Wrestlemania XXXVI Night Two: The WWE Psyche
IMG Credit: WWE
Wrestlemania XXXVI Night Two
Date: April 5, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield
We’re back for more of the same and that might not be the worst thing in the world. Last night’s part one wasn’t half bad but they are going to have a hard time surpassing that main event. There are eight more matches, plus the required Kickoff Show match, tonight so hopefully they can have another good one. Let’s get to it.
Here are last night’s results if you need a recap.
Kickoff Show: Liv Morgan vs. Natalya
Morgan rolls her up for two to start so Natalya does the same for a standoff. Some more rollups get some more near falls until Morgan sends her into the corner. A running hip attack hits Natalya but she’s right back with her basement dropkick for two more. Natalya clotheslines her to the floor, followed by the surfboard back inside. Natalya: “ASK HER!!!!” That’s broken up and Liv’s Codebreaker gets two. The sitout wheelbarrow faceplant gives Natalya the same and they pinfall reversal sequence with Liv getting the pin at 6:33.
Rating: D+. Imagine that: a Natalya match being technically fine but completely emotionless. That’s been the definition of her career for years now and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Liv getting a win is fine but there is no way that she is getting anywhere near the top of the division, leaving this as little more than a way to fill time.
Stephanie McMahon welcomes us to the show in a new message.
Same opening video as last night.
Rob Gronkowski welcomes us to the show and throws us to the first match.
NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley
Ripley is defending. The feel each other out to start with Charlotte going straight to the leg. That doesn’t work so Rhea gets in her face, earning some chops into the corner. Ripley is right back with Riptide for two and it’s time for a quick breather. They fight to the floor with Charlotte hitting a double chop but Rhea sends her into the steps. Back in and Rhea hits a dropkick before kicking away at the ribs.
A bodyscissors keeps Charlotte down but Rhea misses a running big boot and hurts her leg on the rope. Charlotte works on the leg, shrugs off a shot to the head, and bends the leg around on the mat. Rhea won’t quit so Charlotte works on the leg again. Back up and Rhea nails a basement dropkick, followed by some shouting at her own knee. The leg is fine enough for an electric chair faceplant for two, followed by a missile dropkick for the same, albeit after a delay because of the knee.
Charlotte chop blocks the knee though and Rhea is down again. The Figure Four doesn’t work again and Rhea reverses into the standing Cloverleaf. That’s broken up as well and Charlott knocks her down with another hard shot. The Figure Four is broken up again so Charlotte goes with a Boston crab instead.
Ripley gets out again and hits a quick big boot (thanks to some editing) for the double knockdown. Rhea takes her up top but gets slammed back down, though she’s able to raise her boots to block the moonsault. A horrible looking spear gives Charlotte two but the Figure Four finally goes on. The Figure Eight makes Ripley tap at 20:26.
Rating: C+. CHARLOTTE! WINS!! AGAIN!!! I have no idea why they needed to have her beat Rhea clean in their first match but I’m sure it has something to do with some kind of tribute to Ric Flair, who hasn’t had one in a while. I’m sick of seeing Charlotte with a title and it almost scares me to imagine how many titles she’s going to wind up with in the end.
We recap last night.
Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley
Lana is here with Lashley. Black gets tossed around to start and Lashley hammers away, only to get low bridged to the floor. A running big boot puts Lashley on the floor but Black misses the moonsault. Lashley snaps off the overhead belly to belly but can’t get a suplex back inside. Instead Black kicks him in the chest, only to walk into a snap powerslam for two. Another suplex gets another two and Lashley loads up the Dominator, but Lana tells him to do the spear. That earns him Black Mass for the sudden pin at 7:14.
Rating: D+. This was a way to get Black on the show, and by that I mean a way for him to get beaten up until Lana and Lana alone cost Lashley the match. I’m glad Black won but if you want him to look good, just have him kick Lashley’s head off and win. It’s not like Lashley has anything going on at the moment, but now I’m sure we can get the big fallout with Lana now, because we need another part to that story.
Bayley complains about the elimination match and knows Sasha Banks won’t turn on her. With Bayley gone, Sasha is asked how much she wants to win the title. You’ll have to watch and see.
Money in the Bank ad.
Gronk would like to win the 24/7 Title.
We recap Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler. Otis was going to go on a Valentine’s Day date with Mandy Rose but Ziggler crashed it when Otis was late. Mandy wanted nothing else to do with Otis after that but it turns out that Sonya Deville stole Mandy’s phone and told Otis she would be late (and deleted the texts) so it would fall apart.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis
Sonya Deville is here with Ziggler. Otis misses a charge to start and gets superkicked outside in a hurry. That gets one back inside so Ziggler grabs a neckbreaker into the jumping elbow for two. The chinlock goes on but Otis is back up with a catapult. A hard whip sends Ziggler into the corner and a pop up World’s Strongest Slam plants him again. Sonya gets on the apron for a distraction though and Ziggler gets in a low blow. Cue Mandy to take out Sonya and hit Ziggler low, setting up the Caterpillar for the pin at 8:23.
