Line #75 YMMV/WrestleMania


1	* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail:
2	** Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon in the later years (2016 and beyond), multiple times. Many critics would have thought that Shane, being the owner's son, would be getting nothing more than a place in the pedestal, despite being an aging non-wrestler. However, each of the matches at this point have received key positives. ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' had the infamous fall from the top Wrestling/HellInACell, never before done. ''[=WrestleMania=] 33'' had him paired with Wrestling/AJStyles, which turned out to be a much better match than expected and turned Styles face as a result. ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'' was icing to the cake for [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]'s return done right. ''[=WrestleMania=] 35'' had some brutal spots. ''[=WrestleMania=] 37'' also shows him falling off the top of the steel cage to the ring. Regardless if people expect Shane to take a dangerous high spot as predictable, one cannot deny the bravery and respect to give the fans that wow factor.
3	** Wrestling/RondaRousey's first match at ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'' was predicted to be a botch fest from a number of people, with many thinking she would be unable to transfer her skill set to ProfessionalWrestling. The match ended up being a contender for match of the night, and many of those detractors enjoyed the match and weren't afraid to admit they were wrong about her. While by no means perfect, it proved Ronda has genuine wrestling talent. Her next ''[=WrestleMania=]'' pay-per-view, ''35'', also made history of being the first-ever celebrity with a championship to main event it.
4	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 36'': The event in general. Many weren't sure if the company should've still hosted the event considering [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic the pandemic]], and when they revealed that they were still going to host it via stitching together pre-taped matches and segments that would be broadcast over two nights, fans were skeptical over the final product. It turned out to be one of the better ''[=WrestleManias=]'' over the last few years, with some even calling it the best since ''[=WrestleMania=] 31''. Two matches in particular were praised for both unique execution and great entertainment value during this time:
5	*** Going into the event, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Boneyard Match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/AJStyles. While the build was good, the Undertaker's matches for the last few years generally haven't been the best and many weren't sure if even AJ (oft-regarded as this generation's Shawn Michaels) could get a good match out of him. Not helping the matter is that, since the announcement of the match, no one was exactly sure ''what'' a Boneyard Match was (including the participants).[[note]]It turned out to be a Buried Alive match that took place at an actual graveyard[[/note]] WWE allayed these fears...by filming it as a campy horror-esque cinematic vignette in the vein of the Wrestling/BrokenUniverse and ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground''. By the time it was over many were unironically calling it the greatest ''[=WrestleMania=]'' main event ''ever''.
6	*** Wrestling/JohnCena vs. "The Fiend" Wrestling/BrayWyatt in a "Firefly Funhouse Match" had the fans nervous if it would be like the infamous "House of Horrors Match" Wyatt had with Wrestling/RandyOrton three years ago. To people's surprise, it was more like a vignette that has ''multiple'' references to WWE, deconstructing John Cena's career and a lot of meta MindScrew as if it was something filmed by Creator/DavidLynch or an episode of ''Black Mirror''. The consensus was that the crowd was loving this at the end, and could give the Boneyard Match a run for its money.
7	** Music/BadBunny at ''[=WrestleMania=] 37''. Considering he was a celebrity was not that much related to the wrestling world, many were skeptical of how well his performance was going to be. It didn't help that the booking leading to his [=WrestleMania=] match was widely panned by critics and fans, mainly due to the fact that his weekly airtime stole the spotlight to much of the current roster who didn't make it to the show. When the match occurred, however, Bad Bunny's performance exceeded expectations as it showed that he really took the effort to fight. Bad Bunny has love and passion for pro wrestling and it ''shows'': performing the Falcon/Broken Arrow in sync with Damien Priest, jumping off the top rope, and the use of the dangerous '''Canadian Destroyer''' has received critical acclaim with fans stating it's the best celebrity wrestling match ever (even outshining Wrestling/RondaRousey's three years prior!). Even Wrestling/RandyOrton, who has acquired a reputation for being an outspoken critic of celebrities who claim that wrestling is fake, gave praise to Bad Bunny for taking the initiative and view the WWE world in their eyes.
8	** For ''[=WrestleMania=] 38'', few could have predicted, and even bemoaned the thought, but the likes of Creator/LoganPaul, Creator/JohnnyKnoxville and Pat [=McAfee=] gave a performance that not only did they not hamper the show, but added to the experience. Similar to Music/BadBunny, many fans weren't enthusiastic about Logan Paul's tag team match with Wrestling/TheMiz against Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio\|Jr}} and his son. However, Logan ''excelled'' both in the physical feats and acting like a Heel, using Wrestling/EddieGuerrero's Frog Splash and Three Amigo suplexles like a pro. At the end of the match, fans admitted he also had potential to be a wrestler. Creator/JohnnyKnoxville vs. Wrestling/SamiZayn was a baller of a time, thanks to Knoxville willing to take bumps, the involvement of the other ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' groups and more importantly, the comedy landed in spades, as the crowd were loving every minute of it. Pat [=McAfee=] had the entire arena in the palm of his hands from the get go, showing off his committment and athleticism to the business to the large hype crowd, showing why exactly he is one of WWE's best signings in years.
9	* AuthorsSavingThrow:
10	** The news that the [=SmackDown=] Women's Championship match at ''33'' was going to be put on the kick-off show got a huge amount of backlash. The news even prompted ''Website/DivaDirt'' to [[http://www.diva-dirt.com/132510/point-wwes-bias-women-smackdown/ write an editorial]] about WWE's perceived bias against the [=SmackDown=] women's division. WWE quickly moved the match to the main show.
