WrestleMania 41 build isn't living up to expectations

April is upon us and that means that WrestleMania is a few short weeks away. The push for WrestleMania 41 is in full swing. But something is amiss. WWE business is booming, but the build for the biggest show of the year feels “meh” at best. Even with some of the biggest matches available, there’s concern that the show doesn’t have the momentum it needs with a few weeks to go.

There was an interesting post on Twitter today comparing the sales of WrestleMania 41 to some of its predecessors. The Super Kick Society used data from WrestleTix to compare data for current ticket sales for WrestleMania 41 and stated that the event will be the “lowest-attended” WrestleMania since WrestleMania 22.

While this isn’t a clear apples-to-apples comparison, it still opens the door to the overall excitement around this show. As of Monday, March 31, seven matches have been announced. Even though these matches feature some of the most important names on the roster, they do not feel like they have the level of appeal for a WrestleMania-quality card.

Seth Rollins versus CM Punk versus Roman Reigns is certainly there. John Cena versus Cody Rhodes is as well, at least on paper, as the long talking segments haven’t done the most to build excitement. Iyo Sky versus Bianca Belair, and the eventual addition of Rhea Ripley, should also feel like a huge match, but it feels like something that would happen on a weekly edition of Monday Night Raw or SmackDown. All of the other matches on the card feel that way.

Expectations are that five to seven matches will fill the two-night showcase. If that’s the case, WWE will have to find a way to build up some genuine heat around the rest of the roster and the angles they are involved in. Ticket sales may be slower for a variety of reasons, especially in today’s economic climate. But there has to be a growing concern if WWE’s creative momentum has stalled as well. It will be interesting to see how WWE’s shows perform from a viewership and attendance perspective after WrestleMania 41.

WrestleMania 41 is set for Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20. This is set to be WWE’s biggest show of the year. Regardless of the critical response, WWE will reach another major business milestone. But that can wipe away the idea that perhaps overall excitement about the PLE is down, which is a part of the reason ticket sales are where they are compared to past years.