Rating: D+. I was wrong on this one as I didn’t think they would let Otis pin Dolph. I’m rather please by the result and even though it wasn’t much of a match, at least they pulled the trigger on something. You can pencil in the mixed tag coming up and that’s all well and good, though I’m not sure where they can go after that.
Post match Otis picks Mandy up and they get the first kiss.
We recap Edge vs. Randy Orton. Edge came back at the Royal Rumble but Orton attacked him the next night and put him back on the shelf. Orton said Edge was an adrenaline junkie and he attacked him so Edge wouldn’t ruin his life like Orton did. To make it worse, Orton RKOed Edge’s wife (who is a Hall of Famer who wrestled earlier this year so we needed to act like he shot her). Now it’s a Last Man Standing match as this is very personal.
Edge vs. Randy Orton
Last Man Standing. Edge comes out first and glares at the stage for Orton….who is disguised as a cameraman and runs in for an RKO before the bell. The bell rings and it’s another RKO but Edge falls to the floor at nine. They fight back backstage with Orton knocking Edge through some doors. It goes onto the gym with Orton knocking him down again, setting up some choking with a rope on a machine.
Edge gets out and hits a dropkick through some machines before choking away at Orton. Some forearms put Orton in a chair and Edge pulls himself up on a bar for a seated senton of all things. Back up and they slug it out into another room with a red light. Both guys are sent face first into a garage door and it’s back into the arena. Orton shoves him off a platform and into the barricade before they stumble backstage again.
Edge’s head gets bounced off of another wall for a six count and it’s time to go into the office area. This time it’s Orton being sent into a wall but Edge kicks him in the ribs at nine. Orton gets thrown onto the big table so Edge pulls himself up onto part of the ceiling to drop an elbow. The cameraman gets knocked down but another one catches them up in the big storage facility in the back.
Both of them bounce off of various things until Orton knocks him onto a storage crate. Edge gets sent into some steps and Orton starts looking around. That’s good for another nine so they wind up in what looks like the promo area. Edge throws something at Orton’s leg to take him down and some more shots to the face do it again. Orton is placed on a table and drops a huge elbow.
They go to a truck with a cover on the bed and Orton hits the hanging DDT for nine. Edge climbs onto some crates and then on top of an NXT semi truck. Orton and the referee follow them up and it’s a spear to drop Orton. That’s good for nine but another spear is countered into an RKO.
Edge is up at nine as well but Orton has dropped down to the floor next to the biggest ladder I’ve ever seen in WWE (it’s on the floor and is WAY higher than the top of the semi truck). Instead Orton takes some chairs up to the top of the truck to load up the Conchairto. Edge grabs a head and arm choke though and Orton is out. Hold on though as Edge waves off the count so he can hit the Conchairto. Orton is finally done at 36:39.
Rating: B. This one is going to be divisive and I can understand that. If my math is right, this was the longest non-Iron Man match in Wrestlemania history, though it didn’t feel that long. It felt like two guys who wanted to hurt each other and were doing whatever they could to accomplish that. I liked the unique atmosphere and some of the spot, with the Conchairto making for a good finish.
After a quick breather, here’s Mojo Rawley with the Mob chasing him. Gronk shows up and dives off a platform to take out the pile, allowing him to pin Rawley for the title.
Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Austin Theory/Angel Garza
The Profits are defending. Dawkins shoulders Theory down to start and the champs start working on the arm. That’s fine with Theory, who sends Dawkins to the floor, allowing Theory to mock the dancing. Garza gets in a superkick on the floor, TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, and misses a clothesline so Dawkins can tag Ford in.
A DDT gets two on Ford and Garza hits the moonsault onto both champs on the floor. The Lionsault gets two more on Ford back inside but Ford pops up with an enziguri. Dawkins comes in and runs Garza over, only to get caught in Theory’s TKO. Ford frog splashes his way in for the save though and Dawkins gets the cover to retain at 6:23.
Rating: D+. If ever there was a match to cut for the sake of time. This was a weird one as there was no reason to believe the title change was taking place and then the finish felt like something the heels would do to win. There are no teams to challenge the Profits at the moment and I don’t see Theory and Garza changing that anytime soon.
Post match Garza and Theory stay on Ford but Bianca Belair runs in for the save. That means a KOD on Zelina.