11	** The Cena vs. Taker SquashMatch at ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'' can be seen as this to the ''incredibly'' negative reception to Taker's match against Wrestling/RomanReigns last year and his initial retirement after losing. Normally it wouldn't be this as people had been clamoring for the Cena/Taker dream match for ''years'', and having it as a SquashMatch is the exact opposite of what they would've wanted; but after Taker's match at ''33'', they were just happy Taker had a chance to redeem himself from that disastrous bout. That, and [[TakeThatScrappy Cena got squashed]], pleasing the many who dislike him almost as much as Reigns.
12	** After an increasing number complaints that the events were simply too long following each ''[=WrestleMania=]'' from 32 to 35, the positive reception ''[=WrestleMania=]'' 36 being split across two nights due to COVID-19 protocols led to subsequent events being split across a weekend.
13	* BrokenBase:
14	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 12'' is fairly divisive on its own, but the main event (the Iron Man match between Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels) is easily the most argued part. Either it was a legendary fight to the end between two workers on the top of their game, or it was one of the most boring matches in the entire WWE library (given that it's an Iron Man match, where the goal is to score the most pinfalls over the course of an hour, with a pinfall grand total of [[spoiler:''one'', in '''''overtime''''']]).
15	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 29'' got this ''hard''. It was either a fun event with enough action to keep you entertained, or an incredibly disappointing mess laden with predictable outcomes, video packages and generally mediocre main events. Most of the matches in the event itself were this, too. In fact, the only match that was near-universally praised was Wrestling/CMPunk vs. Wrestling/TheUndertaker.
16	** Post-''[=WrestleMania=] XXX'', fans are heavily fractured over the streak ending. Adding onto that, '''Wrestling/BrockLesnar''' being the one to do it broke the base even further. It didn't help that the match itself wasn't the best, ''especially'' when Wrestling/TheUndertaker faced Wrestling/CMPunk the previous year in a match that, while a lot of fans of both wrestlers agree wasn't the best of either men's careers, was absolutely ''amazing'' by comparison.
17	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 33'': Wrestling/TripleH vs. Wrestling/SethRollins. Was it an awesome display of heart and talent by Seth Rollins, finally averting Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon's KarmaHoudini status and featuring two of the best talents in the business? Or was it a dull, boring slog that proved both Triple H and the main event style he used should have retired a long time ago, and was far from Rollins' best performance?
18	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'': Wrestling/BrockLesnar vs Wrestling/RomanReigns. A finally welcome subversion of the CreatorsPet saga, or [[ArcFatigue dragging out a controversial title reign]] even longer? Even further exacerbated by a match that elicited [[XPacHeat chants of "this is awful"]] at the ''main event of [=WrestleMania=]''.
19	** Roman Reigns once again retaining his title at ''[=WrestleMania=] 39'' by defeating Wrestling/CodyRhodes became ''massively'' controversial near instantaneously.
20	* CriticProof:
21	** WWE as a whole is ''not'', as television ratings, attendance numbers and buy rates noticeably rise and drop with fan reception to the product, which reviews increasingly act as a microcosm of as fans themselves get on media platforms as critics. [=WrestleMania=], on the other hand ''is'', as no matter how bad WWE does anywhere else, [=WrestleMania=] numbers tend to stagnate at worst, though they've usually increased over the years (even during years when ticket sales for everything not [=WrestleMania=] dropped off).
22	** The Wrestling/HulkHogan vs. Wrestling/AndreTheGiant at ''Wrestlemania III'' is highly remembered even among non-fans, but it was given a negative four star rating by ''Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter'', and was voted "Worst Worked Match of the Year" by the same publication.
23	* DiscreditedTrope: ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVI'' featured Wrestling/BretHart vs. Wrestling/VinceMcMahon in a No Holds Barred Match. In the late 1990s, this might have actually been an interesting confrontation; in 2010, with Vince in his 60s and Bret in no shape to actually wrestle (thanks to the combined effects of his career-ending concussion in 2000 and a stroke he suffered a few years later), what we got was Bret and the Hart family giving Vince an over-ten-minute beatdown. Bret delivered 12 chairshots to a downed Vince (one for every year he was out of WWE following the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob) before ''finally'' putting Vince in the Sharpshooter like everyone wanted. The match was widely panned by wrestling critics, especially for its length, depriving other matches of ring time. Another handicap was the [[LighterAndSofter new PG rating]]. Just about all of Vince's best-received matches were entertaining because he's willing to let the other guy do ''anything'' to him. Without the option to all but murder Vince, it's infinitely harder for him to pull off an entertaining fight.
24	* EndingFatigue:
25	** ''32'' managed to find time for a completely pointless [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Rock]] segment that managed to push the show into overrunning the 6 hour timeslot on its own, and then Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/RomanReigns both got elaborate entrances, by which point the show was 10 minutes over and the main event hadn't even started yet, and would go on for 27 minutes. The crowd was already irate after half of them missed the first 4 matches due to issues getting into the building, but the obnoxiously stretched out ending pushed them into outright revolt.
26	** ''34'' was the longest Mania ever, even more so because they actually got all the fans into building for the pre-show this time. And almost everyone is united in believing ''it was just too damn long''. Several superstars actually complained about it, with the crowd during the highly anticipated Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura vs. Wrestling/AJStyles match near dead, and in open revolt by the time of Wrestling/RomanReigns vs. Wrestling/BrockLesnar.
27	** Averting this is speculated to be one of the reasons why the company decided to keep ''[=WrestleMania=]'' spread over two nights after the COVID-19 Pandemic forced this issue for ''36''. On top of minimizing the number of personnel for each night and giving wrestlers at least one night of much needed rest, it also ensures that the crowds won't be worn out after being forced to sit through five to seven straight hours of content.
