Edge, Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley amazing on Night 2 of WWE WrestleMania 36
Apropos for WWE to play AC/DC music “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)“ to help jump-start Night 2 of WrestleMania Weekend. Gotta to be Triple H endorsed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKhTk0IynHM
We salute those Superstars rocking in the ring, on the floor, in the boneyard, throughout The PC and in the fun house.
Whatever you enjoyed -- or made you scratch your head on Sunday -- WWE’s talent, staff and crew delivered much needed entertainment to fans globally as our world continues to turn mysteriously from the coronavirus.
Former WWE 24-7 Champ Mojo Rawley (former? I’ll get to that later) tweeted afterward: “Still so proud of everyone for pulling off what was, in my opinion, the most important WrestleMania ever. When the world needed it most, everyone at WWE delivered. Thank you to the WWE Universe for always sticking with us, no matter what. We love y’all.”
Good words by Mojo. That said it all.
Now onto the matches.
Night 2 results
Night 2 of WrestleMania Weekend had it ups and downs, mostly ups though.
Difficult to top Night 1, which was awesome from pre-show start to finish.
Night 2 featured nine matches, like Night 1, giving fans 18 matches in two nights.
Night 2 did a good job.
Overall, not as good as Night 1, but Night 2 produced some quality matches and moments, too.
I thought the Edge vs. Randy Orton Last Man Standing match and the Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair NXT women’s title match topped Night 2. They exemplified how to work a match.
The aggression, the pacing, the selling, the psychology, it was all there. Flair’s smack talking during the battle made it even better. Ripley is only 23, but she wrestles like a veteran grappler. Wow.
Winner: Edge.
Winner: New champ Charlotte Flair (Woooo).
Darrick Moore officiated the Flair-Ripley match. Referee Rod Zapata worked the Edge-Orton battle.
Drew McIntyre lived the dream and met expectations from years past by battling Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman in the WrestleMania 36 Night 2 main event for the WWE title. Your referee Shawn Bennett.
Each kicked out of the other’s finisher. Good facials by both, too.
McIntyre withstood three F-5s.
At one point, Heyman blurted: “He’s good.. He’s really good. Hit him again. Keep on doing it all night long. He can’t keep kicking out.”
But he did.
After McIntyre kicked out of another F-5 at 2 1/4, he stole Heyman’s advice to Lesnar and countered by connecting on three consecutive Claymore Kicks to pin Lesnar.
Winner: New champ McIntyre.
The Raw Tag Team title match was another impressive addition to Night 2.
Like Ripley, Austin Theory had a WrestleMania moment at a young age, teaming with Angel Garza accompanied by Zelina Vega against the Raw Tag Team champs Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). Pretty good chemistry in this one. Fast-paced. Your referee the Donut King of Kansas City John Cone.
Winners: Champs The Street Profits (with Bianca Belair).
In the SmackDown Women’s title match, Bayley, Lacey Evans, Naomi, Tamina and Sasha Banks worked well together. They all eliminated the strong Tamina. Naomi was next eliminated. Then Evans pinned Banks, leading to the ending. Your referee Danilo Anfibio.
Winner: Champ Bayley (with the assist to her best bud Sasha Banks).
In a solid match-up, Aleister Black faced Bobby Lashley with Lana. Black and Lashley are two who can handle bigger spots. Your referee Eddie Orengo.
Winner: Black.
This one was personal. Dolph Ziggler in his first ever singles match at a WrestleMania squared off with Otis of Heavy Machinery. Saw this one coming. Ziggler accompanied by Sonya Deville eventually faced the wrath of Mandy Rose who attacked Devile and then low-blowed Ziggler. Your referee Charles Robinson.
Double Winner: Otis (he won the match and got the girl).
Bizarre, interesting, mind-boggling, confusing described the Firefly Fun House. John Cena vs. The Fiend Bray Wyatt. I thought the rabbit was good, and the rabbit did not get crushed, squashed or blender’d this time, ala Mr. Bill. You try something and see if it works. Reminded me of a segment from the TV series “The Twilight Zone.” Your referee Bray Wyatt.
Winner: The Fiend.
From WWE WrestleMania host to WWE 24-7 champion, Rob Gronk Gronkowski won the WWE 24-7 title on Night 2, after his buddy Mojo Rawley stopped him from winning it on Night 1.
Rawley claimed the title on Night 1, but on Night 2, Gronk jumped from the host platform high above onto a group of superstars beating up Rawley. With everyone down, Gronk then covered Rawley for the 1-2-3.
Pre-show: young and improving Liv Morgan learned from the always impressive Natalya. Your referee Shawn Bennett.
Winner: Morgan.
To start the main show, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon once again addressed the WWE Universe, followed by a cool video package. Nice job by the production team.
Outtakes of Night 2
Like Seth Rollins and American Bad Ass Undertaker on Night 1, The Queen Charlotte Flair did a really good job smack talking during her match against NXT women’s champ Rhea Ripley to open Night 2.
And what an opener.
Charlotte Flair proved why she is Ms. WrestleMania, and the young Rhea Ripley did an awesome job selling, wrestling and working the contest.
Ripley wrestles like a seasoned vet. Flair won the match to become the new NXT women’s champ, but everyone won in this one -- Flair, Ripley, the fans. Wow and Woooo.