Smackdown Women’s Title: Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
Bayley is defending and this is under elimination rules. Tamina shrugs off the gang attack to start so Lacey chop blocks her down. The other four slug it out with Bayley and Sasha double teaming Lacey. Naomi makes a quick save as a mini tag match breaks out. Tamina comes back in to run everyone over and we actually get a Team Bad reunion. That lasts for all of three seconds as everyone goes after Tamina, including something off the top each. A dog pile pin gets rid of Tamina at 6:23.
Naomi dives onto Sasha but Lacey misses a dive onto Bayley, earning a ram into the steps. A sunset flip gives Naomi two on Bayley and Sasha at the same time, followed by a sliding slip to both. The Rear View hits Sasha and a Bubba Bomb into the reverse Rings of Saturn….is broken up by Bayley. The Bank Statement gets rid of Naomi (Bayley: “DANCE TO THE BACK!”) at 10:36 and we’re down to three.
Bayley shouts about Lacey’s daughter though, allowing Lacey to avoid the running knee. Sasha is knocked silly instead so Lacey small packages Bayley for two. Back in and Sasha yells at Bayley, who shoves Sasha out of the way of the Woman’s Right. Lacey hits the second attempt though and Banks is done at 13:23.
After a replay where you can hear Cole shouting commentary, Bayley mocks Lacey with a salute and shoves her face against the rope. Lacey gets posted for two so Bayley ties her arm to the corner with the tag rope. Since that’s kind of a stupid plan, Lacey kicks her way out and hits the slingshot Bronco Busters in the corner. After a slow motion salute, Lacey’s double jump moonsault gets two. Cue Sasha with a Backstabber to Lacey though and Bayley’s weird bulldog driver retains at 19:15.
Rating: D. Well that was long and served little purpose. Bayley has held the title since last May (save for a four day Charlotte reign) and I’m not sure what else there is for her to do. Unless they do Bayley vs. Becky (unlikely), what is the point in keeping it on her much longer? I’m sure we’ll get to Bayley vs. Banks again eventually, but dang that sounds as appealing as watching this match all over again.
Titus O’Neil takes Gronk’s place as host.
Wrestlemania XXXVII is in Los Angeles.
We recap The Fiend vs. John Cena in the Firefly Fun House. After Cena said that he didn’t want to wrestle at this year’s show, Fiend popped up to challenge him. Cena accepted, and then Bray Wyatt went on to say that he blamed Cena for the rise of the Fiend. See, Cena beat him at Wrestlemania XXX and messed with Bray’s mind, leading to the creation of the Fiend. Therefore, tonight Cena goes to the Fun House.
John Cena vs. The Fiend
Cena makes his entrance but the Firefly Fun House pops up, with Bray saying that Cena is about to face himself. Then Cena is teleported to the Fun House (apparently the same way Seth Rollins got there back in October), where Ramblin Rabbit sends him through a door after the Fiend. Cena follows and finds the Vince puppet, asking if Cena has the ruthless aggression to make it in this company.
We see Wyatt copying the Kurt Angle promo to challenge Cena from 2002 and here’s 2020 Cena in 2002 Cena attire. Cena keeps saying RUTHLESS AGGRESSION but misses a bunch of shots. Bray: “You can look but you can’t touch!” And now it’s the Saturday Night’s Main Event opening, with Bray standing behind a cage and imitating Hulk Hogan. Cena (Johnny Largemeat) comes up and starts rapidly lifting weights, apparently destroying his arms in the process.
Vince and the Mercy the Buzzard are on commentary as Bray asks what happens when Cena realizes that Ego Mania has been running wild on him. Bray sends him off camera to the Smackdown Fist where Cena is the Dr. of Thugnomics, with Bray dancing to Basic Thuganomics. They’re back in the ring and Cena finds out that he can only speak in rhymes, including a Husky Harris reference.
Bray calls Cena a bully and a horrible person who takes the weaknesses of others and turns them into jokes. With that, Bray gives him the floor so Cena throws him Deez Nuts. Cena, in the Babe Ruth jersey from last year, misses a charge and gets knocked out by a chain. Now it’s Bray back in the Wyatt Family gear and sitting in the rocking chair as we see clips of Wrestlemania XXX.
The fans wanted and needed him that night and now it’s time to rewrite his own story. They’re back in the ring now with Bray dancing with the unconscious Cena and loading up Sister Abigail. He lets Cena go though and drops down, handing Cena a chair in a recreation of Wrestlemania XXX. Bray tells Cena to fix his mistake from last year but Bray disappears away from Cena’s swing.
