WrestleMania is upon us and it’s like no other. The build is strangely nuanced. Banks vs Bel Air is set to be a smash, but should it be the Main Event? Many fans may wonder why it still comes out crap in their opinion but what they’re missing is WWE is trying to rethink itself.
Circumstances have simply given them no choice. And so, we are at perhaps one of the more experimental WrestleMania’s ever and still, the Women are getting undersold. The Women’s Tag Team Match has yet to be booked and it’s unlikely any of the female-led matches will main event. Does this indicate that WWE is refusing to wake up? Not exactly.
One of the more highly anticipated matches, regardless of gender identification, is Sasha Banks vs. Bianca BelAir. Banks being the ultimate “Boss” and BelAir the “-E-S-T”, this match is destined to be straight fire, right? Well, it will probably be a solid match but conditions are not ideal for live performance.
With WWE looking to introduce “pods” and perhaps cardboard cutouts to make up the audience, this is a good time to play more with cinematic aspects. More action is being held backstage or is pre-taped just to accommodate what’s going on. It makes sense. Since the audience isn’t there, they have to entertain as if the audience isn’t there. They have to operate more like a typical TV show. The screens showing fans watching is really just a TV watch party. We can all attest that though fun, it’s not the same thing.
On top of that, we all know that many wrestlers aren’t the best actors, bless their hearts. That limits the extent of what exactly WWE can do. Moreover, it’s hard to expect the entire roster to be able to adapt right from the get-go. If it doesn’t come naturally, they have to learn. Banks and BelAir have been fine during their segments but it’s hard to say it’s must-see TV. Most fans would rather just see them fight.
Moreover, the bulk of their feud was centred on Reginald which doesn’t exactly make for the juiciest lead-up to a throw-down. They’re bent out of shape because some guy they barely know is hanging around? An argument can be made that this is a bit sexist. Why is either one thinking about Reginald? Do they plan to team up again to take on Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax? Compared to the other would-be main events, Drew McIntyre has the bullseye on his back which puts his head on a swivel. Roman Reigns and Edge have lost their minds so we watch to see how Daniel Bryan keeps his. Story-wise, those angles are just more interesting.
Sasha Banks and Bianca BelAir don’t have the best set-up going into WrestleMania yet, they have every right to hold out for it. So, this time around, the goal should be to show us the precursor of banger matches to come, regardless of where they end up on the card this year. They have the potential to take match of the night but with the weak set-up, it’s difficult to get on that track.
Given all of this, one can deduce that Banks and BelAir do have main event star power but circumstances may not allow them to showcase that. Besides, they should want the magic to happen in front of a live, full-capacity audience. What we have to look forward to maybe at a third of the usual capacity at best? They should aim to make this the start of greater things to come. In that case, this year’s WrestleMania might be the best place to experiment. We’ll see if they use this test kitchen to make something fit enough for the market.