{"id":195852,"date":"2025-04-09T12:18:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T17:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=195852"},"modified":"2025-04-10T12:54:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T17:54:29","slug":"top-five-list-new-feature-the-top-five-things-im-looking-forward-to-at-wrestlemania-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/04\/09\/top-five-list-new-feature-the-top-five-things-im-looking-forward-to-at-wrestlemania-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"TOP FIVE LIST (New Feature): The Top Five Things I&#8217;m Looking Forward to at WrestleMania this year"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-87006305\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>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\u2019ve 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&#8217;m listing five things I&#8217;m looking forward to on this year&#8217;s WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p>This list also my opportunity to introduce myself, Chris Griffin, as the latest PWTorch contributor. In over three decades of watching, I&#8217;ve come to see pro wrestling as the purest of art form, I have learned that it won\u2019t help my enjoyment of the product to get bogged down in negativity. Much like Abed from the series &#8220;Community&#8221; says: \u201cI just like liking things.\u201d We can all say what should happen, but we are fans. We are here to be taken on a journey. I\u2019m buckled up and ready for the ride!<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>5. Main Event Jey Uso.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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 &#8220;The Big Lebowski.&#8221; The Dude had to say, \u201cYou\u2019re not wrong Walter, you\u2019re just an asshole.\u201d He is the villain who needs to be slain. He\u2019s not the hero we want to be; that\u2019s Jey. The guy who was never supposed to be a World Champion. He became, in Cody\u2019s words, Undeniable. Very excited to see Jey and how this match elevates him into his moniker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Charlotte vs. Tiffany.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here I am saying that I\u2019m looking for the positive in wrestling, but it\u2019s 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 \u201cthe sheets\u201d for before there was an Internet. You rarely see it play out in front of the cameras for all to see, and it\u2019s such a rare thing especially in the corporate environment WWE has looked to uphold for the last decade.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-772200518\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;PWTorch &#8217;90s Pastcast&#8221; with Patrick Moynahan and Alex McDonald, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/pwtorch-90s-pastcast-moynahan-mcdonald-discuss-pwtorch-newsletter-325-3-18-95-incl-big-changes-to-wwf-wcw-ppvs-tons-of-wwf-news--65221347\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=65221347&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>3. Dominick Mysterio as IC Champion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Give me a Honky Tonk Man run where he\u2019s the new &#8220;greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time.&#8221; 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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. The Pageantry of it All.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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\u2019t love about pro wrestling often had to do with Vince McMahon. I\u2019ve always said that being a fan of wrestling, punk rock, and hip-hop, I\u2019ve learned how to separate the art from the artist. While not a fan of Vince\u2019s vision, I had to appreciate was that it worked. Sports Entertainment and the Superstars\u2122\ufe0f 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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is THE main event. Let\u2019s 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\u2019m here for the story!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pro Wresling Then and Now - 1995 Royal Rumble\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vDTufmzuRfo?start=178&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3007258509\"><div id=\"pwtor-871693094\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>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\u2019ve been waiting to see, the next <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/04\/09\/top-five-list-new-feature-the-top-five-things-im-looking-forward-to-at-wrestlemania-this-year\/\" title=\"TOP FIVE LIST (New Feature): The Top Five Things I&#8217;m Looking Forward to at WrestleMania this year\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":195150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,52,27,4488],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","category-top-five-lists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-27-at-6.26.33\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195853,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195852\/revisions\/195853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}