Folks, we’re halfway through the biggest wresting weekend of they year, and just a few moments removed from the end of WrestleMania 40’s first night.
Yesterday, we went over all the matches that were scheduled to be on night one, so if you want the full picture, start there, and then come back here.
Today, we’re about the get neck deep into night two, so lets get to it.
NIGHT TWO
Last year, I spoke about how every WrestleMania ends up being tied quite closely to their main event, with very little variance. This was proven when last year’s near perfect night one was marked by the complete miss when Roman Reigns beat Cody Rhodes, and it caused so many to drop the show down the ranks of great ‘Manias. This year stands a chance to right a wrong, with the very same main event. But will they actually go through with it? Or will WWE have Roman make a run for an even longer reign? One outcome could make this one of the best WrestleManias of all time, and the other… well, WWE will be fine, but they’d still be setting fire to a lot of good will, to be honest. But before we get to all of that…
Six-Man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs. Final Testament
TL;DR // A Tick Tock man found himself some beef boys, and they’ve been being jerks to Lashley and his pals ever since.
Special Rules // It’s a street fight, which means outside of the pin or submission having to take place in the ring, there are no other rules.
How Did We Get Here? // So, while things have changed quite a bit since Vince McMahon got turfed from the company, Triple H (who has been running the company) still has his pet favourites who are just… fine? And Karrion Kross of Final Testament is one of them. His partners, the Authors of Pain, seem to be another batch. And they’re all just… fine. No matter what they’re given they just seem to be there. Meanwhile, Lashley and The Street Profits have been lighting up the audience for quite some time. Frankly they’re slumming it with this match, and should win. But Kross and his gang really need to win it if they stand any chance of being taken seriously. So they might take this. Boo.
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
TL;DR // Two different generation of TNA Wrestling face off on a much bigger stage.
How Did We Get Here? // Should I start back at TNA? Why not. For those who don’t know, way back in 2002, a wrestling promotion called TNA emerged from the ashes of WWE’s acquisition of WCW. It was wild trash, with glimmers of absolute greatness, and that grand tradition continues today. For every “win” they record, they always seem to balance it out with a gunshot to the foot. That said, their wins are wild, and two of the best the promotion pushed in two very different periods of time are in this very match. That’s where my heart is saying this comes from.
In reality, this is all about LA Knight (yeah!) accidentally bumping AJ Styles during a big match and the boys have been fighting ever since. It is a shame, because LA Knight has been hot as hell for a while now, and AJ Styles has long deserved better WrestleMania matches, but here we are.
United States Championship Triple Threat Match
Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
TL;DR // A snake man and an influencer fight a good French Canadian boy.
How Did We Get Here? // Well, it really starts with Logan Paul being far too good at this whole professional wrestling thing. Truly, it is ridiculous, and I really hate it. He’s taken what was a couple of goofy celebrity matches, and has become a highlight of most shows he is on. Is he a dick? Absolutely. So many are in wrestling, and if you engage with this business, you end up accepting various levels of that to enjoy the product. Anyway, Logan Paul sucks as a person but he’s here for a reason: to be a dick, and do a good job.
He’s fighting Randy Orton who is back at his first WrestleMania since a career threatening injury, and Kevin Owens, who thus far holds the distinction of having Stone Cold Steve Austin’s last match a couple of years back.
These three are fighting because Paul has been a dick to both of these boys, and he reaping the consequences of his actions by having to fight them both.
Now Owens is a rad French Canadian bear who always puts on a great show, whether he’s being a good guy or a bad guy. Unfortunately, he’s probably here to get pinned. Summerslam is going to be in Logan Paul’s hometown, so he’s probably retaining, and WWE isn’t about to have Randy pinned on his comeback. Sometimes we don’t get nice things.
WWE Women’s Championship Match
IYO SKY (c) vs. Bayley
TL;DR // So you have these friends in high school, and everyone is cool until suddenly, some new girls show up, and you’re on the outs. And then you fight about it for a belt.
How Did We Get Here? // Bayley started a group called Damage CTRL and brought some under-utilized women with her. IYO SKY was one of them. Some folks were added to the group, and Bayley won the Royal Rumble, letting her choose a champion to face at WrestleMania. She then realized her pals were icing her out, and made this challenge herself. There’s some bad blood here… and I’m thinking there might be some shenanigans for Bayley to overcome. Regardless, it is gonna be a rad fight.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
TL;DR // An internet troll is coming to take a belt off a fashionista.
How Did We Get Here? // Ooooohhhhh this is a good one. So. Seth Rollins has been preoccupied by helping Cody fight The Bloodline, and in the meantime, Drew McIntyre earned himself a shot for his title at WrestleMania. Even since then, Drew has been big on his troll game, not just with Seth for not being focused, but on CM Punk who was originally penciled into this spot before he went and got himself injured in his first match back in the WWE. Punk is going to be on commentary for this match because he has beef with both of these boys, and will probably not insert himself in this match. No, no.
Truly, this is Drew’s match to lose. He’s been on absolute fire, and Rollins just went through an absolute hot mess of a match on Night One. Also, Drew has the next wild feud locked and loaded with Punk after this. No matter what, these two are going to go out there with something to prove, and they are surely going to deliver.
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match – Bloodline Rules
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
TL;DR // But for real, if Cody doesn’t win, we riot.
Special Rules // With The Rock and Roman Reigns winning last night’s big tag match, Cody Rhodes is in a match that has no real rules. Other than a pin or submission has to happen in the ring. Which means there’s going to be so many shenanigans. It is going to be bonkers.
How Did We Get Here? // We spoke a lot about this in yesterday’s article, because this main event is almost the second part of what took place last night. Rhodes and Reigns were in this spot last year. This year, it is going to be bonkers. There’s no rules. Reigns matches have a lot of interference in them in general, and now, the pretence of rules are thrown out. That means the bad guys are coming out. The good guys are coming out. It is going to be on heck of a mess. And hopefully… hopefully… Cody comes out the other side as a champion to carry the show, just like he’s been doing all along. The man deserves it.
And that is going to do it for this year’s WrestleMania. I’m not going to lie – this year’s feature was way harder to make than any other year, and that comes down to competent booking, and clear storytelling. It is much harder to wring out goofy bits when the ship seems to be running smoothly. And honestly? I’ll take having hours of good wrestling to watch than an easy time churning out this bit every year (or so).
Thanks for reading.
