WrestleMania 40 main event set but why does this all feel so sour?

What a time in WWE this is, and not always in a good way. Don’t get me wrong, they just made a landmark Netflix deal set for 2025, business is currently good, and the powers that be have had a much needed shake up at the very hierarchy of WWE. Yet, in spite of sell out events and hype, why do things feel so bad right now? Well, because reality has given WWE fandom a good hard slap right round the face in more ways than one.

Now, I don’t want to burrow into the reprehensible Vince McMahon scandal and forthcoming lawsuit too much because the deeper you get the worse it gets, and honestly there is a strong suggestion that the worst is yet to come. However, this black cloud has hung over WWE at the minute, how could it not? Hell, a week ago at the Royal Rumble, it reared its ugly head at the press conference in Triple H’s facepalming answers to questions, and even in a creative capacity, with Brock Lesnar being removed from all plans this WrestleMania season, due to his connection to the allegations.

However, moving away from this depressing reality, within the product itself, there is some really bad vibes going on here too. In fact, if you were of a superstitious nature, you’d think this WrestleMania season might be cursed. CM Punk’s grand return has been derailed by an injury already, heartbreakingly removing him from the Mania main event scene, Seth Rollins is currently rehabbing like crazy to get in Mania shape after an injury last month, and the Rumble event itself – despite sky high hype – had a rather mixed reception.

But Cody Rhodes’ historic back to back Rumble win, and Bayley’s long overdue Mania spotlight win in the women’s Rumble, were two beacons of light in this dark time. And this week, we had much post-Rumble goings on to digest. Already on Smackdown, we had a phenomenal segment with the dissolution of Damage Ctrl and Bayley challenging Iyo Sky for er championship at WrestleMania, which was so beautifully constructed, passionately performed and left you truly excited for this personal title programme at the show of shows!

Good to see a story, the right story, finally come to a head at the biggest show on the WWE calendar! So, how is it that we find ourself at a point where the Mania card seems in a right old mess right now? No Brock, no Punk, Rollins working hurt potentially? No mention of other stars and their directions. And now, the whole centre to a year-plus story, in Cody Rhodes challenging Roman Reigns and hopefully dethroning him from his record title run, is not only not happening, but the way it has all been done is, shall we say, a choice.

Let’s go back briefly here, I hold my hands up and admit that I am of the opinion that Rhodes should have won last year against Reigns. The match, while strong, came with such a deflating cliched Bloodline interference finish and in the year since, Roman has done virtually nothing to convince me this was the right move. Any big moments The Bloodline have had, has been all about their family frictions and not the title. Everything else, has been pretty bad, the SummerSlam calamity booking, the LA Knight match diminishing his star and last week’s frankly dull Fatal 4 Way, it has become evident that this thing is growing stale and all we seem to be doing is stretching things out so we can move Roman further up the record title run chart. But to what end? WWE seem so scared of pulling the trigger, but now is the time…or rather it isn’t it would appear.

Because this past Royal Rumble and Raw it was all but confirmed Rhodes would indeed be “finishing the story” and challenging Reigns again. Despite a passionate play by Seth Rollins, making some strong points and calling out Roman’s drastically reduced schedule, his “Hollywood” title and what it now stands for, it was clear where were heading. Or so we thought, because on Smackdown we had one of the biggest lessons in how not to book a match, as we have seen since some of those darker days of 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Before Rhodes even came out to face Roman in the ring and make his choice, we had Roman verbally bury Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship for about 10 minutes. Waving his high pay check in people’s faces, mocking injury and basically calling the belt the loser’s title, at a point when WWE really needs to be making this “workhorse” title out to be something worth fighting for. Of course he’s a heel but this played into the worst opinions prevalent about that belt and pretty much validated them. True, Seth started this war of words, but where his position came from the right place, Roman’s was an uncomfortable result of a character endlessly pushed for 10 years by corporate powers and kind of proved the most angry and vocal of fans right.

Then, out came Cody, to make his speech, say why this title was the one he wanted and still believed in all it stood for. Saying he was coming for Roman, and the title, and for that matter everything he had (not sure what that means)…just not at WrestleMania? Stating he had sought council from various people and legends, including one Roman knows very well. Out came The Rock!

Now, as a brief interlude here, The Rock has recently been placed on the board in a grand $30million dollar position alongside TKO executives, in another big event in WWE these last few week’s. It’s a new era, a new ownership and should be a fresh start. Should! Because after years of people yearning for the Battle for the head of the Table between The Rock and Roman Reigns, it would seem that now is the time to start building towards that, after the hint was dropped on The Rock’s WWE TV return a few week’s back. Building I say…

Now, back to the moment, the live audience popped, I mean, it’s The Rock, and he quickly embraced Rhodes, whispering something in his ear, as The American Nightmare looked gracious but a touch troubled, as the show went off air with a Rock and Roman stare down.

