WrestleMania 40: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

WrestleMania 40 has come and gone. Cody Rhodes, Bayley, and Damian Priest are champions. Roman Reigns’s epic championship run has come to an end. The story is finished. Looking back at what was an astounding weekend of professional wrestling and sports entertainment, here is the Good, Bad, and Ugly from WrestleMania 40.

The Good: The Positive Energy

There was a strong, positive energy around WrestleMania 40. For years, perhaps the last decade, the energy around WWE and its product has been widely negative. Deservedly so. Vince McMahon made it a point to insult fans time and again. There was no reason to believe that the company would turn a corner and truly create the smiles on the faces it claimed to do so well. WrestleMania 40 was entirely different.

Bayley’s big victory. Rhodes finally finishing the story. Even the Drew McIntyre to Damian Priest title flip. All those moments were met with wide praise. Snoop Dogg on commentary, Lil Wayne rapping out Jey Uso, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi standing tall. There’s so much to take from this show and say, “I really liked that.” WWE has a lot of momentum and hopefully, it can continue to push the promotion in the right direction.

The Bad: Northeastern WrestleMania Locations

WWE shouldn’t bring another WrestleMania to the northeast. At least not if the event is going to remain in early April. We can probably all thank climate change, but that area isn’t as “springy” during that time of the year, regardless of what season has already started. WrestleMania Night One was fridged. So much so, that the crowd wasn’t fully able to get into the show, impacting the perception of the event to viewers.

Late April to early May are the better times of the year to hit the Northeast for outdoor events like this. If early April is in the cards permanently, then perhaps look at locations more to the south such as Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, or Orlando. Those cities have major sports and media presences, giving them the capability to host a major event such as WrestleMania. Let’s hope no one watching WrestleMania 40 in person left with a cold.

The Ugly: WWE Isn’t In The Clear

WrestleMania 40 was marked as the start of the Triple H Era. Or the Renaissance Era if you listen to Cody Rhodes’s description of it. Yes, professional wrestling is in a better place when the WWE is doing well along with other promotions in the business. But let’s not act like we can ignore the massive lawsuit hanging over the WWE’s head. Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis may no longer be with the company, but there’s no telling what seedy parts of the culture they fostered for decades are still present until a full investigation and potential cleaning house are done.

The sports and entertainment industry has gone through reckonings of late. Society is no longer going to just accept that terrible things happen behind the scenes. WWE may want to hold off on lauding its return to positive fan perception on the backs of individuals who may not be out of the clear just yet.