Folks, we’re midway by means of the most important wrestling weekend of the 12 months, and some moments faraway from the top of WrestleMania 39’s first night time.
Yesterday, we went over all of the matches that have been scheduled to be on night time one, so if you happen to’re coming to this text searching for details about the entire occasion, begin there, after which come again right here. We additionally kick issues off with a little bit of base degree details about this 12 months’s present and the way matches work usually for the lapsed or uninitiated.
Today, we’re digging into night time two, and can finish issues by speaking about the surprises that occurred throughout night time one – so if you happen to’re reaching this an need to keep away from spoilers as you watch later, undoubtedly cease once we wrap up with the principle occasion.
Now let’s goooooooo!
NIGHT TWO
The identification of each WrestleMania is tied fairly shut to the present’s principal occasion, with little or no variance. One would possibly argue that WrestleMania 13 is remembered greatest for the superb Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin match that despatched each wrestlers on wildly completely different trajectories, however it’s extra the exception than it’s the rule. This WrestleMania is about up to have a barn burner, however as at all times, it should come down to execution. But earlier than we get to all of that…
Brock Lesnar vs. Omas
TL;DR // Big ol’ beefy boys are gonna have themselves a meat battle.
How Did We Get Here? // A dartboard, perhaps? Brock Lesnar is the sort of dude who’ve working WrestleMania if he’s below contract. He’s a wild boy. He as soon as used farm tools to wreck the ring throughout a championship match. He’s been part of just a few principal occasions. Now, he’s operating round as a beloved muscle cowboy of destruction and appears to be having some precise enjoyable together with his matches. And WWE goes with simply the most important boy they’ve on the roster for him to battle. There wasn’t a lot of a narrative behind this, it simply… sort of appeared. Omas can be inexperienced as hell, and undoubtedly not prepared to go toe to toe with Brock except one thing actually wild is deliberate.
Intercontinental Championship
GUNTHER (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
TL;DR // Big ol’ beefy boys are gonna have themselves a meat battle, besides this time, will probably be good.
How Did We Get Here? // In September, the WWE held certainly one of their main occasions within the UK. They known as it Clash on the Castle, and it was dope as hell, with two matches actually outshining the remainder. The one was the principle occasion the place “hometown boy” Drew McIntyre went toe to toe with Roman Reigns and the pair had the group on the sting of their seats. The different was an absolute banger between GUNTHER (sure, his identify is spelled in all caps) and Sheamus, the place the 2 lads simply beat absolutely the piss out of one another. No phrase of a lie, they have been hitting one another fairly laborious for a superb chunk of that match, as is each their types.
Fast ahead to at present, and Sheamus and Drew have been palling round with Sheamus’ Oliver Twist fashion homicide boys. They had of us within the firm calling them The Banger Bros on tv earlier than somebody did a fast google. The bros banged their approach straight to a giant match for the Intercontinental Championship with GUNTER, who’s at the moment the longest operating IC champion within the trendy period. Sheamus needs it, as a result of it’s the final title he wants earlier than he turns into a “Grand Slam Champion” (mainly, holding all the main lively titles). Drew needs it as a result of he likes a superb battle. They are all going to slap absolutely the hell out of one another.
So if you need to see three dudes with impeccable “above-the-knee steaks” popping blood vessels on one another’s chests with some thick meaty chops, this match is your huckleberry.
Fun Fact // GUNTHER used to be often called WALTER, however WWE likes to personal their mental property, so they’d the man change his identify. And in one other case of WWE not doing a google, they unintentionally(?) named him after a Nazi.
Hell in a Cell
Edge vs. Finn Balor
TL;DR // A person who might or might not be a vampire goes to battle a person who might or might not be possessed by a demon in a giant ol’ homicide cage.
Special Rules // This is a battle in a giant ol’ cage. The thought is, the battle stays within the cage, however it not often does. It is completely different from a “cage match”, as a result of (a) the cage is bigger than the ring, (b) the sumbitch has a roof and (c) you may’t win by leaving the cage.
How Did We Get Here? // So final summer time, Edge was feeling his child vampire self from when he first began and determined to construct a spooky faction known as The Judgement Day. He did such a superb job, that the group kicked him out, stating that the previous dude was holding them again. In actuality, Edge had considerably hand picked the group with the concept of placing a greater give attention to of us he felt deserved a greater highlight. He was supposed to have an extended run because the chief of the group, however Randy Orton went and bought himself injured actual unhealthy, and the corporate determined they wanted a giant babyface again quick, so issues have been accelerated.
Flash ahead to at present – Edge has been combating on and off with this group, buying and selling wins, whereas making them look nice in varied matches. It is coming to a head right here, the place Edge has requested The Judgement Day ember Finn Balor to deliver “The Demon” with him to the match – a full physique paint entity that Balor employs on huge events to add mystique to matches. This goes to be superior, and likewise pays off practically a 12 months’s price of storytelling. Which is sweet.
WrestleMania Showcase Match: Fatal Four-Way Women’s Tag Match
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya and Shotzi vs. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler vs. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville
TL;DR // Just a wild mess of parents who don’t have anything to do on the present, and have been thrown collectively in groups for causes.
