WWE Second-Guessing WrestleMania Plans Despite Strong Business

WWE is heading into WrestleMania season with major storylines in motion, but one longtime wrestling journalist believes the company may be overthinking its creative decisions.

During a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer weighed in on the current direction surrounding Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, and Jacob Fatu. While WWE’s business metrics remain strong, Meltzer suggested the company is reacting as if it is facing pressure behind the scenes.

According to Meltzer, WWE may be drifting away from riskier creative choices because of concerns surrounding WrestleMania ticket momentum and public perception. He explained that the situation reminds him of previous eras in WWE when leadership began changing plans because they believed business was slipping.

“And I think that the feel is that that’s been done too many times. They could have done Cody and Jacob. It’s two babyfaces. They could have done Cody and Randy Orton. And this is what I think happened when it comes to this decision-making. One of the things that happens when you’re feeling the heat… this is what it reminds me of.”

Meltzer then pointed to a historical example from the late 1990s, when Vince McMahon altered the planned WrestleMania main event due to concerns about the company’s direction at the time.

“They were getting beat in the ratings and they were not doing well… Vince second-guessing Bret and business isn’t so good. And because business isn’t so good, Vince does what he does when business isn’t good — he blames that the guys are too small on top. So we need big guys. So we switched to Undertaker and Sid.”

In Meltzer’s view, WWE may be operating with a similar mindset today — even though the company is currently performing well from a financial standpoint. He believes the debate over WrestleMania ticket sales may be influencing creative decisions more than fans realize.

“In this situation, business is great, as we all know. But they are booking and reacting like business is struggling, I would say.”

“The WrestleMania advance is the one that everyone points to… but it’s not the booking because these tickets were slow before we had any booking.”

Because of that pressure, Meltzer suggested WWE may be leaning toward safer matchups rather than trying something new at the top of the card.

“When you’re second-guessing yourself and your choice is Randy Orton and Jacob Fatu, you’re not going to go with the risk — you’re going to go with the one that’s stable, and that’s Randy Orton, the established guy.”

Meltzer also pointed out that a match involving Jacob Fatu could have potentially elevated a new main-event star, though WWE appears to be prioritizing reliability over experimentation this year.

“You could argue if they went with Jacob they could make a new young star on the top and everything like that. Maybe even be a better match. Maybe not. It’s different styles… but anyway that’s where it ends up. It looks like it’s Randy Orton in the spot.”

With WrestleMania drawing closer, WWE’s final direction for the main event scene will soon become clearer. Whether the company ultimately sticks with the safer option or pivots again could shape the biggest show of the year.

Do you think WWE is playing it safe by leaning toward Randy Orton, or should the company take a bigger risk with someone like Jacob Fatu in the WrestleMania spotlight? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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