The road to WrestleMania is officially over! This year’s show had plenty of great matches and shocking moments such as Damian Priest cashing in his money in the bank contract and Cody Rhodes finishing his story by beating Roman Reigns for The WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. The overall show was a good premium event that set the course for the new era of WWE.
The general consensus about WrestleMania XL was that the show was essentially perfect following the second night. However, Night One is regarded as the weakest night of the two-part event. Still, the company is a shell of its former self when Vince McMahon ruled the WWE two years ago. WrestleMania XL was far from perfect though, and here are the five moments that stood out in a bad way.
The Awkward Decision To Split Up The Tag Team Titles
I have no issues with Damian Priest and Finn Balor dropping the belts. The duo has nearly faced every team on the main roster so it was time to shake things up. I also have no problems with splitting the belts back to their respective brands either. However, the execution here was extremely clunky. Admittedly, the six-way tag team ladder match was disappointing; it just never reached the heights of any of the TLC or Money in the Bank Ladder matches.
One of the big reasons is that the bout was too crowded. Not every team could get the spotlight that they deserved, nor was the match unable to tell a straightforward story. Another reason was the odd way of having the teams win the titles. It felt awkward that Grayson Waller and Austin Theory won the belts eight minutes in, and yet, they’re still in the match.
R-Truth getting his WrestleMania moment was the right call, but it didn’t have the impact it should’ve because the focus on him striving to win the big one was forced to take a backseat. After all, Waller and Grayson had to win the belts first. Not a terrible match by any means, but one that was affected by the layout and structure of it.
Reigniting The Dominick/Rey Mysterio Feud Served No Meaningful Purpose
Dominick and Rey Mysterio had an emotionally charged match at WrestleMania 39. It wasn’t a classic by any means, but that feud was so great it elevated Dominick in a major way. It was disappointing that Mysterio got the win last year as the former North American Champion could’ve used that victory even more. Still, there is nothing wrong with reigniting their hot 2023 feud. The problem is that there was no indication that Rey and Dominick were fighting against each other until the final two weeks of WrestleMania.
These two have such a rich history that it’s a shame it became a backdrop for the Santos/Rey Mysterio feud. What’s even worse was that this match existed to bring Jason Kelce in. All four men in the ring are extremely talented workers, but the tag team match felt like it belonged on television. It didn’t meaningfully take advantage of any stories nor did it help Santos and Dominick, who could’ve used the win a lot more than Rey and Andrade.
Jimmy vs. Jey Uso
Where do I begin? The build to this match was underwhelming, but that was due to creative not giving the feud some proper development since the convoluted Jimmy Uso turn. Going in, Jey Uso was massively over with the crowd, but Jimmy has been treated as nothing more than a forgettable lackey of Roman’s stable. Despite the disappointing build, Jimmy and Jey KNOW how to wrestle. This should’ve been a great match, but for some reason, the chemistry wasn’t there.
The overabundance of superkicks and trash-talking slowed down the match. And the emotional aspect towards the end felt forced. If Jey didn’t want to hurt his brother then that should’ve been the narrative told throughout the match before Jimmy tried his manipulative tactic. He didn’t, and Jey came across as an idiot for falling for his brother’s obvious antics. Sadly, this was the worst match of the weekend. It’s head-scratching how a feud with so much potential could bomb so bad.
Jade Cargill Debut
It’s great that Jade Cargill finally made her WWE debut, but this was underwhelming compared to her Royal Rumble stint. I’ve followed Jade’s work throughout AEW and she got better by the time she finished up with the company. I get going the squash match route with her character, but she’s been billed as this hot agent and teased feuds with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
It’s time to put her in lengthy matches to showcase if she can go inside of the ring. If WWE feels that she isn’t ready then they could mask it by having her only face women who can go inside the ring. Take the Braun Strowman approach of her feuding with veterans who can make her look good. The match wasn’t bad and Cargill performed her spots well, but we’re passed the squash match stage and she needs to be highlighted in a feud that allows her abilities as a wrestler to shine.
The Final Testament
The Philadelphia Street Fight was better than it had any right to be. It was kept short and the inclusion of Bully Ray and Snoop Dogg certainly helped. But WWE has failed to book The Pride and The Final Testament. That’s especially true for the latter, who is filled with talented individuals. The Authors of Pain had a solid run during their first stint with the company.
In fact, their run down in NXT is a big reason for that. Their main roster stint was plagued with injuries, but they showed flashes of potential when they linked with Seth Rollins. It’s time to admit that Karrion Kross just isn’t working on the main roster. Some of that is the booking of his damaged character, but Kross hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire with his performances inside of the ring. The Final Testament NEEDED this win. The fact that they failed in their first big feud makes their future seem murky. WWE needs to figure out a purpose for The Final Testament, or at the very least, move The Authors of Pain away from Karrion Kross.
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