And now it’s…..NWO MONDAY NITRO??? Bray is Eric Bischoff (with the jacket and a Wolfpac shirt) and introduces Cena as Hollywood Hogan. Cena takes Bray down and unloads as we see clips of Cena’s past. He wakes up as himself and sees that he’s beating up Huskus the Pig. The Fiend appears behind him and gives him the Mandible Claw to knock Cena out. We hear Cena’s promo about ending the most overrated overhyped superstar ever and the Claw goes back on with Bray counting the pin. Cena teleports away and the Fiend stands alone.
No rating as this wasn’t a match but I got into this. It’s a rather interesting character study of Cena and you can get what they’re going with in Fiend making him face his fears. Back in the day, CM Punk said that Cena had become the New York Yankees: the big bad who held people down and used money to get what he wants (or going from the Real American Hogan to Hollywood Hogan as they used here).
That’s what Fiend is showing Cena here and it scared Cena that he had changed so much and become what he fought against for so many years. Now granted, if you haven’t been glued to WWE for the last….oh eight years or so, this made no sense, but the effort and thought was ALL there and I got most of what they were going for, plus some of the complete insanity that went along with it. Not a match, but kind of a fascinating weird look into the WWE psyche.
We cut to Titus O’Neil. Titus: “I don’t know what I just saw.”
We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre. Lesnar is World Champion but Drew eliminated him from the Royal Rumble and then won the whole thing, earning him this spot. Drew has kicked his head off a few times since then to show he can hang with Brock.
Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar is defending and gets Claymored for two after about ten seconds. Another Claymore misses and it’s time to go to Suplex City. The F5 gets one and Brock isn’t happy. Another F5 gets two and there’s the third for another two. Another F5 is countered and McIntyre hits two more Claymores. A fourth gives Drew the pin and the title at 4:28.
Rating: D. I’m happy that McIntyre won but GOOD GRIEF STOP DOING THAT SAME MATCH OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER! It’s a cool idea one time and then don’t do it again for years. This is all Lesnar does anymore and now it’s creeping over into other main events too. It loses its impact when they keep doing it again and again and now you’ve grown to expect it every time. Anyway, great moment to end the show and McIntyre as champion is awesome, assuming they don’t have Lesnar win it back in two months again.
Overall Rating: C-. I didn’t like this one as much as last night’s but it still wasn’t terrible. This one definitely felt like the bigger show and had the more intriguing matches (for the most part). I’m not wild on some of the booking decisions but it felt more like a Wrestlemania and that’s what matters. The crowd being gone didn’t bother me as much either, but the wrestling itself just wasn’t as good. Overall, not bad but last night’s felt tighter and more enjoyable.
Overall Overall Rating: C. With something like this, it’s almost impossible to give the thing a fair rating. When you factor in the day in between and the weird atmosphere, the show was pretty much just ok. There were some very good matches but some that made me wonder why I was wasting my time. Overall it’s an enjoyable one off, but I’m still not behind the idea of a two night Wrestlemania going forward. Until WWE can cut these things WAY down and trim off so much of the unnecessary stuff, it needs to be one night and one night only, just for the sake of sanity if nothing else.
Results
Charlotte b. Rhea Ripley – Figure Eight
Aleister Black b. Bobby Lashley – Black Mass
Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar
Edge b. Randy Orton when Orton couldn’t answer the ten count
Street Profits b. Angel Garza/Austin Theory – Frog splash to Theory
Bayley b. Sasha Banks, Naomi, Tamina and Lacey Evans – Bulldog driver to Evans
Drew McIntyre b. Brock Lesnar – Claymore
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
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Eh it was ok, circumstances ruled. One I won’t probably watch ever again. Take a break WWE
Am I the only one to realize that the Goldberg/Braun match was identical to the Brock/Drew match? 4 finishers cant win, but the other guy’s 4 finishers does? What happened to the 1 finisher for the ending? Jake the Snake ever have anyone get out of 1 dtd? Or anyone ever kick out of a stunner? But now we get a kickout at 1 on an F5, and 4 in row doesn’t work? BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, how can they have 2 identical matches in 1 wrestlemania? OMG!
In my opinion there were 4 classics:
Kofi/Uso/Morrison
AJ/Taker
Edge/Orton
Wyatt/Cena
All for completely different reasons:
The Ladder Match was a hard hitting spotfest and everyone involved seemed like they wanted to steal the show
AJ and Taker was an over the top brutal fight that showed how truly well rounded both guys are
Edge and Orton nearly killed each other for 40 minutes with both more and more desperate to end it each time the other one got up. They not only killed each other, they told an incredible story of betrayal and passion
Cena and Wyatt is the one I’m gonna get criticized for. It was very over the top . However, in my opinion, it was stellar psychology and storytelling. The part when he couldn’t catch Wyatt of guard like he caught Angle. The rap battles and the speech about Cena constantly getting opportunity after opportunity just because of his name. Bray standing up to him for continuously insulting his rivals. The constant Hogan comparisons and the corporate backing. However, the biggest part was the rehashing of their WM30 match. Wyatt saying that Cena took something from him was basically the IWC saying that Cena buried Wyatt and that his career never recovered until he was repackaged as The Fiend. Therefore, The Fiend was the only way to right that wrong. Awesome stuff and they knocked it out if the park.
