{"id":196775,"date":"2025-04-25T16:43:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T21:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=196775"},"modified":"2025-04-25T16:45:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T21:45:33","slug":"i-lost-interest-in-wwe-and-aew-came-back-for-john-cenas-retirement-tour-and-heres-why-wrestlemania-41-turned-me-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/04\/25\/i-lost-interest-in-wwe-and-aew-came-back-for-john-cenas-retirement-tour-and-heres-why-wrestlemania-41-turned-me-off\/","title":{"rendered":"EDITORIAL: I lost interest in WWE and AEW, came back for John Cena&#8217;s retirement tour, and here&#8217;s why WrestleMania 41 turned me off"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1001001493\" 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>A little backstory: As a longtime wrestling fan, my fandom began when I watched John Cena wrestle Shawn Michaels in a one-hour classic on Raw. From that moment on, I was hooked\u2014and I\u2019ve been a huge fan of John Cena ever since. My interest in wrestling grew steadily, reaching a peak when Cena faced C.M. Punk at Money in the Bank 2011.<\/p>\n<p>After the second WrestleMania featuring Cena vs. The Rock, I began drifting away from wrestling as WWE\u2019s product started to decline. The only thing that kept me even slightly engaged was NXT and what Triple H was doing there.<\/p>\n<p>I returned to full-time fan status when AEW launched. I watched weekly and even started calling into the Wade Keller Post-Shows (I was &#8220;James in Clemson&#8221;). My favorite topic? Expressing my disappointment in the Young Bucks. But eventually, life changed\u2014and so did my opinion of AEW. I felt like I was wasting my Wednesdays on a booker who clearly had no idea how to build compelling stories. As a small business owner, I don\u2019t have time to waste.<\/p>\n<p>After stepping away from AEW, I now consider myself a casual fan. I catch clips on YouTube, tune in for big moments, and read PWTorch occasionally to stay up to date. Overall, though, I\u2019m pretty tuned out.<\/p>\n<p>That said, this year\u2019s WrestleMania piqued my interest. As a diehard John Cena fan, I immersed myself in three straight nights of wrestling. Unfortunately, my ultimate takeaway was disappointment and confusion. I won\u2019t be staying up for Raw any Monday night soon &#8211; and that\u2019s why I\u2019m writing this: to share a casual fan\u2019s view of why WWE dropped the ball this weekend.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Reason #1: The Outrageous Number of Commercials<\/h3>\n<p>I know it\u2019s been said before, but good lord\u2014those commercials were excessive. WWE might defend it by comparing WrestleMania to the Super Bowl, but here\u2019s the thing: Super Bowl commercials don\u2019t pull you out of the game.<\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t immerse myself in the event because of the constant ads. It felt like the show prioritized sponsorships over storytelling or wrestling.<\/p>\n<p>Worse yet, the commercials replaced video packages. As a casual fan, that left me feeling like I was watching random matches without any story. I listened to PWTorch pre-show and understand that committed fans were excited about the undercard, but from a YouTube viewer\u2019s perspective, I had no clue what any of the rivalries were about.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-578541289\" 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<p>This lack of context meant that matches other fans may have rated a 7 felt more like a 5 to me.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, you can buy the premium Peacock tier to see more video packages\u2014but I\u2019m barely watching as it is. I\u2019m not going to pay more just for WWE to do a better job. To me, WWE is making the same mistake AEW did: assuming their audience already knows everything and alienating the viewers they should be trying to keep.<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying this, but I hope WWE gives us more video packages in 2025.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Reason #2: It Wasn\u2019t as Good as Last Year<\/h3>\n<p>If there was ever a time WWE could have pulled me back in, it was last year. The main event then was phenomenal. Triple H was firing on all cylinders, booking at the level we saw during peak NXT Takeover.<\/p>\n<p>This year was the complete opposite. It undid all the goodwill WWE had built up.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings me to&#8230;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Reason #3: Poor Match Quality<\/h3>\n<p>A big part of the problem here goes back to the lack of backstory. But even without that, I thought a lot of the matches simply didn\u2019t deliver.<\/p>\n<p>Jey Uso had potential, but the match didn\u2019t land.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-192125267\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The IC Title Four-Way was decent, but I wasn\u2019t as invested in Dominik as the crowd was.