Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Triple H, Vince McMahon, Wrestlemania, wrestling, wwe

Grappling with the WrestleMania 39 Results in a Post WWE Sale World

With Reigns' victory and McMahon's continued dominance after the WWE-UFC merger, fans are left questioning the future of WWE's creative direction.

WrestleMania 39 unfolded last weekend, and boy, was it a jaw-dropper for wrestling fans. Heading into the two-night extravaganza, everyone was convinced they had the main event outcome down pat: Cody Rhodes would topple Roman Reigns, ending his reign as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and heralding a new era in WWE.

Well, spoiler alert: that didn't happen. Reigns held onto his title, triumphing over Rhodes through an array of dirty tactics and interference from The Bloodline. The Samoan Spike from Solo Sikoa proved to be the final nail in the coffin, allowing Reigns to continue his historic championship reign.

But wait, there's more! On Sunday, before the second night of WrestleMania aired (the night where Rhodes would taste defeat), news broke that UFC's parent company, Endeavor, would acquire WWE. The merger would unite WWE with UFC and see Vince McMahon appointed as Executive Chairman of both companies. This bombshell followed months of drama after McMahon, forced to retire in 2022 due to a sexual misconduct and hush money scandal, clawed his way back to power earlier this year and initiated a strategic review process to consider a sale.

When McMahon initially bowed out last year, Triple H assumed the role of head of creative, earning widespread praise during his tenure. However, since McMahon's surprising return earlier this year, fans and wrestlers alike have speculated that he's been pulling the strings behind the scenes. Despite official statements claiming McMahon wasn't involved in the creative process and would likely leave the company again after a sale or media rights negotiations, it appears that hopes of McMahon pursuing a quiet retirement following the sale of the company were a tad premature.

Not only did the report suggest McMahon would stay put, but once WWE and Endeavor confirmed the news on Monday morning, it was announced that he would remain Executive Chairman indefinitely, putting him in the second-highest ranking position in the new conglomerate. In a victory lap interview, McMahon even admitted he would always have a hand in the creative process at a high level, although he claimed he wouldn't get "in the weeds." At this point, though, can we take anything he says about his intentions at face value?

Adding fuel to the fire is the booking of WrestleMania itself. The first night was a crowd-pleaser, with fan favorites Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defeating The Usos in the main event, setting the stage for what many believed would be the ultimate downfall of The Bloodline when Reigns faced Cody on Sunday. However, Sunday's show took a sharp turn, featuring a match between Brock Lesnar and Omos, a surprise Shane McMahon return (where he tore his quad and Snoop Dogg had to improvise an ending to his impromptu match with The Miz), and the cherry on top: Cody Rhodes losing to Roman Reigns in the main event, deflating the crowd and sparking questions about who was running this thing after all.

The saga of Roman Reigns itself is a fascinating one. Since his arrival on the main roster, he's been McMahon's golden boy, primed to replace John Cena as the company's top star. But fans rejected Reigns for years, even as McMahon stubbornly booked popular babyfaces to lose, hoping to get fans to embrace Reigns as the top hero. It wasn't until a post-pandemic heel turn that Reigns finally gained the WWE Universe's acceptance, joining forces with Paul Heyman and forming the Bloodline, initiating the storyline that everyone thought would conclude last night.

For fans who endured decades of Vince McMahon's iron-fisted creative control, Cody Rhodes' loss to Roman Reigns was all the proof needed to show that McMahon was back in the driver's seat. However, the truth is often more nuanced than it appears.

It's tempting to credit Triple H with favorable booking decisions and blame McMahon for the unpopular ones, but this is a gross oversimplification. Triple H spent decades learning the ropes under his father-in-law, echoing some of McMahon's sentiments about wrestlers needing to "grab the brass ring." Moreover, during the mid-2000s, Triple H was notorious for leveraging backstage politics to bury opponents and advance his career. He also held the title for a multi-year run known as the "Reign of Terror," where he somehow managed to retain the title no matter how over the babyface challenger he was facing. Sound familiar to a certain Bloodline story?

Nowadays, Triple H is viewed by the Internet Wrestling Community as, at worst, a benevolent wrestling father figure who managed fan-favorite NXT and nurtured today's biggest stars like Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch (with a bit of help from the late Dusty Rhodes, of course). At best, Triple H is seen as a wrestling messiah, here to save WWE from the dark ages of McMahon's booking. However, while Triple H may be more in touch with the industry than McMahon and show greater respect for wrestling skills, the apple-in-law doesn't fall far from the tree. Vince McMahon and Triple H are not opposite ends of the booking spectrum. They are two sides of the same coin. Or, if you prefer it in terms of Sith lords, they are a master and an apprentice.

When it comes to Cody, let's not forget he spent over a year taunting Triple H in AEW, smashing his throne, and threatening to use the Pedigree before returning to WWE. Add to that Rhodes' co-founding of AEW, which became WWE's first real competition in two decades. And then remember that, when Sting finally agreed to sign with WWE after avoiding it for years, he was immediately booked to lose to Triple H in an effort to prove that the long-dead WCW was always inferior to WWE after all. With all that in mind, it's not a stretch to imagine either Triple H or Vince McMahon deciding that Reigns should retain. But while McMahon denies much involvement, Triple H insists he still holds the final say in creative matters. Why not take him at his word?

Regardless of whether Vince McMahon or Triple H was responsible for the booking of WrestleMania, it served as a stark reminder of the old WWE that fans thought they'd escaped when McMahon retired last year. For the second time in just a few months, WWE failed to capitalize on a crowd-supported babyface, instead feeding him to Roman Reigns. And now, Reigns could potentially hold the title for another year until the next WrestleMania. Who will he lose it to, then? The Rock? Who actually wants that in 2024? But who else is there? Perhaps Reigns will end up breaking Bruno Sammartino's record after all.

The sobering reality of a reinvigorated Vince McMahon, sporting a disastrous pitch-black dye job and an even worse Howard Hughes mustache, amassing even more wealth and power through a massive merger while WWE continues to spite its own fans seemingly, serves as a bleak reminder of the company's two decades of dominance following WCW's demise. But with Triple H entirely on board with McMahon's plans, this new style McMahon/Helmsley era could last even longer than that. It's deflating, isn't it? And it's this feeling that led to fans' jubilation when Cody Rhodes joined forces with The Elite and Tony Khan to start AEW. The end game may have always been for Cody to prove his worth and return to WWE as the company's top star. Unfortunately, his plan appears to have hit a brick wall. While Cody Rhodes may one day win the WWE title, it's hard to imagine it topping the missed opportunity of a WrestleMania victory last night.

With Endeavor and UFC entering the fray, WWE is poised for even greater global success and financial gain. The impact this will have on the wrestling product itself remains to be seen. But fortunately, at a particularly healthy time for the wrestling business, fans have more than one viable alternative to turn to.

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