Anybody who wants to comment and give their thoughts about this is more than welcome to
1 crossed bliss warriors revenge from h%ll in a cell
2. Corbin gets rolled up. For everyone that said Elias should not be competing wwe probably learned from the miz McMahon storyline and removed the crash pad during the edit. I don’t think Elias got steamboated
3 bazler Lynch entrance aside lynch rolls up ala Bret hart to pin shayna even though shayna was very stiff here. The problem with this this is not that shayna lost but rather who’s credible enough to take title from lynch
4. Smackdown ladder match awesome ladder match and a reminder of how good Morrison is. Got Sheamus Morrison vibes from tlc 2010. Also finally took advantage of using the belt holder as a distraction to win the belts
5 Zayn Bryan. Even though a good match you can tell that both are stepping off the gas a little. With the rumor of Bryan taking paternity leave soon you don’t want to give him the belt just so he can hot potato it very quickly
6 Owens Rollins. I’m digging Rollins more so than Owens. I know the product is toned down and I know that wwe wants to create Austin again but I prefer Owens when he debuted against Cena. To me that’s the real Kevin Owens. While that dive was a EPIC moment. I don’t know if a lot of us will remember that’ in 5 years. HBK s dive off the ladder against Ramon was better just because a title was up for grabs
7. Wash these hands is winning titles now. Gee I wonder why
8 boneyard match. GREAT use of wwe actually living up to the entertainment initial in its name. This match made AJ more than Taker as styles has completely turned from just 5 star machine to now being an all around performer
9 flair Ripley I KNOW flair won but the the the TRUTH is Ron has won a bunch more. As good as Ripley is she needs the rivalry with flair more than the title. Remember ric had a great set of matches with race, Rhodes, sting, steamboat Savage on and on.
If this was just their first match together Ripley will only get better. Remember when all is said and done after you hang up the boots did you leave your mark on the industry and elevate the performance of the people you worked with
10 black got Mass over on Wrestlemania Sunday Vega is happy
11 Otis gets the kiss from a Rose wwe did not have to pay Seal for royalty
12 with all apologies to taker styles and Lesnar and McIntyre Orton edge was the Real main event of mania overall If this was done pre Benoit tragedy in like 2000 or early 2001 a lot of people would love this more. Remember edge is ok he did a lot of his own stunts in acting in shows but he did seem blown up a little(to be expected). Reminded me of Jericho HBK non sanctioned match where HBK was just beside himself to get revenge on Jericho. Awesome sight seeing edge back and that you can tell a narrative without saying anything using your eyes
13 Gronkowski wins title. Will be challenged by Greg kittle at next years mania just kidding
14 raw tag title match just a way for Belair to debut
15 smackdown women’s title. Just a repeat of 2017 smackdown title match from mania with two differences the heel won and hopefully we get great match from banks and Bayley down the line
16 bray wyatts masterpiece
17 drew gets title. Kinda was spoiled in Wrestlemania ad for next year when it said welcome to claymore County
The only good thing about Charlotte winning if it is is maybe she can elavate some of the NXT women. The problem is she’s on such a pedastal that no one should realisticly beat her just like Lesner Charlottes booking is making me hate her and it’s not har fault. It’s like they don’t understand how long a wrestlers career should last and they want her to break her dads record ASAP. The WWE title match was a disgrace Great on Drew winning but it was just a copy and paste of the Universal title match The sooner Lesner retires the better. I thought this Show was going to be better than part 1 but just edged it out for me BTW I couldn’t help but smile when Otis got the girl. All in All a unique but enjoyable experience Now take a break WWE. My point is it took Ric 19 years to win 16 world titles and it’s taken Charlotte 6 years to win 11 it’s a joke.
Thanks to the WWEs booking Charlotte is her dad with great legs
I don’t understand why it’s not ok to have Legends and older wrestlers on the WM card. It is supposed to stand out from rest of PPVs and be a special night of the year. If you just make a card out of current talent and NXT talent than it is no different than the rest of the PPV on the calendar. I say use these legends while you can because very soon there will be none left to utilize. Cena and Lesnar are probaly the last true legends that will ever come out of WWE….the current roster all run and blend together,and will not be seen as legendary 10, 20 years down the road. Product is just to manufactured with little character development these days. Just an old school fans’ opinion and sadly I don’t think there is room for us type of fans anymore.
