Breaking Down the Good, Bad and Ugly of WWE Heading into WrestleMania 2022

WrestleMania season is upon us. A week from Saturday, WWE will descend on Dallas to kick off its biggest event of the year at AT&T Stadium.

The venue hosted The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment in 2016 when the industry leader claimed to break an indoor attendance record with 101,763 present. On Apr. 2, WWE will return to the home of the Dallas Cowboys to present a two-night event.

Its centerpiece is a showdown billed as "The Biggest WrestleMania Match of All-Time," Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns. This Winner Takes All contest has been in the making since The Beast Incarnate returned at SummerSlam and it's set to unify the WWE and Universal Championship.

This is such a critical time for viewers because the marquee show usually acts as a culmination of many of the biggest plotlines of the following year. Even more, it's potentially the best time to bring lapsed fans back into the fold.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of WWE programming heading into WrestleMania 38.

The Good: The Potential for a Slew of WrestleMania Moments

WWE specializes in delivering unforgettable moments. One could argue that the company puts more emphasis on them than consistent and thoughtful storytelling, but it would be hard to dispute the results.

These landmark occasions and star-making performances have made WrestleMania such an engrossing event since its inception in 1985. The pursuit of many Superstars' lifelong dream to compete on The Grandest Stage of Them All has even become a recurring plot device.

This year's show has the potential to create several lasting memories, with Mike Johnson of PWInsider reporting that Cody Rhodes will return to WWE. Following a six-year odyssey to mold himself into one of the top stars in the industry, The American Nightmare will create headlines as the first wrestler to leave All Elite Wrestling to join its distinguished competition.

AT&T Stadium seems like a fitting destination for his reemergence because Rhodes took part in the ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship there at WrestleMania 32. It also fits the theme of the weekend, as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will answer Kevin Owens' challenge and possibly wrestle for the time since 2003.

Meanwhile, the 2022 women's Royal Rumble winner, Ronda Rousey, intends to reclaim her spot as the SmackDown women's champion. Bianca Belair hopes to avenge her loss to Becky Lynch and attain a second consecutive big win at The Showcase of the Immortals.

Naomi and Sasha Banks also have the chance to make history as the first Black duo to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Lastly, all eyes will be on Roman Reigns as he competes in the main event for the sixth time, giving him the third most appearances in the top spot on the card at 'Mania.

At the end of the weekend, we could see The Tribal Chief stand tall as the first man to hold both the WWE and Universal Championships concurrently.

The Bad: An Overreliance on Celebrity Guests and Nostalgia

Those significant moments could make this a WrestleMania to remember. However, it's a bit disappointing that WWE isn't taking advantage of its wealth of talented Superstars with two nights to work with.

Instead, the company is still relying on celebrities and nostalgia to sell tickets. Of course, that comes with the territory because the sports-entertainment juggernaut has historically called on big names like Bad Bunny, Rob Gronkowski, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Che and Colin Jost to add star power to the event.

Still, it seems glaringly different this year because the card for the show is so thin. WWE hasn't scheduled an Intercontinental or United States Championship match yet. Nevertheless, Pat McAfee, Logan Paul and Johnny Knoxville have been a focal part of both Raw and SmackDown for weeks.

The company's flagship series is three hours but its main title picture appears desolate. The WWE title is wrapped up in Lesnar and Reigns' storyline while there haven't been any attempts to build contenders back up since Elimination Chamber. That seems counterproductive when The Beast Incarnate has been on top for so long.

Isn't it a bit baffling that Austin, a man who retired in 2003, and Lesnar are projected to headline Nights 1 and 2 this year? It has been 20 years since the Division I prospect won King of the Ring and became the youngest WWE champion. Shouldn't there be an effort to prove someone else other than Reigns and Superstars from the Attitude Era can draw an audience?

This marketing technique to appease casual fans and gain mainstream attention is so shortsighted. It may have equated to massive pay-per-view buys and ticket sales in the past, but it makes the company's weekly programming seem inconsequential.

More to the point, there is no reason to believe this trend will ever change. When the roster is full of so many unproven commodities, WWE will always have to seek out the next big ratings boost outside of its talent pool. After all, fans are already hoping The Rock will return to face The Head of Table at WrestleMania 39.

The Ugly: Lazy and Dull Storylines Make For A Fairly Pedestrian WrestleMania Card

There are some great reasons to look forward to The Show of Shows, such as the first-time matchup between AJ Styles and Edge. However, there is a bit of apathy surrounding the event this year and it would be difficult to place the blame on the most recent addition of celebrities and WWE legends.

Honestly, it's hard to invest in a card full of matches that don't have interesting stakes or compelling stories. WWE has announced 11 bouts so far, and many of them aren't really WrestleMania-caliber matches.

Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin is the most obvious outlier. It's the payoff to a boring feud that should've ended weeks ago. Other examples like Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul seem like they were thrown together at the last minute.

The biggest offender of the company's lazy booking decisions has to be the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match. None of the teams challenging for these floundering titles have been together long enough for the fans to connect with them and there is no real story or rivalry. It feels like an obligatory spot on the card for a bunch of established stars and fan favorites that there weren't any other plans for.

Naomi and Banks' current iteration of Team BAD will probably have a great showing and achieve the last historic moment for the women's division. Still, it's hard to imagine many viewers will care about teams that they probably don't believe will last for the remainder of the year.

This doesn't necessarily mean WrestleMania 38 will be a bad show. WWE has delivered an entertaining night of wrestling under dire circumstances before, but the build for most of this year's event has been tepid. Hopefully, there may be enough big surprises and show-stopping performances to elevate this otherwise uninspiring card.