28	* FanNickname:
29	** Combined with FunWithAcronyms, fans took to name the Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Memorial Battle Royal (which was introduced at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXX'') by André's real-life name, rendering it the '''A'''ndré '''R'''oussimoff '''M'''emorial '''Ba'''ttle '''R'''oyal - or [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho ARMBAR]].
30	** Similarly, when the Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal was briefly[[note]]before fans raised hell with WWE's sponsors Snickers[[/note]] named the '''F'''abulo'''u'''s Moolah '''Ba'''ttle '''R'''oyal, it became [[TakeThat FUBAR]].
31	*** It's new nickname after its renaming is given as WOMBAR ('''Wom'''en's '''Ba'''ttle '''R'''oyal) or WOMBAT ('''Wom'''en's '''Bat'''tle Royal).
32	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' has been nicknamed "[=InjuryMania=]" due to several prominent stars being sidelined with injury, screwing up plans and shooting a lot of the build down the drain. Among these stars is Wrestling/JohnCena, who will be missing the event for the first time in his career. Even one of the performers ''headlining'' said ''Mania'', Wrestling/RomanReigns, had to be written out for a couple weeks so he could get surgery for a deviated septum, causing him to miss a significant portion of the build. By that point, the only full-time main event talent was [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]], and since his opponent, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, was a part-timer who was only booked for a couple more appearances, Ambrose had to carry the show by himself by starting a mini-feud with Wrestling/TripleH, technically a part-timer but one who showed up on TV every week. [[spoiler:It would end up subverted slightly in Cena's case. While he did not have an actual match at the said event, he did manage to appear and give [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] a hand in dealing with Wrestling/TheWyattFamily, all to a MASSIVE pop.]]
33	** Thanks to the multitudes of twists that dotted the ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'' event, fans and detractors alike have immediately called it "Swerve-o-Mania"
34	** Music/BadBunny's Canadian Destroyer on Wrestling/JohnMorrison was quickly renamed "Bunny Destroyer". That one became official in the ''WWE 2K'' games.
35	** ''[=WrestleMania=]'' 39 and XL have been called ''[[Film/AvengersInfinityWar WWE Infinity War]]'' and ''[[Film/AvengersEndgame WWE Endgame]]'' due to the parallels of Cody Rhodes trying to defeat the juggernaut that is Roman Reigns. In 39, he failed to defeat Reigns, akin to Thanos wiping out half of all life throughout the universe. Meanwhile, XL Night 2 has the likes of previous wrestlers who have been the victim of the Bloodline (like John Cena and Undertaker) arriving to save the day. To cement the parallels, Cody Rhodes plays the role of Captain America due to his American Nightmare attire, Jey Uso as Thor who had to face his trauma of the Bloodline and his brother in particular, and Seth Rollins ended up being Iron Man who sacrificed himself so Rhodes had an opening, even donning his Shield outfit as "armor" and the steel chair in his hand was the Infinity Gauntlet. Continuing the parallels, Undertaker could be considered Hulk (the one who slams Rock to the ring akin to a Hulk Smash) and Cena is Scarlet Witch (a powerhouse who tried attacking Rock before he got injured but managed to put away Solo). Meanwhile, Reigns and Rock both share dual roles as Thanos. Thanos' strongest offense was the Infinity Gauntlet whereas Reigns has his Superman ''Punch'' and the Rock and Thanos have bald heads and are considered the biggest threat the Avengers had to face (like Rock calls himself "The Final Boss"). Jimmy and Solo could be seen The Children of Thanos, with Jimmy also playing the role as Loki due to his deceitful nature while preying on his brother's sympathy, and Paul Heyman is The Other, who acted as Reigns' hype-man. On a non-related Cody Rhodes moment, Cory Graves calls the women in the six-women tag team match of XL as "The Avengers of the Women Division."
36	** Both Money In The Bank cash ins during ''[=WrestleMania=]'' -- Seth Rollins at ''31'' versus Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns and Damian Priest at ''XL'' after Drew [=McIntyre=] defeated Seth Rollins -- are called "The Heist of the Century" due to both of them appearing at the right moment when someone wins or is about to win the Championship.
37	* FanonDiscontinuity: The infamous ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' is so reviled by fans (to the point that it won that year's [[Website/WrestleCrap Gooker Award]]) that many pretend the event never happened. In fact, the extreme negative reception the event received seems to have caused the company to move it into semi-CanonDiscontinuity, as most of the booking afterwards either ignored or negated its results and was more geared towards pleasing the fans, such as turning Wrestling/SethRollins face (admittedly several months after his return) and finally making [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] WWE World Heavyweight Champion at ''Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank 2016''.
38	* GirlShowGhetto:
39	** Prior to the [[Wrestling/WWEWomensEvolution Women's Evolution]], [=WrestleMania=] was often a bad time for women's wrestling fans. As the "Diva Era" took off, WWE began favoring {{Fanservice}} matches or else quantity over quality. Multi-Diva tag matches or Lumberjill matches became the norm - with predictably very little time given. The Divas Championship was introduced in 2008 and not defended at a [=WrestleMania=] until six years later, and all of the women's titles went '''12 years''' (2006-2018) only being defended on the show in either gimmick matches or cramped multi-woman matches, most of which were thrown together with little or no buildup. 29 was especially terrible, where the only match featuring women was a mixed tag match that got cut from the broadcast at the last minute. Things do seem to be changing as of 31 but time will tell.
