What makes wrestling great? The way it makes us feel. The way it can make anyone a kid again – even the competitors in the ring.
Wrestlemania XL is now in the books, and there were three moments in particular, that I will not soon forget.
Bayley puts over Jada Stone
My daughter Lydia and I know Jada Stone’s work very well. Most WWE fans do not. We watched Jada grow from an unknown to a fan favorite to a wicked little heel during her 2022-2023 OVW run. She’s been all around the world since that time, and she’s still making fans everywhere she goes.
Bayley noticed, and rather than wear her own shirt to the post-Mania press conference, she wore Jada’s. She did it fully intending to put over a young lady who is in a position Bayley herself once occupied. It speaks a great deal to Bayley’s character she would do this for an unknown. It speaks to Jada’s talent that Bayley felt compelled to do so.
Look up Jada Stone for yourself. I defy you not to fall in love with her. There’s a reason they call her The Spark!
Seth Rollins vs. The Rock
The best moment of night one, period, was when Roman Reigns tagged in The Rock to face Seth Rollins. The smile on Seth’s face, the smile that said, “Holy crap, I’m about to wrestle The Rock at Wrestlemania,” that was worth a million bucks.
Wrestlers become wrestlers because they started at fans. Only a handful grow up to wrestle their heroes, especially on the grandest stage of them all. Yes, Seth was in character, but the kid inside Seth’s heart was having the best night of his life when he locked up with The Rock.
The Bell of the Undertaker
The main event on night two was crazy. There was so much incredible storytelling happening. And yeah, that homage to The Shield, to Plan B, to Seth’s chair shot heard round the world – that was epic.
But it was the bell that signaled the coming of The Undertaker that made the night for me, and not because I was excited to see him. It was the gasp coming from the couch beside me. It was the way both my kids shot up in their seats.
The WWE mastered the art of the musical stinger ages ago. They know how the sound of breaking glass or the tolling of a bell can create a Pavlovian response. Seeing my kids, that excited, that delighted, that surprised… that’s what wrestling’s all about. Those little moments of surprise.
The first Wrestlemania of the Triple H era delivered. I haven’t watched much WWE the last few years, mostly because I get my fix from OVW and Grindhouse. But I gotta be honest… I found a lot of reasons to tune in more often this past weekend.