Liv Morgan defeated Natalya. (Kickoff Match)
Superstars live for WrestleMania more than any other event of the year, and Liv Morgan made the most of her singles debut on The Grandest Stage of Them All, besting decorated veteran Natalya in an upset on the Kickoff.
Although Morgan unleashed bursts of offense, her path to victory appeared to be in doubt for much of the bout. The Queen of Harts — who boasted a considerable experience advantage — used her superior technique and power to dictate the pace. The third-generation Superstar was confident, even borderline cocky, as she battered Liv with a discus clothesline and a basement dropkick before stretching Morgan with a surfboard submission hold.
Ring general though she is, Natalya nonetheless let her guard down during a rapid series of pin attempt reversals, giving Morgan just enough of an opening to roll up The Queen of Harts for a sudden three-count.
As Liv celebrated her big win, a look of disbelief overtook Natalya’s face — a sign, no doubt, of a warrior struggling to come to terms with her unexpected fate at The Show of Shows. (Via WWE.com)
Although Morgan unleashed bursts of offense, her path to victory appeared to be in doubt for much of the bout. The Queen of Harts — who boasted a considerable experience advantage — used her superior technique and power to dictate the pace. The third-generation Superstar was confident, even borderline cocky, as she battered Liv with a discus clothesline and a basement dropkick before stretching Morgan with a surfboard submission hold.
Ring general though she is, Natalya nonetheless let her guard down during a rapid series of pin attempt reversals, giving Morgan just enough of an opening to roll up The Queen of Harts for a sudden three-count.
As Liv celebrated her big win, a look of disbelief overtook Natalya’s face — a sign, no doubt, of a warrior struggling to come to terms with her unexpected fate at The Show of Shows. (Via WWE.com)
NXT Women's Championship: 2020 Women's Royal Rumble winner, Charlotte Flair defeated NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPION, Rhea Ripley by submission.
Charlotte Flair made history by defeating Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, but it might be the Australian “Nightmare” of the black-and-gold brand who made her name at the event. Despite the outcome, Ripley left a star, mounting an outstanding if unsuccessful effort against the woman who has come to personify championship excellence in WWE.
In some ways, Ripley was wrestling uphill before the bell even rang. Charlotte does best when the eyes of history are upon her, and she’d already done that by using her Women’s Royal Rumble win to challenge Ripley and bring the NXT Women’s Title to WrestleMania for the first time. Ripley certainly doesn’t lack for confidence, but the distance between the two was quickly apparent, as Ripley struck almost immediately with her signature Riptide, and Flair kicked out at two.
Nonetheless, Ripley rose to the challenge by taking Flair to the limit, but a coordinated attack to Ripley’s knee slowed the champ to a sometimes literal crawl. The Nightmare went down swinging, but she found herself ensnared in a fateful Figure-Eight that forced Ripley to tap. The effort was magnificent, and we now know she’s worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as Charlotte Flair and of sharing the same ring. Defeating her, however, will have to come later. (Via WWE.com)
In some ways, Ripley was wrestling uphill before the bell even rang. Charlotte does best when the eyes of history are upon her, and she’d already done that by using her Women’s Royal Rumble win to challenge Ripley and bring the NXT Women’s Title to WrestleMania for the first time. Ripley certainly doesn’t lack for confidence, but the distance between the two was quickly apparent, as Ripley struck almost immediately with her signature Riptide, and Flair kicked out at two.
Nonetheless, Ripley rose to the challenge by taking Flair to the limit, but a coordinated attack to Ripley’s knee slowed the champ to a sometimes literal crawl. The Nightmare went down swinging, but she found herself ensnared in a fateful Figure-Eight that forced Ripley to tap. The effort was magnificent, and we now know she’s worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as Charlotte Flair and of sharing the same ring. Defeating her, however, will have to come later. (Via WWE.com)
Aleister Black defeated Bobby Lashley (with Lana).
The honeymoon phase might be over for Bobby Lashley and Lana after The Ravishing Russian’s WrestleMania fumble, allowing Aleister Black to capture the victory. The match leaned solely in Lashley’s favor until the costly error.
The All Mighty showcased his strength from the opening bell, launching Black across the ring twice before hoisting him into the air. Lashley controlled the action, especially after suplexing Black over his head on the ringside floor.
