WWE WrestleMania 36 Review (4/4 & 4/5/2020).
What's the most unique WrestleMania you've seen? Is it WrestleMania 2, which took place across three venues in one night? Or maybe it's WrestleMania 9, which was the first one to take place outdoors, and is also utter dogshit. Perhaps it's WrestleMania XIX, which took place at a baseball field instead of a major stadium.
Or, maybe, it's the WrestleMania that took place with no fans?
In 2020, COVID-19 rocked the world, and essentially shut everything down. People were dying left and right, many were sick, and a lot of people were forced to stay home - except for me, who works in retail. My mental illness definitely spiked during all of this!
The timing of the pandemic couldn't have been worse for WWE, as it kicked off mere weeks before WrestleMania 36, their biggest show of the year. So many fans were left wondering: will WrestleMania be canceled?
Turns out, literally a plague can't stop pro wrestling. WWE moved all of it's programming to the Performance Center, and Matches were held in front of empty chairs. AEW moved their operations to Daily's Place in Jacksonville, and their audience was made up of the roster itsit's. Impact Wrestling held shows in a closed off building, and Japanese wrestling began holding shows in front of crowds who were not permitted to make any noise.
Needless to say, 2020 was a weird time for Wrestling. One of the key aspects of Wrestling is crowd involvement, and now that didn't exist for the moment. How on earth would a form of entertainment based on reactions carry on in desperate times?
Turns out, fairly well for the most part. In Japan, there was some genuinely great wrestling happening in front of "clap crowds," and I'm in the minority in saying I didn't mind listening to clapping for 2 years. Impact saw further resurgence in it's quality throughout the year, and AEW arguably had the best year of their short life span while stuck in Daily's Place.
WWE ended up turning a new leaf once the Thunderdome concept was introduced right before SummerSlam. The added visuals of lights and the bigger venue made things feel somewhat normal, and it gave the company a lot of creative freedom for a bit.
Of course, that was in August, and this was April. WWE in the Performance Center era of 2020 is generally considered to be weird. Not bad, per say, but just flat out weird. They went, I believe, two months without any kind of ringside noise, until they started adding wrestlers in as fans.
And this WrestleMania had no one at ringside, aside from commentary and the camera people. The fact that this was the biggest show of the year was crazy at the time. The show was originally scheduled to take place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, but due to the pandemic, that was instantly off the table. The Performance Center was the only option. There was no pomp, no glitz, and no glamour. It was basically a normal event, under the banner of WrestleMania. As far as visuals go, the event hadn't felt this small since the first one in 1985.
So, what about the actual show? Well, it's funny that I get to look back on this show almost five years later, because around the time of this event, I had just begun my "anti-WWE" attitude. Weeks before, Goldberg had beaten Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title, and I simply said "fuck this stupid bullshit booking."
Truthfully, I was having a hard time with WWE since sometime after WrestleMania 35. Up to that point, I could find something about the product to enjoy, but once that event passed, everything just seemed so half assed to me.
Plus, the combination of AEW forming in May 2019, plus my new found Fandom for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and WWE was becoming less and less important to me. Goldberg beating Wyatt was the last straw, and for the first time since WrestleMania XX, I didn't watch WrestleMania when it aired.
So, truthfully, I don't know a ton about this event coming into this review. I know Edge had just come back from retirement, and I did keep up with that. John Cena and Bray Wyatt were going to have a match where no one knew what the stipulation was. Undertaker was back as the American Badass. And the NXT Women's Championship was defended at WrestleMania for the first and only time.
I also know there was a lot of changes to this card coming in due to COVID, the biggest arguably being the absence of Roman Reigns. The only sensible reason for Goldberg beating Wyatt is so that he could face Roman for the Universal Title, and get Roman over with a big win. I personally think Roman would've benefitted more from beating Bray, easily the hottest wrestler in the company at the time, instead of beating a guy who doesn't Wrestle actively, but that's me.
Well, after getting the title to Goldberg for this big match, COVID happened, and Roman made the decision to stay home, due to his cancer history. A wise choice, and one I respect. In fact, the face off between the two before Roman stepped away is the final on air segment before Roman transitioned into the Tribal Chief.
On top of that, the Firefly Funhouse Match between Cena and Wyatt, along with the Boneyard Match between Undertaker and AJ Styles, had little explained beforehand, which hinted that WWE may go the Cinematic route. So, yeah, this WrestleMania came together, through hell and high water, to create perhaps the most unique big time event in WWE history.
We as a society have moved past COVID for the most part, so hopefully, this will be the only time that WrestleMania is held in a training center with no fans. If so, then it will retain the aura that surrounds it. With all of that, let's get to WrestleMania 36, which was too big for just one night!
Oh, did I forget to mention that? This was the first two night WrestleMania in history.
Night 1 (4/4/2020).
We begin with a video package by Stephanie McMahon. She talks about how every year, WrestleMania is in a large stadium with 80,000 fans, but this year, thatâs not the case due to whatâs going on. They donât specifically call it COVID, but they just allude to the events taking place around the world without mentioning it by name. We go from that to a video montage of past performances of âAmerica the Beautiful.â This was a neat way to incorporate this into the show, since they couldnât have someone actually there to sing.
The montage features the likes of Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, and Aretha Franklin. It also featured the Boys Choir of Harlem, who sang it at WrestleMania XX, and I always really liked their rendition of it.
From there, we cut to the opening video package centered around the biggest matches of the weekend. It retains the original pirate theme that this show was to have. It ends with AC/DCâs classic âFor Those About to Rock,â which is one of the few Brian Johnson tracks to truly stand the test of time. Sorry, Iâm a Bon Scott guy through and through. This video only shows the interactions between everyone before being moved to the Performance Center, and also includes Roman Reigns. Iâd say they filmed this way before COVID.
We cut to the Performance Center, and hereâs Rob Gronkowski, the host of this yearâs show, along with his pal Mojo Rawley. I forgot about Gronk being here, and I forgot about how he was briefly signed to WWE for a minute.
- WWE Womenâs Tag Team Championship: Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) © vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross.
The champions have that horrible CGI graphic for their intro, which I now remember was a common theme around this time.
The bell sounds, and we have Asuka starting things out with Bliss. Asuka fakes her out, and makes the tag to Kairi. She shoves Bliss, and then pokes fun at her bow. Bliss grabs her head, and gives her a noogie. She makes the tag to Cross, who hits a basement dropkick for a 2 count. She gets on Kairiâs back, looking for a sleeper hold, but hereâs Asuka with the tag, and she goes on the attack with multiple stomps in the corner.
Snap mare, and a hard kick to the spine is followed. Asuka grabs Crossâ hair, and taunts her. Bliss makes the tag, unbeknownst to Kairi. Cross lands several forearms to Kairi on the apron, and now Bliss lands a baseball slide, sending her to the floor. Bliss with a cannonball off the apron to her next, and Cross hits a crossbody on Kairi. Bliss brings Asuka back into the ring, and gets a nearfall. She makes the tag, and here comes Cross. Nice double team offense on Asukaâs arm, and the co champion lands an elbow to the head as a result.
Kairi tags in, and Cross quickly throws her to the outside. The champions quickly double team Cross, but Bliss breaks it up by sending Asuka into the barricade. Nice head scissors off the apron by Kairi to Cross, and a kick to the head by Asuka. Back in the ring, Asuka stomps on Crossâ back, and then quickly taunts Bliss. Kairi tags back in, and they double team Cross with kicks to the back. Cross nearly catches Kairi with a sunset flip for a 2 count.
She creates separation, and tags in Bliss. Sheâs a house of fire on Kairi, taking her down with multiple strikes. She goes for a clothesline in the corner, and Kairi avoids it. She elbows her in the head, and hereâs Asuka with a distraction. Kairi takes advantage of it and hits a double stomp from the top rope to the hanging Bliss, and it only gets her a 2 count. Kairi with a few kicks to the midsection, followed by a sliding forearm to the face. She hooks the leg, and Bliss kicks out.