40	** Heavily averted by XIX, 22, 32, 34, 37, 38, 39 and (to some) [=X8=] - as they featured some of the more beloved women's matches in the event's history (quite a lot of people think Wrestling/{{Charlotte\|Flair}} vs [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] was the best match of the night at 34). XX zig-zags this--while the women's title match was viewed as a disappointment, the resulting moment of Wrestling/MollyHolly having her head shaved was viewed as a highlight of a disappointing event. These days, there are at least three women's matches with plenty of storyline buildup and longer match times nowadays as the women even main-evented 35.
41	* GrowingTheBeard: After two somewhat underwhelming installments, it was [=WrestleMania=] III that put 'Mania on the map to become the spectacle it is today.
42	* HarsherInHindsight:
43	** Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/EddieGuerrero came out on top at ''[=WrestleMania=] XX'' as World Heavyweight and WWE Champions. After nearly twenty years of trying to reach the pinnacle of his profession, Benoit made Wrestling/TripleH tap to the Crippler Crossface in a Triple Threat with Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Benoit's post-match celebration with Guerrero - then the WWE Champion - was a sight many smarks cried tears of happiness over. Then RealLife stepped in: the next three years ruined the image forever. It was harkened back upon positively after Guerrero's death in 2005. But after Benoit's double MurderSuicide in 2007, WWE has attempted to [[CanonDiscontinuity pretend Chris Benoit]] [[UnPerson never existed]].
44	** During the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal at Wrestlemania 33, JBL's mention that as long as Wrestling/LukeHarper stayed healthy, he would have more Wrestlemania moments becomes this after Harper passed away in 2020 at the age of 41.
45	** The sight of Wrestling/RomanReigns getting bloodied by Wrestling/BrockLesnar during the main event of ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'' becomes this after Reigns revealed many months later that his leukemia[[note]]For those who don't know, it's cancer in the blood cells[[/note]] resurfaced (he beat the disease into remission eleven years prior).
46	** Wrestling/JohnCena proposing in the ring to [[Wrestling/BellaTwins Nikki Bella]] after their mixed tag match against The Miz and Maryse. Despite being a heartwarming moment at the time, the couple announced their split in 2018 - by all accounts still very much in love but being unable to make their different priorities in life work to be together.
47	** During the Boneyard Match at ''36'', Wrestling/TheUndertaker attacks [[Wrestling/DrewHankinson Luke Gallows]] and Wrestling/KarlAnderson, and after he sets the barn on fire [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse they aren't seen again after that]], leading to many jokes about them being dead. Less than two weeks later, they were unexpectedly released amidst a gigantic wave of layoffs, meaning that that essentially ''was'' the last that viewers would see of them again.[[spoiler:..for a couple years, anyway, as they made a surprise return in October 2022 to back up AJ once more.]]
48	* HilariousInHindsight:
49	** Due to taking place in Los Angeles, ''[=WrestleMania=] 21'' had a heavy Hollywood gimmick around it. The event is best known for, among other things, cementing Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/{{Batista}} as main eventers, who would later go on to have successful film careers in the mid-to-late 2010s in the style of [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]]. This is made even more hilarious when one considers the commercials for the event, which featured wrestlers doing parodies of famous films; Batista, alongside other wrestlers, took part in a ''Film/TaxiDriver'' parody by doing impressions of the film's "YouTalkinToMe" line, and Batista was ultimately the only one to nail it (albeit not before some confusion resulted in a WhosOnFirst routine). Eventually, he even worked alongside ''Taxi Driver'' star Creator/RobertDeNiro in ''Film/Heist2015''. Similarly, Cena's commercial has him and his 'Mania opponent [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield JBL]] re-enacting the "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" scene from ''Film/AFewGoodMen''. Cena's acting debut has him starring in the similar military-based film ''Film/TheMarine''.
50	** Any time Wrestling/BethPhoenix has competed at the event, she has been the higher ranking star in her match and come out to someone else's music. At ''XXIV'', she was Women's Champion and came out to Wrestling/{{Melina}}'s. At ''XXVI'' she was the top face but came out to Wrestling/EveTorres's. And at ''XXVIII'' she was the Divas' Champion and once again came out to Eve's.
51	* JustHereForGodzilla:
52	** Many, many wrestling fans have gotten to the point where they only watch ''[=WrestleMania=]'' for Wrestling/TheUndertaker's Streak match - and it doesn't help that every ''[=WrestleMania=]'' since ''[=WrestleMania=] XXV'' (the first Undertaker[=/=]Wrestling/ShawnMichaels match for WM) have had his match considered the best match of the night (and at times the only match worth watching). If the reception for his match with Wrestling/BrayWyatt was any indication, it seems that The Streak being broken hadn't slowed it down, either.
53	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 13'' is largely considered the "one-match show", as it had one match that is considered both one of the best in professional wrestling history, and one of the starting points of the company's Wrestling/AttitudeEra: the submission match between Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. As for the rest of the card? Yeah, nobody talks about those matches.
54	* MemeticBadass:
55	** Nicholas, the ten year old kid that [[ItMakesSenseInContext won the Raw Tag Team titles with]] Wrestling/BraunStrowman at ''[=Wrestlemania=] 34''.
56	** Music/BadBunny (a ''musician'', we should remind you) became a fan favorite after his stellar match against Wrestling/TheMiz and Wrestling/JohnMorrison at ''[=WrestleMania=] 37'', culminating on him pulling a '''Canadian Destroyer''' on Morrison. Fans were already stating that if he ever wants to stop making music, he had a career in wrestling.
