Why WrestleMania 39 Will Be Better Than WrestleMania 38 (& Why It Won't Be)
James Rogers 
WrestleMania 39 is fast approaching, and on paper it is looking set to be quite a strong show. With major matches, strong storylines, and two nights of action, it will likely be a fun WrestleMania event - but will it be better than last year?
In 2022, WWE put forth quite a strong event with WrestleMania 38, though it did have its ups and downs. There are potential reasons as to why this year will both be better than last year and also worse than last year. Many of these reasons cover matchups, the positives and negatives from WrestleMania 38, and the possible booking directions that WWE will go in this year.
10 Will Be Better: Rhea Ripley’s Rise
Rhea Ripley is on fire at the moment, and her match against Charlotte Flair is among the most anticipated matchups on the whole card. After years of poor booking, Ripley looks to finally be ready to break out as a main event star and win the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Much like Bianca Belair’s star-making wins over the last two years, this could be Ripley’s coming out party, and it could contribute to WrestleMania 39 being superior to last year. Fans want to see Ripley win, and if WWE pulls the trigger, it will be a great moment.
9 Won’t Be Better: Brock Lesnar Vs. Omos
One of the most underwhelming announced matches for WrestleMania is Brock Lesnar vs. Omos, with fans even believing it to be a swerve at first due to how lackluster it sounds.
There are many wrestlers on the card who would benefit from a match with Lesnar, and it feels like Omos is not one of them at all. This could be a real sour point on the WrestleMania 39 card, as Omos has yet to have a truly entertaining match, and Lesnar works better with wrestlers smaller than him.
8 Will Be Better: Vince McMahon Versus Pat McAfee
WrestleMania 38 had some bad matches, and one of them was an abysmal bout between a decrepit Vince McMahon and Pat McAfee.
McMahon squashed McAfee after his match with Austin Theory, and it was truly hard to watch. Sure, it was nice seeing Steve Austin dish out some stunners after the match, but an officially sanctioned match arguably didn’t need to happen. WrestleMania 39 won’t have a Vince McMahon match, so it automatically gets a plus point for that.
7 Won’t Be Better: Likely Less Surprises
Last year saw some major surprises, most notably when Cody Rhodes made a triumphant return to WWE and when Steve Austin came out of retirement for one more match.
Aside from perhaps a debut from Jay White, there doesn’t seem to be much talk of any major surprises happening at this year’s WrestleMania. Of course, some things may be kept under wraps to ensure they’re an even bigger surprise, but fans are often able to have a pretty good guess
6 Will Be Better: Less Filler Matches
With the new creative direction of Triple H, WWE’s PPV cards have been shorter and more focused over the last few months, and that looks to be no different ahead of this year’s WrestleMania.
Matches such as Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin, The Usos vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs, and The Brawling Brutes vs. The New Day were all filler matches that served little purpose, but this year matches have better build and look to have earned the right to be on the WrestleMania card.
5 Won’t Be Better: No “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
One of the reasons why WrestleMania 38 was so much fun was due to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. His main event match with Kevin Owens was fantastic, and his cameo on Night Two was a wonderful moment.
RELATED: Why Brock Lesnar Should Win At WrestleMania 39 (& Why Omos Should)
Austin allegedly turned down pitches for a match this year, although if last year was any indication, he would have been able to have another solid match. It is a shame that fans won’t see him compete after the success of WrestleMania 38.
4 Will Be Better: Better Focus On Championships
The Tag Team Title picture is among the hottest programs heading into WrestleMania this year, and it looks like both the United States and Intercontinental Titles will be featured heavily in matches involving huge stars like John Cena, GUNTHER, and Drew McIntyre.
Last year, it was a mess. Both midcard titles didn’t even make it onto the card, which felt like a huge slap in the face to Finn Balor and Ricochet who were the respective champions. This year, titles feel so much more prestigious and important, and that will undoubtedly improve the card.
3 Won’t Be Better: Less Variety
WrestleMania 38 was strong for its variety. For instance, celebrity involvement from the likes of Logan Paul was a hit, Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville was one of the most fun matches in WrestleMania history, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory was a nice feature match too.
Additionally, bigger matches such as Bianca Belair against Becky Lynch and Cody Rhodes against Seth Rollins delivered, not to mention the two polar opposite main events of either night. It feels like this year will have less variety to it based on the prospective card, which could make it worse than last year.
2 Will Be Better: More Interesting Main Event
Last year, fans weren’t overly enthralled with seeing yet another Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar main event, especially with a predictable result. This year, the main event is far more intriguing.
RELATED: 10 Best Matches WWE Fans Should Watch To Prepare For Cody Rhodes Vs Roman Reigns At WrestleMania 39
A new name main eventer in Cody Rhodes has found himself in the top spot, the match will undoubtedly be of a higher quality, and the result is far more unpredictable, meaning that the headliner will probably deliver more than Reigns/Lesnar.
1 Won’t Be Better: Higher Expectations
Fans weren’t too excited for the WrestleMania 38 card last year due to many predictable matches and filler. However, it exceeded all expectations which led to fans enjoying it a lot.
With Triple H’s strong booking and the potential for many big names and matches on the card, it feels as though there are far higher expectations this year, which may not entirely work in its favor. Higher expectations means more room for failure.