Asuka makes the tag, and drives her boot into Blissâ face. She brings her to the middle of the ring, and hooks the arm behind her back for a submission. She follows up by driving her knee into the back of the head, and Kairi hangs her off the middle rope. Cross is itching to get back into this match. Asuka with a running hip attack in the corner. She goes for a bulldog, but Bliss is able to slip free. She eats a knee right to the face, and kicks out of the pin attempt. Asuka sends her into the corner, and Bliss blocks her hip attack and spinning back fist. Both are down momentarily, and here comes Kairi and Cross with tags. Cross is hyped, as she squashes Kairi in the corner, and follows with a bulldog. Cross comes off the top rope with a crossbody, and Kairi is able to kick out.
Kairi rakes the eyes for the upper hand. Asuka makes the tag, and she unloads with a lot of slaps to the head. Swinging neckbreaker by Cross, and Kairi with the InSane elbow to break up the pin attempt. Roll up by Cross is blocked by the Asuka Lock submission. Bliss comes off the top rope with Twisted Bliss to break up the submission. Kairi takes Bliss out right after with a spear, and now all four women are down and out.
Codebreaker by Asuka, and Kairi looks for the InSane elbow on Cross. The challenger is up, and meets her on the top rope. Asuka comes up as well, and she and Kairi hit a sunset flip powerbomb/forearm combo, and Cross still gets her shoulder up! Kairi knocks Bliss off the apron, and then nearly runs into Asuka. Cross avoids the spinning back fist, and hits the spinning neckbreaker to Kairi. Bliss tags in, and hits Twisted Bliss. She covers, and thatâs enough for the win! Bliss and Cross are the new Womenâs Tag Team Champions!
That was a great opening match. Cross was the star, and she displayed great character work throughout. Bliss was no slouch either, but she definitely took a backseat here for much of this. Asuka and Kairi had great tag team psychology throughout, with the multiple tags and double team offense. I did think they were a little too cartoony at times, but it is what it is. Good match overall.
Backstage, we get some interview time with The Artist Collective - Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. Zayn talks about things that seem inevitable, but end up being false. Zayn says heâs got a plan, and heâs going to walk in as Intercontinental Champion, and walk out as champion when he defeats Daniel Bryan.
- King Corbin vs. Elias.
Ah yes. King Corbin. Listen, I love Baron Corbin. Heâs better than most people give him credit for, and he fit really well into his role in WWE at times. King characters, however, are so fucking cringe. These two have had a brief feud recently, with Corbin attacking Elias during one of his concerts on Smackdown, and then knocking him off of a balcony.
Despite landing on concrete, Elias is here to wrestle, and he attacks Corbin with his guitar, breaking it across his back. He sends Corbin into the steel steps, and gives him a chop. They get into the ring, and the match officially starts. Elias with a running right hand in the corner. He kicks him low, and lands a back elbow to the head. That gets him a nearfall. Elias stands all of his weight on Corbinâs chest, and then hits a neckbreaker. That also gets him a nearfall.
Another big chop lands to Corbin, but the King flapjacks Elias to the outside. He makes it back inside, only for Corbin to send him shoulder first into the ring post. Corbin with some strikes to the midsection, followed by an irish whip. Corbin slides out of the ring, and lands a clothesline back in the ring for 2. He drives his elbow repeatedly into the injured shoulder of Elias, and then demands that Michael Cole and JBL on commentary tell everyone how good he is.
Another hard shoulder shot into the ring post, and Corbin looks very satisfied. He covers, and Elias kicks out. Corbin argues with the referee, and she puts him in his place. Elias reverses Corbin, and sends him into the ring post! Both men are down, selling the effects. Elias is back up, and lands a clothesline to Corbin. He lands multiple hard strikes to the head, followed by some boots to the jaw. Elias with a Cross Rhodes of sorts, and Corbin kicks out.
Corbin avoids a top rope move, and lands the Deep Six on Elias for a nearfall. His Deep Six always looks so impressive. Elias hits a huge knee to the face out of nowhere, and Corbin kicks out. Corbin rolls Elias up and tries to use the ropes for advantage, but he gets caught by the ref. Corbin argues with her, and Elias takes advantage with a roll up of his own. He uses the tights, and that gives him the win. Fair play. That match was whatever.
- Raw Womenâs Championship: Becky Lynch © vs. Shayna Baszler.
Baszler made her main roster debut during the Womenâs Royal Rumble Match, and was so dominant throughout that she nearly won the whole thing. She ended up having an even more dominant performance in the Elimination Chamber Match to earn this shot against Becky, whoâs held the Raw Womenâs Title since WrestleMania 35. At one point, Shayna bit at Beckyâs neck like a vampire, and I remember a small group of the fanbase online at the time believed that Shaynaâs character would go from a dangerous cage fighter to a vampire queen.
Becky arrives for this match in an eighteen wheeler with âThe Manâ plastered on the front.
The bell sounds, and we are under way. They quickly throw strikes at each other, until Shayna lands a nice kick to the leg to stun Becky. They roll to the outside, and Shayna kicks her leg again. She sends Becky face first into the apron, and then goes for a powerbomb, but Becky counters into a head scissors. Becky slams Shaynaâs face off the announce table, and follows up by sending Shayna into the steel steps.
In the ring, Becky hits a shotgun dropkick, Toyota style. Running elbow in the corner follows, and now Becky unloads with stomps to the midsection. Nice spinning back kick to the gut. Shayna tries to elbow her way free, and she ends up slamming her knee right into Beckyâs face. Shayna looks for a Cutter, and Becky counters with the Dis-Arm-Her. Shayna nails a takedown, and a double hook cutter. She makes the cover, and Becky kicks out.
Becky blocks another knee to the face, and lands a kick to Shaynaâs chest. They fight on the apron, with Shayna unloading with multiple elbows to the face. Becky hits a Rock Bottom to Shayna on the apron, and rolls her back into the ring. Becky covers, and Shayna is able to get her shoulder up. Becky goes to the top rope, but Shayna cuts her off, and sends her flying to the mat back first. Shayna goes into an arm bar submission now. Becky tries to slip free, and Shayna turns it into the Dis-Arm-Her!
Becky gets out of it, and eats a hard knee to the face. She rolls to the apron, and Shayna gets flapjacked off the top rope. Becky with the Dis-Arm-Her om the ropes, and Shayna counters it into the Sleeper Hold. She follows Becky to the floor, and swings her head first into the announce table. She grabs her by the hair, and tosses her back into the ring. Becky quickly tries for the submission again, but Shayna grabs her and locks in the sleeper hold. Becky pulls a Bret Hart and turns it into a roll up for the 3 to win and retain the championship.
That was a pretty good match condensed into an eight minute fight. Shayna dominated a lot of this, but Becky played a great resilient babyface. It was a smart throwback to Bret Hart beating Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 8 in the way that Becky retained here. It probably couldâve been better, but for what they did, it wasnât bad.
Oh yeah, one more thing: Becky Lynch was pregnant during this match. She would vacate the Raw Womenâs Title in May, and not return to action until August of 2021. With this match, sheâs the first wrestler to wrestle at WrestleMania while pregnant. What a fucking badass.
- Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn © vs. Daniel Bryan.
On paper, this should be good.
Bryan is accompanied to the ring by Drew Gulak, and boy, has that aged like sour milk. Gronk and Mojo are watching from their balcony, and they look like dorks. Hey, is that Drake Wuertz, that dumbass referee who believes Qanon shit? What an idiot.
The bell sounds, and here we go. Seeing Shinsuke Nakamura at ringside as just a dude is wild. The King of Strong Style always deserves better! Bryan approaches Zayn, and he quickly powders to ringside. Zayn returns to the ring, and quickly powders again. He wants nothing to do with Daniel Bryan. Zayn is back in the ring, and as soon as Bryan goes to launch on him, Zayn powders. Cesaro cuts Bryan off from chasing after him, until Bryan takes a different route.
Zayn runs off again, and now Nakamura cuts him off. Theyâre in the ring again, and Zayn runs off once more. Gulak takes Cesaro and Nakamura out from the top rope, and now Bryan invites Zayn back into the ring. Zayn opts for a countout, and Bryan finally catches him on the ramp, and brings him back inside. Zayn tries to beg off, but Bryan isnât having any of it. He takes Zayn down, and hits him right on the head with an elbow.
