Tag: Wrestlemania

How Roman Reigns forged WWE’s current success — and what’s still left for him to accomplish

Cody Rhodes is the face of WWE’s new era, but Roman Reigns built the foundation for it.

WWE has recently gone out of its way to let the world know that WrestleMania weekend was the dawn of a new age for the company.

By virtue of his win in the main event of WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes will lead the charge.

But even in defeat, Roman Reigns was not completely overlooked, as fans flooded social media not only to congratulate Rhodes, but to thank Reigns for his historic run as champion.

For 1,316 days, Reigns held a championship in WWE, and while he didn’t appear on every episode of Smackdown nor did defend his title at every premium live event, he made every last one of them count.

During his time as champion, Reigns led WWE to unprecedented success, rivaling only the revered “Attitude Era” in terms of its impact. 

And it all started with Reigns, who sat at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and re-evaluated his career to that point. Upon some reflection, Reigns realized he wasn’t happy with where his career had been and where it appeared to be going. Let’s not forget that Reigns was slotted as the Royal Rumble runner-up in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

“I was ready to retire,” Reigns said during his episode of  A&E’s “Biography: WWE Legends.” 

“And once I fully removed myself by choice, not due to circumstances, that’s when I was able to be truthful with myself. That’s when I could really take an authentic, genuine eye and look at what I had been doing, look at what I had done. And that’s when I knew I wasn’t happy with it.”

“I still felt like I didn’t achieve what I had set out to do,” he added. “That I didn’t reach my potential. I was still under that ceiling … and it was time to break it.”

Given all of WWE’s recent success, the ceiling has been broken.

Just look at WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia, where WWE announced it sold more than 200,000 tickets to its five wrestling shows and broke attendance and gate records for Raw, Smackdown and NXT. I personally saw some lengthy lines at WWE World, especially at the WrestleMania Superstore.

WWE came into WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia on a hot streak and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This new era of success for WWE would not exist if it wasn’t for Reigns’ dominant run as champion.

Reigns’ dominance is only one aspect of his run that is fascinating, but it is the most obvious. He is the fourth-longest reigning champion in WWE history, behind only Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan. Yet unlike those legendary figures, Reigns spent his entire run as a heel.

WWE has traditionally been what some of our elder members of the wrestling community would call a “babyface territory.” Going back to the days when the company was known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, WWE has traditionally built itself around one heroic babyface. Sammartino, Hogan, Steve Austin and John Cena are a few examples.

Although other promotions found success promoting a heel as the face of the company  (Jim Crockett Promotions with Ric Flair and World Championship Wrestling Hulk Hogan are two examples), WWE has largely followed the formula of having a babyface as the centerpiece of the storytelling.

What has made Reigns so compelling is his authenticity. You can tell that he is living within the Tribal Chief character. You can tell that there are pieces of Joe Anoa’i sprinkled throughout the character that simply weren’t there when he was portraying the “Big Dog.”

“Roman Reigns is the most cinematic portrayal of what a champion is in the history of sports entertainment,” said Paul Heyman during “Biography.” 

I couldn’t agree more.

But for me, the most fascinating aspect of Reigns’ time as champion is how he helped create new stars while only being pinned a total of two times in almost four years. 

According to Reigns, that was intentional.

“If it was just about me, I could have been done a good bit ago. For this to be what it’s supposed to be, to max out the potential of it, I can’t be the only one that benefits from this.

“That’s all I want. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

From Jimmy and Jey Uso developing their own identities, to Sami Zayn becoming one of the most sympathetic babyfaces ever, to Rhodes finishing his story in grand fashion, all of it happened because Reigns was doing his part.

However, there is still one more babyface to create, in my opinion. And that is the Tribal Chief himself, Roman Reigns. Every time Reigns makes an entrance, thousands of people hold their index fingers in the air in solidarity and acknowledgement of their Tribal Chief.

That happens despite Reigns being firmly entrenched as the villain in every story. Imagine what could happen if Reigns became … the hero? 

Whatever name you want to slap on this current era of WWE, with Reigns as its centerpiece, it has the potential to be a lot of fun.

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The WrestleMania 40 main event delivered in every possible way

Pro wrestling at its finest in every aspect? We experienced it when Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns met at WrestleMania 40.

Professional wrestling is so many things. But at its core, it is beautiful.

Its beauty lies in its action, its drama, its emotions.

Professional wrestling’s beauty lies on the faces of thousands of fans cheering on their heroes and booing their villains.

