WWE WrestleMania 36 Discussion

[Knox 4]

 

The Matches

(Updated card)

 

WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre ‬

 

WWE Universal Championship

Goldberg vs Braun Strowman

 

‪RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler ‬

 

‪NXT Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair ‬

 

SmackDown Women’s Championship Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match

Bayley vs Lacey Evans vs Sasha Banks vs Tamina vs Naomi ‬

 

‪Boneyard Match

The Undertaker vs AJ Styles ‬

 

‪Last Man Standing Match

Edge vs Randy Orton ‬

 

‪Firefly Fun House Match

John Cena vs The Fiend Bray Wyatt ‬

 

‪Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan ‬

 

RAW Tag-Team Championships

The Street Profits vs Angel Garza & Austin Theory

 

SmackDown Tag-Team Championships Triple Threat Ladder Match

John Morrison vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Kofi Kingston

 

‪Women’s Tag-Team Championship Match

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs The Kabuki Warriors ‬

 

Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens ‬

 

‪Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley ‬

 

Elias vs Baron Corbin ‬

 

Dolph Ziggler vs Otis ‬

It's turning out to be chaotic due to the coronavirus pandemic. I'm surprised they're continuing on considering that the WWE can't sell tickets to the event. But here we are, with a two night event, and a card that keeps changing. Are you planning to watch? The card looks interesting so far, I'd particularly like to see Lynch vs. Baszler and The Undertaker vs. Styles, but you never know what you're going to get once it's closer to time. I could do without seeing Lashley and Corbin, but Corbin especially always seems to get onto the PPV cards. Why is that? At least Lashley is up against Aleister Black, who I actually like. Hopefully Black will make it worthwhile to watch. What's your take on the chaos that is this years WrestleMania?

Edited April 5, 2020 by Kam

[Zack T 171]

It's Vince McMahon's fault that WrestleMania is in as chaotic a state as it's in. Obviously he's not responsible for Covid-19, but he is responsible for how he decided to handle it. From what I've read, literally everyone in WWE didn't want to move forward with WrestleMania in this circumstance, it's entirely Vince pushing it forward. As a result, people like Roman or Lashley are getting screwed over because they're either in quarantine or don't feel safe exposing themselves to the risk. I mean, Roman Reigns was set to face Goldberg in a mega main event where you gotta believe Roman was set to win the title. Instead, he's backed out of it due to his immunosystem deficiency due to Leaukemia - And yet Vince is still moving forward, despite a main event being changed.

 

I just dunno. It's a tough situation all around, but I feel like people would've appreciated it more if we could've just settled down and delayed Mania until we can gather for it again. Alternatively, if we could just do Mania, use the Raw/NXT/Smackdown after to tie things up and take a break til this is all over, that'd be a good way too but I doubt that'll happen. AEW reportedly wishes they could've at least gotten to Blood and Guts, they would've done that and then took a break. But unfortunately, just couldn't quite make it. Dang virus.

[Poppy 31]

I'm not going to pay for the PPV because I think most of the wrestlers wanted to sit this one out. It jeopardizes not only the wrestlers' health, but the health of the entire crew that goes into making these events happen. Despite the issues, it looks like a good card honestly. There a few matches I'd like to see. Taker's Boneyard Match will undoubtedly be great. I think The Miz's tag team match would be excellent too, but it seems he might be sick and Morrison might get another partner. These events tend to get uploaded to Reddit and YouTube and I'll watch it then or I'll make do by reading some recaps.

 

I'm interested to see whether Reigns gets buried over his decision to sit this one out. Surely not, but we'll see.

[ShadowEdge 48]

I'm planning to watch and if any wrestlers feel like they've been coerced to participate, I sure haven't noticed. Roman Reigns made the right call to put his health first. Plus, let's be honest, he usually gets a big bump from fans anytime his leukemia is mentioned. I can't see it being a problem for him career wise down the road.