He grabs Zaynâs foot, and gives him a nice stiff kick. Bryan sends him to the floor, then hits a nasty looking Tope. More hard kicks to the chest, and now both men return to the ring. Bryan with a shotgun dropkick, Toyota style, and he kips himself up. He drags Zayn to the middle of the ring, and pulls on the nostrils. Bryan lands some clubbing blows to the face, followed by some kicks to the chest in the corner.
A running dropkick connects, and now Bryan is driving his knee into the face repeatedly. Zayn finally strikes back with a back elbow to the head. Big clothesline off the ropes by the champion. Zayn slaps him repeatedly, and Bryan slowly returns to his feet. He hits a diving forearm, and follows with his Yes kicks to the chest, and one to the head. He grabs Zaynâs arms and stomps on his chest repeatedly. Gulak tries to cheer Bryan on, but Cesaro and Nakamura send him into the steel steps.
Bryan hits a Tope onto them, and then dives off the top rope to Zayn, who catches him with a Helluva Kick to win and retain the championship. I get the story that they were trying to tell here, but I wouldâve much rather just seen them have a great back and forth wrestling match. That wasnât this, but it was fine.
- Triple Threat Ladder Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships: John Morrison © vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Kofi Kingston.
This was supposed to be a normal Three Team Ladder Match, with The Usos, The New Day and the champions of John Morrison & The Miz, but The Miz ended up getting sick and he got pulled from the match as a precaution in case it was COVID. So, now we have a standard triple threat match for tag titles. Despite how dumb this sounds on paper, Iâve heard this was among the best matches of the entire weekend.
I appreciate that they did the slow motion part of Morrisonâs entrance. I also forgot that he resigned with WWE in 2019.
The bell sounds, and here we go. Morrison avoids a kick from Uso, and both men avoid an attack from Kofi. We have a stalemate early on. All three men go to the outside to grab some ladders. Uso and Kofi got two big ladders, while Morrison got a normal size one. They each climb, and fight for control. Uso gets knocked off the ladder, hitting the ropes on the way down. He grabs his leg in pain, as Kofi hits a crossbody off the ladder to Uso.
Morrison makes the climb back up, and Kofi pulls him off. They fight for a moment, and Morrison takes him out with a knee to the face. He kicks Uso right in the midsection, and goes for a ladder. Kofi tries for SOS on Morrison to the ladder, and the champion escapes. Uso makes his way up the ladder, and Kofi rushes to meet him up there. Kofi knocks him to the mat, and as he tries to grab the titles, Morrison is back up, and he grabs his wrist.
He knocks Kofi down, and tries to position his ladder close to the titles. Uso grabs his leg, and pulls him down. They throw strikes back and forth, and hereâs Kofi, who springboards off the ropes through a ladder and onto both men, but they catch him and send him to the outside. Uso throws the ladder at Morrison, and he slips through the rungs, and pokes Usoâs eye. Morrison grabs the ladder and smashes it against Usoâs bad leg.
With the ladder sitting across the middle rope, Uso places Morrison on the top rope. Uso stands on the ladder, and tries for a suplex. Morrison fights it off, and places him on the ladder. Morrison stands atop the ring post and hits a corkscrew moonsault onto Uso on the ladder. Thatâs one of the coolest spots Iâve ever seen. With the challengers cleared out, Morrison sets the ladder up, and makes his slow ascent to the top.
Kofi springboards off the ropes and lands on Morrison, hitting him with a hurricanrana off the ladder! Kofi sets the ladder up, and starts his climb, but hereâs Uso to cut him off. Kofi knocks him off the apron, and then lands a dive onto Morrison on the outside. Uso balances himself on the barricade and goes to walk it, but Kofi just throws a fucking ladder at him, and Iâm pretty sure part of it hits his bad leg. Kofi grabs the big ladder and places it along the apron and the barricade.
He smashes Usoâs face onto it, and then lays him across it. Morrison goes to the top rope, and Kofi cuts him off quickly. Kofi now scales the top rope, but hereâs Morrison, who walks the top rope to reach Kofi, and then hit a Spanish Fly into the ring! Uso is on the top rope, and he hits the Uso Splash onto Morrison! Kofiâs leg hit part of the ladder on the way down. Uso climbs the ladder, and Kofi is right on his back quite literally to cut him off.
Uso knocks him down, and continues his ascent. Kofi starts climbing up from the inside of the ladder, and punches Uso off. He switches his way around to the normal side of the ladder, and he has his hands on the titles! Morrison is there too, and he tries to reach for the championship. Kofi knocks him down, and then lands a double stomp from the ladder to a standing Morrison! Uso brings a big ladder in, and it gets bridged onto the already standing ladder.
Uso takes Kofi and whips him face first into the bridged ladder. It looked stiff. Morrison leaps off of it, and lands into a superkick from Uso. He grabs a ladder, and makes the climb up. Morrison pushes the ladder over, and Uso tumbles onto the floor. Thanks to the magic of camera work, I bet Uso was a lot safer than it looked. The power of taping WrestleMania in advance! Morrison scales the ladder once again, but hereâs Kofi once again!
They fight for control on the top, but Uso is back up again, and he has his own ladder set up. All three men lobby for control, and at one point, all three men have their hands on the championship. The rung gets unhooked, but all three men have their hands on it. They knock Morrison off the ladder, and he lands on the bridged ladder â and he has both championships unhooked on the way down! Morrison and Miz retains the championships.
Itâs certainly a choice to have these guys do a death defying match on a show with no live audience. That said, this was really fun. It had a lot of creative spots, and all three men worked really hard to put on a show. Uso worked through the pain of his leg and was arguably the star of the match, in my opinion. There was little down time to set up spots, which I liked, because thatâs something I hate in most modern ladder matches. Good work all around, and the sacrifices have to be appreciated, considering the environment they did it in.
This is, of course, the match where Jimmy Uso blew out his knee, and missed well over a year of action. When heâd return, heâd join his brother Jey in the Bloodline, which depending on who you ask, is âcinema.â Donât ask me, though.
- Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins.
After months of back and forth brawling between these two men and their allies, theyâll finally settle the score. Rollins has developed a bit of a messiah in recent months, but Owens thinks heâs just an insufferable prick. Rollins believes that he has the advantage coming into this, due to the countless WrestleMania moments that he has, and Owens is looking to establish his own Mania moment.
Straight up, Rollins look like Jesus in his entrance. Thatâs crazy. Owens, staying true to the gimmick, has a âKO Mania IVâ shirt, in honor of this being his fourth WrestleMania.
The bell sounds, and Owens rushes at Rollins. Rollins takes a cheap shot at Owens, and then powders to the outside. They brawl around ringside, with Owens throwing Rollins into the barricade. Owens barely avoids the Stomp, and punches his way back into the ring. He attacks Rollins in the corner, then drops him with a punch, and squashes him with a couple of sentons. He teases a Cannonball, but Rollins powders outside again.
Owens is quick to give chase, and he tosses him into the barricade once again. They go to the apron, and Owens looks for a piledriver. Rollins counters with a back body drop, and Owens crashes on the hardest part of the ring. Rollins follows up with a Falcon Arrow on the apron! Owens clutches at his knee, which landed kind of awkwardly. Rollins returns to the ring, then hits a Tope to Owens, which sends him crashing into the barricade.
Owens slowly returns to his feet, and Rollins just hits a second Tope to him to keep him down. Rollins taunts him, and asks him what his kids will think of his latest failure. Owens rushes at him, and walks into a Sling Blade, Tanahashi style. He goes for the Stomp again, and Owens avoids it. He spikes him with a DDT. Rollins misses a dive in the corner, and Owens hits a superkick and a cannonball splash in the corner.
He goes to the top rope, and hits the Senton Bomb. He covers, and Rollins is able to kick out. They reverse moves back and forth for a moment, until Rollins kicks Owens into the ropes, and Owens comes off the ropes with a rebound lariat, ala Jon Moxley. They go to the top rope, and lobby for control. Owens goes for a suplex, but Rollins is able to slip free and hit a sunset flip, into the Buckle Bomb. Superkick by Rollins, and another! Rollins goes for the Stomp, but Owens is able to hit the Pop Up Powerbomb out of nowhere! He covers, and Rollins kicks out.
