WrestleMania Articles - Page 9

If there’s one performer who knows how successful the WWE developmental system can be, it’s Bianca Belair. A college track and field star who transitioned to the squared circle when she ran out of NCAA eligibility, Belair joined the WWE Universe in 2016 and slowly worked her way up the ranks, becoming a fixture of […]

For the better part of 21 years, though it didn’t really earn public acknowledgment until about a decade in, there was one match fans were consistently more excited to watch than almost all others on WrestleMania weekend: Undertaker defending his streak. Sure, some years would have a bigger match, or even multiple matches with bigger […]

After officially retiring from the WWE in 2006 and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, few expected to see Trish Stratus back in the professional wrestling world for more than a cup of coffee in 2023, as she was initially brought back to serve as emotional support for the tag team […]

When Earl Hebner pointed for the bell at Survivor Series 1997 and officially named Shawn Michaels the new WWE World Champion at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it turned the long-time referee into one of the most hated men in professional wrestling history. Fans booed Hebner for years, his integrity was called into […]

Seth Rollins does not like CM Punk. He’s talked trash on the “Best in the World” when he was still a member of AEW, chastised fans for chanting his name in the lead-up to and fallout from Survivor Series, and even attempted to charge Punker after his WarGames match, even if he was held back […]

Since officially being traded from SmackDown to RAW, Jey Uso has largely remained a tag team specialist, trading the brotherly love of The Usos to his unnamed pairing with the “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes; a union that placed him one tag team title reign ahead of Jimmy on the all-time WWE championship ledger. And yet, […]

When Cody Rhodes requested and was granted his release from WWE in 2016, the “Grandson of a Plumber” took it upon himself to borrow a page from his father’s playbook and blatantly promote himself from a makeup-wearing caricature into an undeniable force with enough star power to headline a brand new promotion on national television. […]

The second the referee hit the mat 1-2-3 and Roman Reigns’ song “Head of the Table” hit the PA at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, it effectively marked the start of Cody Rhodes‘ next Road to WrestleMania – a trip 364 days in the making. But what, you may ask, can a performer do to […]

For 21 years, there was no greater tradition in professional wrestling than The Undertaker‘s WrestleMania streak, a mark that rose all the way to 21-0 thanks to wins over everyone from Jake Roberts, to Shawn Michaels, and eventually CM Punk, who he defeated at WrestleMania 29. Ever since fans became aware of the record, which […]

When Adam Pearce ran into the middle of the ring on RAW to announce that Judgment Day, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh, and the makeshift babyface set of Finn Balor, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, would be participating in WarGames, it turned heads around […]

Since the moment Cody Rhodes came up short at WrestleMania 39, having to listen to Roman Reigns‘ theme laid out in the middle of the SoFi Stadium ring with a rubber chicken next to him, it felt like the clock began to tick towards a rematch at WrestleMania 40. Sure, a year in professional wrestling […]

If there’s one performer who felt like they had a borderline guaranteed spot on the WrestleMania 39 card, it’s Bobby Lashley. After winning a match against Brock Lesnar via DQ at Elimination Chamber, a match that felt like an underwhelming end to a pretty fun feud, Bray Wyatt vowed to feud with the winner of […]

When news broke that “The Whole F’N Show,” Rob Van Dam had officially accepted a booking with AEW to challenge Jack Perry for the FTW Championship, it turned eyes around the professional wrestling world. Sure, it’s not like RVD was out of action or had retired from professional wrestling or anything like that, he’d actually […]

If there’s one thing Lex Luger knows about from his professional wrestling career, it’s the importance of momentum. One of the top performers in WCW history with a major early 90s run in WWE sandwiched between his time working for Jim Crockett and Eric Bischoff, the “Total Package’s” career is littered with peaks and nose […]

Though he hasn’t been on television in a minute, since January’s RAW XXX, to be exact, it’s hard to imagine a world where Hulk Hogan isn’t a member of the WWE Universe. One of the true living legends of the sport, with a legacy that became all the more important when WWE purchased WCW and […]

With SummerSlam officially on the books and the Royal Rumble already being advertised for in January, fans have already begun to fire up their fantasy booking machines to determine the best possible way for Cody Rhodes to finish his story against the greatest champion since WWF became WWE, Roman Reigns. Will Paul “Triple H” Levesque […]

When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took the ring with Pat McAfee and Austin Theory in an impromptu opening segment on SmackDown, it generated totally normal and tempered reactions from fans who understood that the appearance had more to do with the duo being at the University of Colorado earlier in the day for ESPN than […]

Fans have been pining to see an Anoi’i family throwdown between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns for literally years. From WrestleMania 37, which didn’t have fans due to Covid, to WrestleMania 38, which took place in the very not Dwane “The Rock” Johnson city of Tampa Bay, to WrestleMania 39 in the very […]

When Grayson Waller stepped up on John Cena at Money in the Bank in London, England, spared on the mic for the better part of 12 minutes, and living to tell the tale, it effectively made the “Aussie Icon” a “made man” within the WWE Universe. After watching his friend and future A-Town Down Under […]

Though Jake “The Snake” Roberts has spent the last few years working on and off for AEW as Lance Archer’s manager, the certified wrestling legend’s legacy will be widely remembered, for better or worse, for his time in WWE – okay, technically WWF – where he, despite never winning a title, established himself as one […]