I’m more than good with legends on the card. I just don’t need them to show up and shred through the current talent before disappearing again after Wrestlemania is over.
I didnt say there was anything wrong with the legends. The problem is all the current stars past their prime and usefulness like Orton, Lashley and Ziggler. Yes they all put over their opponents. However, Orton put over Edge who is 46 years old, Lashley squashed Black until he got beat in a fluke, and Ziggler needed to be hit by a low blow to lose. They’re missing the point of having veterans like this on their roster. They should be putting over the younger talents, as wins over them will still mean something for a while. Daniel and AJ are still awesome, can wrestle at least a B with a broomstick and are super over, so they deserve their roles. Taker and Cena played their roles perfectly as the stories were perfectly played out. My biggest issue is Lesnar having no desire to have a decent match ever and Goldberg who has been subpar at best his entire career and should have NEVER been champion in this decade but because of Vince’s fetish for nostalgia he keeps getting pushed. Yes they’re short reigns but they’re completely unnecessary. I’m fine with him squashing cocky midcarders, but keep him away from the world titles.
That’s classic storytelling. Don’t get kB going on his (cough cough) favorite wrestler the Ziggie that likes to zag and ruin kB’s joy.
However I do agree with you on their use of Lesnar. He is a more hybrid version of Scott Steiner at least now. I remember the RR 03(even Jr was getting tired of calling suplexes)
Look Lesnar has set himself up as the ultimate villain champion Think at the end of a video game. Are you a bad guy defeating a hero at the end NO. Very rarely has WrestleMania ended with a heel winning Lesnar tried being face and it just did not work.
This business like with any entertainment is constantly changing. Last year Rollins beat Brock in the opening match and was basically shoved down our throats to the point where he naturally turned to heel
As long as McIntyre stays away from any jinder mahal matches and has heels that can push him he will be fine
Goldberg for the short time he has been back has made Vince money. I know the iwc wants the Sean Waltmans of right now in ricochet and others to win the belt but you have to develop chemistry with the talent around you before you can just climb to the top For every top prodigy like Orton or Lesnar there is also the journeyman like Hart or HBK that took YEARS to get to the top
Goldberg(as silly as his streak became) just did not win the belt on his first night No it was built up for a year Men like myself watched Goldberg and Austin in the 90s and thought wow Austin 3 16 and who’s next. As much as everything feels scripted the wrestlers have to develop their own personality in a way and extend themselves to the crowd.
So and I’m not disrespecting you but your logic that Orton should have won because Edge is 46 well guess what randy is 40 So let’s not have edge come back let’s not have edge produce this amazing wwe24. He clearly STILL LOVES this business. And having him back in the end will only make the younger guys better. If you look at the product from only inside the squared circle you miss out on the wholeness of the circle from the outside looking in
Very rarely does wrestling let you see behind the curtain but when it does it tells everyone it’s not about who wins or loses but what feeling or journey they let us have in traveling with them
Google finger poke of doom. Now that’s a lousy title match
Lashley and Ziggler also had reasons that set up their loss. If people just went out and had a wrestling match without any story why should we watch?
To be fair. I don’t recall Bruno Sammartino coming back and challenging hogan for the title. Guess Vince could not pull the trigger on having Bruno be a mailman lol
Intercontinental yes though.
That was against savage. Did not know that Thanks kB Hogan and sammartino did team up on house shows
Just one actually: Bruno’s last match.
I agree they should have lost and had stories. I just feel like Aleister didn’t look good because of it. The Ziggler issue I’m just biased because Otis is from my hometown. But I think Ziggler should’ve bounced off of Otis like a pinball like he’s awesome at doing. He should’ve done something desperate to come back and then have Mandy do the interference. Basically cut out Zigglers rest holds and major offense at the beginning and the match would have made more sense.
I can remember when HBK would throw the opponent into the ropes and use sweet chin music as just a regular straight kick. His first finisher as a singles guy was a belly to back suplex
In fact one of the things holding back Shawn was the lack of a definitive finisher.
Go back and watch survivor series 92 (Non screw job) It clearly was not shawns time yet BUT he had all the talent to keep up with Bret.
One of the major things that the nxt talent have to learn from going to nxt to raw or smackdown is it’s two different audiences. Not to say that we as whole don’t understand and appreciate wrestling(we do)
It’s just the nxt guys are just used to having 30 minute matches just to have them. As diversified as the wwe is there are still a lot of kids watching that don’t watch nxt so they have to be built back up for a different audience
The way that black won shows that he can take some lumps in a fight but still get his finisher over. Every guy does not have a roundhouse kick for a finisher
Yeah that makes sense. And I can tell you actually know what you’re talking about, which is nice to see.