They go to the outside, and Rollins decks Owens with the ring bell, causing a disqualification. Owens takes the match via DQ, but Rollins seems satisfied with his work. As heâs leaving, Owens grabs a mic and says that the match is not over. Those werenât the actions of a God, but of a little bitch. Owens challenges him to come to the ring to continue the match, but now with No Disqualification. He accepts, and the match continues!
Rollins quickly connects with a knee to the face, before whipping him into the ringside barricade repeatedly. He grabs the steel steps, and smashes them against his head. He grabs a chair, and unloads with shots to his body. After telling the referee that he can do whatever he wants, Rollins begins to tear apart the announce table. Owens rebounds by decking Rollins with the ring bell out of nowhere, laying him across the table.
Owens disappears for a moment, before appearing atop the giant WrestleMania sign thatâs behind the table, and asks âhowâs this for a WrestleMania moment?â Running senton from high up crushes Rollins through the announce table! Owens drags Rollins into the ring, and hits him with the Stunner. He covers, and thatâs enough for the win. Owens ends the feud on top. I personally couldâve done without the fake out finish, because I think those suck anywhere in wrestling, but this was good work from both men.
They showcased their hatred for each other throughout. I think Rollins displayed great character work here as the Messiah. Owens, to his credit, was a damn good babyface in this role. Heâs good at playing both sides of the coin, honestly. This match will likely only be remembered for Owensâ dive off the Mania sign, but to be fair, it was a pretty crazy dive. Good match, though.
I havenât brought up the commercials that have aired in between the matches â because, why would I â but I did want to point out that during this ad for replica championships on WWE Shop, they showed a shot of Eddie Guerrero holding the WWE Championship, and itâs when he was celebrating with Chris Benoit at the conclusion of WrestleMania XX. You can kind of see Benoitâs hand in the shot, but just barely. I thought that was kind of eerie to see.
Gronk and Mojo interact with R-Truth, the 24/7 Champion. Remember that dumpster fire of a title? At least Truth made it work for him. They attack him, and Mojo becomes champion. This segment was poopy.
We get a quick preview of the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre for Night 2, and then we get an interview with Paul Heyman, who calls McIntyre a wannabe. He basically says McIntyre has no chance of walking out the victor. Another fantastic sell job by the genius madman.
We get more previews of Night 2âs action, and I got to say, the Edge/Randy Orton and John Cena/Bray Wyatt matches were the only two I was worried about in 2020.
- Universal Championship: Goldberg © vs. Braun Strowman.
As stated earlier, this was supposed to be Goldberg against Roman Reigns, but Reigns opted to back out of WrestleMania due to his compromised immune system. Braun was named as his replacement, and thereâs been no other explanation given as to why. I donât even think they brought up why Roman isnât here.
Boy, let me tell you, I fucking hated Goldberg going into WrestleMania 36. Thereâs no logical reason why he had to beat Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title, and Iâll die on that hill. I placed a lot of blame on him at the time, but thatâs unfair. Vince McMahon is just a moron. I will say that I believe Goldberg is in a place where he could speak up at decisions like that, and if he didnât, then heâs an asshole. The whole situation just sucked.
The bell sounds, and they go face to face. Goldberg kicks low, and counters the running powerslam and hits the Spear. He hits another, and a third. He makes the cover, and Strowman kicks out. Goldberg prepares for another, and he connects. He goes for the Jackhammer, but Strowman counters it into the Powerslam three straight times. He yells at Goldberg, calling him nothing, before lifting him up again and hitting the Running Powerslam. He covers, and Strowman wins. Heâs the new Universal Champion.
I see the appeal of these kinds of matches to some people. Itâs not for me. Goldbergâs gimmick of short sprints was awesome in the 1990s, when he was a young up and comer who had everything to gain. Itâs not cool in a 2020 WrestleMania World Title Match, especially when youâre the age he is. So, yeah, this wasnât for me. Also, Strowman winning the title wouldâve been fucking awesome in 2017, or even 2018 perhaps, but in 2020, his character had taken a massive leap off a cliff, so the impact wasnât there like it couldâve been when he was red hot in 2017. This was certainly a match that happened.
Thereâs a commercial for WrestleMania 37, which was originally scheduled for SoFi Stadium, but that shit isnât happening. They get to run Raymond James Stadium in 2021 instead, and they donât get to SoFi until WrestleMania 39.
- Boneyard Match: The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles.
Undertaker showed up at Super Showdown, and beat AJ Styles to win the Saudi Trophy that meant nothing in the long run, and Styles wasnât happy about that. He trash talked Taker on the road to this match, even saying that he wasnât the mythical Deadman anymore, but the old man Mark Calaway. Styles says that Taker only comes back for his wife, and that she will run him into the ground. Styles brought up the fact that Taker has been doing a lot of appearances out of character recently, and that heâs a shell. Styles wants the old Undertaker, and he wants a Boneyard Match.
This is essentially a Buried Alive Match, but surprise surprise â this is going to be a cinematic style match.
Undertakerâs music plays, and a hearse arrives. Out of the back comes AJ Styles, along with fellow OC members Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows as druids. He calls for Taker to show up, and to the tune of Metallicaâs âNow That Weâre Dead,â Taker arrives on a motorcycle. Heâs the American Badass for the first time since 2003. The fight begins with both men throwing some trash talk at the other. Taker punches first, telling Styles repeatedly that he wanted this.
Taker calls him Alan, which adds to the shoot stuff coming into this. Taker throws him into the casket hanging out of the hearse, and he smashes his head off the lid. Taker grabs a spike, and goes to stab Styles, but he ends up breaking the window. Styles goes to crawl away, and Taker grabs his foot. They punch each other some more, until Taker tosses Styles onto the windshield. They go to the roof of the car, and Styles catches him with a right hand.
Taker mounts him and unloads with repeated strikes to the head. Styles tries to crawl away, and Taker stalks him like a movie monster. Styles throws dirt into his eyes, and then punches him. He gives him a nice low blow that brings him to the ground. Styles grabs him and tries to throw him in the grave, but Taker drops him with a hard right hand. Another sends Styles into the grave, and Taker begins the trash talk again.
Holy Talk NâShop! Itâs Gallows and Anderson, who are here to take the fight to the Deadman. Taker approaches them, and then the shed behind them lights up. Out come a bunch of druids, who surround Taker. He takes them all out, but here comes The OC to double team Taker on the ground. Anderson tries to hit him with a shovel, but Taker fights back and knocks them both down. He grabs the shovel handle and attacks both men, but here comes Styles to break a Tombstone across his back!
Styles mounts him, and unloads with repeated strikes to the head. He blames Taker for breaking his fingers, even though heâs the one who did it to himself. He tells Taker to stay down, and then he tells him to get up. Styles then spears him through the fence, and both men are down. Styles sits next to him, and tells him that he just doesnât have it in him anymore. Taker responds by giving him the finger, Stone Cold style.
American Badass? Nah, Styles thinks Taker is a broken down old bitch. He grabs another shovel, and promises that heâs doing the world a favor. He swings it against his back, and knocks him into the grave. Taker is out cold. Styles gets on a tractor, and he prepares to load in a bunch of dirt onto Taker, but then Taker mysteriously appears behind him. He attacks him, and sends him off the tractor. He punches him repeatedly, and stalks him. He says Styles canât run.
Styles climbs atop the barn, and Taker is slow to follow. Slow, but methodical. This is what you wanted, right? Taker raises his arms, and fires appears behind Styles to trap him. He rushes Taker, who catches him with a boot to the face. Gallows and Anderson try to sneak attack, and Taker takes each of them out, first by tossing Gallows off of the barn, and then landing a Tombstone to Anderson on the roof.
Styles tries to fight his way forward, but Taker wonât stop coming at him. He grabs him by the throat, and Styles begs for his life. Taker chokeslams him off the roof, and Styles crashes through some wood paneling. Taker climbs down, and approaches Styles. He says theyâre just getting started. He lifts Styles up, and carries him to the grave. Styles tries to apologize for his actions, and Taker demands that he elaborate. Styles begs him not to bury him, but Taker is not having it.
