The Build to WrestleMania 41: Has it been any good?
The build to this year’s WrestleMania, the 41st offering of The Showcase of the Immortals, has been pretty heavily criticized. “Lackluster,” some have said. “Dogshit,” others have remarked. And that’s before we even get into their disastrous week of PR, which is truly hilarious, a reflection of the lasting arrogance the former McMahon Empire will never shake no matter how nice they all dress or how chill they try to act, until everyone in or closely associated with that family is out of the picture, which probably will eventually happen because they really don’t have control of their own destinies anymore.
But I have thought to myself, you know, it hasn’t been that bad. But then I thought to myself, you know, you haven’t really thought about it. So what do I think, if I really think?
It turns out I’m still not as low on it as a lot of folks are, BUT! (But!) I discover there’s nothing I’m really stoked about. Let’s break it down match-by-match, from my least anticipated to most.
13. War Raiders vs New Day
Hype Level: 0.5/10. There’s been no greater fudging in recent memory than WWE completely and utterly failing to turn New Day’s emotionally brutal heel turn into, uh, you know, much of anything. The first couple weeks of performative booing have died and now they’re pretty much just another couple guys who have to constantly remind you they’re mean with cornball acting and Michael Cole and Pat McAfee bringing up the brief period where this felt like something big, a refreshing of a genuinely stale act. It hasn’t worked out that way. Happy for War Raiders getting a Mania match and if given the chance this thing is going to be solid at worst, but I just do not care, and the Raw tag division basically doesn’t exist, so here we are.
12. AJ Styles vs Logan Paul
Hype Level: 2/10. The “2” is for AJ Styles and the fact I know this will be a baseline Entertaining wrestling exhibition. But I am empty on the Logan Paul front. There is no intrigue left here. They went to him challenging for and “almost winning” the big belt way too quickly, and they’ve already done a gimmick secondary title reign. What more is there? How many times can, “Actually, he’s Really Good at this!” be the exact same thing before everyone is very clear on the fact that he’s not actually Really Good at this in any meaningful way? He is the evolution of Dennis Rodman doing an armdrag and everyone busts a nut, Snooki doing a cartwheel or whatever it was she did where people had to pretend this made her some mega athlete in secret. Paul is a good athlete and he does work hard enough to make sure he doesn’t go out and stink or embarrass his opponent. They will have practiced a match that passes the star ratings test. But when the deepest week-to-week wrestling show connection something has for me is Karrion Kross, we’re working light.