<\/p>\n<p>The Triple Threat main event was the highlight of the weekend &#8211; but the lack of story dropped it from a 9 to a 7 in my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Randy Orton\u2019s match was one of the weekend\u2019s biggest letdowns. I was hoping his opponent would be Joe Hendry, and it didn\u2019t end well.<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte vs. Tiffany had strong physicality but wasn\u2019t particularly memorable.<\/p>\n<p>And that brings me to&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;Acknowledging WWE&#8221; with Javier Machado, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/acknowledging-wwe-machado-duncan-discuss-wm-41-s-sleeper-matches-vs-hyped-matches-the-gunther-vs-jey-finish-in-person-perspective--65717378\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\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=65717378&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Reason #4: The Main Event Was a Huge Disappointment<\/h3>\n<p>As a lifelong Cena fan, you can probably guess that the main event was my biggest draw to WrestleMania 41. It was the one match I had actual backstory on. And yet, I left feeling disappointed and underwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p>If there\u2019s one thing in wrestling that immediately turns me off, it\u2019s dumb referees. And this match had that in spades.<\/p>\n<p>Referees are there to maintain immersion. When they blatantly ignore rules to serve a storyline or a \u201ccool spot,\u201d it pulls me out. That\u2019s one of the biggest reasons I gave up on AEW &#8211; and it\u2019s unacceptable, especially in your main event.<\/p>\n<p>Then there was the Travis Scott appearance. When he showed up at Elimination Chamber, I assumed I had missed something. But when even Wade Keller, Todd Martin, and Rich Fann didn\u2019t know what was going on, I realized it wasn\u2019t just me. WWE never followed up. That whole element was completely unnecessary and could have been replaced with something more logical.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, Cody looked stupid in this match. Leading up to it, he was presented as a clever babyface &#8211; one of the smartest we\u2019ve seen in years. But in the match, he fell for every trick in the book and came off like a fool. As someone who\u2019s been high on Cody, it was tough to watch his title reign end that way.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Reason #5: The Raw After Mania<\/h3>\n<p>Of the three shows this weekend, Raw was the best, but it still had its flaws. My biggest issue? There were only three matches on a three-hour show. Yes, the content was decent, but it felt like another \u201cPaid-Promotion-athon.\u201d I walked away feeling like, once again, this isn\u2019t something I want to dedicate my Monday nights to.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019ll keep watching clips on YouTube, and I\u2019ll probably tune in for Backlash. But my main takeaway is that while WWE has made real improvements, it still has a long way to go.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, I\u2019d argue the company is in a bit of a storytelling decline compared to last year. My hope is that WWE regroups and starts making choices that invite casual fans in, rather than pushing us out. We need stories to connect with, week after week.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>(PWTorch invites guest editorials from readers. Send to <a href=\"mailto:kellerwade@gmail.com\">kellerwade@gmail.com<\/a> for consideration.)<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE Wrestlemania Night 1 Post-Show w\/ Brandon LeClair &amp; Greg Parks\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ljCRnOIj3KE?start=113&#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-526408931\"><div id=\"pwtor-3282192873\"><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>A little backstory: As a longtime wrestling fan, my fandom began when I watched John Cena wrestle Shawn Michaels in a one-hour classic on Raw. From that moment on, I was hooked\u2014and I\u2019ve been a <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/04\/25\/i-lost-interest-in-wwe-and-aew-came-back-for-john-cenas-retirement-tour-and-heres-why-wrestlemania-41-turned-me-off\/\" title=\"EDITORIAL: I lost interest in WWE and AEW, came back for John Cena&#8217;s retirement tour, and here&#8217;s why WrestleMania 41 turned me off\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":194839,"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":[52,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-196775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-guesteditorials"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-21-at-12.16.53\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196775","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=196775"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":196777,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196775\/revisions\/196777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}