THIS Is The Same Mistake WWE Makes Every WrestleMania Season

by Michael Sidgwick
Triple H Randy Orton Stephanie Mcmahon
WWE.com

The build to Triple H Vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 25 was so overblown that the match never stood a chance, ill-advised stipulation or no. WWE ramped up the incident so high that no methodical match, even one involving weapons, could ever have cleared it. This is the company that makes movies, but Christ, even Tommy Wiseau has a better grasp of the logical order of events. In the Room, the big Johnny Vs. Mark fight doesn't happen before the argument.

Hell, the WWF almost conspired to ruin the Rock Vs. Hulk Hogan build by booking Hogan to ram Rock's ambulance with a semi truck. They didn't ruin it, obviously. It was incapable of being ruined. But Rock was back next week. There's never any serious consequence. These We're on the Road to WrestleMania! beats are plotted for the desperate sake of it.

In taking such an over-the-top forward step to drive the narrative, WWE all too often gets it backwards. WWE should remain faithful to the big stories, and not render them farcical and desperate with big, dumb beats. The whole premise of 'Mania is that the biggest stars of the preceding year are pitted against one another to create the biggest, most novel matches. Less is more is counterintuitive to the way WWE operates - particular around 'Mania season - but Ronda Rousey Vs. Charlotte Flair Vs. Becky Lynch drew little heat. Brock Lesnar Vs. Dean Ambrose drew little heat. Triple H V. Randy Orton drew little heat.

All three matches were built on - and burned out by - outrageous heat angles.

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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!