The Disturbing Truth Behind WWE WrestleMania 38

Damian Priest
WWE.com

Traditionally, WWE builds an upper midcard act by booking them to win the Royal Rumble match. This is where things become alarming.

Who's winning the 30-man spectacular? Process of elimination leads one to very few options. The winner can't be a normalised upper midcard talent fixture no matter how talented they are, ruling out the likes of Sheamus, Cesaro, AJ Styles. Drew McIntyre looks set to work the customary four-PPV winter cycle opposite Roman. The issue is that there is a plethora of normalised upper midcard fixtures in a company that has retconned the living sh*t out of the last half-decade rebuild towards the future. NXT might as well have not happened. The Miz is as uninspiring an option to face Big E as Ricochet is a naive message board projection. Since the Bron Breakkers and Von Wagners of this world are nowhere near ready, who in WWE A) has top-line potential, B) hasn't become a just a guy through the usual booking machinations, and C) hasn't already failed in the mind of Vince McMahon whether you still give a sh*t about them or not?

In years gone by, there was always a wrestler who just had to win. The obvious choice. In 2021, the only wrestlers who vaguely meet that damning criteria are Damian Priest, Austin Theory and Montez Ford. There is nobody else in the men's ranks that isn't already damned by their sh*tty, just-there presentation. Riddle is over. That's four. His tag team partner Randy Orton is so give-it-Giggsy-til-end-of-season that the boredom almost physically hurts.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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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!