He says Styles fought his ass, and they hug it out. He says most people donât give him that much of a fight, and then he boots him into the grave. Styles is out cold, and Taker gets on the tractor. He releases a bunch of dirt into the grave, and Styles is buried alive. Taker wins the Boneyard Match. Afterwards, he pulls off the moss of the gravestone to reveal that it had Stylesâ name on it all along. Sticking out of the grave is Stylesâ hand.
Taker grabs his bandana, and starts up the motorcycle. He rides away from the Boneyard, with his symbol lit on the barn. WrestleMania goes off the air, as Undertaker rides off into the darkness.
Night 2 (4/5/2020).
We open up with another video from Stephanie McMahon, who tells us once again that WrestleMania is taking place on a closed set, and everyone is here to put smiles on everyoneâs faces.
From there, we see the same pirate themed intro from Night 1.
Gronk is here again as the host, and boy, do I not give a fuck!
- NXT Womenâs Championship: Rhea Ripley © vs. Charlotte Flair.
Charlotte won her first Womenâs Royal Rumble Match, and chose to select the NXT Womenâs Championship as her title match for WrestleMania. The champion is Rhea Ripley, the woman who ended Shayna Baszlerâs mammoth reign as champion at the tail end of 2019. This is their first singles meeting. Rhea shot her shot, and gave Charlotte the option to challenge her. Charlotte responded by attacking Rhea at NXT TakeOver: Portland, and declaring that she would see her at WrestleMania.
The bell sounds, and here we go! They go to lock up, and Charlotte quickly takes control of the back and releases. She connects with a snap mare, and taunts her, saying âthis is our NXT Womenâs Champion?â They lock up again, and exchange control of the back. Charlotte goes for the Figure Four, and Rhea quickly escapes. They circle one another, and lock up again. Rhea uses her strength to force Charlotte into the corner, and Charlotte reverses and takes control.
They get in each otherâs face, and Charlotte chops her several times, all while talking trash. Charlotte goes to flip out of the corner, and Rhea catches her with a kick right to the mush. Rhea hits the Riptide out of nowhere, and Charlotte manages to get her shoulder up. She rolls to the floor for a breather, and Rhea tells her that this is her ring. She even calls Charlotte âprincess.â Rhea chases Charlotte around ringside and back in the ring, until Charlotte cuts her off with some stomps.
Charlotte goes to grab Rhea on the apron, but Rhea flips her over, and causes her to land back first on the floor. Charlotte with a throat chop, and then she sends Rhea into the steel steps. Rhea hits a back elbow to the head, and then hits a somersault off the apron onto her! In the ring, Rhea connects with a dropkick, and follows with shoulder thrusts in the corner. Rhea connects with a suplex, and Charlotte kicks out.
Rhea kicks Charlotteâs back several times, and then applies a body scissors while pulling on the blonde locks of Ric Flairâs daughter. She takes the back, and slaps her head repeatedly. She turns the body scissors into a roll up, and Charlotte kicks out. Rhea sends her to the apron, and goes for the boot to the face, but Charlotte wisely avoids it, and hyperextends her leg over the top rope. Rhea has a bad leg coming into this due to a Charlotte attack, so that was smart of the challenger.
Charlotte pulls it against the ropes, and kicks at her ankle. She grabs the leg, and slams the knee right into the canvas. Rhea tries to fight back, and Charlotte responds with a stiff kick right to the knee, Jon Jones style. MMA fans will understand that reference. Charlotte manipulates the leg, swinging it against the mat. She pulls Rhea to the ring post, and swings her bad leg against the LED screen. Rhea manages to pull Charlotte face first into it, as she tries to create some separation.
Rhea looks for a break, and Charlotte quickly takes her back down with a chop block. She continues to trash talk, saying that NXT exists because of her, before dropping all of her body weight across the stretched out leg. Rhea blocks one into a roll up for a quick nearfall, and Charlotte is back up with a kick to the midsection. Rhea manages to hit a face first inverted suplex, and she starts smacking at her bad knee.
They throw hard body shots at each other. Charlotte hits a stiff chop to the chest, and Rhea delivers several knees to the face. They pull at each otherâs hair, and Rhea connects with a thrust kick to the jaw. She follows up with a hard dropkick right to the mush. She smacks at her bad leg again, trying to give it some feeling. Several short arm Rainmakers, Okada style, by Rhea, and then she gets sent to the apron. Charlotte kicks her leg out from under her, dropping her to the floor.
Charlotte goes to the top rope, but Rhea quickly cuts her off with a kick to the face. Rhea with a face first electric chair slam! She covers, and the challenger kicks out. Rhea takes the back, and eats a stiff back elbow. Rhea reverses out of a back suplex attempt, but lands awkwardly. Charlotte hits a stiff right hand to the face, and then drapes her leg on the ropes. She goes to jump on it, and Rhea elbows her way free. She goes to the top rope, and hits a missile dropkick. She landed badly on the knee, though! She covers, and Charlotte kicks out.
Rhea repeatedly punches at her knee to give it some blood flow. She rushes Charlotte in the corner, and eats a big boot to the face. Charlotte blocks a boot, and hits another chop block. She even punches the knee on the mat, which was cool. Rhea kicks at Charlotte to keep her away from her legs, and she manages to get on top of Charlotte and stomp her repeatedly. Rhea applies the Standing Cloverleaf Submission! Charlotte crawls to the ropes, and Rhea drags her away.
Charlotte quickly slips out, and kicks at Rheaâs chest. She grabs the leg and goes for the Figure Four, and Rhea kicks her away. Charlotte gets a quick nearfall off, before locking in the Boston Crab submission. Rhea reverses it into a pin, and now they exchange back and forth nearfalls for a moment. Rhea grabs at her leg, and hereâs Charlotte with more hard stomps on the knee. Rhea is right back up with a huge kick to the face! She covers, and Charlotte kicks out.
In the corner, Rhea hits several open palm strikes to the midsection. She places Charlotte on the top rope, and decks her hard in the face. Rhea joins her up there, and looks for a suplex, but Charlotte fights back and gives her an inverted suplex to the mat. Charlotte switches position, and goes for the moonsault. Rhea gets her feet up to block it, but Charlotte quickly rebounds into a Spear out of nowhere. She covers, and Rhea kicks out!
Charlotte grabs the leg again for the Figure Four, and Rhea counters into a small package for 2. Charlotte rebounds again, and now she gets the Figure Four locked in! They slap at each other, until Charlotte bridges it into the Figure 8! Rhea tries to escape, but she canât, and sheâs forced to tap. Charlotte is the new NXT Womenâs Champion.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, am I right? In 2020, Charlotte won a championship match that she likely didnât need to, and many people believe the same thing will happen in 2025 at WrestleMania 41. I think the choice to have Charlotte go over here was needless. It was too easy of a decision, and wasnât as cool as the alternative option, which was Rhea getting the upset win. Charlotte Fatigue has been real for a long time, and it certainly was felt here.
Poor booking aside, the match itself was fucking fantastic. It was a hard hitting, stiff, and dramatic battle. The babyface and heel roles were played to perfection here, as Charlotte came off well as an unlikable heel, while Rhea was a great babyface in peril. She sold her leg injury very well, often going back to it after every offensive move she got in. This was just a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the trash talk throughout. I feel these two took full advantage of the lack of an audience, and it helped the match a lot. You could feel the hostility between these two.
I really liked this match a lot. Definitely one of the best opening matches in WrestleMania history, and one that deserves all the acclaim itâs gotten over the years. I will say it can be jarring to listen to these two scream at certain points of this match. The silence really amplifies all of that, and it can throw you off, like it did to me. But trust me, thatâs a small detail. This match fucking ruled.
We get a video package recapping all the events from Night 1.
- Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley.
Man, Blackâs theme in WWE fucking slapped. I havenât heard it in years. Thereâs not much of a backstory here between these two. Just two dominate guys on the same brand, looking for a big win.
Lashley is coming off of that horrid cucking storyline with Lana against Rusev that was among the worst storylines Iâve ever seen in WWE.