Now, if you are making money matches and thinking of buys and profits, then hell yes this is one of those marquee matches. Not only that, it is one people have asked for over the last few years especially. Why is it then, that this all feels a bit tainted, a bit sour and, bluntly, really rather ridiculous? Well, there are a few reasons.

Not only does this, true or not, have the uncomfortable vibe of a former star pulling a Hulk Hogan and politicking his way into a main event at the expense of the company’s most over – and TV regular – star, but now in his powerful corporate position, this feels all the more morally insidious at face value. As The People’s Champion could not feel more distant to the actual people. 

Had The Rock have returned at The Rumble and won it, would there have been splash back, of course, Cody’s story has been over a year in the running, but it would have at least let you know there and then, where you were heading. But over this last week since the event, so much has been said, so much has been done, that they nigh on confirmed Rhodes/Reigns II. Not only that, but an injured Punk emotionally told Rhodes to finish his story, and the WWE 2K game has made that it’s whole promotion. And this whole story, as it now stands, makes very little logical sense.

Why would the Rumble winner give up the title he admittedly wants and wait for a wrestling legend-turned-movie star to take it for himself. To that point, this literally IS the Hollywood title now! Why would Rhodes deny his destiny and story here? It all comes across as foolish and illogical for his onscreen character. Meanwhile, this has the air of a power play by an executive, and off the back of bad press the last couple of years with Fast and Furious fallout and his failed DCEU franchise play, it seems like some more bad vibes for The Rock.

I’m not saying this was done as an ego drive on his part and The Rock is indeed a massive star and always will be but how on earth did anyone expect this to appear on TV?! It just does not work and the acidic response in the days since have only proved that this was a bad, bad move! This could have been set up at Mania, amidst the Cody/Reigns match, Rock/Reigns does not need nor require a title and in fact the presence of one only makes all this even worse booking-wise.

As a title match? How is this booked? It takes unpredictability away because Reigns surely is winning, and if he is, that nigh on guarantees he holds the belt hostage another year to break Hogan’s record and tick off another box. On the flip side, if The Rock does win, especially now, then how bad does that look in his current role in the company?! And that pretty much demolishes Cody’s chance at pulling off his story of victory, redemption and triumph even further down the line, after we have all already waited quite a while for it.

Plus, thinking reasonably about this, The Rock and Roman is far more of an in-ring risk. The promos, build and programme could be great (though it has fallen flat straight from the off now, so hard work is needed), but at the end of the day, this happens in the ring and The Rock is 51 and has not wrestled in years, while Roman has lately not had the most stellar of matches, with their slower pace and he would be the one required to do the heavy lifting here. Rock is in great shape yes but there is a difference between great shape and ring shape. In his recent segment with Jinder Mahal, The Rock was certainly breathing heavy after just a spine buster and people’s elbow, can we really be relying these two to go 30 minutes? Come what may with their story, we know ring wise that Cody and Reigns would deliver, but this is now all far more of a risk, not to mention the chance of injuries too (think back to Rock’s match with John Cena in 2013)! Next year would have at least given The Great One ample time to prepare for a ring return.

Apparently, this was a move Rock pushed for in the belief that recent injuries and controversies had so adversely affected the card that The Rock was needed to save the day. There is also a belief such a big match may detract attention away from Vince’s horrors but is this all the way? Rock/Reigns should surely have happened at WrestleMania 41 without a title and with time to prepare. The meltdown online (no rare occurrence in wrestling admittedly) has not just been from a vocal minority this time but from some of the company’s own stars (Logan Paul), journalists and industry professionals, and it is just replacing a real world controversy with a creative one now.

It’s still a long road to WrestleMania 40 and plans can surely change…oh boy can they?! It’s no doubt WWE needs some star power and attraction to this event but can it be at the expense of something that was solidly the plan all year until earlier this week? It is somewhat remarkable that in one night WWE has managed to so badly book a dream match that they have turned a lot of their regular audience on this match, and also – apparently – thrust Cody into another feud with Rollins for the belt their own record title holder just ran down for a whole segment, making the Rumble result and winner look silly and moreover his forthcoming title victory kind of irrelevant. After all, he’s already 3-0 against Rollins, one of those times when wrestling with a torn pec, so how does an injured Rollins realistically stand a chance. No doubt about it, this WrestleMania has done a real turnaround and WWE are going to have to deliver something here to get a lot of people back on their side.