2024 has already been one of the most newsworthy years in the history of pro-wrestling. WWE’s merger with UFC to form TKO, The Rock joining the Board of Directors and a $5 billion broadcast deal with Netflix all preceded the shocking lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon, which led to his departure from the company.
With Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque now at the helm of WWE content, all eyes turn to WrestleMania XL which takes place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia across Saturday and Sunday night. WWE is currently enjoying the biggest wave of momentum since the ‘Attitude Era’, and here are 8 reasons why WWE fans are calling this the biggest WrestleMania in years.
1. “Wrestling is cool again"
The irony of a 51-year-old bald guy in a sleeveless Versace waistcoat repeatedly telling us that he has made wrestling ‘cool’ again may be lost on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. However, the buzz around his recent return and alliance with the villainous Bloodline has certainly turbo-charged the main event picture. After a decade and a half of largely sanitised, PG programming, The Rock’s heel-turn has brought back blood and curse words to give this year’s road to Mania some added edge and intensity. ‘The Final Boss’ might just be the best character work we’ve ever seen from The Rock in WWE, and his electrifying presence is challenging the current crop of stars to step up to his level.
I hate constraints and bullshit rules - and just because some @wwe producer says, "clear" (meaning, we are no longer live on the air and the show is over) that doesn't mean I just stop whatever I'm doing and tell everyone great job.
It fucking pissed me off. I can't shut my high… pic.twitter.com/rIGh5GnaBW— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 30, 2024
2. A Superstar-studded Lineup
If you’ve been keeping up with WWE’s current stars you’ll likely agree that Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley and Drew McIntyre are at the peak of their powers and deserving of their big spots on the card. Add to that the recent returns of The Rock, CM Punk and Randy Orton, and the lineup looks pretty stacked. Then there’s also the rumoured ‘Easter Eggs’ recently planted on Monday Night Raw, which suggested some involvement from John Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin. What better way to mark 40 years of WrestleMania than having one more confrontation between The Rock and Austin.
The placement of the John Cena and Steve Austin WM trucks during The Rock's beatdown of Cody Rhodes on Raw were done on purpose, acording to a new report from WrestleVotes! Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/jrcpXP6Fy4
— Wicked Wrestling (@WickedWrestl1ng) March 27, 2024
3. Can Cody Finish The Story?
Having once been a mid-card afterthought, Cody Rhodes left WWE in 2016 to reinvent himself on the independent scene and would later become one of the key men responsible for the formation of rival promotion AEW. After 3 years of spearheading the competition, the ‘American Nightmare’ returned to WWE in 2022 as a legit main event player, now on a quest to capture the WWE Championship that has eluded his legendary family. Fans were stunned when Cody lost his title match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 - a creative decision that Triple H has publicly admitted losing sleep over. But the build to this year’s re-match has proven to be worth the wait, albeit with a dramatic storyline pivot when fans reacted furiously to the suggestion of The Rock returning to take Cody’s main event spot against Roman. Instead, Cody now gets to headline both nights - first tagging with Seth Rollins to face The Rock and Roman Reigns, before challenging Roman for the title in a one-on-one match on night 2. Dusty's son finally finishing the story in Philadelphia on Sunday promises to be a ‘WrestleMania moment’ for the ages.
Decision made. @CodyRhodes gets the chance to finish his story when he challenges @WWERomanReigns in the main event of #WrestleMania XL. pic.twitter.com/A12apAnELf
— Triple H (@TripleH) February 9, 2024
4. The Bloodline
The epic storyline involving Roman Reigns and The Bloodline has been one of the great triumphs of long-term storytelling in WWE. Roman has been undefeated as WWE Universal Champion for over three and a half years - an unthinkable feat in modern pro-wrestling, not seen since Hulk Hogan's longest run as champion in the 80s. The subtle, nuanced and slow-build storyline has forced WWE fans to be patient - which is no easy task in the age of social media - but that patience has been consistently rewarded with some of the most compelling on-screen moments that WWE has ever produced. The Bloodline deservedly dominate this weekend's card, featuring in both main events, as well as the battle of the Usos between twin brothers Jey and Jimmy. If, as expected, Roman's historic title reign comes to an end in Philly, the Bloodline saga is likely to roll on after WrestleMania to an eventual showdown between Roman Reigns and his cousin The Rock. The teased split between the two could very well happen this weekend.