The Dutch Superstar struck back by landing a breathtaking moonsault to the outside, but Lashley quickly overpowered his foe to regain control.
When Lashley set up for a decisive Dominator, Lana yelled for Lashley to spear Black instead. Her husband obliged with a wink, but the Dutch Destroyer was ready, greeting Lashley with a devastating Black Mass to snatch the win. (Via WWE.com)
The All Mighty showcased his strength from the opening bell, launching Black across the ring twice before hoisting him into the air. Lashley controlled the action, especially after suplexing Black over his head on the ringside floor.
The Dutch Superstar struck back by landing a breathtaking moonsault to the outside, but Lashley quickly overpowered his foe to regain control.
When Lashley set up for a decisive Dominator, Lana yelled for Lashley to spear Black instead. Her husband obliged with a wink, but the Dutch Destroyer was ready, greeting Lashley with a devastating Black Mass to snatch the win. (Via WWE.com)
Otis (with Mandy Rose) defeated Dolph Ziggler (with Sonya Deville).
Otis will forever look back on WrestleMania 36 as not only the event where he made Dolph Ziggler pay for all the anguish he caused, but also the night that he finally, after years of courtship, earned a kiss from his beloved Mandy Rose.
With Friday Night SmackDown’s mysterious hacker having recently revealed that Ziggler and Sonya Deville conspired to sabotage his Valentine’s date with The Golden Goddess, Otis wasted no time going after The Showoff, who was accompanied to the ring by Sonya.
Otis’ aggressiveness got the better of him, however, and Ziggler took control after a mistimed avalanche splash by Otis, using a combination of underhanded tactics and stinging strikes to wear down the big man. Otis rallied, but a distraction by Deville enabled Ziggler to kick the Heavy Machinery member below the belt behind the official’s back, putting Otis on the brink of defeat.
That is, until The Golden Goddess arrived and evened the playing field. Mandy slapped the taste out of her seemingly former Fire & Desire teammate’s mouth before turning her attention to Ziggler. As the ref tended to a wounded Deville, Mandy delivered a savage low blow to The Showoff, paving the way for Otis to flatten Dolph with the Caterpillar for the win.
As if his victory wasn’t sweet enough, Otis then capped off his unforgettable night with a smooch from Mandy and carried his “peach” out of the ring, proving that love wins in the end. (Via WWE.com)
With Friday Night SmackDown’s mysterious hacker having recently revealed that Ziggler and Sonya Deville conspired to sabotage his Valentine’s date with The Golden Goddess, Otis wasted no time going after The Showoff, who was accompanied to the ring by Sonya.
Otis’ aggressiveness got the better of him, however, and Ziggler took control after a mistimed avalanche splash by Otis, using a combination of underhanded tactics and stinging strikes to wear down the big man. Otis rallied, but a distraction by Deville enabled Ziggler to kick the Heavy Machinery member below the belt behind the official’s back, putting Otis on the brink of defeat.
That is, until The Golden Goddess arrived and evened the playing field. Mandy slapped the taste out of her seemingly former Fire & Desire teammate’s mouth before turning her attention to Ziggler. As the ref tended to a wounded Deville, Mandy delivered a savage low blow to The Showoff, paving the way for Otis to flatten Dolph with the Caterpillar for the win.
As if his victory wasn’t sweet enough, Otis then capped off his unforgettable night with a smooch from Mandy and carried his “peach” out of the ring, proving that love wins in the end. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Hall of Famer, Edge defeated Randy Orton. (Last Man Standing match)
Good friends make the best rivals, and there’s no denying Randy Orton brought the best out of his former tag team partner, mentor and borderline savior Edge. The Rated-R Superstar answered months of attacks from Orton to win a Last Man Standing Match that took the two rivals to hell and back, with a stopover in the bowels of the WWE Performance Center.
The story of this rivalry has been one of Edge’s grit and Orton’s twisted love for The Ultimate Opportunist — the same love that provoked him to savagely attack the WWE Hall of Famer and his wife months ago and open this match with a pair of RKOs intended to quickly keep him down for the count of 10. If there’s one thing Edge has made clear, however, it’s that he simply won’t allow himself to be kept down. Tapping into the grit that brought him back from a nine-year retirement, The Ultimate Opportunist battled Orton through the WWE Performance Center, where the facility’s various decorations, machines and tools of the trade became either instruments of torture or collateral damage. (Even the cameraman wasn’t safe, finding himself bowled over during a brawl in a confined hallway.)