 

I love The Undertaker. He's probably my absolute favorite wrestler of all time. But my goodness, why did he ever pretend to retire? I previously bought the rhetoric that Vince was pushing the old guard to continue wrestling, simply to help the brand. I really thought Taker wanted to stop. Now I know better. Dude was just pretending that he wanted out. I don't think it's about the money either. Not at all. He just loves the whole atmosphere and the job too much to retire. He loves being The Undertaker and isn't ready to give that up. And why should he? He's looking better than ever in the ring.

[Kam 243]

@Knox - I amended your post to include the poster/scheduled matches, we might as well make this the official discussion thread :) I know some of the matches have changed but I've left it to how WWE have it announced at the moment.

 

This feels so surreal for me. I cannot believe we're going to get WrestleMania with no crowd, I just can't see it feeling special at all. I would have preferred it if they delayed it. They could have set something up in the storyline to say, all WrestleMania opponents had to stay away from each other until the event was rescheduled. In the meantime, they could have run some alternative feuds for a month or two.

 

Rather than looking forward to the event I'm kinda dreading it. I hope I'm wrong and they put something great together but I can't see it happening.

[Snarky-Guru 7]

Drew McIntyre's big moment won't be so memorable without the crowd. I like the card as it is now, but I know it won't stay that way. There are some good matches lined up. Edge versus Orton will be dull I bet. I'd like to have seen Edge versus Goldberg instead. Cena versus The Fiend is the one I'm looking most forward to. What about you all?

[Knox 4]

@Kam, I just realized that you usually start the PPV threads. Sorry for jumping the gun. Thanks for fixing up my post so it matches the others. I dig the poster image. The Undertaker's expression is something else.

 

The SmackDown Women’s Championship Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match should be good too. I think Evans or Banks will win, but maybe Tamina will surprise us all and come out on top. Has she ever won anything significant?

 

@Zack T I'm surprised that Vince decided to move forward with it, considering that he can't sell tickets. What do you think drove that decision? He'd have to sell a lot of PPV subs in order to make it worthwhile financially.

 

@Poppy Has that actually been voiced by the wrestlers?

[DandyMandy 25]

I think we're going to be pleasantly surprised. No live audience gives them the chance to get creative. The Firefly Fun House clash is the big thing for me. You know Cena and The Fiend are going to put on a great show.

[ShadowEdge 48]

@Knox I think the bit about some wrestlers being upset is just gossip, but there's probably some truth behind it. To me, it looks like Vince is working with them though. Paige didn't want to travel to Orlando and that desire was accommodated. Reigns wanted out, and he's out. Insiders say that several wrestlers are upset, but you know we're not going to get names. Not now at least. I feel comfortable watching because I don't feel like anyone is being forced. If Vince came down hard on a wrestler for skipping WrestleMania, the fans would go insane. There would be a massive boycott. That would affect Vince's pocketbook and we all know he doesn't want that.

 

How much power did Vince have over the decision to continue on with WrestleMania? I just wonder how much was down to Vince and how much was down to Fox.

[Knox 4]

When does it come on in the UK? I don't want to spoil the action. Are you all watching it too?

 

I don't think it's a spoiler moment to say that I'm impressed with how well Rob Gronkowski is hanging.

[didge 11]

I'm not going to pay for the PPV because I think most of the wrestlers wanted to sit this one out. It jeopardizes not only the wrestlers' health, but the health of the entire crew that goes into making these events happen. Despite the issues, it looks like a good card honestly. There a few matches I'd like to see. Taker's Boneyard Match will undoubtedly be great. I think The Miz's tag team match would be excellent too, but it seems he might be sick and Morrison might get another partner. These events tend to get uploaded to Reddit and YouTube and I'll watch it then or I'll make do by reading some recaps.

 

I'm interested to see whether Reigns gets buried over his decision to sit this one out. Surely not, but we'll see.

I cannot imagine Wrestlemania 36 proceeding without a live audience; Vince should have paid attention to the mood and postponed this event altogether. On the other hand, I doubt if RR will be on the receiving end of anything since his decision to sit out this competition is understandable!

