Wrestlemania is over…
Night Two is over and brought with it more surprises, cinematic moments and big matches.
Wrestlemania is usually WWE’s biggest PPV of the year. The show was moved from its location at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando. The event will also be held without a live audience due to the ongoing pandemic.
The show is hosted by former NFL and New England Patriots star, Rob Gronkowski. It is also the first Wrestlemania to be set across two nights. Check out the full results from night one below:
Results
- Liv Morgan defeats Natalya
The pre-show saw a bout between Liv Morgan and Natalya, two of the women who were steamrolled by Shayna Baszler during this year’s Elimination Chamber. Liv Morgan captured the victory via a roll-up in a decent match.
- Charlotte Flair defeats Rhea Ripley to win the NXT Women’s Championship
A fantastic opener saw Charlotte Flair shock the WWE universe by capturing the NXT Women’s Championship for a record-equalling second time. The win was met with a mixed reception, despite the high-quality match. Many wanted Rhea to retain but after a hard-fought battle, she submitted to the Figure 8. Charlotte is now the face of NXT’s Women division in a move that was made to seemingly bring eyes to the NXT brand, and elevate the next star who could take the title from her.
- Aleister Black defeats Bobby Lashley via pinfall
A showcase match for Black which ended when Lashley’s attempt at a spear was halted by a Black Mass, leading to the three-count and another win for Black. Lashley was accompanied to the ring by Lana, shouting instructions which led to Lashley’s eventual demise. The match wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was a decent bout between the two, with the correct result at the end.
- Otis defeats Dolph Ziggler via pinfall
Despite being accompanied to the ring by Sonya Deville, Dolph Ziggler failed to take down Otis in what was one of the most feel-good moments of Wrestlemania. Otis claimed victory after interference from Mandy Rose, who attacked Sonya and delivered a well-deserved low-blow to Otis delivering the Caterpillar and picking up the win. The segment ended with a kiss between Mandy and Otis as he carried her off to the back. The match and final moments would have benefitted from a crowd, but still provided a fun and entertaining, feel-good moment to mark the halfway point in the show.
- Edge defeats Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match
A great blow-off to won of the best feuds leading into Wrestlemania, saw the Rated R superstar come out on top in a long brawl. The match lasted nearly 40 minutes, with many criticising the length, while others thought it lent itself well to the feud. This match benefitted from the lack of crowd, leading to an intense backstage battle to culminate the feud.
- Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defeat Austin Theory & Angel Garza to retain
The shortest match of the night ended with a frog splash from Montez Ford, allowing The Street Profits to retain in quick fashion. The match originally featured US Champion Andrade but was changed after he sustained an injury, leaving Austin Theory to move from NXT to Raw for the match. A beatdown occurred after the bell, which is promptly ended after NXT superstar Bianca Belair came to her husband’s (Montez Ford) rescue, delivering a K.O.D to Zelina Vega.
- Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley defeats Lacey Evans, Sasha Banks, Naomi & Tamina
A decent affair, seemingly created to plant the seeds for a future feud between friends Bayley and Sasha Banks. After Eliminating Tamina and Naomi, Bayley accidentally hit Sasha Banks with a knee, leading to a Women’s Right from Lacey Evans to eliminate Banks from the match. Despite this, Banks still returned to the ring to help Bayley retain the title. The end saw Sasha Banks hesitate to give Bayley the title, sowing the seeds for a potential Summerslam feud.
- “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defeats John Cena
Another Wrestlemania highlight in a similar vein to Night One’s Boneyard match. The match saw Cena being transported to the Firefly Fun House, where Bray Wyatt took him through a trip to his past gimmicks, with further references to the NWO and WCW nitro. The match was met with a great reaction from fans and wrestlers, leading to The Fiend winning via the Mandible Claw, in which Wyatt also counted the pinfall. The match was crazy, unique and creative, ending with the correct winner.
- Drew McIntyre defeats Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship
A feel-good moment, especially to British fans, saw McIntyre capturing the title from Lesnar. In a moment full of emotion, as McIntyre thanked the fans through the camera; this is a match that deserved to be in front of a crowd, not for the wrestling itself, but for the moment. After Lesnar kicked out of a Claymore Kick, he delivered 3 F-5s to McIntyre, who kicked out of each one. The match ended with Drew connecting with three more Claymore’s to earn the pinfall victory in quick fashion.
Watch Wrestlemania 36 on the WWE Network to experience the full match card, recommended viewing for Night Two includes the Firefly Fun House match, the NXT Women’s title match, Otis’ moment and Drew McIntyre’s prophecy finally coming true. Check out the Night One results here.
By Jimmy Ioannou
Images provided by WWE/Twitter
Reverbium 