I Remember

WrestleMania is no longer the best show of the year
Photo Credit: WWE.com

I remember when WrestleMania was treated as special, and the faces sent the crowd home happy. The matches for this WrestleMania were decent, but nothing special (with the exception of the Women's Title Match). And by and large, that crowd didn't leave the venue happy. The heels, or the people the fans didn't want to see win, won EVERY match on the show save the opening ladder match and the main. There is a conspiracy theory that they all lost because Vince McMahon wanted the crowd to pop even louder for Roman Reigns winning in the main. That didn't happen.

I remember when the WWE didn't reflexively live in the past. No one's calling for a return to the "Billionaire Ted" days. But this way of presenting the old superstars from a bygone era as superior to EVERYONE on the roster is frankly disgusting. It has long been past time to build new guys, and new stars. Constantly reminding everyone of how things used to be doesn't do that. Having HBK, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin to come out to beat up your heel team and their babyface opponents in one fell swoop was a perfect example of this. Having the Rock and John Cena show up just to beat the Wyatts up was another. Where are the new stars we're supposed to want to root for? Do they exist?

Also, I remember when I looked forward to RAW. I don't anymore. I look forward to CWF Mid-Atlantic. I look forward to Lucha Underground. I look forward to Chikara. I look forward to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. I look forward to places that don't insult me for paying attention, and fetishize their old stars at the expense of anyone other than the one person they want me to be cheering.

I'm saying all of this to say one more thing I remember.

I remember when WrestleMania was always the most important show of the year.

It's not anymore.