[Kam 243]

How much power did Vince have over the decision to continue on with WrestleMania? I just wonder how much was down to Vince and how much was down to Fox.

 

There would have been some commitments with sponsors but ultimately it would have been Vince's decision. Every other major sporting event has been cancelled, WrestleMania is the only one I'm aware of that went ahead. I'm sure everyone would have understood if the event was postponed to later in the year. I think it's probably more likely Vince thinking he might be able to get more people watching/paying for it as nothing else is on. It will be interesting to see how the buyrate does, it was about $59.99 on PPV (for both nights), I wonder how many people actually paid. I'm sure most fans would have watched via the WWE Network ($9.99) but I think they might have got some casual fans to watch.

 

When does it come on in the UK? I don't want to spoil the action. Are you all watching it too?

 

We get it live but most people would probably watch it the following morning as it beings around midnight here (for each night).

 

My thoughts on Night #1:

 

I was disappointed with the set. I know they were limited with space but I thought they'd try and do something special to make it stand out more, especially the stage area.

 

The song by The Weekend (Blinding Lights) really grew on me during the show - I love the 80s inspired part that they used when the graphics appeared before each match.

 

You could tell everyone was told to be more vocal to try and add some noise to the event :)

 

‪Women’s Tag-Team Championship Match

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs The Kabuki Warriors ‬

 

Match was okay, Nikki looked good. Asuka was very loud :) I still find the team of Nikki and Alexa odd, they don't seem to fit, for me anyway.

 

Elias vs Baron Corbin ‬

 

I was surprised they didn't show Rob/Mojo during the match considering their connection to it. I thought at the every least they'd show Rob/Mojo celebrating when Corbin lost. Okay match.

 

‪RAW Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler

 

I was a little disappointed by this one, I was hoping for something more, was okay. I think if this went ahead in the stadium with a crowd, Shayna would have won.

 

‪Intercontinental Championship

Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan ‬

 

Pretty much went how I expected.

 

SmackDown Tag-Team Championships Triple Threat Ladder Match

John Morrison vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Kofi Kingston

 

This was good, although it makes it so noticeable there is no crowd when they did some of their big spots.I quite liked the finish with them all grabbing the titles and Morrison falling off with them. (I know we've seen similar stuff before).

 

Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens ‬

 

I liked Seth's outfit :) This was good, nice spot from Kevin at the end.

 

WWE Universal Championship

Goldberg vs Braun Strowman

 

We all knew this would be quick, was fine for what it was.

 

‪Boneyard Match

The Undertaker vs AJ Styles ‬

 

I was surprised by this match. I quite enjoyed it, despite the cheesy moments. I liked the entrances, use of music and pyro. Match seemed good, it's the best Undertaker has looked in AGES. There were quite a few moments that had me smiling (like when AJ was about to bury Taker). I thought we might see Michelle back considering they've mentioned her so much. I was even thinking she might have another run (after Mania) to go for one of the women's titles.

 

Overall, it was okay. I would have preferred it if they tried to make some of earlier matches more special, it felt like it was only the main event and Rollins/Owens that had anything special to them.

 

It was alright.

[ShadowEdge 48]

I didn't realize The Miz had been pulled until I saw it. There was some talk about him sick beforehand, but I assumed it was just talk. I wonder if that's why Roman Reigns and Paige got worried and bailed. Gronk was funny at first, but as the show went on, his theatrics became more and more annoying.

‪Boneyard Match

The Undertaker vs AJ Styles ‬

 

I was surprised by this match. I quite enjoyed it, despite the cheesy moments. I liked the entrances, use of music and pyro. Match seemed good, it's the best Undertaker has looked in AGES.

What? The Undertaker always looks good. Well, except for the debacle in Saudi Arabia with Goldberg. Not much of a Taker fan? I go back and forth over the old greats really. They still have moments of greatness and nostalgia always pulls me in, but eventually, someone will get hurt, especially when you consider how many botches we see. I disagree with the common opinion that botches will harm their old school reps though. A great will always be a great. I think Taker looks good in the ring still, but maybe I'm blinded. It's definitely possible. I think AJ Styles is good at selling it, which probably helped.