With no crowd, it’s important to be more aggressive, express the pain and, if possible, vocalize during the match. That compensates for the lack of cheers, boos, chants, fan interaction with talent.
I like how The Viper Randy Orton dressed as a cameraman around ringside and attacked a surprised Edge from behind with a lightning quick RKO during the introductions.
Forced to retire nine years ago because of neck/spine injury, Edge looked really good in the Last Man Standing match. I can’t believe he delivered a flying elbow off a storage unit onto a prone Orton through a table.
They fought throughout The PC.
Young wrestlers can learn from Edge vs. Orton and Flair vs. Ripley. Aggressiveness, pacing, selling, ring psychology. Good drama, too, with Edge vs. Orton. Both matches told great stories.
After displaying some compassion for Orton, following his victory in this war, I would have liked to seen Edge hit Orton one more time with a chair.
Cool ring gear, props and entrance for Aleister Black. Bobby Lashley a good look, too.
Gronk did not win the “Masked Singer” title on FOX, but he is still a three-time NFL Super Bowl champ and now a one-time WWE champ with the 24-7 title added to his impressive sports and entertainment resume. Watch your back Gronk.
With a spot vacated, WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil became the new host of WrestleMania 36 PC Orlando Night 2. O’Neil can do it all and does.
Really good tag match with the Raw Tag Team champs Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) against Austin Theory and Angel Garza, accompanied by Zelina Vega.
With young talent like that, the future of sports entertainment is in good hands and feet. Plus, nice to see Bianca Belair involved after the match, making the save for her husband, Ford, who was being attacked by Garza, Theory and Vega. Belair took out Vega, who dished it out and sold it well.
Everyone in the SmackDown Women’s title fatal five-way combined to eliminate the powerful Tamina. Move after move after move after move consecutively from the ropes, and then they all covered her. Smart strategy, and it worked.
Strong right hand punch by Lacey Evans on Sasha Banks. That looked really good.
This version of Bayley has come a long way, and she seems very comfortable now with her new demeanor.
She’s reached that next level. Impressive.
Firefly Fun House equals mind games. Different. You don’t know if something will work or not, until you try.
After some thought, was it a reflection of some integral parts of Mr. McMahon’s journey?
Mr. McBossman, aka Mr. Evil McMahon puppet, speaking to John Cena and working the announce table during the Firefly Fun House match, yes, funny.
Bray Wyatt: “EvilMania has been running wild on you.”
Doctor of Thuganomics with a rap and the response, crickets.
I do like the old Bray Wyatt with the family, the rocking chair and the lantern.
Bray Wyatt as nWo Eric Bischoff and John Cena as nWo. Lol.
Past footage of a fan holding a sign: “If Cena wins, we riot.”
Titus O’Neil’s shocked expression at the conclusion of the Firefly Fun House is how I felt, too.
After that incredible Boneyard match on Night 1 with The American Bad Ass Undertaker, A.J. Styles, The OC and The Druids, we expected a lot from the Firefly Fun House. Creative took the Fun House in another direction. The Boneyard match focused on a fight, where the Firefly Fun House centered on a “Twilight Zone” type story.
Did the Firefly Fun House take away form the next match, which was the main event: Lesnar vs. McIntyre? Maybe.
I know hindsight is 20-20.
In a physical main event, Drew McIntyre won the WWE title over Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman.
Like the Lynch-Baszler Raw Women’s title match during Night 1, I would have liked to seen more of Lesnar-McIntyre.
The final camera shot of the two nights saw McIntrye on the ropes hoisting the WWE title and yelling while Lesnar lay prone on the canvas with the WrestleMania signage covering the background. Good visual.
https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/28997784/wwe-wrestlemania-36-live-results-recaps-analysis
All deserve praise
Congratulations to the new champs on Night 2
WWE Champ Drew McIntyre
NXT Women’s Champ The Queen Charlotte Flair.
WWE 24-7 Champ Rob Gronk Gronkowski
Congratulations to champs who successfully defended their titles on Night 2
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champ Bayley
WWE Raw Tag Team Champ The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)
Congratulations to the now former champs who did a good job on Night 2
Brock Lesnar
Rhea Ripley
Mojo Rawley
Congratulations to title match contenders who did a good job on Night 2
Sasha Banks
Lacey Evans
Angel Garza
Naomi
Tamina
Austin Theory
Congratulations to the WWE Superstars who did a good job competing in non-title matches or as outside support on Night 2
Bianca Belair
Aleister Black
John Cena
Sonya Deville
Edge
Rob Gronk Gronkowski
Lana
Bobby Lashley
Mr. McBossman
Liv Morgan
Natalya
Titus O’Neil
Randy Orton
Otis
Mojo Rawley
Mandy Rose
Zelina Vega
The Fiend Bray Wyatt
Dolph Ziggler
Added shout-out
Following Night 1, listed the efforts of some WWE staff who helped make WrestleMania Weekend a huge success.
After Night 2, kudos to more WWE personnel working behind the scenes, including Jason Ayers, Meghan Bertovich, Matt Bloom, John Davis, Andrew Heinz, Ryan Katz and Joe Pelkofski along with WWE Backstage on FS1 on-air talent Booker T, Christian and Renee Young.
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