And there was no better showcase for how beautiful wrestling can be than Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field. That’s because more than 70,000 people gathered in South Philadelphia to see one thing: the climax of Cody Rhodes’ story.

But the beautiful thing about professional wrestling was that it wasn’t just about Rhodes’ story. There were others, and they all culminated in the most climactic main event in WrestleMania history.

WWE didn’t have to promote Sunday’s match as the “biggest in WrestleMania history” like Vince McMahon did two years ago. The fans’ desire to watch Rhodes defeat Roman Reigns was the only indication anyone needed.

Once the bell rang, WWE delivered.

The main event of WrestleMania 40 was everything it should have been and more. There were cameos from recurring characters throughout the story, call backs to key moments from the past, and there was even a surprise or two.

When Rhodes pinned Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, there was a release of emotions from everyone inside Lincoln Financial Field and from wrestling fans across the world. 

That is because on Sunday, April 7, 2024, everything the wrestling world had ever hoped for had been fulfilled. They had received or been a part of one of the most storybook endings in WrestleMania history. 

If it were an action movie from the 1980s, it may have ended with a freeze frame. While that may sound grossly cliche, it is the type of ending wrestling fans yearn for on an annual basis. They got their wish Sunday night.

The main event of WrestleMania 40 was professional wrestling executed at its highest level. It’s was what professional wrestling is all about.

What is professional wrestling about?

Professional wrestling is about the journey. It is about telling the story of two men who wrapped themselves in their respective family’s wrestling traditions, but for two very different reasons.

On one side was the prodigal son, who returned to the place where he had a prophecy to fulfill: win the title his father never could.

He came within seconds of accomplishing his goal last year, only to have it snatched away from him.

But like any hero, he dusted himself off and fought his way back.

He overcame obstacle after obstacle in order to find his way back to the same spot he was in one year ago: the main event of WrestleMania.

On the other side was the tyrannical villain, whose motives are rooted in providing for his family — or in this case, his tribe. For 1,316 days, he ruled WWE with an iron fist, running through anyone who threatened his position at the summit of the industry, including his own family if necessary.

However, he always made sure that the family had his back, including the ones with even more influence within the company than him.

It’s just that his villainous ways may have cost him in the end.

Professional wrestling is about setting that hero and that villain on a collision course that culminates at the biggest event of the year — twice. It is about living vicariously through all of the characters involved and hoping each of them receive what they have coming to them.

Professional wrestling at its best was on full display Sunday night.

Professional wrestling is beautiful.

Professional wrestling is back in WWE.

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Vikings acknowledge Roman Reigns heading into Wrestlemania XL

Everyone acknowledges him every time he walsk out of the curtain of a WWE event, now the Vikings and remininding everyone who did it first.

Wrestlemania XL finishes it’s second night on Sunday with the headlining match being between Cody Rhodes and former Minnesota Viking Roman Reigns.

The Tribal Chief, as his fans call him, is known to the Vikings by another name. Long before he broke Hulk Hogan’s Wrestlemania records and held the Universal WW Championship, he was simply Joseph Anoa’i.

Anoa’i attended Georgia Tech and played defensive line under Chan Gailey. He entered the NFL Draft in 2007 but went undrafted. He signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent but did not play for the team long. He discovered he had Leukemia and was forced to battle for his life instead of a roster position.

In a full-circle moment, the Vikings social media team acknowledged the current Tribal Chief with a post claiming they acknowledged him first. Perhaps there will be one more acknowledgment if the former Viking can retain his title again.

Chiefs OL Trey Smith made an appearance at the first night of WrestleMania XL

Kansas City #Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith made an appearance at WrestleMania XL on Saturday

The Kansas City Chiefs are making their mark not only on the football field but also in professional wrestling. Starting guard Trey Smith was a special guest of the WWE on the first night of WrestleMania XL on Saturday to reflect on a dark moment from the aftermath of last season’s Super Bowl championship.

The fatal shooting at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade was devastating. During the tragedy, the Chiefs offensive lineman recounted his heroic story of protecting a young fan.

“This little boy was with his father and was a little hysterical; he’s just panicked. He’s scared. He doesn’t know what’s going on,” said Smith during his interview with “Good Morning America.” “I had the WWE belt on me the entire parade. I was thinking, ‘What can I do to help him out?’ I handed him the belt like, ‘Hey buddy, you’re the champion. No one’s gonna hurt you. Don’t worry. No one’s gonna hurt you, man. We got your back.’ We just started talking about wrestling.”