57	* MemeticLoser: Wrestling/{{Maryse}} was solidified as the ultimate FauxActionGirl as of her mixed tag match at ''33''. Her stepping into the ring for the first time since returning as a valet was hyped up immensely, with social media and commentators talking about how much she had been training. She ultimately does very little in the match, and any big moves [[Wrestling/BellaTwins Nikki]] does are suspiciously sold by Wrestling/TheMiz instead. Not helping matters was Wrestling/JohnCena dressing her down the week before the show, pretty much calling her entire career useless--and her lack of participation in the match just seemed to validate his claims.
58	* MemeticMutation:
59	** [[http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/screen-shot-2014-04-07-at-12.07.14-am-650x364.png The shocked fan]] wearing a [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] "Just Say Yes" shirt[[note]]His name is [[http://www.wwe.com/videos/shocked-undertaker-guy-ellis-mbeh-meets-his-hero-triple-h Ellis Mbeh,]] by the way.[[/note]] who witnessed Undertaker's defeat at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXX''. Ironically, he was rooting for ''Lesnar'' to win, meaning he was shocked for a totally different reason.
60	** Everything having to do with the RAW Tag Team Title match at 34.
61	** Wrestling/TitusONeil's reaction to [[MindScrew the Firefly Funhouse Match]] because it mirrors ''everyone else's''. Better yet everything about said Firefly Funhouse Match became a FountainOfMemes, with fans comparing it to something directed by Creator/DavidLynch (particularly ''Series/TwinPeaks'') or ''Series/BlackMirror''.
62	** [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/820/102/370 This screencap]] from the Boneyard match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/AJStyles became a popular object labeling format in mid-2020.
63	** Wrestling/TripleH never forgets.[[labelnote:Note]] Wrestling/CodyRhodes failing to defeat Wrestling/RomanReigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at ''[=WrestleMania=] 39'' is believed to be in retaliation of Cody destroying a replica of Triple H's throne at ''[[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW Double Or Nothing]]''. It didn't help that Triple H would defend the decision at the media scrum following [=WrestleMania=].[[/labelnote]]
64	* MisaimedFandom: ''[=WrestleMania=] X8'''s "dream match" between Wrestling/HulkHogan (in his "[[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder Hollywood]]" persona) and [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]]. Despite being a heel, Hogan got more cheers from the crowd than The Rock. Rock turned this to his advantage, as he decided not to fight it, and basically [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] in mid-match, and then turned back once the match was over.
65	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: A very common trope for any ''[=WrestleMania=]'', but the return of Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/MickFoley, and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin at ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' deserves extra mention.
66	* NewerThanTheyThink: The Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame was originally held before the ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing'' event in its first two years, and ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' in its third. It wasn't turned into a ''[=WrestleMania=]'' tradition until 2004 (the twentieth show).
67	* OvershadowedByControversy: ''[=WrestleMania=] XIX'' was considered by most means a great show, with a classic main event between Wrestling/BrockLesnar and Wrestling/KurtAngle, a show-stealing battle between Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, the long-awaited encounter between Wrestling/VinceMcMahon and Wrestling/HulkHogan, and the final match of the [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Rock]]/[[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin Austin]] [=WrestleMania=] trilogy in what would be the latter’s final ever match. However, one match that people would rather forget would be the battle between Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/BookerT for the World Heavyweight Championship. The build-up to the match consisted of Triple H characterizing Booker with racist stereotypes of African Americans, such as talking about his real life arrest record, referencing the stereotype of blacks being violent criminals, or telling Booker to do Spinaroonies at his order, referring to how black entertainers in the Jim Crow era were often patronized by their white audiences. He even stated that people like Booker, implying African Americans, don’t deserve to be world champion. While all of that is bad in itself, what really makes this feud so hated is the fact that Triple H ''won the match'', and waited ''a full minute'' after hitting his finishing move to pin Booker (although this was more because it took him more than half a minute to recover as Booker T had been legitimately injured by the move).
68	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: At ''[=WrestleMania=] XX'', Wrestling/BrockLesnar vs. Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} more or less stank the joint up because of multiple issues, mainly due to both men already making it clear that they were done with WWE afterwards. It would go on to be considered one of the worst matches in Mania history. 13 years later at ''[=WrestleMania=] 33'', however, both men managed to give a performance that more than redeemed themselves at the showcase of the immortals. Sure the match was less than five minutes, but that was all they ever really needed.
69	* RetroactiveRecognition:
70	** Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage was the Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan's driver during his entrance at ''6''.
71	** Wrestling/CMPunk was part of Wrestling/JohnCena's entoruge in the latter's gangster-inspired entrance at ''22''.
72	** Wrestling/CharlotteFlair, Wrestling/SashaBanks, and Wrestling/AlexaBliss were Wrestling/TripleH's masked consorts during his entrance at ''XXX''.
73	* RootingForTheEmpire:
74	** Wrestling/TripleH has gotten this twice while main eventing this event as a {{heel}}. The first time was against Wrestling/JohnCena at ''[=WrestleMania=] 22'', when Cena was at his most hated. The second time was ten years later at ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' against Cena's company-chosen successor, Wrestling/RomanReigns, who somehow managed to become more hated than Cena ever was. Unfortunately for the fans, he lost both times.
75	** Several fans had this reaction for 31's Divas tag team match featuring the {{face}} team of Wrestling/AJLee and Wrestling/{{Paige}} against the heel Wrestling/BellaTwins. If it happened a year or so before, the former team would have been clearly the heroines, being fan favorites, while the latter at that time were seen as everything that was wrong with the Divas division. However, by the time of 31 the former team came across as {{Designated Hero}}es in their promos, claiming they were automatically better than the twins because they weren't [[RealWomenDontWearDresses girly]], while the Bellas had considerably improved. It was also very hard to sympathise with AJ in particular, who had taken many months off, stopped working house shows and not done any of the additional PR work that talent usually did (that the Bellas and Paige had done). One promo from Nikki was even rumored to be a WorkedShoot calling AJ out for her lack of interest in the division. This was underlined in [[https://cewshreviews.com/2015/06/22/wwe-wrestlemania-31/ Cewsh Reviews]].