Special Rules // In a Fatal Four Way, there are not any disqualifications. In a tag match, there are two males within the ring who’re authorized at any given cut-off date. You have to tag, or be tagged to swap out, and solely the authorized males are ready to pin, or be pinned.
How Did We Get Here? // So apparently, Ronda Rousey has sufficient pull to shrug off inventive recommendations. From the rumours, she didn’t fairly just like the upcoming inventive for her, so WWE had Charlotte Flair present up and take the Smackdown Women’s Championship in her first night time after an extended hiatus. She then pushed to compete as a tag workforce along with her previous pal (in actual life) Shayna Baszler, which… what? Ronda is a rubbish particular person. She’s a TERF. She’s a Sandy Hook truther. She is fairly unhealthy at being a wrestler. But Shayna isn’t. She’s rad as hell, and the 2, undeniably make an amazing workforce – if solely as a result of Shayna’s competence will find yourself hiding how a lot Ronda sucks. Anyway, will probably be an absolute shock in the event that they don’t win this match, however WWE likes to be wild generally, so we’ll see.
Raw Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair (c) vs Asuka
TL;DR // Just two of the very best heading out to whip the shit out of one another.
How Did We Get Here? // Bianca has been the Raw Women’s Champion since final 12 months’s WrestleMania, and has been fairly the combating champion. For some time, Belair had to battle towards Bailey and her Damage CTRL workforce, and Asuka helped her even the chances alongside Alexa Bliss. Since then, Bliss went over to the unhealthy aspect, and has been adopted by Asuka.
This pair isn’t afraid of hitting laborious, and this one must be a barn burner.
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
TL;DR // The prodigal son returns to put an finish to the chosen one.
How Did We Get Here? // This is a little bit of an extended one too. From the champion’s aspect, Roman has been on prime an unbeatable because the summer time of 2020. He has additionally not been pinned since 2019. During that point, he gained each of WWE’s prime titles, unifying them ultimately 12 months’s WrestleMania.
Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes was a person that WWE handled as a mid-carder at greatest. Cody determined that he didn’t need to toil away, at all times so removed from being the principle occasion, so he went out, and proved himself. He wrestled in every single place. Everywhere. Built a reputation. Made some friendships. And from these friendships, he helped put collectively an occasion known as All Out – an enormous occasion put collectively by a number of promotions after an essential wrestling journalist said there could be no approach anybody aside from the WWE might fill a big area anymore.
From that occasion, got here an organization known as All Elite Wrestling. AEW was put along with billionaire cash and what Cody and his buddies constructed. Currently, it’s a viable competitor for the WWE. Now, you’d suppose that Cody could be glad having helped construct such a factor. But he wasn’t. Early on, he booked himself to lose a match that meant he might by no means problem for that firm’s largest title, in an effort to show he wasn’t simply placing the give attention to himself. He later admitted to that being a mistake.
Then, got here time for him to renegotiate his contract with AEW. When he began, he had a good quantity of management, however the billionaire backer had pulled again many of the determination making. Feeling a scarcity of management in his route, Cody left the corporate on good phrases, with a joint assertion being launched.
And then, he returned to the WWE ultimately 12 months’s WrestleMania, arriving with the music he had used at AEW and in different promotions (unprecedented). He was pushed as a principal occasion man, and arrange as a dude who would possibly give you the option to take down Roman Reigns. First, he had to end up his program with Seth Rollins, which he did… simply barely.
Rhodes tore his pec only a few days earlier than the ultimate match, in a giant previous homicide cage. And he determined to wrestle with it, as a substitute of let individuals down in the principle occasion.
It was… gnarly.
“For the love of the game.” – @CodyRhodes #HIAC pic.twitter.com/3bHlLl5UB9
— WWE (@WWE) June 6, 2022
Anyway, after that, Cody was gone for some time – coming again on the Royal Rumble. He gained the match, which meant he bought to decide a champion to battle at WresteMania, aaaaaaannnnd right here we’re. The principal occasion. Let’s go.
Fun Fact // When Cody Rhodes was going round, combating in every single place, he got here to my native, and I practically spilled poutine throughout him when he was tossed into my chair.
And now, to wrap:
SURPRISES FROM NIGHT ONE
- It seems like WWE stunned Michael Cole once more with an look by Pat McAfee. The pair had been calling matches collectively on Smackdown for some time, when he bought pulled away for different work in fall of final 12 months. The WWE stunned Cole by having McAfee come down for commentary through the Royal Rumble – and it seems like they did it once more when he got here down to problem The Miz to an impromptu battle at WrestleMania. (My accomplice Danica stated Cole seemed so glad, and that she doesn’t often see real emotion on these reveals.) McAfee introduced his appeal with him, getting Snoop Dogg to make the match official. Because wrestling, my mates.
- Bad Bunny, arguably the most important recording artist at present, was round for the Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio match, and even effected the result. For those that don’t know, Bad Bunny is a large WWE fan, and has participated in just a few matches to nice impact. He’s additionally on this 12 months’s WWE 2K23 recreation.
- I have no idea who a KSI is, nor do I notably care to discover out, particularly when the announce workforce introduced him as “Logan Paul’s business associate and good friend”. He was dressed as no matter poison drink Paul sells, and interfered throughout his match.
Alright. That does it for this 12 months’s posts. Thanks for studying. I hope you take pleasure in.
Discussion about this post