Things came to a head atop the back of a production truck, where Orton lined up Edge for a Con-Chair-To but instead found himself smothered by a standing triangle that left him face-down on top of a steel chair. That was seemingly enough to earn a 10-count, only Edge stopped the ref and, choking back tears, administered a Con-Chair-To of his own to end the match before gently touching his forehead to Orton’s.
In some ways, the unusual circumstances of this year’s WrestleMania gave Edge and Orton the perfect environment to settle their score. This rivalry became more personal than most a long time ago, so it’s only appropriate that they ended it between the two of them, and Edge delivered his message to the one man who really needed to hear it. (Via WWE.com)
The story of this rivalry has been one of Edge’s grit and Orton’s twisted love for The Ultimate Opportunist — the same love that provoked him to savagely attack the WWE Hall of Famer and his wife months ago and open this match with a pair of RKOs intended to quickly keep him down for the count of 10. If there’s one thing Edge has made clear, however, it’s that he simply won’t allow himself to be kept down. Tapping into the grit that brought him back from a nine-year retirement, The Ultimate Opportunist battled Orton through the WWE Performance Center, where the facility’s various decorations, machines and tools of the trade became either instruments of torture or collateral damage. (Even the cameraman wasn’t safe, finding himself bowled over during a brawl in a confined hallway.)
Things came to a head atop the back of a production truck, where Orton lined up Edge for a Con-Chair-To but instead found himself smothered by a standing triangle that left him face-down on top of a steel chair. That was seemingly enough to earn a 10-count, only Edge stopped the ref and, choking back tears, administered a Con-Chair-To of his own to end the match before gently touching his forehead to Orton’s.
In some ways, the unusual circumstances of this year’s WrestleMania gave Edge and Orton the perfect environment to settle their score. This rivalry became more personal than most a long time ago, so it’s only appropriate that they ended it between the two of them, and Edge delivered his message to the one man who really needed to hear it. (Via WWE.com)
RAW Tag Team Championship: RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, The Street Profits defeated Angel Garza & Austin Theory (with Zelina Vega).
The Street Profits brought the smoke, and they left with the Raw Tag Team Championships after defeating Zelina Vega’s charges, Angel Garza & Austin Theory.
Vega’s new pairing lacked the reps of a longtime team like Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford, but the young duo meshed well on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
All four Superstars left it all in the arena in their respective WrestleMania debuts, from Ford’s head-over-heels dive over the ropes while screaming “WrestleMania!” to Garza’s moonsault to the entrance ramp.
Theory appeared to have the match won with his TKO, but Ford’s Guerrero-like Frog Splash broke up the pinfall, allowing Dawkins to get the three-count.
After the match, Vega led an attack on the Raw Tag Team Champions, prompting the arrival of NXT’s Bianca Belair, who laid out Vega with a savage KOD.
Zelina always has a plan, but even she wasn’t prepared for Belair. (Via WWE.com)
Vega’s new pairing lacked the reps of a longtime team like Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford, but the young duo meshed well on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
All four Superstars left it all in the arena in their respective WrestleMania debuts, from Ford’s head-over-heels dive over the ropes while screaming “WrestleMania!” to Garza’s moonsault to the entrance ramp.
Theory appeared to have the match won with his TKO, but Ford’s Guerrero-like Frog Splash broke up the pinfall, allowing Dawkins to get the three-count.
After the match, Vega led an attack on the Raw Tag Team Champions, prompting the arrival of NXT’s Bianca Belair, who laid out Vega with a savage KOD.
Zelina always has a plan, but even she wasn’t prepared for Belair. (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Women's Championship: SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPION, Bayley defeated Lacey Evans, Sasha Banks, Naomi & Tamina. (Fatal 5-way Elimination Match)
The question going into WrestleMania was whether Bayley could keep the SmackDown Women’s Championship and her friendship with Sasha Banks. Now that the “Role Model” has retained her title in a Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match, the answer is … yes. We think.