The bell sounds, and here we go. They scramble and look for an opening. Black tries for a Kimura Lock, and Lashley tosses him aside. Black tries to shoot on a single leg takedown, but Lashley instead lifts him up into the air. He pounces on him, and attacks him on the mat. Black fights out of a Bear Hug attempt, and sends Lashley to the outside. He kicks him off the apron for extra measure. He misses a moonsault, and Lashley gives him a belly to belly suplex.
Lashley grabs Black and sends him back first into the barricade. In the ring, Lashley gets a nearfall off of it. He gets a chin lock in, and he drives his knee hard into the spine. Lashley smashes Blackâs head off the apron a few times, and grinds his elbow into the face. Nice running spear in the corner, and a spinning neckbreaker to follow. Lashley goes for the Stalling Suplex, and Black knees his way out of it. On the apron, Black hits a nice kick to the chest.
Black misses a top rope dive, and walks into a scoop slam for a 2 count. He again grinds his elbow into the head of Black in the ropes, and then hits the suplex. He covers, and Black kicks out. Lashley goes for the Spear, but Black counters it with a knee to the face. That only gets a nearfall, as well as Lana screaming at ringside. Good combo of strikes by Black, and a sliding knee to the head. Lashley rolls to the floor, and eats a middle rope moonsault by Black.
In the ring, Lashley hits a running crossbody and a clothesline for 2. Lana comes on the apron to cheer Lashley on, as the All Mighty tops Black and lands several punches. Lashley goes for the Dominator, but Lana screams at him to do the Spear instead. Lashley goes for it, and Black counters it with the Black Mass on flush. He covers, and Black takes the win. That was a solid Monday Night Raw style match that had no reason to be on this card.
Backstage, Sasha Banks and Bayley are interviewed. She says tonight is the most unfair challenge sheâs ever had. She even has to worry about beating Sasha in the match tonight, and speculation is big that there could be a rift between them tonight. Bayley abruptly leaves the interview, but Sasha is asked about how badly she wants to become champion tonight. Sasha says that weâll all have to watch and see.
We get an ad for Money in the Bank, and holy fucking shit, I should review the two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches from 2020 â you know, the two that took place at the same time at WWE Headquarters, and ended up on the roof.
We get a recap of Mojo Rawley winning the 24/7 Title last night, because of course we did. Gronk is interviewed about this, and whether or not Mojo stole the title from him. He says heâd like to win the 24/7 Title tonight. Way to set your ceiling high, Gronk.
- Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis.
Otis has been smitten lately with Mandy Rose, and they had a date set for Valentineâs Day. Dolph Ziggler, being a prime dick, is trying to come between them and steal Mandy for himself. Apparently, Retribution â before they were formally revealed â showed footage of Sonya Deville texting Otis as Mandy Rose, sabotaging the date between her and Otis, and giving Ziggler a chance to sneak his way into the date. This was one of the hottest stories coming into WrestleMania 36.
JBL says that the hidden camera that caught Sonya in the act is âfake news.â In 2020 and 2025, hearing that term is so fucking cringe.
The bell sounds, and Otis quickly rushes at Ziggler. He drives his shoulders into the midsection, and then squashes him in the corner. Ziggler is able to hit a superkick that sends Otis to the outside. Ziggler drives Otis face first into the ring post, and then brings him back into the ring. Ziggler takes the back, and applies a brief chin lock. Big dropkick to the jaw, which gets him a 1 count. Ziggler chokes Otis against the middle rope next, and he follows by raking his face off the ropes.
Neckbreaker by the Show Off, and a standing elbow drop. Fucking hell, JBLâs commentary has aged so poorly. Ziggler with a sleeper hold next. Otis gets back to his feet, and Ziggler tries to topple the big man with a kick to the knee. Otis grabs him, and sends him face first into the turnbuckle. Ziggler tries to punch at Otis, who is firing himself up by slapping his belly and humping the ropes. Big clotheslines by Otis, and then a powerslam.
Big irish whip to Ziggler in the corner, and then another. Otis gives him a third, and Ziggler bounces chest first off the turnbuckle, Bret Hart style. Otis tosses Ziggler to the floor with ease, as he continues to hype himself up. Otis follows him, and sends Ziggler hard into the barricade, and then face first into the ring post. Back in the ring, a pop up power slam connects, and then Otis tries for the Caterpillar. Sonya Deville distracts the referee, and Ziggler hits a low blow.
Ziggler goes for the cover, but here comes Mandy Rose. She slaps the shit out of Deville, and they brawl around ringside. With the ref distracted checking on Deville, Mandy gives Ziggler a low blow. Otis hits the Caterpillar and the elbow to the chest. He covers, and Otis takes the win. Post match, he celebrates with Mandy, and it ends with a kiss between the two. The match itself was fine. Nothing offensive. I canât complain too much about seeing a storyline have a satisfying conclusion. Good for Otis in getting the girl in the end.
- Last Man Standing Match: Edge vs. Randy Orton.
At the Royal Rumble, Edge made his return out of retirement for the first time in 9 years. It was a monumental moment, and one of the best feel good moments in recent memory. Randy Orton met him in the ring the following night on Raw, and talked about how Edge helped him in his worst times. He welcomed him back, and brought up the chance to team up as Rated RKO one more time. Then, out of nowhere, Orton gave Edge the RKO.
He followed it up with the Conchairto, to Edgeâs neck that was just recently given medical clearance. Orton says he did what he did to protect Edge, so that someone else didnât put him in a wheelchair. Orton says he loves Edge and his children more than Beth Phoenix, Edgeâs wife. She responded by slapping him. Orton gave her an RKO in response. Edge says he doesnât love him, and that Orton is simply jealous of Edgeâs grit.
Edge says he will write his own story, not Orton. Orton promises to write the last chapter of Edgeâs career.
This is Edgeâs first singles match since WrestleMania 27 in 2011.
I really felt for Edge at this time. Heâd just made his big comeback, and now he returns to WrestleMania in front of no one. Poor guy.
Orton sneaks into the ring from behind, and hits an RKO on Edge out of nowhere. The match begins that way. Edge stumbles at Orton, who hits another RKO to him. Edge is able to get to his feet, as he goes to ringside. Orton grabs a camera, and swings it at Edgeâs head, sending him over the barricade. Orton stalks him, and uppercuts him to the backstage area. Orton leads him to the gym area, as he smashes his face off of a table.
Edge is back to his feet, and he eats some strikes from the Viper. He grabs Edge, and attempts to hang him from the gym equipment. Edge is back up again, and now Orton gets a weight kicked into his face. Edge punches and hammers on Ortonâs back and chest. Now the Rated R Superstar throws Ortonâs head off the table, and continues to unload with punches. He places Orton on a chair, and elbows him square on the jaw.
Edge swings off the gym equipment and lands on Ortonâs lap, knocking both men to the floor. Both men are back up, and Edge launches himself off the weights into a crossbody on Orton. Edge screams about waiting nine years to come back. Orton reverses an irish whip, and sends Edge crashing into the wall. He grabs the weight sled, and goes to ram it into Edgeâs body, but heâs able to move in time. Big forearm to the head by Edge, and now we get fisticuffs.
More punches from Edge, as he stalks Orton into the production area. He sends Orton head first into a steel garage door. Another shot into the door, this time back first. Theyâre in the crowd now â or where the crowd would be â and Edge is in firm control. They fight for a moment, until Orton sends Edgeâs head into one of the many LED decorations here for this event. Orton tosses Edge off of a platform, neck first into the barricade.
Edge uses the barricade to barely beat the refereeâs count. Orton stays on offense, as he sends Edge into the barricade repeatedly. Theyâre backstage once again, and Orton connects flush with a right hand. He pushes Edge back first into a pane of plexiglass. Orton follows up by smashing Edgeâs head off of a wall. He stalks Edge through a stairway, and now theyâre in an office. Orton gets tossed into several chairs â the rolling kind, at that.
Orton beats the count, and then gets tossed across the big conference room table. Edge balances himself on one of the hovering lights, and lands an elbow drop to Orton, which may have hurt himself in the process. Neat spot. Edge grabs Orton and drags him out of the office. Orton gets back in the lead, and sends Edge into a wall, which also knocks over a camera man. Now we cut to these two men close to the parking lot.
