By: Branden Davis
In light of the pandemic that is traveling through the world right now, the WWE decided to hold Wrestlemania in their performance center this year. The age old adage ‘The show must go on’ is truly on display here as the showcase of the immortals this year gave us one of the most unique wrestling shows we have ever seen. Click ‘read more’ to find out what I thought of the event that was literally “Too big for just one night”.
Night One:
The first night of this event kicked off with Cesaro vs. Drew Gulak on the kickoff show. It was a relatively short match with Cesaro getting the victory, but of course this wasn’t the true start of the event because they were aired on the kickoff. Now without further ado, Wrestlemania 36.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Kabuki Warriors vs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross-
This match was a surprise for me as it was a very hard hitting affair. Both teams really showed why they are some of the best competitors in the company. The match ended when Alexa Bliss hit a Twisted Bliss off the top rope to win the titles for them. It was kinda disappointing to see the Kabuki warriors lose their titles, and for Asuka again to come up short at Mania. Hopefully they will have a chance to win them back at Money in the Bank.
King Corbin vs. Elias-
This match was very boring, and uninteresting. Corbin came down to the ring to say that Elias won’t compete, because of what happened last week on Raw. Of course, Elias comes out and they brawl. The action in the ring was even more forgettable, and to top it all off Elias won with a roll-up on King Corbin. A roll-up win at Wrestlemania is always gonna be disappointing.
Raw Women’s Championship Match- Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Bazler
One of the biggest surprises of the night for me. This match went on for a lot longer than what anyone thought it was gonna go on for. It may have seemed that way with how Shayna was running through the women’s roster. At the end of the day though, Becky Lynch retained her title to little fanfare. The finish was also another controversial one. Good match, but again another bad ending.
Intercontinental Championship- Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan
This was easily the most physical match of the night. Daniel Bryan was all over Sami Zayn in this match when he wasn’t stopped by Zayn’s bodyguards. You could feel all of the hits in this match in the next room. It still sucks that Sami isn’t wrestling that much as he plays the coward. Even with all that Sami Zayn retained his title. A shocker to many and me.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship (ladder match)- John Morrison vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jimmy Uso
This was not your typical tag team ladder match as you can see. This was a one on one on one, because The Miz was sick. That may have been a blessing in disguise as this match was one of the best on the weekend. The spots were amazing to watch, and Morrison showed us that he still has it. He even won the match. No complaints here.
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (normal/no dq match)-
This match was a doozie, but Owens and Rollins once again gave us a classic. These two wrestled their hearts out even without the crowd. In the end Seth Rollins dq’ed himself so that Kevin would be robbed of his Wrestlemania moment. Before Rollins left though, Kevin called him back to the ring and they restarted as a no dq match. Many weapons were used, but Kevin stole the match with his own Wrestlemania moment by jumping off the sign onto Rollins on the announcers table. Not long after that Kevin Owens won to cap off a great match.
WWE Universal Championship: Braun Strowman vs. Goldberg-
Well this certainly was a match ‘that happened’. It was a textbook Goldberg match where it’s a finisher galore. Braun Strowman surprisingly came away with the victory, and his first major championship win! A couple of years too late if you ask me.
Boneyard match: AJ Styles vs The Undertaker-
I can’t really express in words how fantastic this match was. If this is truly the Undertaker’s last match, then it was one of the best ways to go out. This was another one of those cinematic matches that we’ve seen recently, and certainly is the second best of these (Number one happened night 2). Honestly, all I can say is to go watch this one for yourself to truly appreciate it in all of its glory. Now for night 2!
NIGHT 2
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley-
Starting the night off with a banger. I knew this match was gonna be great when it was announced, and it lived up to my expectations. Rhea Ripley even came wearing that Vegeta gear. Well, that should have been my first sign that she was going to lose this match and the championship to Charlotte. Charlotte put in the figure eight and that was all she wrote. Another Charlotte win is definitely a down. Rhea should have won, but I almost don’t care because of how well both the females performed.
Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley-
This is one of the more forgettable matches on the card. It really didn’t make too much sense honestly, but here we are. The right man won, and that man was Aleister Black. Not much else I can really say about this one other than this Lana and Lashley marriage needs to end asap.
Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler-
This was honestly the most feel good match of Mania. The hacker revealed on Smackdown that Otis was set up by Ziggler and Mandy’s best friend, which added more fuel to the fire. You can’t help but feel happy for the big man getting the girl of his dreams. The match also was better than it had any right of being. Ziggler lost to Otis, but still showed some great heel work. It may have not been a show stealer, but it was very solid.
Last Man Standing Match: Edge vs. Randy Orton-
The match we have been waiting 9 years for. Edge makes his return to the ring after he had to retire, and the story couldn’t have been any better. Randy Orton and Edge put on a grudge match for the ages as they clashed all around the WWE Performance Center. In an emotional ending, Edge hit Randy Orton with a chair to the head, while the referee made the 10 count to end the match. One of the best stories told in a match over the weekend.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Street Profits vs. Angel Garza & Austin Theory-
Despite the circumstances, these guys tried their best to give us a great match, but it fell kinda flat. The buildup to the match virtually did not exist to not help things further. It just felt like a match we would see on a normal episode of Raw or Smackdown. The Street Profits retained, but it wasn’t too special or flashy.
SmackDown Women’s Championship Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Naomi vs. Tamina-
This may have been my least favorite match of the two nights. It was very bland, and the ending didn’t help it either. We saw even more fractures in the friendship between Bayley and Sasha banks, but nothing really came of it by the end. Bayley kept her championship to extend her bland reign even further. This is truly the worst timeline.
Firefly Fun House Match: John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt-
In what could possibly be the best match WWE has put on in years we have Fiend vs. John Cena. The references in this match were insane, and honestly if you haven't been watching wrestling avidly then you may not get what this match was saying. If you have, then you know it was a storytelling masterpiece that ended with John Cena being erased by The Fiend at the end. Another match you just have to see to believe. Bravo WWE, bravo.
WWE Championship Match: Drew Mcintyre vs. Brock Lesnar-
It’s main event time! We finally see the resolution to the long ride of Mcintyre to finally get the gold. It was a very by the book match to be honest. Finishers o’ plenty of course as with any Brock Lesnar match. Drew hit 4 Claymores to finish off the beast, and ride into the sunset as the new WWE Champion. This was honestly a great moment for one of the hardest working superstars in the company. Although, I just wish the actual match was better.
VERDICT
Wrestlemania 36 was definitely unique, but it wasn’t bad by a long shot. It may have been weird without the crowd, but the in ring work made up for that. There were many moments that will go down in history here. I can’t rate this anymore than a solid 7/10. Besides some of the bigger matches there isn’t much to see. Besides that it was an enjoyable show that people will be talking about for a long time. I can’t wait to see what happens next year when Wrestlemania goes Hollywood once again.
cool!
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