Traditionally wrestling’s attempt to fool the audience saw two possibilities - a work, when something is fake, and a shoot, when something is real. As fans smartened up to the realities of the quasi-sport in the 80s and 90s, worked shoots also proliferated, particularly in Vince Russo’s horrific WCW.
But even writing that feels like an assumption, because the last month of WWE programming has been filled with bizarre decisions, big moments immediately backtracked upon, years-long storylines being abandoned and above all else, drama. Roman Reigns wrestles Cody Rhodes for Undisputed WWE Universal Title during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium on April 02, 2023 in Inglewood, California. Poaching Rhodes from top rival promotion AEW kickstarted a renewed period of growth for WWE, gathering the momentum in the war and bringing back some lapsed fans who had grown frustrated with the company’s frustrating booking decisions and refusal to listen to the hardcores.
So while Rhodes stumbled at last year’s WrestleMania, losing to Reigns in the main event because the Bloodline cheated yet again - frustrating most fans, amid reports Reigns had pushed his weight around behind the scenes to ensure he remained champion - he regained his momentum in time for January’s Royal Rumble, which he won by last eliminating the returned CM Punk.
But, unless you did two singles matches, you couldn’t do both Rhodes vs Reigns and Rock vs Reigns at WrestleMania this year. And WWE had booked themselves into a position where they had the chance to do both; a pair of matches that each had their merits, the former what the most intense WWE fans wanted, and the latter the biggest match for mainstream attention purposes.
What it appears happened is The Rock realised how bad he was looking, and decided he had to turn heel, actually joining forces with Reigns at the Las Vegas ‘press conference’ that was really just a TV segment. So we wait to see what will happen over the next few days, and then in Perth, where the next chapter in the story will be told. Even without wrestling, Rhodes and Rollins’ next step taking place in Australia makes this the most important show the nation has arguably ever seen.
WWE returned in a big way in 2002, with the Global Warning Tour packing over 56,000 starved wrestling fans into what’s now called Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. This was effectively just a major house show, as while The Rock defended the WWE title against Triple H and Brock Lesnar in the main event - two weeks before losing it to Lesnar at SummerSlam - the card was only released on DVD in the States, rather than being shown on pay per view.