#1. WrestleMania XL Marked the Pinnacle of Triple H’s Creative Regime
WrestleMania 39 was the first Mania under Triple H’s creative regime, and it was a memorable show. However, HHH outdid himself the following year as he put together one of the most well-received and thrilling PLEs of all time.
It was a build filled with pivots and twists. CM Punk was supposed to battle for the World Heavyweight Championship, but he got himself injured in the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble match. The Rock returned for a colossal dream match with Roman Reigns. However, The Great One’s comeback coincided with the birth of CodyMania.
The WWE Universe wanted the Rumble winner, Rhodes, to finish his story by defeating Reigns. It was the only logical ending after the OTC retained the Unified WWE Universal Title the previous year. The fan backlash led to an iconic Kickoff show in February that saw The Rock slap Rhodes, and the American Nightmare choose Reigns as his opponent for Mania.
The Final Boss and the OTC ganged up to battle the unlikely duo of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, the only man suited to be his “Shield.” Luckily, the undercard was equally thrilling. Drew McIntyre had been clamoring for a World Championship opportunity, and he received that when he won the Men’s Elimination Chamber.
Although their match fell flat, twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso had many fans drowning in tears during the build to their match at Mania. Let’s not forget the father vs. son program between Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Dom had turned on his father and joined the Judgment Day.
However, Rey refused to put his hands on his son. Unfortunately, he was left with no choice when Dom’s antics grew unchecked, and he disrespected his mother on live TV. It was a great storyline that had legitimate emotion in the equation.
