We are days away from April.
The Masters are in full swing, the PWHL is skating through its season, and the MLS/NWSL are dribbling through theirs. The playoffs for the NBA and NHL are in high gear. The NFL Draft is underway in Pittsburgh, and MLB players are just getting their cleats in the dirt.
Am I missing something? Oh, I almost forgot. It is WrestleMania season! Except that if you ask a fan or a media personality, they would tell you it sure doesn’t feel that way.
For the second year in a row, WrestleMania is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. WWE has sold around 37,000 tickets for both nights. It was not always that high, and fans did not respond well to the high prices WWE presented.
In a viral video online, a fan interacted with Randy Orton and told him she spent $30,000 to attend last year’s WrestleMania. Orton was flabbergasted and called it “embarrassing.” One year later, and it feels like WWE may have finally learned its lesson. On “3:16 Day,” which was also the same day as Monday Night Raw, the company offered 31.6% off tickets for WM. It turns out that when you lower the threshold, fans are willing to use their credit cards.
Outside of ticket prices, it is not particularly optimistic right now. Eight matches have been officially announced. Triple H and company are planning at least 14 matches total, with six of them involving women.
Speaking of these matches, only three have hit hard, while the others have fizzled out quickly. First, a highly anticipated showdown between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar. The Ruler answered the Beast’s challenge and took him out in back-to-back weeks. Brock even told Femi to put his foot on him while he pointed at the sign.
Another fiery matchup is for the Raw Women’s Championship. Stephanie Vaquer made Liv Morgan cry on Raw, in a backstage interview with Michael Cole. The two brawled for a few minutes on Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago, intensifying their rivalry.
Jacob Fatu and Drew McInyre brawled their way inside and outside the arena. This led to GM Nick Aldis announcing an Unsanctioned Match at WrestleMania. Sami Zayn won the US Title and is set for a clash with Trick Williams. It is rumored that this is set up for a double turn down the line.
The rest of the card has not lived up to expectations. Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill had a Twitter spat after the former won the EC match. Their rivalry has been ice cold since, and now B Fab/Michin joined Jade Cargill because if you cannot beat’em, join’em.
Roman Reigns and CM Punk started hot, with Punk saying he would bury Roman next to his father. Now, the Bloodline looks like it is headed to a reunion, and Reigns is calling Punk OLD. At least they got physical, but Punk laughing after receiving a powerbomb through the table was questionable.
Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, is facing Becky Lynch again despite tapping her out three straight times. The two will fight for the Women’s IC title, and hopefully, they will add a stipulation to keep things interesting. This will be Lee’s first WrestleMania match in over ten years.
Randy Orton’s heel turn has backfired on WWE because fans continue to cheer him anyway. Orton takes on Cody Rhodes for the WWE title in pursuit of his 15th reign. This rivalry has at least been ok. We still do not know who Randy is on the phone with, but Kevin Owens, The Rock, or Cowboy Bob Orton seem like popular answers. Cody’s friend Matt Cardona has received a beating from the Viper, but WWE has not given fans any reason to back Cardona.
That is what we have so far, folks. You know who is missing from this year’s build to WM? The Ring General Gunther. Remember the guy who retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles? He is nowhere to be found. WWE wanted him to face Rey Mysterio, but the luchador is injured.
Another superstar in jeopardy of missing WM is LA Knight. Triple H does not like him, but the guy is over. Maybe he could be Gunther’s opponent. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins has been running around with a bunch of masked men looking to take down the Vision. Or whatever is left of it. He could still face Bron Breakker at ‘Mania.
Lastly, how is Jelly Roll getting more airtime than the last three people I mentioned? He beat Kit Wilson in a surprisingly decent match, but got hit with an RKO to end the show on Friday. WWE’s obsession with having celebrities at WM continues. Legendary QB Tom Brady had some choice words about WWE in an interview, and he could be a part of it. iShowSpeed is another celebrity with ties to the company, and is a third celebrity poised for ‘Mania. Bad Bunny is not planned to appear this time around.
With three weeks to go, they still have time to build excitement for ‘Mania. Triple H and Nick Khan need to step it up. With Monday Night Raw at Madison Square Garden tomorrow, look for them to go all out. If not, we could be in store for one of the weakest builds in the modern era to WrestleMania. Stay tuned for Raw on Netflix at 7 pm, and SmackDown is in Randy’s hometown, so perhaps the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes could get booed.