76	--->'''Cewsh:''' Two of the people here have been carrying this division on their backs for over a year now, and have grown so much in that time that they have to be among the premier female talents on the main roster right now. Their matches have been consistently high quality, their feuds have generated more than cursory interest from a fanbase who usually doesn't give Divas the time of day, and they have really shown that they may be the cream of the crop for this generation of Divas. [[BaitAndSwitchComparison The other two are AJ and Paige.]]"
77	* ShockingMoments:
78	** Of course, [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar the end]] of Wrestling/TheUndertaker's then-undefeated streak at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXX''.
79	** Between Wrestling/RomanReigns challenging Wrestling/BrockLesnar for the WWE title, and Wrestling/{{Sting}} wrestling his first WWE match, the last thing on people's minds at ''[=WrestleMania=] 31'' was Wrestling/SethRollins cashing in his Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank briefcase and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
80	** Most people were aware that Creator/RondaRousey was going to be attending ''[=WrestleMania=] 31''. Nobody knew she was going to be involved in an angle.
81	** Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon going up to the top of the Wrestling/HellInACell against Wrestling/TheUndertaker at ''[=WrestleMania=] 32''. Several minutes of "What is he doing?" reactions from the fans watching him ascend the cage was one thing, but seeing Shane make the Sign of the Cross on himself before ''trying to an elbow drop on a downed Undertaker, who got out of the way'' stunned everybody.
82	** Bad Bunny's wrestling debut in ''[=Wrestlemania 37=]'', particularly how he performed a '''Canadian Destroyer''' on Morrison. To make it even more shocking, Bad Bunny is mostly known as a ''musician''.
83	* SignatureSong: There are some common ones for any event. For rock songs, it's likely either "[[Music/LimpBizkit My Way]]" (X-Seven) or "Ladies and Gentlemen" (23). For rap songs, it's [[Music/FloRida "Wild Ones" and "Good Feeling"]] (28). "[[Music/KidRock Celebrate]]" became this for both (XXX and 34, coincidentally both were in Louisiana).
84	* SoBadItsGood:
85	** Wrestling/TheUndertaker's match with Giant Gonzalez at ''9''. Sure, Gonzalez was quite the FashionVictimVillain and basically an up to eleven predecessor to The Great Khali... But the idea itself (a 7-foot monster vs. an 8-foot monster) was still epic, and we did get some {{Narm}}[=/=]NarmCharm from it.
86	** Wrestling/BraunStrowman's tag team title match with Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} and [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Cesaro]] at ''34'', in which he chose a ten-year old fan from the stands named Nicholas [[note]] Actually the son of referee John Cone, if you were wondering [[/note]] as his partner and subsequently won the titles with him. Normally this would have smarks decrying the devaluing of the RAW Tag Team Titles (and make no mistake, there were still a few who reacted like this, most notably Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin), but the majority, including the live crowd, actually found the situation ''hilarious'', mainly due to how seriously the wrestlers took the match (at one point Cesaro even started trash talking Nicholas); for those watching at home, the hilarity was doubled thanks to the commentary, in which Wrestling/MichaelCole, Jonathan Coachman, and ''especially'' Corey Graves [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] the absurdity of the entire situation. Nicholas eventually would gain MemeticBadass status from this alone.
87	* SpecialEffectsFailure: At ''[=WrestleMania=] XIV'', Wrestling/{{Kane}}'s iconic tombstone of Pete Rose actually very clearly just has Wrestling/{{Kane}} falling to his knees with Rose's head never touching the apron. While that was understandable,[[note]]Piledrivers can cause serious injury [[FatalMethodActing or even death]] if not performed properly, as Stone Cold Steve Austin can attest to thanks to Owen Hart botching the move at ''[=SummerSlam =] 1997''[[/note]] the camera angle could have done a better job of covering that up.
88	* SophomoreSlump: ''[=WrestleMania=] 2'' was just as experimental as its predecessor, being simulcast in three cities: Los Angeles, CA; Uniondale, NY; and Rosemont, IL. Weak matches with sub-par workers (a few which lasted less than ''fifteen moves'') and cheap finishes, combined with an overreliance on [[SpecialGuest celebrity power]] and many viewers who [[LuddWasRight didn't fully understand]] the product, led to an overall bland show. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And Susan St. James saying "Uh-oh..."]] to the point where it became a VerbalTic for her.
89	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The vast majority of women's wrestling fans would have preferred a singles match between Wrestling/TrishStratus and Wrestling/MichelleMcCool at 27 - as opposed to a mixed tag. Dolph Ziggler's involvement at least made storyline sense given he'd wrestled with Wrestling/LayCool before, but John Morrison was even more of a spare part than Snooki (not helping matters was his rude behavior towards Trish, which was allegedly because he felt {{Wrestling/Melina}} should have been in the match). According to the women involved, the match's time got completely cut and they were told to wrap it all up in about three minutes.
90	* TooBleakStoppedCaring:
91	** ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' started with [[Wrestling/MattCardona Zack Ryder]] (who, while respected by the fans, wasn't remotely in the title hunt) winning the Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder Match, giving him the [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments WrestleMania Moment]] he always wanted.[[note]]Apparently, this wasn't even part of the plan. All six participants knew that whoever won was dropping the title to Wrestling/TheMiz the next night anyway, so WWE didn't particularly care who won. It was the wrestlers themselves who decided to put it on Ryder, so the only bright spot of the evening almost didn't happen.[[/note]] This was followed by [[TheBadGuyWins heel after heel winning]], often cleanly.