They exchange fisticuffs once again, and then Edge slams Ortonâs head off of a ladder thatâs been knocked over. Heâs holding his shoulder, which seems to be giving him trouble. Heâs still able to cut Edge off at the corner, and then smash his head off of an equipment. Orton grabs Edge and sends him face first into the backside of the steel steps. Orton stays on the offensive, as he unloads with many of his trademark punches.
Edge is stalked, as they make it to the interview area. Orton stomps hard on Edgeâs arm. Edge tries to get back up with a punch, and a fucking sandbag. More punches from Edge, who has Orton laying across a table. Orton hits a draping DDT on the side of the tractor trailer. Edge makes his comeback, and sits Orton up right. Edge climbs to the very top of the trailer, and now Orton is back to his feet. He makes the climb to the top of the truck.
Orton rushes Edge and tries for the Punt Kick, but Edge counters it and takes him out with the Spear. Edge is up first, and Orton gets up as well. Edge tries for a Spear again, but this time, Orton catches him with the RKO. Edge breaks the count, as Orton returns to the floor. He grabs two chairs, and brings them back to the top of the truck. Big chair shot to the spine by Orton. He places Edgeâs head on the chair, and grabs the other one.
His Conchairto attempt is blocked, as Edge is back up and he traps Orton in a choke hold. Orton drops the chair, and heâs out. Edge grabs the chair, and tells the referee not to fucking count. He stares at Orton, whose head is laying on the second chair. Edge gets emotional, and then he approaches Orton. Big Conchairto atop the truck from Edge, and Orton may be out cold. Edge stands over Ortonâs fallen body, as the referee counts. Orton canât beat the count! Edge is the Last Man Standing.
Yikes. This hasnât aged well. I liked the intensity, and I didnât mind the acting throughout. I didnât even mind that this almost entirely took place backstage, which gave it a bit of a cinematic feel. The problem is that this match went over 36 minutes, and it featured many moments of nothing happening, while the referee was counting. Iâll be transparent with you, reader: I was falling asleep while watching this match.
Shave a ton of time off of this, and you have a great match. For what it is, itâs decent. Itâs not a bad match at all, but it does have a lot of stalling, and itâs way too long for what theyâre trying to accomplish. It almost seemed dragged out on purpose, like they were trying to force an epic. I donât mind a long match, but if I can tell itâs being dragged out just for the sake of a long match, then it doesnât hit for me.
Mojo Rawley is being chased by a bunch of the lower card guys, who want to become 24/7 Champion. Gronk dives off of his balcony, and takes everyone out. He covers Mojo, and he wins the 24/7 Title. Iâm glad they literally threw this title away in the garbage.
- Raw Tag Team Championships: Street Profits © vs. Angel Garza & Austin Theory.
Andrade, the United States Champion, was originally set to team with Garza in this match, but he was pulled from the match as a precaution when he became sick. Theory was his replacement, and Theory was still in NXT at this point.
One thing that was true in 2020 is still true in 2025: Montez Ford oozes with potential as a big singles star.
The bell sounds, and here we go. Theory and Angelo Dawkins start things out. Dawkins takes the side headlock early, and then connects with a big shoulder tackle. Ford makes the tag, and he hits a beautiful dropkick, and then the Profits destroy Garza with a flapjack. Dawkins tags in, and the Profits double team the arm of Theory. Nice corkscrew splash in the corner by Dawkins, and then Theory sends him to the floor. Garza lands a nice superkick to the face.
Back in the ring, Garza makes the tag, and lands a hard kick to the midsection of Dawkins, and then he removes his pants, Taichi style! Theory tags in, and lands a dropkick. He covers, and Dawkins kicks out. Garza is back in, and traps the arm in a submission hold. Dawkins avoids a clothesline, and tags in Ford, whoâs a house of fire on Garza. Nice diving clothesline, and a standing moonsault connects flush. Garza is able to kick out.
DDT by Ford, and Theory breaks up the pin. He lands a huge left to Dawkins, which sends him to the floor. Ford lands a dropkick to send Theory out there with him. Ford hits a senton to the floor onto Theory next. Garza goes to the top rope, and hits a beautiful moonsault onto everyone. Back in the ring, Garza hits a middle rope springboard moonsault to Ford, which only gets him a 2 count. Ford blocks the Wing Clipper, and tags in Dawkins. Theory tags in as well.
Theory with a superkick to Dawkins, and the TKO. Ford springboards in with a frog splash to the back of Theory. Dawkins crawls towards the cover, and he gets the 3. Street Profits retain the Raw Tag Titles. Ford is hyped for the win. Post match, Garza attacks both of the champions, and here comes Theory and Zelina Vega for more double team attacks. Zelina with a big superkick to Fordâs jaw, as her team taunt the champions.
Hereâs Bianca Belair, one of NXTâs top female athletes, and she starts beating the hell out of Vega. She hits the KOD on her, and poses in the ring with the Street Profits. This was the main roster of Bianca Belair, who as we know today is one of WWEâs top female wrestlers, and as someone who doesnât watch WWE actively, sheâs someone I sometimes go out of my way to watch.
The match was whatever, which is definitely a theme across these two nights of WrestleMania. That Montez Ford singles run in the future is going to be crazy.
Titus OâNeil has taken over the hosting duties from Gronk. Fun fact: When I went to a WWE Live Event in 2014, the top three pops of the night were Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Titus OâNeil. I am not making that up, and I think itâs super cool.
- Fatal 5 Way Elimination Match for the Smackdown Womenâs Championship: Bayley © vs. Sasha Banks vs. Naomi vs. Tamina vs. Lacey Evans.
Bayley wanted to take WrestleMania off, because sheâs been so dominant as of late, and her overconfidence has led to her being forced to defend her championship here against four other challengers â including Banks, her best friend.
I do not miss hearing Michael Cole say âItâs Boss Timeâ every fucking time Banks comes out. Know what else I donât miss? The Sassy Southern Belle, Lacey Evans. What a fucking dumbass she is.
Tamina is a late replacement for Dana Brooke, who was pulled from the match as a precaution due to being sick.
Bayleyâs heel theme rules. I just wanted to say that. I also loved the conspiracy theories online whenever Bayley first turned heel. See, the way her name was positioned on her ring gear, as well as the placement of the championship, it looked like Bayleyâs front said âAEW.â
The bell sounds, and here we go. Bayley and Sasha go after Tamina first. Then Lacey and Naomi join in on taking out the biggest woman in the match. Tamina stands her ground, and takes over the match very quickly. Tamina smacks Naomiâs head off the mat, and Lacey chop blocks Tamina. Bayley and Sasha kick her out of the ring, and they stand together against Naomi and Lacey. Sasha and Naomi go at it, while Lacey and Bayley go at it on the opposite side of the ring.
Running knee to the back of the head by Bayley, and Lacey is able to kick out. We get some double team action from Lacey and Naomi, who take out the champion and Sasha. Now they stand alone in the ring, and have a face off. Naomi with a quick small package for a 2 count. Tamina is back in, and she nails a double clothesline to Bayley and Banks. She throws Naomi and Lacey into the corner together, then connects with a running hip attack to both of them in the corner.
Naomi with a kick to the head of Bayley, while Tamina superkicks Lacey in the ribs. Tamina, Naomi and Banks hold the ring down. Itâs a Team BAD reunion! Tamina with a superkick to Banks, and Naomi counters a powerslam into a Stunner for 2. Lacey with a standing moonsault to Tamina gives her a 2 count. Banks hits a 619 on Tamina, elbow drop by Bayley, frog splash by Banks, moonsault by Lacey, and a split leg moonsault by Naomi all in succession leads to the elimination of Tamina.
Bayley and Banks powder to the outside, and Lacey and Naomi respond with a pair of baseball slides. They dive to the outside onto the best friends, but Bayley catches both of them and sends Lacey into the steel steps, and Naomi into the ring apron. In the ring, Bayley gets a nearfall off of Naomi. Bayley and Banks double team Naomi in the corner, sending her back first into the turnbuckle., Naomi avoids a double knee attack, and fights both of them from the apron. Double sunset flip pin on both gets her a nearfall.