Smith was at ringside on Saturday alongside his biggest fan, Joey Borgonzi, and spoke with Tom Rinaldi about bringing their story to wrestling’s biggest event.

“Hey, man, I’m getting goosebumps being here,” Smith said. “Think about being a little kid watching wrestling growing up. It’s really special. You know, last time we came to Philadelphia, my rookie year, we had a great day for the Chiefs, so it’s really cool being here today, especially with my buddy Joey.”

Smith smiled at the prospect of becoming a wrestler after football. He didn’t have to look far for an example, as recently retired Eagles legend Jason Kelce and teammate Lane Johnson appeared at WrestleMania, interfering in a match later in the show.

Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson of Eagles do WrestleMania 40 run-in

The Eagles’ Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson had a role in the first night of WrestleMania

It was a home game for Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line for years on Saturday.

Not football, but WrestleMania 40.

The pair donned Eagles wrestling masks and helped Rey Mysterio and Andrade win their tag-team match.

Check it out as Kelce and Johnson hop the rail and interfere.

They posed with WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: Breaking down the biggest takeaways from Australia

Elimination Chamber set a couple of intriguing ideas in motion in Perth.

For the most part, this year’s Elimination Chamber was as predictable as we all expected.

Rhea Ripley retained her WWE Women’s World Championship after a borderline great main event match against Nia Jax, Becky Lynch was the last person standing in the women’s Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge Ripley’s title at WrestleMania, and Drew McIntyre outlasted five others to win the men’s Elimination Chamber and punch his ticket to the biggest show of the year, where he will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

So nothing to see here, right?

No, actually, as there were two other happenings on the show that left me intrigued.

Cody Rhodes challenges The Rock to a one-on-one match

Although all indications have been pointing toward Rhodes and Rollins facing The Rock and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to some sort of tag team match in the future (possibly at WrestleMania), judging by what happened during “The Grayson Waller Effect,” I’m not quite as sure.

As I predicted, a challenge was laid, but it wasn’t for a tag team match. Instead, it was Rhodes challenging The Rock to a one-on-one match. Rollins, who revealed that he was merely days away from being medically cleared, was there to lend his moral support, but nothing more. Rhodes did not put a date on his challenge, saying that he wants The Rock anytime, anywhere.

Will we actually get a one-on-one match between Rhodes and The Rock? I guess we can’t totally rule it out. My best guess is that the tag team match is still happening sooner rather than later and an encounter between Rhodes and The Rock is something WWE could visit at any time down the road.

Is this slightly confusing? Yes. I’m still not totally sure what to make of it. But again, this is intriguing. I am interested in seeing what happens. Rhodes laid the challenge, which means The Rock has to eventually respond. I anxiously await it.

What is Logan Paul doing at WrestleMania?

Logan Paul has made his share of enemies as a controversial internet influencer, and that has carried over, in storyline at least, to the WWE locker room.

He’s obviously got Kevin Owens as a sworn enemy after their encounter at the Royal Rumble, and that was on full display Saturday in Perth.

But Paul created a new enemy Saturday in the form of Randy Orton, who was seemingly poised to win the men’s Elimination Chamber after eliminating Paul. But before Orton could seal the victory, Paul sucker punched him with brass knuckles, knocking Orton out cold and paving an easy path to victory for McIntyre.

I had been predicting for weeks that LA Knight should be the person to face Paul for the United States title at WrestleMania, but after AJ Styles attacked him during the Elimination Chamber, I feel like Knight will be occupied elsewhere.

Do we get Paul against Orton one-on-one? Is Owens inserted to make it a triple threat? Either way, it will be an interesting road getting there.

The WrestleMania Kickoff event left more questions than answers

Is The Rock now a full-on heel? What about poor Seth Rollins? WrestleMania Kickoff left some big questions unanswered.

WWE’s WrestleMania Kickoff event sure was something, wasn’t it?

I say something because I’m not totally sure what it was. It was hyped like a UFC-esque public press conference. But what we actually got was something that felt like a mixture of an E3 presentation with a couple of pro wrestling angles sprinkled on top at the end, to, as Emeril Lagasse would say, kick it up a notch.

First we got another chapter in the Becky Lynch–Rhea Ripley story, which feels like is clearly headed down a path that leads to them facing each other at WrestleMania.

But then we got to all of the drama surrounding the main event of WrestleMania, and boy, has there been plenty of it.

In case you missed it, wrestling fans essentially revolted against WWE and anyone associated with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the name of wanting to see Cody Rhodes “finish his story” at WrestleMania.