92	*** Then-WWE Tag Team Champions Wrestling/TheNewDay were beaten by The League of Nations (in a non-title match). When Wrestling/WadeBarrett praised his other three teammates (Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, Wrestling/{{Rusev\|AndLana}} and Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}) as the best "three Superstars" in the company, cue Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, and Wrestling/MickFoley coming to the ring and beat them up. They then helped the New Day to their feet... and then Austin beat ''one of the New Day'' up (Xavier Woods). While it was nice to see Austin, Michaels and Foley again, this stunt harmed the credibility of both teams, as they were beaten by aging (albeit still respected) has-beens.
93	*** Hot new acquisition Wrestling/AJStyles fought Wrestling/ChrisJericho. Styles was recently hired and paid main event-level money for his contract, and Jericho was for quite some time best used shaping new talent. Jericho won cleanly.
94	*** [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] vs Wrestling/BrockLesnar in a "No Holds Barred Street Fight". In the days proceeding the event, both Wrestling/MickFoley AND Wrestling/TerryFunk [[PassingTheTorch gave Ambrose their]] [[WeaponSpecialization signature weapons]] (A barbed wire-wrapped [[BatterUp baseball bat]] and a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]], respectively). Not only did Lesnar NoSell all Ambrose's attacks, but the only time the match was even remotely going in Ambrose's favor was when he hit Lesnar with a [[GroinAttack nut shot]]... [[InTheBack from behind]]. And said momentum lasted less than two minutes before Lesnar [[CurbStompBattle flattened Ambrose]], [[RunningGag cleanly]]. It's considered one of the worst matches of Ambrose's career, although almost everyone puts the blame on Lesnar, who simply didn't give a shit about the match and wasn't willing to work with Ambrose at all to try and make anything of it, a sentiment Ambrose stated to also have felt months after the match.
95	*** They made a big deal that an "all-new" Women's Championship[[note]]"All-new" because it does not share the same title history as the original WWE Women's Championship that was retired in 2010. Later renamed as the Raw Women's Championship after the return of the brand extension and the creation of the [=SmackDown=] Women's Champion.[[/note]] was being introduced to replace the Divas Championship.[[note]]Ironically, replacing the original Women's Championship was the reason the Divas Championship was made in the first place.[[/note]] Wrestling/{{Charlotte\|Flair}} won a triple threat to win the renamed Women's Championship by having her father Wrestling/RicFlair cheat to help her, just like pretty much every other title defense she'd had since winning the Divas Championship.
96	*** Wrestling/TheUndertaker fought Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon in a match that came with a very confusing storyline beforehand: Shane had returned to WWE for the first time since 2009 to confront his father Vince and sister Stephanie in regards to how they run the company, which alone was seen as a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment of Awesome]]. Vince then made a deal with Shane that he would gain control of ''Raw'' from the much-maligned Wrestling/TheAuthority if he could win a match of his choosing at ''[=WrestleMania=]''. After Shane accepted, Vince named The Undertaker as his opponent. Fans' reaction to Vince's choosing was basically a FlatWhat, given the lack of an alliance between Vince and Undertaker, and the storyline never explained why 'Taker would wrestle a match as the de facto {{Heel}} to help Vince against Shane; despite 'Taker's claims that he worked for no one, he went along with it, while Shane seemed to {{lampshade\|Hanging}} it by asking why 'Taker would be one of his father's "puppets." Apparently they eventually realized that the match needed some stakes, so Vince added another stipulation; that if 'Taker did not win, it would be "his last ''[=WrestleMania=]''," implying that he'd have to retire, but even then it felt a bit flat, since 'Taker had already been mostly-retired for years at that point. Then, at ''[=WrestleMania=]'', The Undertaker defeated Shane. So Shane didn't gain control of ''Raw'', right? Wrong. The following night on ''Raw'', Vince, claiming that Shane was supposedly upstaging him with his strong fan support (which, admitedly, Shane had at the time), allowed Shane to run ''Raw'' that night anyway, and Shane was then allowed to continue controlling ''Raw'' for another three weeks after that, basically rendering the whole thing pointless. Thus, the Authority was disbanded in a confusing payoff after three years of tormenting the viewers.
97	*** The Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Memorial Battle Royal was won by Wrestling/BaronCorbin, a midcarder {{Heel}} from [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]], WWE's developmental system. Cleanly. Granted, the fans were more forgiving in this instance, as Corbin was at least a fresh prospect; one may have noticed that most of the heels winning so far are not only heels but also older talent (or involved older talent in the women's title case).
