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From childhood, I have always been an aficionado of WWE. We would pray for NEPA not to disappoint us on Saturday evenings when previous episodes on Monday Night RAW or Friday Night Smackdown would air on the now-defunct television stations, DBN and MBI. I was far into my adolescence before it clocked that the famous wrestler we called ‘Hokogan’ that year was Hulk Hogan. Same for Shawn Michaels, who we referred to ‘eshin michaels’ because somewhere in our heads, we imagined he was named after his muscles. Your childhood wasn’t complete if you hadn’t channelled your inner Stone Cold or Batista in a play-fight. Now as an adult, I love the WWE for more than the in-ring action.
As a storyteller, it’s always fascinating to watch how story arcs and character development are brought to life. At Wrestlemania XL, the grandest stage of them all, peak storytelling came into play. It has some of my highlights favourites. Of course, I am a WWE superfan, I have to share my thoughts on Wrestlemania XL.
Can You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking?
Long before Dwayne Johnson’s successes in Hollywood, he was one of my favourite professional wrestlers of all time. The most electrifying man in sports entertainment came back into the WWE ring for his first competitive match in almost a decade. Nobody can cut a promo like the Rock; the way he works the mic is just as good as he lays the smackdown on all their candy behinds. His recent surprise cameos in the WWE eventually revealed his intentions to sit at the Head of the Table. All was set for the biggest main event of all time at Wrestlemania XL, where the then undisputed WWE champion, Roman Reigns, would go one-on-one with the great one. Just when we thought that finally, the Rock had come back to Philadelphia to headline Wrestlemania XL, the “Cody Cry Babies” had other ideas – they simply shut their mouths.
At the end of the day, it did not matter what the Bloodline thought was good for business – those jabronis put enough pressure on WWE and Cody Rhodes found himself in the main event of Wrestlemania XL. This didn’t go down well the people’s champion, the Brahma Bull guaranteed that such abomination from the sick freaks wouldn’t go without consequences. Right before our eyes, the Rock turned heel. The babyface superstar went encore and brought back a famous iteration (10.0) of his previous character types – the Final Boss. OGs in the WWE universe who knew more about this memory of the Attitude Era in the WWE where everything was heavy metal. We could all feel the mana with his badass entrances as he asked those ruddy poos to just bring it. What were they thinking?
This cold-blooded character didn’t just know how to talk smack, he could back it up. Cody Rhodes may have had the last laugh but not before the Final Boss took off his belt, turned that thing sideways and stuck it straight up Cody’s you-know-where. It was a great show for the millions and millions of the Rock’s fans who saw him put in a shift and a half at 51 years old.
I Acknowledge You!
The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns had been the undisputed WWE champion for 1,315 days. The Head of the Table had come a long way to the top of the mountain; he overcame leukaemia, endured betrayal from one of his brothers in the Shield and even survived a mutiny amongst Bloodline ranks with main event Jay Uso blatantly refusing to acknowledge his Tribal Chief. Roman Reigns wasn’t just the face of the WWE, he and the Bloodline contributed a great deal to making pro wrestling cool again. The Anoaʻi wrestling dynasty should be proud of one of its own, who carried the company on his back and has given a good account of himself.
YEET!
In the city of brotherly love, the main event Jay Uso and his twin, Jimmy Uso, decided to take the meaning of family feud to a whole different level. The fight wasn’t just brother vs brother, it was twin vs twin. It was wild to see two people who once shared a womb turn on each other so viciously – so much for being your brother’s keeper. The former tag team champions brought their sibling rivalry onto the grandest stage of them all. Jay Uso walked into the Lincoln Financial Centre with Tunechi and walked out with a W.
The Storm Has Arrived!
When the hottest free agent in pro wrestling showed up in the WWE, it was too easy to forecast a change in the weather. Jade Cargill did light up Wrestlemania XL with Naomi and the EST of WWE, Bianca Belair to face off against Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kaira Sane who couldn’t pull off any damage control to the carnage the sisters at arm left in their wake. We could feel the glow as the baddest, strongest and finest alliance led by Jade put the entire women’s division on notice!
Let Me Talk To You!
Since the meteoric rise to the top of the WWE, LA Knight has had a target on his back for some characters on the roster. The phenomenal one, AJ Styles, wasn’t particularly impressed with the undeniable kovarka of the resident megastar. He thought LA Knight was an overrated and under-talented person who needed to be humbled. On the grandest stage of them all, thanks to some good old BFT, everybody was reminded whose game it was – LA Knight. Yeah!
Finishing The Story
The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes, is a generational talent. His father, his late father, Dusty ‘The American Dream’ Rhodes, was also a WWE superstar in his day. Just like the prodigal son, Cody Rhodes returned to the WWE to finish what his father started and cement the legacy of the Rhodes Family. Winning the Royal Rumble matches in 2023 and 2024 almost seemed insufficient for his quest to climb the top of the mountain. That was because the Bloodline was running the show and was sworn that it would be a cold day in hell before Cody finished his story. It didn’t help that Cody crossed the Final Boss and even had the balls to slap the taste buds off his mouth – that earned him some kicks in a place where the sun doesn’t shine. Cody may have defied the odds to become the undisputed heavyweight champion but he most certainly paid for his sins with his blood just like the Final Boss promised Mama Rhodes he would. If anything, Cody learned something from his father, WWE Hall of Famer, Dusty Rhodes, about how to survive “these hard times”. Wrestlemania XL was redemption for Cody because finally, a Rhodes is WWE Champion.
It’s Time To Play The Game!
Better known as Triple H, Paul Levesque was one of the WWE’s greatest superstars as an in-ring wrestler. The cerebral assassin has been involved in so many iconic matches including Wrestlemania’s main events, which shaped the landscape of the business. What many of us didn’t know is that he is an even better executive at WWE with his current role as Chief Content Officer. The WWE could have easily ignored the “Cody Cry Babies” and insisted on having the Rock and Roman Reigns in the main event without Cody Rhodes, instead, they listened, pivoted and delivered the greatest Wrestlemania main event of all time. The last time I saw something that close was five years ago when the WWE universe insisted on having Koffimania; five years later the WWE universe would also insist on having Codymania.
Wrestlemania XL was a masterclass on market intelligence. When you see Triple H, calling an audible, that’s a master at work. The thought process of bringing in WWE legends like the Undertaker, John Cena, Buba Ray Dudley or even Seth Rollins to reprise his role as an original member of the Shield was genius. It was a subtle play on the superstars that have typified the different eras of the WWE over the past four decades. The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was very thoughtful, giving flowers to those who paved the way for the next generation of superstars. The fireflies came out for Bray White once again. I agree with the rest of the WWE universe that this is truly the Paul Levesque era. He has cemented his position as one of the figures on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling. For the child in me, Wrestlemania will always be a staple. Then, now, forever.
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