Bayley and Banks never touched during the match, at least not intentionally. The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were a cohesive unit throughout the entire early goings of the bout, joining in on a gang elimination of Tamina. Then, Bayley saved Banks from Naomi’s FTG to set up a Bank Statement that snuffed out The Glow. But Lacey Evans proved a tougher nut to crack. A timely dodge by The Sassy Southern Belle led to an accidental Hug on Boss maneuver, and an irate Banks was dropped like a rock with the Woman’s Right moments later.
The Boss lingered just out of view at ringside and provided a crucial assist to help Bayley pin Evans by administering a sneak-attack Backstabber to prevent a Woman’s Right. The final moments of the match showed Banks handing Bayley her title, her glare somewhat steely and notably lingering on the championship — as sure a sign as any that their friendship remains strong. Then again, she might just want the title for herself. But that’s a question for another day. (Via WWE.com)
Bayley and Banks never touched during the match, at least not intentionally. The former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were a cohesive unit throughout the entire early goings of the bout, joining in on a gang elimination of Tamina. Then, Bayley saved Banks from Naomi’s FTG to set up a Bank Statement that snuffed out The Glow. But Lacey Evans proved a tougher nut to crack. A timely dodge by The Sassy Southern Belle led to an accidental Hug on Boss maneuver, and an irate Banks was dropped like a rock with the Woman’s Right moments later.
The Boss lingered just out of view at ringside and provided a crucial assist to help Bayley pin Evans by administering a sneak-attack Backstabber to prevent a Woman’s Right. The final moments of the match showed Banks handing Bayley her title, her glare somewhat steely and notably lingering on the championship — as sure a sign as any that their friendship remains strong. Then again, she might just want the title for herself. But that’s a question for another day. (Via WWE.com)
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena. (FireFly Fun House Match)
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt promised to entrap John Cena in a “world of madness and mayhem” at WrestleMania 36, but even that foreboding message couldn’t prepare The Cenation Leader for the paranormal experience that was WWE’s first-ever Firefly Fun House Match.
In this ultimate battle of good versus evil, evil won out. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt stood tall, and Cena, in his 15th match at The Grandest Stage of Them All, was downed. Yet, the result doesn’t begin to address the otherworldly journey that preceded it.
Inside the Firefly Fun House, Wyatt prepared onlookers for “another world that exists beyond our comprehension” and vowed that Cena was about to face his toughest opponent yet: himself.
Wyatt vanished and Cena was instantly transported into the Firefly Fun House, where Rambling Rabbit directed him through a door, but “portal” might be a more apt description.
Cena entered, and what followed was a haunting, transcendental, era-jumping trip through Cena’s career and beyond.
Cena and Wyatt teleported from Cena’s Ruthless Aggression debut (where Wyatt channeled Cena’s first opponent, Kurt Angle), to the set of Saturday Night’s Main Event (where Wyatt introduced Cena as his tag team partner “Johnny Largemeat,” a frantically dumbbell-curling caricature of 1980s Superstars).
At every turn, Wyatt taunted Cena, reminding him of his perceived flaws and failures. When Cena appeared decked out in full Doctor of Thuganomics mode, Wyatt characterized the 16-time World Champion as a “bully” and WWE’s “golden goose.” After Wyatt recounted his own “grandest failure” — his WrestleMania 30 loss to Cena — he offered Cena a steel chair and implored him to use it, just as he had done six years ago in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Yet, When Cena swung the chair, Bray vanished, reappearing moments later on the set of WCW Nitro.
Now portraying Eric Bischoff, Wyatt introduced “the coolest guy who ever walked the earth,” and Cena entered the scene in a New World Order black-and-white T-shirt, strumming a spray-painted WCW Title like Hollywood Hogan in the late 1990s.
When the psychological warfare became almost too much to bear, Cena finally took down Wyatt, but instead of The Eater of Worlds, Cena found himself pummeling Huskus the Pig Boy.
Finally, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt appeared behind Cena, hit Sister Abigail and sank in the Mandible Claw while Bray Wyatt — somehow — appeared to count the three.
It was eerie, it was deranged and it all but guaranteed that any Superstar in his right mind won’t ever accept another invitation into the Firefly Fun House. (Via WWE.com)
In this ultimate battle of good versus evil, evil won out. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt stood tall, and Cena, in his 15th match at The Grandest Stage of Them All, was downed. Yet, the result doesn’t begin to address the otherworldly journey that preceded it.
