Recap and Review WWE Wrestlemania 36 (Night Two)

After an epic night one of Wrestlemania 36, I was very intrigued by how night two was going top it. Night two had an equally as impressive lineup as night one did. Before I begin with thoughts on night two, here are the results of the second night of Wrestlemania 36:

-Kickoff Show: Liv Morgan defeated Natalya
-Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley to become the new NXT Women’s Champion
-Aleister Black defeated Bobby Lashley
-Otis defeated Dolph Ziggler
-Edge defeated Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing Match
-Street Profits defeated Angel Garza and Austin Theory to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
-Bayley defeated Tamina, Naomi, Sasha Banks and Lacey Evans to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
-Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena in the Firefly Fun House Match
-Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship

The kickoff match featured Liv Morgan and Natalya. Even though this match had no build up, this was a really solid match for both women. It also gives Liv some momentum with a victory. I would like to see these two go again with more time. The first match on the main show was Rhea Ripley defending her NXT Title against 2020 Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair. These two have on quite the collision course since Flair made the decision to challenge Ripley. I was shocked how dominant Ripley was early on and how aggressive she looked as someone as seasoned as Charlotte has been. Charlotte was able to slow her down mid-match, but I have to say these two fought with a lot of anger and passion. The story was good, the psychology was good but unfortunately the result went the way it did because of real life issues. I am going to assume Rhea Ripley gets a rematch right away when the real life issues sort themselves out.

One match that had no build to it was Aleister Black and Bobby Lashley, but it was a sure a contrast of styles. This was a very short but simple match. There wasn’t much of a story to tell but the in-ring work was solid and it adds to the mystique to Aleister Black. We go from a match to no build to one of the best stories on WWE Television. I loved the story with Otis, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville and Dolph Ziggler. The story had a really nice pay off with Otis getting Mandy in the end. I believe this story really showed the range of all four superstars. I also believe that the hacker behind releasing the video footage is Ali. It has his symbol all over it and it feels like his character has a new direction. I will be curious to see what other type of footage he releases before he gets caught and identified.

When Edge returned the 2020 Royal Rumble, it was one of the greatest returns in the history of the company. The next night He and Orton set up this beautiful story and buildup towards their Last Man Standing Match. They got really creative during this match and the payoff was excellent. These two had plenty of time to beat the crap out of each other and held nothing back. I honestly think the match went a little long but this was Edge’s first singles match in nine years so I get it. Another match that was put together was very last minute was the Street Profits taking on Angel Garza and Austin Theory. It was suppose to be Andrade with Garza but an injury preventing that from happening. After the Street Profits won the match, Garza and Theory picked a fight with them until Bianca Belair came out to take Zelina Vega. It was great to see Bianca get a nice moment considering she has not been seen in a while.

Next up was the Fatal Five Way Match for the Smackdown Women’s Title. It was Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Tamina, Naomi, and Bayley. If I am being honest, I really wasn’t feeling this match until Sasha and Bayley imploded and showed signs of splitting up. Although, it was very short lived because Sasha helped Bayley retained the title. This story was very confusing and not well played out. One story that was well played out was the John Cena and Bray Wyatt story. It was a Wrestlemania Re-Match six years in the making. Much like the Boneyard Match on night one, I wasn’t sure what a Firefly Fun House match was going to be like. In this match, we went from The Prototype to Basic Thuganomics back to the modern day Cena. We also go went back to the original Bray Wyatt. We even got an Eric Bischoff and n.W.o. shout out. This match had very little physicality but it told one hell of a story. It featured every aspect of their careers. The high’s, the lows and everything in between. It was a great way to send John Cena off for the time being.

The Main Event was for the WWE Championship between Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar. Much like Goldberg and Strowman, I didn’t have high expectation. It was short, simple and to the point. The really built Drew McIntyre into the superstar he was always meant to be. Going forward, we no longer have any part time champions. All the champions on the main roster can now carry the shows the way they need to be carried. For not having a crowd, for having to rewrite a lot of stuff and change plans, they completely exceeded expectations and knocked out of the park. This Wrestlemania will be remembered for a very long time because of the circumstances and how they put in the great effort. WWE should absolutely be applauded for this effort. It’s an effort that will not go unnoticed.