When it comes to female wrestlers in WWE, there is Rhea Ripley, and then there’s everyone else. The “Eradicator” of the Judgment Day with 34 straight singles victories in 2023 alone, Ripley doesn’t just defeat opponents in the ring; she dominates them with wicked efficiency, with the vast majority of those defenses coming in under […]

Seth Rollins has seen a lot over his decade in the WWE Universe; He’s been at the top of the card, he’s been held off of Premium Live Events, and even had to fight tooth and nail to get a mystery opponent at WrestleMania 38, even if that ultimately worked out in his favor. Over […]

As Edge prepares to decide on what he wants to do next in his professional wrestling career, be that retirement, a return to WWE, or a jump to AEW, the “Rated-R Superstar” stopped by the Brotherly Love podcast to discuss his career, his injury history, and, most interestingly of all, his match with Mick Foley […]

When looking back at Bray Wyatt‘s professional wrestling career, one of the true highlights was his career has to be his interaction with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania 32, where the duo exchanged words on the mic before “The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment” squashed Eric Rowen in six seconds in what is […]

Kurt Angle looks pretty darn good for 54. Now granted, maybe that’s because he’s more or less had the same look for his entire run in professional wrestling, and in 2023, wrestlers like Sting are continuing to work regularly into their 60s, but even now, four years after his last match, Angle still gets asked […]

When LA Knight debuted on SmackDown as LA Knight last fall, waving goodbye to Max Dupri and all of the juices he titillated, fans wondered what to expect from the fast-talking, kavorka-exuding, “Yeah!” saying WWE Superstar. Sure, to fans of the promotion who also dabble in the indie product – or at least NXT – […]

Sami Zayn has pretty much reached the pinnacle – lowercase p – of professional wrestling at this point in his career. Sure, he hasn’t won “the big one” in WWE, having to grapple with the realization that he may never be “the chosen guy” in the top promotion in the world as a result, but […]

WrestleMania 40 tickets went on sale this past week, and already the response has been nothing but spectacular. As of last Friday, the official start date of ticket sales after a few presales throughout the week, WWE had sold more than 90,000 tickets, as per Darren Rovell. That’s an absolutely astonishing number and one that […]

After being one of the most consistently utilized performers on the WWE Universe in 2022, becoming the youngest United States Champion in the promotion’s history and even winning the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match despite not even being booked for the match heading into the show, Austin Theory has sort of fallen off […]

When Cody Rhodes came up short in the main event of WrestleMania 39, it served as an inflection point in his professional wrestling career. After spending months hyping up the match, talking to seemingly anyone with a microphone about past, present, and hopefully future, the “American Nightmare” saw his night end with a whimper, not […]

When Sami Zayn got into the ring opposite Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he effectively put everything on the line. If he won, he’d have gotten quite possibly the biggest pop of all time, won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and, most importantly of all, have ended Roman Reigns’ reign […]

Though nothing has officially been made official one way or another, it would appear Ronda Rousey‘s second run in WWE has officially come to an end, with the “Baddest Woman in the Planet” dropping the match and her moniker to fellow UFC alumni Shayna Basler who is already using her newfound status as a concurring […]

When Cody Rhodes took the ring for the main event of WrestleMania 39, there was a lot on the line. With three-straight slaps to the mat, Rhodes could secure the belt his father never won, end Roman Reigns‘ Undisputed World Heavyweight  Championship reign before it hit 1,000 days, and secure one of the biggest, if […]

Though they’ve only shared the screen for a few moments in 2023, there is, was, and seemingly will forever be tension brewing under the surface between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes at the top of the RAW roster. On paper, it makes sense, right? Rollins knocked Rhodes out of action for six months in the […]

Though Kevin Owens only signed with WWE in 2014, the “Prizefighter” has been on an absolute tear, wrestling 897 matches across NXT, RAW, SmackDown, house shows, and Premium Live Events while spending 683 days as a title around his waist, 188 with the Universal Champion, 143 with the NXT Championship, 132 with the Intercontinental Championship, […]

If there’s on thing Paul Heyman is good at, it’s backstage politicking. Sure, the “Wise Man” of The Bloodline is a fantastic talker, a wonderful matchmaker, and one of the best minds professional wrestling has ever seen, but when you want to get a guy over, or at least get them featured prominently on WWE’s […]

Who is the GOAT of WWE? Is it the longest-reigning world champion in the promotion’s history, Bruno Sammartino? How about the man who turned the WWF from a regional promotion to the world leader in sports entertainment, Hulk Hogan? Could it be the greatest character Vince McMahon and company ever came up with, the Undertaker? […]

Though it may not often seem like it, Drew McIntyre actually has a great deal of respect for Gunther. Two members of the Intercontinental Championship fraternity, a group that features 184 different title reigns since the belt was introduced in 1979, including three by the strap’s lone female holder, Chyna, Gunther has helped to elevate […]

With 1,926 professional wrestling matches and counting on his resume, 1532 in WWE, 394 in AEW, and other promotions around the world, Cody Rhodes has wrestled almost every top-tier professional wrestler on the planet right now. He’s wrestled AEW’s top guys like Kenny Omega, Sammy Guevara, Chris Jericho, and his brother Dustin in his first-ever […]