 

The druids were a nice touch. I don't see how they managed to stay within the number of people limits like Vince claimed though.

[Kam 243]

What? The Undertaker always looks good. Well, except for the debacle in Saudi Arabia with Goldberg. Not much of a Taker fan?

I like Taker and the deadman gimmick, he's had some great matches but his age has been showing more and more.

 

Night #2 thoughts...

 

‪NXT Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair ‬

 

Charlotte ended Asuka's undefeated streak by making her tap out at WrestleMania and she never really recovered from it (maybe this year?). I hope Rhea doesn't end up in the same boat. Hopefully the plan is for them to do a rematch (when they can do normal shows again) and Rhea picks up her win then. The match was OK, I was a little disappointed with Charlotte making her tap.

 

‪Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley ‬

 

It was alright, I wasn't that fussed about it.

 

Dolph Ziggler vs Otis ‬

 

Match was OK for what it was. We've seen so many of these angles in the past where they have one of the divas fall for someone unexpected, I can't ever remember liking them. Although I had a look at WWE's Youtube channel and the most-watched clip from WrestleMania is the Otis/Mandy one with 1.3 million views (as of now). The majority of WrestleMania clips have under 500k views - so people are obviously interested.

 

RAW Tag-Team Championships

The Street Profits vs Angel Garza & Austin Theory

 

This was ok, it felt more like a Raw match. A nice moment with Bianca running in but I was surprised they didn't mention that Ford was her husband. I guess that means this is just a one-off as I can't see her coming up to Raw yet. I'd like to see her have a run with the NXT Women's title first.

 

‪Last Man Standing Match

Edge vs Randy Orton ‬

 

I liked what they did with this match but I thought it went on too long. It was almost 40 mins. It would have been better if they shortened it. There were so many moments where I thought it was about to finish but then it carried on..and on...and on.

 

SmackDown Women’s Championship Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match

Bayley vs Lacey Evans vs Sasha Banks vs Tamina vs Naomi ‬

 

For a moment I thought they were going to make Lacey win which would have been terrible. She's still not shown me anything that makes her a worthy titleholder. Nice little tease with Sasha and Baley but the right person won.

 

‪Firefly Fun House Match

John Cena vs The Fiend Bray Wyatt

 

I really enjoyed this, it was totally bonkers. It's not something I'd like to see all the time but as a one-off it was fun.

 

WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre ‬

 

This seemed just like the Universal title match with them just delivering finisher after finisher. There's not really much else to say about it as it was so short. When you look at the amount of time given to both the men's title matches (across both nights), it's less than 10 minutes combined in a 6.5 hour show!

 

Overall, WrestleMania was okay, I had low expectations and they had a few good moments but it just didn't feel like WrestleMania without the crowd or the staging/entrances etc.

 

‬

[DandyMandy 25]

I thought it was one of the better WrestleManias I've seen, but that was largely due to the offbeat nature of the Boneyard and Firefly Fun House matches. Those were fun. I even enjoyed watching Lesnar for once. The only big disappointment for me was Lynch and Baszler. I thought it would be a showstopper. What happened? I thought they'd go at each other like Lynch did with Banks.

I like Taker and the deadman gimmick, he's had some great matches but his age has been showing more and more.

I agree and I'm afraid he's eventually going to get hurt. Really hurt.

[Ogmore 28]

The only big disappointment for me was Lynch and Baszler. I thought it would be a showstopper. What happened? I thought they'd go at each other like Lynch did with Banks.

As much as I adore Lynch, I wanted to see Baszler take it. Regardless of the outcome, I thought it was decent. I think heat helps drive Baszler and she just wasn't feeling it as much without the crowd. I'm guessing they're going to keep dragging this rivalry out. I'd rather they move on to something else.