On social media, fans used the hashtag #WeWantCody to express their desire, which trended for multiple days. Things got so bad that they basically bullied Ava, The Rock’s daughter and NXT general manager, off social media, which was a terrible look for wrestling fans.

But it went further than social media. Fans in arenas across the country booed mere mentions of The Rock’s name.

So the theories were swirling around the event in Las Vegas as to how WWE would address this obvious elephant in the room. To WWE’s credit, it did.

The Rock came out before the live fans in Las Vegas and received a response that was at times tepid at best, and at other times, outright negative. It was almost surreal to watch. 

To The Rock’s credit, he has apparently leaned into the fans’ sudden resentment toward him. He called the fans who yearn for Rhodes to finish his story “Cody crybabies” and said it didn’t matter what they thought, his match against Reigns would be the biggest match in wrestling. 

The Rock then tore a page right out of the E3 playbook and gave a presentation to illustrate his point, which in this case was a giant graphic showcasing the Anoa’i family tree. And the fans still booed.

Rhodes eventually came out, chose Reigns as his opponent at WrestleMania, and told him and The Rock that their ancestors would be ashamed of them. 

That led to The Rock slapping the taste out of Rhodes’ mouth and cursing up a storm to Triple H backstage before saying that if Rhodes talked trash about the Anoa’i family again, “If you don’t fix it, we will,” as in he and Reigns.

Was a lot of that intriguing? Yes. Was it confusing? Also yes.

Eventually, we did get one answer via Triple H’s X/Twitter: Rhodes will challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania.

However, there are still a lot more questions than answers:

What is the deal with The Rock?

Is The Rock a heel now? If so, it would be the first time he’ll play a villain (in wrestling at least) since 2003. While it does not fit The Rock’s current public image, he is more than capable of pulling it off. 

Let’s not forget that when The Rock first headlined WrestleMania (WrestleMania 15, also in Philadelphia), he did so as the heel opposite babyface Steve Austin. Reminiscent to what is happening now, The Rock’s initial heel turn came after the fans basically turned on him.

And people are still talking about his exploits from 2003, when he fully assumed the persona of someone that had let fame go straight to his head, giving us some of the most memorable moments of his career in the process.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/av8tBc3Nn-Q

The Rock turning heel may not have been part of the original plan, but it does make him a lot more interesting than he was just last week. The Rock’s routine felt kind of old a decade ago when he was feuding with John Cena. His most recent appearances on WWE television felt like more of the same. In short, he was badly in need of a refresh. Oddly enough, Rhodes may have provided it for him.

Do we have a new two-man power trip?

It’s one thing for The Rock to turn against the fans that turned their backs on him, but it’s a totally different thing to see him walking side by side with Reigns. 

I really like the dynamic of Rock and Reigns siding with each other because someone disrespected the family. It feels authentic to who they are since family is such a big part of each of their narratives. 

When The Rock first debuted in WWE back in 1996, the only thing he was basically known for was the fact that he was a third-generation wrestler. Reigns’ entire character as the “Tribal Chief” revolves around his family and him providing for it.

Does this open the door for a tag team match? What about a four-way?

Oh, by the way: Did you know Seth Rollins was also on stage when The Rock slapped Rhodes? If you didn’t know or didn’t remember, don’t feel ashamed. He all but faded to the background once Reigns made his entrance. However, if you paid close attention, you could see him providing some classic reactions to all of the Anoa’i-Rhodes family drama.

With that said, he basically sided with Rhodes in all of this. It was a scene that felt like Adam Pearce was going to announce a tag match for the main event of Raw.

While no such announcement was made, will we get one in the future? If so, when? What if all four men were entered into a brief tournament to name a real undisputed champion like WWE did at Vengeance back in 2001?

How does the Elimination Chamber factor into this?

WWE is essentially promoting two stadium shows on opposite sides of the world at the same time, because before WrestleMania, the company will hold Elimination Chamber from Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

The event is largely built around Ripley and the Chamber matches, but could WWE throw The Rock in there in some capacity, too? If so, how?

Toss out your proverbial GPS, we’re veering off course on the Road to WrestleMania. Buckle up, this may get bumpy.

WWE president Nick Khan reveals Tim Tebow nearly fought at Wrestlemania after Patriots release

How Tim Tebow vs. The Big Show at Wrestlemania almost became a real thing

Tim Tebow competing at Wrestlemania was almost a thing, according to Nick Khan.

On Tuesday, Khan was a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show,” and he talked about his rise to power from a sports agent to the president of World Wrestling Entertainment.