Hey man I appreciate it. I just turned 21 in March and I wasn’t around in the 90s, but I’ve studied enough and watched enough old stuff to have a bit of an idea. I appreciate the older fans like yourself (not calling you old just saying you’re older than me) helping me understand more because I definitely don’t know everything. Edge winning was the right call for storyline purposes. The match was epic and they looked like they actually wanted to kill each other. I know it sounded like I was shitting on the result of the match. I loved Edge even when he was banging Matt Hardy’s girlfriend on Raw (I know, I know at that point it was part of the storyline. Just saying that that’s when everyone hated him.) I’m just saying they’re both in their 40s and watching a guy who’s had multiple major neck surgeries and was retired due to a neck injury take a ddt on the bed of a truck and 3 RKOs was a bit much. However, it made sense due to the personal nature of the rivalry and it was amazing psychology which Orton has mastered. I just personally didn’t want to see anything botched and Edge end up being the next Droz.
For me the monster champion thing is just really cliched for me (but to be fair, what isn’t cliched in wrestling) As long as Drew just doesn’t defend against the same 3 challengers for a year he’ll be fine. And hopefully they’ve learned their lesson on Kinder being anywhere near the main event scene.
Orton and Adam are friends behind the curtain. I don’t think randy will say gee let’s hurt my friend today You have to remember that match was heavily edited and had a lot of camera cuts. Like Adam said in the doc he would not be coming back if he could not do this Now does he need to incorporate flying spears off ladders anymore no but he can still push this young talent forward. And the Droz situation tore up D’Lo. That was just unfortunate
I was getting major hhh HBK vibes while watching the match. I suggest if you can to go and watch HBK hhh from summerslam 02(even if you did already watch it again) as it clearly showed the pattern that edge and Orton took in laying out a match
I totally agree with the comparison. Story is almost identical but not in a way that makes it cliched. I love both to death. I used to watch that match religiously because I owned the SummerSlam 02 event. I loved the match but some of the spot were scary, but if anyone can do it, it’s veterans like Edge and Orton.
Hey man I appreciate someone who knows what they’re talking about. Im not like the rest of this younger generation of wrestling fans. I’m not all about high spots, flips, chair shots and superkicks. I enjoy a good technical match. I love a good story. If the story calls for violence, then please make it violent. I guess I’m an old soul when it comes to wrestling.
Watch the harts owen and Bret from 94 mania and summerslam and angle Benoit from royal rumble 03. Technical gems
Bret/Owen and Angle/Benoit are the reasons I’m a fan of technical wrestling.
-I thought Ripley/Flair was the best match of the weekend, from an in-ring standpoint. They beat the snot out of each other. I don’t mind Charlotte winning, but I do mind the way she won. The story was old vs. new, so Charlotte should have caught her with something, like a roll-up or even Natural Selection to stun Rhea for a quick pin. She’s now tapped out Asuka and Rhea at WM. Hopefully it doesn’t kill Rhea’s push like it did Asuka’s.
-I’m glad Drew got his moment and I’m glad it ended the night. That’s all that match was going to be, with or without a crowd.
-Cena/Wyatt was a total mind f*** in an entertaining way.
-Nothing else last night needed to happen. Edge/Orton went far too long and was done better on NXT several weeks earlier. Everything else on that card last night was filler.
Hey KB just wondering how did you feel about them having 8 guys that are 40 or older and two others that are just a year off of 40 competing at this years Mania. It’s just confusing because they talk about how they are riding into the future but they still rely on older talent. What are your thoughts?
We’re long past the point of Wrestlemania being anything more than a night for the older wrestlers to pop in. That part is almost out of continuity with the rest of the year (figuratively that is).
Yeah this year they did a great job. They hid Taker and Cena’s weaknesses well, Edge and Orton had a great brawl, Morrison, AJ and Bryan are all still awesome and Ziggler is solid. Lashley is the same as always. The only people that really bugged me were Lesnar and Goldberg, but that wasn’t age as much as it was complete apathy.
Ok so thoughts on tonight:
They tapped out their best and most over female wrestler clean to Ric Flairs daughter. It was a hard hitting match with good psychology, but man alive did Charlotte give Vince the world’s biggest blowjob or something? Or did Rhea kidnap Stephanie’s pet chinchilla? My God what BS
Congrats Aleister! You were squashed and given a fluke win so that Lana can be in the spotlight! Seriously she makes Stephanie’s acting look amazing! Aleister looked good the limited time he was on offense. This was all on booking.
I’m not gonna lie. I mark out for Otis every time I see him because he’s from my hometown. That being said, I can’t bring myself to care about Ziggler because he’s literally been the same character for twelve years, just with longer hair now. I can’t take Mandy as an honest girl seriously with her booty hanging out like that.