Naomi with a sliding slap to both ladies. Reverse Stunner to Bayley, and a Rear View to Banks. She locks Banks in a submission, and Bayley breaks it up. Banks fights back and locks in the Bank Statement. Naomi canât last, and she taps. Lacey returns to the rings, and immediately eats some double team offense. They execute a double hip toss slam on her, which Lacey kicks out of. Bayley goes to hit a running knee to Lacey, but she avoids it and Bayley accidentally hits Banks in the head!
Bayley tops Lacey and lands some hard punches, until Banks comes in and pulls Bayley off. They argue, with Banks saying sheâs always had her back. Lacey lands the Womanâs Right to Banks out of nowhere, and sheâs able to get the pin. Bayley watched Banks get eliminated. Lacey rushes Bayley, and they brawl on the mat. She holds Lacey on the ropes, and elbows her head. Lacey explodes out of the corner with a series of clotheslines.
Neckbreaker by Lacey. Bayley knocks her out to the apron, and sends her into the ring post shoulder post. In the ring, Bayley hooks the arm and drives her knee into it repeatedly. Bayley uses the turnbuckle rope to tie Laceyâs arm to the corner. She beats the hell out of her, and taunts her along the way. Lacey kicks her way out, and she begins to fight her way back. She drives her full body into Bayleyâs chest, and then goes to the top rope.
Top rope moonsault connects, and Bayley is able to kick out. Banks comes into the ring and hits a back stabber on Lacey out of nowhere, and Bayley takes advantage and hits the Rose Plant on Lacey to win and retain the championship. Not a bad match here. There was good storytelling throughout this that focused on the friendship between Bayley and Banks. Bayley opting not to save her from being eliminated would go a long way as 2020 went on, and those two would end up having one of the best womenâs feuds in WWE history off of it.
The rest of the match was pretty good, too. It got plenty of time, and everyone had a chance to shine. No complaints from me.
- Firefly Funhouse Match: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt.
John Cena made his return to WWE, and was immediately made the target of The Fiend, Bray Wyatt. Bray made it clear that Cena was the reason for all of his failings over the years, and was one of the reasons why this version of himself had come to light. Cena made it known that Wyatt, like so many others, was simply making excuses for all the shortcomings. Cena promised to cleanse WWE of its most overrated performer in Wyatt.
Cena makes his entrance, and as he goes to say "Welcome to WrestleMania," he disappears. Bray talks about our darkest secrets aren't secret in a certain kind of realm.
Bray wants to take a deep look at who Cena is, and he's going to face his most dangerous opponent: himself. Cena appears in the Funhouse, and after looking around, he enters through the door. Ramblin' Rabbit tells him to be careful.
Cena stands in darkness, and then suddenly comes face to face with the Vince McMahon puppet, who asks him if he has enough Ruthless Aggression. Bray is standing inside of a ring, playing the role of Kurt Angle, who Cena faced on his debut.
Cena enters while wearing his 2002 attire. Cena says he has ruthless aggression, and Bray questions how good of an idea this all was. He says it's embarrassing, and he sees how Cena was almost fired.
Bray wonders if this is what Cena wants to do with his life. Next, we go to Saturday Night's Main Event. Bray shows off his muscles, and talks about "Johnny Large Meat."
Cena appears, and is lifting weights, almost against his own will. He tries to punch Bray, but his arms are jelly. Bray asks what Cena will do when he realizes Egomania has been running wild on him?
Now Cena is dressed in his Thuganomics gear. Back in the Ring, Cena cuts a rap, and Bray isn't impressed. Cena turns it around, and talks about how Bray has blown every chance he's had.
Bray calls him a bully, and now that he's the man, he's just a lonely guy. Cena throws a bag of nuts at him, and thrusts towards the turnbuckle. But Bray disappears, and then knocks him to the mat.
Now Bray is here as the Eater of Worlds. He talks about WrestleMania 30, when Cena beat him and seemingly destroyed all of his momentum. Now in the Ring, Wyatt crushes Cena in the turnbuckle and dances with him. Cena escapes Sister Abigail, and Bray hands him a chair.
Similar to WrestleMania 30, Bray is giving Cena a choice. This time, Cena does swing the chair at Bray, who has disappeared again. Now we cut nWo Monday Nitro, where Bray is Eric Bischoff, and Cena is Hollywood Hogan.
Cena comes out in nWo gear, and plays the WCW Title like a guitar. He and Bray share a Too Sweet, and Cena shakes back to reality. He tackles Bray to the mat, as Cena Sucks chants play in the background.
Suddenly, Cena realizes he's punching Huskus the Pig, and The Fiend appears behind him. Fiend puts the Mandible Claw in, and drops Cena with Sister Abigail. A voice over of Cena plays, stating that WrestleMania will play host to the end of the most over hyped, over valued, and over privileged superstar in existence.
Fiend connects with Sister Abigail, and continues the Mandible Claw, as Bray counts the 3 to end...the match? Fiend celebrates, as Cena then disappears from the ring entirely. Or, did he disappear from this realm?
What in the world do you call this? Is it a match? Is it one long segment? Is it a mini movie? I don't know. What I can call it is absolutely brilliant. It's incredibly meta, bringing up inside references on both men's careers, while also giving both men an opportunity to cosplay as figures from wrestling's past.
It told a great story about both men, as each got to look at their own failures, and each got a glimpse of what success could be like. But in the end, Cena failed to find success, as The Fiend destroyed him so badly that we literally couldn't see Cena. You know, because he disappeared. This was simply great television. What it lacked in a traditional pro wrestling structure, it made up for by being a great piece of artistic expression.
Titus OâNeil says what we are all thinking: he doesnât know what we just saw.
- WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar © vs. Drew McIntyre.
After years of hearing about his âpotential,â Drew McIntyre would win the Menâs Royal Rumble Match to earn a chance to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. In the process, Drew would eliminate Brock in the match, which put a huge target on his back. Paul Heyman would call this main event a sham, and heâd call Drew a fraud. They think Drew is another wannabe who tried, while Drew looks to finally achieve his destiny and take the championship he has tried for since being named âthe chosen oneâ back in 2009.
The bell sounds, and Brock kicks low right away. He sends Drew into the corner, and drives his shoulder into the midsection. Drew fires back right away and hits the Claymore for a quick nearfall. Brock avoids a second one, and hits a German Suplex. He hits Drew on the back, and hits another one. Brock with a third one. He lifts Drew up, and nails him with the F5. He makes the cover, and Drew kicks out at 1. Brock looks shocked.
Brock gives Drew a second F5, and Drew kicks out again. Drew tries to pull himself up, and Brock grabs him for a third F5. Another cover, and Drew again kicks out. Brock canât believe it. Drew blocks another attempt at it, and connects with the Claymore. He gives him another, and gears up in the corner. Drew with one final Claymore, and heâs able to get the win to become the new WWE Champion! It was a nothing match, with the same tired and true Brock Lesnar offense that lost its luster rather quickly, but itâs still a major moment as Drew McIntyre wins his first world championship in WWE.
And that was WrestleMania 36! This was a mixed bag of both good and bad. Night 1 had a really good Ladder Match, a competitive Womenâs Tag Title match, and the main event between Undertaker and AJ Styles that had historical significance as Takerâs final match, and it was one of the most unique Cinematic matches WWE had done to this point. The rest of the card was either decent or forgettable, with the Elias/Corbin match and the Zayn/Bryan match being the biggest disappointments.
Night 2 had the best match of the entire weekend, with Charlotte and Rhea really stealing the show with their incredible bout. Elsewhere, you had the Black/Lashley and Raw Tag Title matches that didnât really feel like they needed to be on the card, a good Smackdown Womenâs Title match, the conclusion of the Otis/Mandy Rose story, a very disappointing Last Man Standing Match, Drew McIntyre finally winning the big one, and the crowning achievement of Bray Wyattâs career.
Many people point to the lack of audience as a negative for this WrestleMania, and I disagree. I think the negatives of this event are the fact that a good bit of these matches couldâve easily been cut, as they werenât needed. The good matches we got were worth the price of admission, and we did get to see some truly awesome moments throughout this two day event. It was a weird show, for sure, but one that definitely had its positives. Iâd recommend WrestleMania 36 at least once, only for the circumstances. There will never be a Mania quite like it again â or at least, we can hope we never have one like this again.