It all started with a phone call from Paul Levesque, who is widely known by his stage name “Triple H”. According to Khan, Levesque gave him a call following Tebow’s release from the New England Patriots and inquired about a WWE opportunity.

The WWE was considering doing a matchup between Tebow and Paul Wight, who is known by pro wrestling fans as “The Big Show”.

“When I was an agent in my prior profession and I was trying to get into the WWE business, Paul had called me, unsolicited call,” said Khan. “And this is when Tim Tebow had just gotten cut by the Patriots, Paul called me and said, ‘Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Paul Leveque. And I said, ‘Yeah, Triple H, I know who you are. I remember you as Terra Ryzing,’ his former wrestling name from WCW [World Championship Wrestling].’

“He said, ‘What do you think of Tim Tebow against The Big Show at whatever that Wrestlemania was after the Patriots run. I said, ‘Well, what are you thinking?’ He offered some financial terms. I called Tim at the time, ‘What do you think?’ Tim and I had then a top secret, private meeting—Tim Tebow, myself, Vince McMahon, Triple H in Anaheim, California about that. Ultimately, it didn’t happen.”

Tebow was cut by the Patriots in August 2013, which means the Wrestlemania event Khan is likely referring to is Wrestlemania XXX. That was the same event that Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s legendary 21-match Wrestlemania winning streak.

It’s pretty surreal to think Tebow could have been on that historic card as well in a one-on-one matchup with the seven-foot, 383-pound Big Show.

Meanwhile, the initial phone call with Triple H created the link Khan needed to ultimately make the transition to one of the primary figureheads in the most recognized professional wrestling brand in the world.

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Randy Orton: A dream match would be fighting John Cena at WrestleMania

If Randy Orton has his way, a title match vs. John Cena at WrestleMania will still be in his future.

Wrestling fans have a tendency to think of dream matches as never before seen pairings of top talents. Wrestlers themselves can have a broader definition, which is certainly the case for Randy Orton.

Maybe it’s because the 14-time world champion has had a career that spanned several waves of WWE talent, so he’s been in the ring with all but the newest faces in the company. He’s had memorable matches with just about everyone of note over the past 20 years, so maybe it’s not that surprising that he’d want to run it back with someone who he’s had some of his most iconic moments.

Orton said as much during his appearance this week on “The Bump,” saying he’d love to face one of his most storied rivals, John Cena, one more time in a high stakes match at WWE’s biggest event.

“A dream match for me would be to somehow find myself in a situation where I’m fighting Cena at WrestleMania for the title. Now I don’t know how you get there, I’m not saying it’s gonna happen, but I have never wrestled John at WrestleMania in a singles match.”

He’s right about that. Orton did take on Cena at WrestleMania XXIV and retained the WWE Championship, but that was in a Triple Threat match that also included Triple H. Their most recent singles match of any kind was on a February 2017 episode of SmackDown.

An Orton-Cena WrestleMania title match doesn’t seem likely this year, with the main event slots likely ticketed for others. Still, with Orton back as a regular and looking healthy — he also told “The Bump” that he thinks he has plenty left in the tank to make another world championship run or two — it’s not hard to imagine that perhaps the Viper could go into WrestleMania 41 as a champ and face a challenge from Cena.

And honestly, even though it’s a pairing we’ve seen before, one more showdown between the two men at Mania would only add to their legend. Thanks, Randy, for helping expand the commonly held definition of dream match a little more.

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Titans reveal WWE has committed to WrestleMania in new stadium

Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill recently revealed that the WWE has committed to bringing WrestleMania to the team’s new stadium in 2027.

While the Tennessee Titans will not open their recently-approved new stadium until 2027, the venue has already lined up a big event.

During an interview on 104.5 The Zone recently, Titans president and CEO Burke Nihill revealed that the WWE has already committed to holding its biggest event, WrestleMania, at Tennessee’s yet-to-be-built stadium in 2027.

“WrestleMania isn’t hypothetical, by the way,” Nihill said. “WrestleMania has already committed to 2027.”

Talks about bringing WrestleMania to Tennessee have been going on since at least 2022, when the two sides reached a verbal agreement that hinged on the new stadium being approved and built.

The WWE is no stranger to holding events in Tennessee, with the company bringing its SummerSlam to Nashville in 2022.

In addition to WrestleMania, the hope is that the new venue will also bring a Super Bowl, Final Four, and/or College Football Playoff to Tennessee down the road. Those three events still need to be secured, though.

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