98	*** [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] came out to announce the legitimately record-setting (but still exaggerated) attendance. Then Wrestling/TheWyattFamily comes out to essentially heckle him, only for him to beat Erick Rowan in literally 8 seconds. When the somehow still supposed-to-be intimidating Wyatts surround Rocky, Wrestling/JohnCena came out to "rescue" him. [[SarcasmMode Because the last time they threw in the Rock and Cena at WrestleMania for no good reason turned out amazing]]. [[TheLastStraw Just ask]] Wrestling/CMPunk![[note]]Ironically, the fans were actually happy to see Cena, and he ended up getting one of the biggest pops of the night. This was for two reasons: 1. Cena had a great 2015, both in wrestling and out of it, and having to deal with Wrestling/RomanReigns while he was out made them more appreciative of him and 2. His appearance meant the segment was almost over.[[/note]]
99	*** Finally, the main event that no one (other than Wrestling/VinceMcMahon) wanted: Wrestling/TripleH vs CreatorsPet Wrestling/RomanReigns. First, they give Triple H an incredible EvilIsCool intro, followed by Reigns... coming down the ramp, followed by a special effect to the ring that was ''supposed'' to look like it "shattered", but they botched the timing. The match itself, while not terrible by any means, just fell flat, as the outcome couldn't be more obvious if it appeared with flashing captions on the screen, with Reigns winning [[OverlyLongGag cleanly]]. Even if fans had wanted Reigns to be WWE Champion [[XPacHeat (which was the one thing they really]], ''[[XPacHeat really]]'' [[XPacHeat didn't want)]], they'd be disgusted from the rest of the show. While declaring it the [[WorstWhateverEver worst 'Mania ever]] is clearly hyperbole, it could easily rank in the bottom 20% or so.
100	** The main event of ''[=WrestleMania=] 33'' between Wrestling/TheUndertaker, one of the biggest legends in the industry's history, and Wrestling/RomanReigns, maybe the biggest CreatorsPet in the company's history. Most people knew (or at least suspected) this could've been the Undertaker's final match, and very few people wanted Reigns to be the one to retire him, so when Reigns did indeed put down the Undertaker, the match more than anything would have ended up being a depressing end to a storied career...at least until Undertaker came out of retirement the following year at ''[=WrestleMania=] 34'' and [[SquashMatch squashed]] Wrestling/JohnCena.
101	* ToughActToFollow:
102	** [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] vs. Wrestling/HulkHogan at [=X8=] proved to be this. Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/TripleH even pushed for that to go on last, feeling it was the true main event.
103	** Up until age and injuries caught up to him, Wrestling/TheUndertaker's matches almost always caused this trope.
104	*** Wrestling/TheUndertaker vs. Wrestling/ShawnMichaels at 25 made it practically impossible for any match that proceed it to follow it up. Again, Wrestling/TripleH felt this, when he entered backstage with both Taker and Shawn resting up, throwing his WWE title aside and said "How the fuck am I supposed to follow that?". Poor Hunter. Unsurprisingly, their rematch at 26 was the main event, helped by the fact that it was going to be Shawn's retirement match.
105	*** Ironically, Triple H ended up being Taker's opponent for the next two ''Mania''s and ended up upstaging every other match on their respective cards just like Shawn's first match with Taker did. For 27, it was arguably the only match worth watching; for 28, it flat-out almost killed the crowd dead to the point that it took Wrestling/CMPunk vs Wrestling/ChrisJericho to wake them up again (and even then, Punk and Jericho had to build up to that, with the crowd only coming fully alive again in the closing minutes of their match). The only reason their second match didn't main event like it arguably should have is because that Mania was being headlined by Wrestling/JohnCena vs. Wrestling/TheRock.
106	*** Wrestling/CMPunk vs Wrestling/TheUndertaker would have been this on any other night. However, much like 27, almost every other match on the card for 29 was extremely lackluster (the exception being the always-decent Wrestling/DanielBryan match). General agreement is that their match was the only match worth watching. This match was also the last truly great wrestling match Undertaker had at this event -- while later matches had memorable moments, the actual matches themselves were pretty mediocre. The only exception to that was the Boneyard Match Taker had with Wrestling/AJStyles at 36 (which turned out to be his very last match ever), and that wasn't a wrestling match so much as a cinematic vignette.
107	** Wrestling/MickieJames vs Wrestling/TrishStratus at 22 was this to the women's match at 23. Featuring what would end up becoming the final 'Mania appearance of a veteran star (Trish) and the crowning of a new era star (Mickie), a match involving [[Wrestling/AshleyMassaro a Playboy cover girl]] and a woman who had only [[Wrestling/{{Melina}} just started being treated like a serious wrestler]] (after having become mostly known for her {{Fanservice}}-ladden ring entrance) was just not going to cut it, especially since it only lasted about three minutes.
108	** To the surprise of many, the mixed tag match between Wrestling/RondaRousey and Wrestling/KurtAngle vs. Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon and Wrestling/TripleH was this for 34. It was one of the best matches of the night (with the only other match even close to its quality being the [=SmackDown=] Women's Championship match between Wrestling/CharlotteFlair and [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]]). Even [[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Dave Meltzer]] felt that the rest of the show couldn't live up to her match.
109	** After the Boneyard Match of ''Wrestlemania 36'', people were thinking this was the fate of the Firefly Funhouse Match. Needless to say, people have now placed the match in equal positioning to the Boneyard Match. The title TATF fell to the main event of Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre vs Wrestling/BrockLesnar.
110	** In 38, Creator/LoganPaul had big shoes to fill in the celebrity match after Music/BadBunny's excellent performance. However, he managed to be just as good as Bunny with how he acted as a total heel and excellent use of Wrestling/EddieGuerrero's signature moves. The same could be said to Creator/JohnnyKnoxville and Pat [=MacAfee=] with their matches, but both of them were able to hold their own and leave the fans wanting more.
111	* UnexpectedCharacter:
112	** While Wrestling/JohnCena himself at ''[=WrestleMania=] 35'' wasn't that unexpected, the fact that he brought back the Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick was a pleasant surprise to everyone, to the point where there was a very noticeable pop when his "Basic Thuganomics" music started playing.
113	** Not many people expected Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon to open up Night Two of ''[=WrestleMania=] XL'' as she resigned shortly after her father came back temporarily behind the scenes and hasn't been seen since.
114

Context YMMV / WrestleMania