At Wrestlemania Night 2, WWE will screw the fans again

We were just here. Not so long ago. WWE doesn’t like you. We thought with Triple H taking over creative control, things would change. Definitely not, and it’s a wonder if it really is is no longer responsible for creative. Or was it yesterday and will it be tomorrow (we will return to this later). While wrestling storylines can go in any direction and in any style, there comes a time when you pay your fans back for their investment of time and emotion. They get a reward. In the end, the babyface hero defeats the all-conquering heel, no matter how impossible it seems. The whole fucking company, the modern version, it was built on this. Otherwise, why take the time, on both sides?

Not in the WWE world, fam. They don’t care what the wrestling fan wants. They had two chances to get one of those precious “moments” that fans would cherish forever. And they both peed. They do not care, and they won’t care. And based on today’s news, they have no reason to care.

The only excuse is that WWE apologists couldn’t wait to rush out after Sami Zayn had the nerve to beat Roman Reigns in his hometown of Montreal (although it was his time to do it and it would have been one of the most special “moments”). company ever created) was to be reserved for Wrestlemania. Cody Rhodes was the real star, they said. He looked the part. He had the inheritance. During his career, he made several confessions. He played more of the role and convinced everyone that he didn’t matter how the emperor did not wear clothes (beyond her Homelander outfit, of course). If Sami was let through, it would only make Cody’s moment even bigger, they said. We’re told they’ll use the disappointment to fuel an even bigger moment.

NO.

What bothers WWE, if they have any concerns or are in danger of turning away their fans, is that the finish was once again met with no boos or cheers. Somehow, WWE gathered a very hot and furious crowd of 80,000 and let them down, just like the almost riotous crowd that was behind Zayn in Montreal. It wasn’t shock, not even anger. It was just total deflation. Insensibly, almost. If there was any consternation, it wasn’t in the story, but in “Are they doing this to us again?”

Why did you buy again?

If you looked hard enough, almost every fan ready for Roman to be knocked off would find themselves asking, “Why would I buy again?” And really, why would anyone? They don’t give two people more momentum and energy than Zayn and Rhodes. No one can whip a crowd behind him from being one of them like Zayn did. Rhodes, despite what i think, he made a good portion of the WWE Universe believe that he was the superhero that Zayn was not, and that was what was needed. WWE passed on both. Who can generate a buzz like this again? The mainstream asked Zayn for a second level PPV because the fans were so excited. Rhodes-Reigns has been called one of the biggest events at the biggest show in the industry. How will they get there again?

Of course, Rhodes can easily win the title at SummerSlam. Maybe even in London at Money In The Bank in front of another hot crowd that the UK always provides. But it won’t be the same. And that will give Rhodes more time for bullshitting even the WWE fans. If Rhodes was a WWE guy, they didn’t invent the window. It will never be like this again.

However, WWE knows that it has an unbreakable bond with its fans, no matter how one-way and offensive it is now. It doesn’t matter what they want, because even though they almost always don’t get it, more people don’t turn away to find something else. Wrestlemania is such a huge event that it acts as a beacon for fans to think this is the only way. This shapes the rest of the calendar.

Afterwards, you couldn’t help but feel the shadow of Vince McMahon. Despite everyone’s protests, if you know WWE history, you know that Vince shoved Reigns down everyone’s throats for three or four years and it was just a total fan riot. But Vince never cared what the fans thought, and now that Reigns was installed as the undisputed and unattainable star of the company, you couldn’t help but feel that he was the one who decided that now everyone would pay for because he refused to do so at the end of the last decade. HHH can say what he wants, the talent can say what he wants, the rest of the staff can say what they want, but if the booking is anything like Vince…

And now he heads an even bigger company. Why will it be better? It all smelled like it was run by a guy who got pushed out of his job because of the crimes he committed and then got that job back and more money. It was the booking of a man and a company that feels untouchable. Because they are.

Wrestlemania: Night 2

It was a perfect, cheesy ending to a very sloppy Night 2. The first two matches – Brock Lesnar v. Omos and the women’s fours championship – it was complete bullshit. Rousey is so toxic and bad that she just wins without doing anything and yet they are terrified of using her to create another star. Do you think the UFC merger 24 hours later had anything to do with it?

This was followed by the Gunther-Drew McIntyre-Sheamus triple match for the IC Title, which was a match both nights. Just a brutal display of physicality and striking from some very large people. Asuka and Bianca Belair were next, and while it was very difficult to get into both women, she had a great match with Belair, cementing her legacy as Mrs. Wrestlemania.

And then it was time for the night to turn back into the gutter. Finn Balor and Edge at Hell In a Cell was a mess, which also happened because Balor had a cut on his face that WWE wouldn’t let him wrestle, even though his face paint hid it. So a sloppy match was stopped for five minutes so it could be set up, and then the “demon” character was lost anyway.

The funniest and possibly best moment of the weekend was the return of Shane McMahon – which literally no one asked for – which ended quickly when he blew his quad 12 seconds into his impromptu match with The Mizz. If only we all really took stock of the symbolism of what was to come.

And then the main event. Very good match, one of the best Mania main events in a while, completely neutered by the finish. WWE doesn’t reward you. They don’t pay. They will take you wherever they want because they know you will always come back. And if not? Well, they sold them for $9 billion, well, shit.

To follow all of Sam’s wrestling musings, @Felsgate On Twitter.