Inside the Firefly Fun House, Wyatt prepared onlookers for “another world that exists beyond our comprehension” and vowed that Cena was about to face his toughest opponent yet: himself.
Wyatt vanished and Cena was instantly transported into the Firefly Fun House, where Rambling Rabbit directed him through a door, but “portal” might be a more apt description.
Cena entered, and what followed was a haunting, transcendental, era-jumping trip through Cena’s career and beyond.
Cena and Wyatt teleported from Cena’s Ruthless Aggression debut (where Wyatt channeled Cena’s first opponent, Kurt Angle), to the set of Saturday Night’s Main Event (where Wyatt introduced Cena as his tag team partner “Johnny Largemeat,” a frantically dumbbell-curling caricature of 1980s Superstars).
At every turn, Wyatt taunted Cena, reminding him of his perceived flaws and failures. When Cena appeared decked out in full Doctor of Thuganomics mode, Wyatt characterized the 16-time World Champion as a “bully” and WWE’s “golden goose.” After Wyatt recounted his own “grandest failure” — his WrestleMania 30 loss to Cena — he offered Cena a steel chair and implored him to use it, just as he had done six years ago in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Yet, When Cena swung the chair, Bray vanished, reappearing moments later on the set of WCW Nitro.
Now portraying Eric Bischoff, Wyatt introduced “the coolest guy who ever walked the earth,” and Cena entered the scene in a New World Order black-and-white T-shirt, strumming a spray-painted WCW Title like Hollywood Hogan in the late 1990s.
When the psychological warfare became almost too much to bear, Cena finally took down Wyatt, but instead of The Eater of Worlds, Cena found himself pummeling Huskus the Pig Boy.
Finally, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt appeared behind Cena, hit Sister Abigail and sank in the Mandible Claw while Bray Wyatt — somehow — appeared to count the three.
It was eerie, it was deranged and it all but guaranteed that any Superstar in his right mind won’t ever accept another invitation into the Firefly Fun House. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre defeated WWE CHAMPION, Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman).
Drew McIntyre walked into WrestleMania as a special competitor and walked out of it even more so, defeating Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship and fulfill a prophecy and potential from almost two decades ago. If the chase for the title is likened to a mountaintop, McIntyre didn’t just climb one to get here. He climbed several.
And that’s before we even get to Lesnar, a singular force and near-constant titleholder who came to WrestleMania on a wave of confidence that washes away most Superstars. True to Heyman’s prediction, McIntyre found himself swept up in the tow, as Lesnar kicked out of a Claymore and administered a trio of F-5’s to the Scottish Superstar in increasingly savage fashion.
But the same persistence that carried McIntyre through the wilderness and back to WWE held throughout the storm. He kicked out of all three of those F-5’s, much to the chagrin of an increasingly purpling Lesnar. When The Beast prepared for another F-5, McIntyre mounted his last stand, ripping off three straight Claymores to finally pin Lesnar and fulfill the long-ago prophecy of “The Chosen One.”
McIntyre immediately broke down in tears, holding the title in his hands before reaching out to the camera and giving a quiet “Thank you” to everyone who supported him throughout his arduous journey. It might not be the WrestleMania that Drew McIntyre imagined, but the victory remained unchanged by the circumstances: He did it by himself, maybe, but he was by no means alone. (Via WWE.com)
And that’s before we even get to Lesnar, a singular force and near-constant titleholder who came to WrestleMania on a wave of confidence that washes away most Superstars. True to Heyman’s prediction, McIntyre found himself swept up in the tow, as Lesnar kicked out of a Claymore and administered a trio of F-5’s to the Scottish Superstar in increasingly savage fashion.
But the same persistence that carried McIntyre through the wilderness and back to WWE held throughout the storm. He kicked out of all three of those F-5’s, much to the chagrin of an increasingly purpling Lesnar. When The Beast prepared for another F-5, McIntyre mounted his last stand, ripping off three straight Claymores to finally pin Lesnar and fulfill the long-ago prophecy of “The Chosen One.”
McIntyre immediately broke down in tears, holding the title in his hands before reaching out to the camera and giving a quiet “Thank you” to everyone who supported him throughout his arduous journey. It might not be the WrestleMania that Drew McIntyre imagined, but the victory remained unchanged by the circumstances: He did it by himself, maybe, but he was by no means alone. (Via WWE.com)