Ask any wrestling fan to name their all-time favorite wrestling moment, and chances are you’ll get a wide range of answers. What clicks with each of us as fans of this great form of entertainment is no
different than what clicks with us in movies, music, and other media. Personal preference has no wrong answer and provides an endless supply of conversation starters and what ifs to debate on wrestling sites such as this one. What one of us remembers as a great moment might have been entirely forgettable to the person next to me, and vice versa.
One of my favorite wrestling memories of all time was the Undertaker/Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 25. There are certain moments that leave such an impact on us, that we’ll always remember exactly where we were and who we were with when they happened and HBK/Taker checked that box for me. Everything from Michaels descending from the rafters during his entrance to all of the unbelievable false finishes are forever stamped in my memory. I’ll always remember leaping off of my couch every time Shawn kicked out, thinking that just maybe that would be the night that somebody finally conquered The Streak.
Now, it’s not fair, reasonable, or even healthy really to expect every single wrestling story to culminate in a huge moment on a huge stage like WrestleMania. The phrase that comes to mind is “If everything is special, then nothing is.” Having time in between moments to catch our breath and process is an important part of enjoying this beautiful artform.
But what happens when those moments are simply spaced too far apart?
The WrestleMania 40 Honeymoon is Over
For many, the leadup to WrestleMania 40 and Cody Rhodes finishing his story sticks out as one of those big moments in recent memory. From Cody’s Royal Rumble win to The Rock injecting himself into the story and all the drama that went along with it, this time period is widely considered a high point for the current creative regime. Every episode of Raw and SmackDown felt important. The main story revolved around Cody, Roman, Seth, and The Rock, but by association, the other stories that they were telling at the time felt more important than usual too. There was hype. Buzz. Excitement. WrestleMania 40 was a culmination of that, and for many, the product was more enjoyable than it had been for the better part of two decades.
Keeping that train moving was definitely a tall task. It very much felt like the end of a chapter. If wrestling was a normal TV show, WrestleMania 40 would have been the season finale. Mainstream wrestling companies are unlikely to ever institute an offseason as long as network and streaming partners have a say, but if you ever needed proof that the WWE would benefit from some sort of break, I think this was it.
As Philly Mania slips further and further into our rearview, the criticisms and discontent with the WWE creative team have started to get louder and louder. A quick scan of any WWE comment thread on Cageside Seats will yield at least a few comments that express this sentiment. Volumes have been written about why people have soured so much on the Levesque creative era, but from this viewer’s perspective, there is an overarching theme as to why most of WWE’s programming has gone from “must-see” to “meh” most weeks.
But What If Nothing is Special…
There is something to be said for booking for “Moments”.
Cody Rhodes finishing the story.
Ric Flair’s retirement match with Shawn Michaels.
Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 18.
WWE’s ability over the years to create spectacle is second to none, not just in the wrestling business, but in entertainment as a whole. What makes some of those major events more memorable though is how we get to them. How they build to those moments.
Not to be too corny, but it’s about the journey.
To me, that’s what WWE is severely lacking right now. Take the (scheduled) WrestleMania main event for instance.
Watching their in-ring promo two Raws ago, Phil Brooks and Joe Anoa’i made me believe that CM Punk and Roman Reigns hate each other. In just one segment, they made me want to tune in the next time they cross paths to see how they take their feud to the next level. They are undoubtedly two of the biggest current stars in the business with plenty of history to draw from, so this encounter figures to be a memorable one. It’s not a crazy prediction to say that the Scorsese “Cinema” meme will be a fitting way to summarize CM Punk and Roman Reigns’ match in mid-April.
But now how does the rest of the roster get there?
How does the rest of the roster make us want to tune in to see what they do next? Over the years, wrestling storylines have dangled a vast array of carrots in front of wrestlers to motivate them. Personal vendettas have been sparked by everything from friendship bracelets to mops. There is an endless supply of things for wrestlers to fight over to create interesting stories, but there is one obvious one that the WWE has completely underutilized in recent years.
Where Have All the Champions Gone?
If you were asked to name one current champion in WWE, who’s the first that comes to mind?
For me, the answer is Carmelo Hayes.
I’ve been a fan of H1M since his NXT days, but the reason he comes to mind first for me right now is all because of the U.S. Title Open Challenge. For months now, the United States Championship has been featured better than any other championship in the WWE. Sami Zayn, Ilja Dragunov, and now Carmelo have elevated the prestige of that title by putting on what are usually the best matches on WWE television each week, most of the time against challengers who aren’t used to getting many opportunities to shine.
It’s a simple formula.
Talented wrestlers are given extensive and regular time to put on solid, if not spectacular matches, and the U.S. Title being on the line only adds to the intrigue. Now, I’m not at all suggesting that the WWE should replicate the open challenge gimmick for other titles. In reality, even continuing to run it for the U.S. Title might be something they decide to take a break from soon. But compare how often and how prominently the U.S. Title is featured to some of the others, and it will come as no surprise why some other titles just don’t feel that important.
Case in point: Jade Cargill
As of this writing, Jade has been WWE Women’s Champion for 102 days and we’ll finally see her first televised title defense this Friday night on Smackdown. (If you follow the WWE’s live event and house show schedule, you’ll notice that Jade has, in fact, defended her title 5 times against the likes of Michin, B-Fab, and Bayley. Wherever you fall on the “house show canon” debate, what can’t be argued is that the WWE rarely acknowledges their non-televised shows as part of their weekly programming.)
Think about that!
Jade Cargill won the WWE Women’s Championship on November 1st. For context, that was the same night as Game 7 of the 2025 World Series! A whole Major League Baseball off-season has occurred and Jade hasn’t defended her title once. Maybe the injury status of Tiffany Stratton or Bianca Belair threw plans into flux, but it’s booking malpractice that they haven’t been able to pivot to anything interesting for Jade until these last few weeks.
To be fair, the WWE does present some of their champions well. CM Punk, Becky Lynch, and RhIyo are prominently featured every week, and it’s not a stretch to argue that they have elevated their respective titles quite a bit since winning them. But for every mid-card champ like Becky or Carmelo, there are others like Dom, Chelsea and Giulia that seem to be constantly lost in the shuffle. For every tag team like RhIyo, there’s another like the Wyatts whose title reigns seem to be basically meaningless. Being a champion in wrestling should mean something. At its best, a title belt can be used as the ultimate prize. Something that a wrestler will go to war for.
Would Cody finishing his story have been as memorable if the WWE Championship wasn’t the pot of gold he was chasing?
Would Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, and Daniel Bryan completing their underdog story arcs been as meaningful if they weren’t chasing a championship?
Not every story has to end like Cody’s did, but if WWE wants to make us care about their wrestlers and invest in their journey, you got a bunch of big gold props sitting around that can help with that, because even at their worst, title belts can still be a lazy crutch that can sell a story if creative can’t come up with anything better.
This title match on Friday should be a big deal. I should be getting excited for it.
The WWE will give us dimmed lights as they always do. They’ll give us Mark Nash’s killer introductions like they always do. They’ll give us the on-screen graphic like they always do. They’ll give us the spectacle that they always do. But the one thing they need to give us more of?
Reasons to care.