I was really skeptical about Edge and Orton, and I really don’t think it needed almost 40 minutes, but they nailed the emotion. I wished it would’ve been guys not in their 40s but you can’t win them all. Plus, Edge looked spent after about two minutes (to be fair he hasn’t been in a one on one match in 9 years) and I think Orton might have actually messed up his ribs, cause he wasn’t breathing well.
Neither Theory or Garza are ready for the main roster, let alone a title match at WrestleMania. They’re young, are talented and have charisma through the roof, but are still green. The Street Profits winning was definitely the best option, but Bianca Belair just isn’t very interesting to me.
That Five Way flat out did not need to happen. Bayley has more talent in her pinkie finger than Tamina and Naomi have in their entire bodies, the Sasha story is beyond played out, and I can respect Lacey but don’t care about her in the slightest. By the way, congrats on landing that moonsault that has like a 10% connection rate.
I said to myself I’d eat my hat collection if Cena put over Wyatt, and now I’m looking for the BBQ sauce. It was the right call as Cena has absolutely nothing left to do. That was so bizarre that it was amazing! Not to mention Wyatt literally said what I’ve been saying for about 7 years now. It was goofy fun and Cena was a great sport throughout the entire bit. The part where he kept saying “Ruthless Aggression” and missing every time had me dying of laughter. Bray counting his own pin to end it was also awesome.
I love Drew. I have since he debuted, which was thirteen years ago. But my God Lesnar LEAVE AND NEVER COME NEAR OUR CHAMPIONSHIPS AGAIN!!!!! Great moment for Drew and it would’ve been a top 5 Mania moment for me had there been a crowd reaction.
Overall it was ok for what it was. With normal circumstances, night two would’ve been pretty bad. The circumstances are really crippling them. I really want a Last Man Standing match with China at next year’s Mania!!! There was no match that would’ve been a classic as opposed to last night having two that would’ve been with a crowd. Lesnar’s complete apathy, the Tag Titles, the five way, the Aleister/Lashley match, Ziggler being in a WrestleMania match that isn’t a Battle royal (I know, I know! Circumstances) and Charlotte winning AGAIN were all huge misses for me. The only things saving tonight’s show were The ridiculous Fun House Match, the awesome war between Edge and Orton, McIntyres moment and my hometown boy winning.
With all of that being said, this did not need to be two nights. Cut it in half, half one night, and the show would’ve been pretty awesome. Keep the two World title matches, the two specialty matches, the last man standing match, the ladder match and the Raw and NXT women’s title matches. You would’ve had two borderline classics that were only held back by the lack of crowd, two cinematic masterpieces, two great hard hitting women’s matches and the future taking over in the world title picture. Throw in Otis vs Ziggler or the Women’s tag on the kickoff and you have an A-.
Please let me know your thoughts on my unofficial review.
I’d really like to know what you think of my thoughts
Makes sense.
I thought Night 2 was good as well. Im glad Drew won the WWE Title and hopefully he gets a lengthy run with it, he’s earned it for sure. The Firefly Funhouse Match was something else but what a piece of business it was. LMS i thought was also very good, the length didn’t bother me too much as you said it was two guys just wanting to destroy the other. Rhea Ripley losing was a surprise and im guessing whoever comes out of the Ladder Match may win the NXT Womens Title from Charlotte.
Overall an enjoyable 2 nights of Wrestlemania 36 and everyone worked hard to give us this given the current circumstances.
Long time reader, first time posting to chime in on how brilliant the Funhouse match was. Probably my favorite thing WWE has done in a long time. The way they seamlessly tied in Cena’s whole career arc into the Wyatt/Fiend story arc was fantastic. And I died laughing more than a few times in the process.
Much appreciated on the comment and love the name.
Yeah that was great and more proof that there are people around who know history other than the last two years.
Big credit to Cena for going along with it and even pushing all of Bray’s ideas too. He was a great sport in this.
He can be a heck of a company man.
So I’m not sure if the comments are still visible to anyone but the annoying ones have been deleted. The rest are still there and I can still see them. I’m sorry about any mess up that this caused but it needed to be done.
Sorry about my little spazz out moment. I’ve just been reading the last six or so years of reviews and he makes me sick to my stomach.
Ok first off that women’s comment really makes me want to kick your jugular as hard as I can with steel toed boots. Second, THERE IS A GOD DAMN PANDEMIC GOING ON! THEY LITERALLY COULDNT HAVE PEOPLE AT THE SHOW!
He knows. He’s a troll. Don’t feed him.
As tired as I am, banning him for good sounds like a better option.
It should have been done long ago.
It’s been done now. I love a good joke but enough.
I don’t usually respond to you but….yeah this stopped being funny a long time ago.