Professional wrestling doesn’t get the credit it deserves for its ability to tell a story and WrestleMania XL should change that.

Whether it will is a different story, but this iteration of WWE’s biggest event capped off a fantastic story of Cody Rhodes’ championship pursuit, one that deserves to be discussed with some of the best stories in entertainment.

It might seem hyperbolic to suggest that a wrestling story even belongs in that conversation. Still, storytelling is the same regardless of the form and wrestling might not be the same as other scripted shows, but it tells a story just as well as any of them,

Every Good Story Needs Compelling Characters

First, let’s talk about the story, which officially started back on Jan. 1.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned to WWE and teases a match against his cousin, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Reigns, as a villain, has been champion for 3.5 years at this point.

Cody Rhodes, son of wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes, is still reeling from his loss to Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Ever since returning to WWE two years ago, he has wanted to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship because his father, who died in 2015, never held that one during his career.

Rhodes won the Royal Rumble, ensuring him a shot at any title at that year’s WrestleMania. He seemingly chooses a rematch with Reigns but a week later, seems to give that up to The Rock.

After a wave of Internet backlash, WWE seemingly altered course and has Rhodes crash the WrestleMania Press Conference, announcing he changed his mind and he will challenge Reigns.

This causes The Rock to turn heel (become a bad guy) and align with his cousin. The next few months feature an egomaniac Rock making Rhodes’ life a living hell, abusing his power as a TKO (WWE’s parent company) board member.

Rhodes overcomes the odds, including powerful pressure from The Rock, and defeats Reigns to win the title his father never held.

That was a short summary but this story was compelling from start to finish. This is largely because of the characters involved.

You had Reigns, the self-proclaimed Tribal Chief who hides his insecurities behind a veil of confidence. He knows he is the best but there’s that small nagging feeling of needing constant acknowledgement.

You had Rhodes, the clean cut underdog looking to win the title not for himself, but for his dead father. He wrestles with honor and trust, almost to a fault at times.

You had The Rock, the beloved villain who has a large ego as he thinks anything less than himself and Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania is beneath him. Not only is he ego-driven, he abuses his power to achieve his designs.

Those were the three main characters, but there was one more that deserves acknowledgement: Seth Rollins.

Rollins was the World Heavyweight Champion, but Rock and Reigns scoffed at his championship, referring to it as the lesser title. Reigns only defends his title a few times a year while Rollins has defended it a couple of time a month since winning it last year.

Rollins aligned himself with Rhodes, who he once feuded with, and was a key part to Reigns’ downfall, despite losing his championship in the process.

All of this culminated into this amazing story that kept you engaged from start to finish.

Wrestling Isn’t Your Traditional Scripted TV

This is the type of story you can find in some of the best forms of media. It’s Luke Skywalker overcoming all odds to destroy the Death Star. It’s Rocky rising from poverty to hang with Apollo Creed until the final bell.

You don’t have to look hard to find similar stories. What makes this one stand out is the manner in which it’s done.

Professional wrestling is athletic theater. It’s results are scripted, but what is done in the ring requires athleticism. Think of it as Broadway mixed with UFC.

Additionally, performances are often live or as-if live and in front of an audience. Most of the time, directors can’t stop production and reset. Wrestling perform with one take.

Third, wrestling lives within the real world and forces its audience to decide if what they’re watching is real or part of the show. This means wrestlers can go on talk shows, in character, and continue the show there as opposed to actors who leave the set are no longer on the job.

All of this went into the build to WrestleMania XL.

The Elements to The Rhodes-Reigns Saga

As I wrote previously, The Rock being a villain is extremely unique for a past superstar who returns. Without The Rock, this story doesn’t elevate to its lofty perch.

Sure, Reigns and Rhodes could’ve put on a quality build, but it is The Rock’s life outside of WWE that added a compelling layer to the story.

Focusing the wrestlers within the industry only goes so far because the audience understands that the two operate within a bubble. The Rock, however, has a successful life away from WWE so when he returns, you question if what he is doing is part of the show or not.

That unpredictability is what wrestling needs. The industry is at its best when the audience is questioning if what they’re watching is real or part of the script.

Of course, that’s not to say Reigns and Rhodes didn’t add their fair share to the narrative.

While the story officially began on Jan. 1, its elements date back decades.

For one, you have Dusty Rhodes’ legacy that he built in the 1980s. Then you have what The Rock did during the Attitude Era of the late ’90s. You also have Reigns’ Samoan legacy that dates back generations.

Both Rhodes and Reigns were with the company in the 2010s. Rollins also had an infamous moment of betrayal against Reigns in 2014 and that played a role in this story.

You have Rhodes returning to WWE in 2022 and immediately embarking on a rivalry with a heel Rollins. Then you have last year’s WrestleMania loss.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque is a huge wrestling fan and loves long-term storytelling. That was on full display throughout this story.

In-Ring Storytelling Truly Sets Pro Wrestling Apart

While all these elements lend themselves to cutting promos on the microphone, it’s not the full picture.

On top of this structure, wrestlers need to further their stories in the ring. This is more than just Reigns won last year so the story can now move ahead.

In-ring storytelling involves facial expressions, body language, the commentary, outside interference, and many other elements.

On the first night of WrestleMania XL, Rhodes teamed with Rollins in a tag team match against The Rock and Reigns.

If Rhodes and Rollins won, the main event would be free of outside interference, something the Reigns uses frequently to win. If Reigns and Rock won, the match would be contested under “Bloodline Rules” essentially meaning anything goes.

While the first night wasn’t under the anything-goes stipulation, The Rock turned it into that. At one point, the referee started to count out the competitors because they were outside the ring, but The Rock stopped it and threatened the ref’s job if he counted them out.

You could see the ref look apologetically at Rhodes and Rollins as he likely had a family to feed and followed The Rock’s directive. After all, economic times are tough and no one wants to lose a job.

You could see Rhodes and Rollins trying to figure out how they would overcome these odds and you could see the heels looking smug and confident.

All of this culminated in a match that left the audience feeling like Rhodes had insurmountable odds. We saw what Bloodline Rules would look like and Rhodes couldn’t beat it, how could he hope to do it the next night?

These little story beats help further a story and really showcase the acting abilities of the wrestlers. On top of all of these story beats, they still need to athletically perform.

In some cases as part of the story, a wrestler may get “injured” and then has to wrestle the match feigning a bad knee or shoulder. That takes a lot of skill, one that not many could do in a live setting.

Finishing the Story

After two years, Rhodes finally finished his story. WWE treated us to not only a fantastic build, but an excellent finale.

Not only did Reigns and Rhodes tear the house down in their performances, but there was a long list of cameos that all tied into Reigns’ story at some point. Those cameos included John Cena and The Undertaker.

Wrestling is not everyone’s cup of tea. We all have different interests and that’s ok. That said, it’s high time wrestling gets its dues when it comes to storytelling.

It’s not just the Reigns-Rhodes saga. It’s the the long lost brother Kane returning to exact revenge against his brother The Undertaker after seemingly dying at a young age.

It’s protégé Batista finally seeing his mentor Triple H in a new light and realizing he doesn’t have his best interests at heart. It’s a jealous Randy “Macho Man” Savage turning on his best friend Hulk Hogan because he’s worried his wife is too close to him.

Wrestling has had countless stories over its illustrious career, both simple and complex. There is still a place of less story and more athleticism, which is where All Elite Wrestling and many independent promotions operate.

That said, my preferences for this form of entertainment is a compelling story. At this point, no one does that better than WWE.

The company showed that during this year’s WrestleMania.

Featured Image: WWE (via The Today Show)

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