TOP FIVE LIST (New Feature): The Top Five Things I’m Looking Forward to at WrestleMania this year

We are in the midst of the favorite time for so many pro wrestling fans as WrestleMania is right around the corner. Fans are ready for the payoffs we’ve been waiting to see, the next chapters in the stories of our beloved heroes and villains, and the moments that will live for a lifetime in replays, highlight packages, and documentaries. Today, I’m listing five things I’m looking forward to on this year’s WrestleMania.

This list also my opportunity to introduce myself, Chris Griffin, as the latest PWTorch contributor. In over three decades of watching, I’ve come to see pro wrestling as the purest of art form, I have learned that it won’t help my enjoyment of the product to get bogged down in negativity. Much like Abed from the series “Community” says: “I just like liking things.” We can all say what should happen, but we are fans. We are here to be taken on a journey. I’m buckled up and ready for the ride!

These are the top things that I am looking forward to. This is not meant to be definitive, nor is it everything worth being excited about, but my top five at this moment.

5. Main Event Jey Uso.

Gunther has become a true highlight every week in this feud. His brashness that can be backed up. Gunther reminds me of Walter (coincidentally) from “The Big Lebowski.” The Dude had to say, “You’re not wrong Walter, you’re just an asshole.” He is the villain who needs to be slain. He’s not the hero we want to be; that’s Jey. The guy who was never supposed to be a World Champion. He became, in Cody’s words, Undeniable. Very excited to see Jey and how this match elevates him into his moniker.

4. Charlotte vs. Tiffany.

Here I am saying that I’m looking for the positive in wrestling, but it’s hard to turn away from a good car crash. This is Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart taking shots. The type of stuff that I read “the sheets” for before there was an Internet. You rarely see it play out in front of the cameras for all to see, and it’s such a rare thing especially in the corporate environment WWE has looked to uphold for the last decade.

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3. Dominick Mysterio as IC Champion.

Give me a Honky Tonk Man run where he’s the new “greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time.” This kid I thought was simply going to live off of name value has exceeded every expectation of him since turning heel. When he goes back to babyface (and I hope we are talking five years minimum), Dirty Dom the ex-con is going to be a massive star.

2. The Pageantry of it All.

I have only had the chance to make it live in person to one WrestleMania. I attended both nights of WM38 in Dallas where Cody returned and Steve Austin had one last battle to show why he is the main event. What I really took in was how big it has all become. What I didn’t love about pro wrestling often had to do with Vince McMahon. I’ve always said that being a fan of wrestling, punk rock, and hip-hop, I’ve learned how to separate the art from the artist. While not a fan of Vince’s vision, I had to appreciate was that it worked. Sports Entertainment and the Superstars™️ of the WWE Universe worked. I saw fans from all over the world making Dallas, Tex. a destination for vacation to watch a wrestling show in person. A pop culture subculture is stronger and bigger than ever before and the vision of Vince McMahon was what got it there. Seeing the product rubbing shoulders with other sports superstars and Netflix stars, and that pro wrestling is everywhere on any platform you use for entertainment.

1. John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes

This is THE main event. Let’s stop to appreciate amongst all of the talk of global warming, at just how cold hell has become. Within two years fans saw the ousting of Vince McMahon, the return of C.M. Punk, and now a Cena heel turn! We could pick apart some of the build, but however you feel about it, prepare for something big. Triple H has proven to be a storyteller. I’m here for the story!