WWE, check out 10 Wrestlers Who Became Everything They HATED and 10 WWE Breakups You Forgot Were HEARTBREAKING!