5. Mami versus The Man
Outside of The Bloodline, the first ever battle between Dublin's Becky Lynch and Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley is probably the most anticipated match over the weekend. Both Becky and Rhea have been involved in previous WrestleMania show-stealers, and now as the two biggest female stars on the current roster, their one-on-one clash promises to be a banger. The pairing of Rhea Ripley with Rey Mysterio's evil son Dominick has become one of the most entertaining acts on WWE TV over the past two years, with comparisons to the classic duo of Chyna and Eddie Guerrero. Despite remaining as one of the most popular stars in the company, Becky's momentum has stalled somewhat as Ripley has ascended to the top of the women's ranks. But if the punch that she landed on 'Dirty' Dom Mysterio on Raw is anything to go by, Becky is fired up and ready to prove a point with another big performance on the grandest stage.
You're not the boss of me now
And you're NOT so biiiiiig.... 🎶🎵#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/daCWcPD1mm— WWE (@WWE) March 26, 2024
6. The Ring General
If you want to get a sense of the current level of in-ring action in today's WWE, the man to watch is Gunther. The longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time is arguably the best wrestler in the world right now, using a ferociously stiff arsenal involving some chops that would make an audience weep. Anyone who attended OTT shows at the National Stadium in Dublin around 2018 may remember him performing there as Walter. The Austrian has dominated since arriving on the WWE main roster in 2022 and his title defence against Sami Zayn at WrestleMania XL might just steal the show.
The Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre vs Gunther triple threat from last year’s WrestleMania was insanely good.
pic.twitter.com/cl4BYcs8Zu— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) April 2, 2024
7. DM Hunk
When CM Punk returned to WWE at the end of last year, it was expected that he would challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship in a big comeback match at Mania. But during the Royal Rumble in January, Punk tore his tricep and his WrestleMania dream was in tatters. Step forward Drew McIntyre - now mockingly referring to himself as 'DM Hunk' - who's recent heel-turn is producing the most entertaining work of his career, while he revels in Punk's misfortune and steps in to challenge Rollins for the title. CM Punk is slated to be a guest commentator for the title match and is likely to get involved in the action somehow, given his apparent real-life animosity towards both men. A recent promo battle on Raw involving all three was a wildly entertaining segment that threatened to go off script at times and has built the anticipation for this match. Drew's trolling of CM Punk on TV and social media has been next-level, and the big Scotsman can certainly deliver the goods when the bell rings.
RIP Seth Rollins’ title run
RIP CM Punk’s #WrestleMania dreams pic.twitter.com/xNAuQrZlgp— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) April 2, 2024
8. A New Era In WWE
WWE currently feels as though it has entered a new 'golden era'. The Vince McMahon era is now over, where the product had become stale for far too long and so much potential had been wasted over the past two decades. The recent improvements under the Triple H regime suggest that the fans who spent years complaining on social media about McMahon's incoherent storylines were right. Now we are starting to see how good WWE can be with a refreshed commitment to quality storytelling and smarter production. The company is the hottest it has been since the Attitude Era and delivering a top-tier WrestleMania this weekend would be a fitting showcase for WWE's new generation of talent.
The final word always comes…
from the Final Boss. #RoadToWrestleMania#Part2#WrestleMania40#Philadelphia
FOUR DAYS
April 6th + April 7th@WWE @TKOGrp pic.twitter.com/HFMyfBMVQi— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 2, 2024
Ladies and gentlemen, we made history last night, in Brooklyn, NY.
The highest selling RAW in U.S. History 🤯 🇺🇸
Enjoy the ride 🚀
- Final Boss@wwe @tkogrp pic.twitter.com/md2e6jRgVP— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 2, 2024
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