AC/DC brings us into Wrestlemania 36 Night 2, the second night of the most unique Wrestlemania of all time, with “For Those About to Rock.” Once again, Rob Gronkowski is our party host and our alternating broadcast teams are Byron Saxton (rocking a spectacular jacket) with Tom “Phillipe” Phillips and John “Bradshaw” Layfield alongside Michael Cole.
Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley(c) for the NXT Women’s Championship
The perennially consistent Charlotte and the hot ticket Rhea start Wrestlemania 36 Night 2 off strong. Flair is too confident in her technical superiority and ends up getting taken to task until Rhea gets her leg hung up on the ropes. Ever the opportunist, Charlotte channels her father with a chop block and a trip to the ring post. She’s dominant from there out, yelling “I made NXT!” Rhea fights hard but taps to the Figure 8. It’s an unexpected move, making Charlotte the new face of NXT, but she can add a lot to that brand and the Wednesday Night War.
Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley (w/Lana)
A solid match with two guys that have legit combat sport backgrounds. Lashley gets in some of his power spots and Black impresses with multiple pinpoint precise moonsaults. Lashley gets the upper hand but Lana stops him before he hits The Dominator and orders him to set up a Spear. It’s all the breathing room Aleister needs and he connects with a Black Mass while Bobby is coming in with a full head of steam. The program wasn’t all that exciting going into this match but it ultimately elevates Aleister Black and I don’t think anyone has a problem with that.
Side note: The fellas and I were indeed waiting on a Rusev Day that we knew in our hearts wasn’t coming. But the empty arena really shows off how loud and shrill Lana does her lines at ringside.
In the back, Kayla Braxton is with Smackdown Women’s Champion, Bayley, and Sasha Banks. Bayley tells Kayla that the 5-woman elimination match she has to defend her title in is the most unfair match ever. When she says that Sasha is her equalizer and Kayla questions Sasha’s loyalty, Bayley ends the interview.
A recap of Night One is played where R-Truth gets laid out by Gronk only to have Mojo Rawley sneak in and get the pinfall ahead of Gronk and win the 24/7 Title. Gronkowski tells Charly Caruso that he’s determined to be 24/7 Champion before the night was over.
Dolph Ziggler (w/Sonya Deville) vs Otis
Speed kills and that’s what Dolph is counting on as he picks apart big Otis from all angles. Once Otis turns the tables, Sonya Deville hops up on the apron as a distraction. Instead of hitting The Caterpillar, Otis gets kicked down low by Ziggler. Mandy Rose (ma’ peach!) has had all she can stand and she can’t stand no more. She marches down to the ring and slaps her best friend, Sonya, down. While the ref is turned, so are the tables. Mandy nails Dolph with a low blow and Otis hits The Caterpillar for the win. The real “Wrestlemania moment,” though, is when the big fella gathers Mandy up in his arms and plants a big kiss on her before walking off Officer and a Gentleman-style. Man, that would’ve played great to a live crowd.
Edge vs Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match
Never my favorite type of match, Last Man Standing and Falls Count Anywhere need a lot of innovation each time out. This match delivered in every way you’d expect and more so. If anything, it may have actually been helped by being at the WWE Performance Center. Having complete control and familiarity with the facility allowed a smooth shoot as they went from the ringside area to the gym to the offices and so on. Some pretty novel spots got tried out to varying success. I don’t want to spoil much but some things that you never thought you’d see again from these two came out on a meeting table, scaffolding, or the top of a semi truck. Edge picks up the win in a brutal signature fashion and the question remains if this is really the end for these two.
Cue the Benny Hill music because here comes Mojo Rawley being chased by the laundry list of usual suspects. They catch up to him and huddle up to give him a beating … right underneath Gronk’s balcony. Gronk hits a back plancha onto the pile and covers Mojo to win the belt. The camera follows him out the door but no one else does and he’s likely to breathe easy until Monday Night RAW.
Austin Theory & Angel Garza (w/Zelina Vega) vs Street Profits(c) for the Raw Tag Team Championship
Austin Theory spends more time in the ring than anyone and it seems like they’re taking the opportunity to make this a learning experience for him. Angel Garza hits a dazzling moonsault on the outside and another Asai-style in the ring. The Profits miss their chance to party with 60,000+ but manage to hang onto their belts. Theory covers Dawkins but Montez Ford hits a splash from the top turnbuckle to reverse their fortunes. Dawkins covers Theory and gets the win. No time for red cups yet, though. Garza and Vega attack Dawkins with Theory lending a hand once he recovers. But it’s not the wisEST course of action. When Vega kicks a defenseless Montez Ford, it brings out his Mrs, NXT’s Bianca Belair. She ladyhandles the diminutive diva and turns the tide so that Street Profits can run off the villains.
Titus O’Neill is on the balcony to replace reigning 24/7 Champion, Rob Gronkowski.
Bayley(c) vs Sasha Banks vs Naomi vs Lacey Evans vs Tamina for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
Alliances seemingly shift like middle seasons of Game of Thrones. Sasha & Bayley vs Tamina. Tamina vs Naomi & Lacey. Team B.A.D. fleetingly reunites. Sasha & Bayley vs everyone. Everyone against Tamina gets our first elimination. Naomi is next and a miscommunication between the champion and her BFF leads to Sasha getting floored by a Woman’s Right and it’s just Bayley and Lacey. Lacey looks far improved where she was less than a year ago when her program against Becky Lynch but Sasha isn’t going to leave her girl hanging. A Backstabber leaves the former marine easy pickings for Bayley’s headlock driver. The hugger-turned-Karen continues her title reign.
John Cena vs The Fiend in a Firefly Funhouse Match
There seems to be polarized opinion on the Boneyard Match from night one. I’d imagine the same can be said of this one. Truth be told, the brain trust and I aren’t sure whether this should even be called a match. It plays out more like a classic Twilight Zone episode (albeit one I found captivating.) Bray Wyatt takes Cena and the audience to different locations, gimmicks, puppets, and eras of WWE history. Thuganomics, the “Big Blue” steel cage, a sharp jab at Cena’s past relationships, their match at WM30, and much much more gets brought up in this very meta segment. In the end, we do see The Fiend bring Big Match John to the floor with a Mandible Claw and that seems to be it. When we cut back to the arena, Titus asks the camera what we all are asking ourselves, “What did I just watch.”
Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar(c) for the WWE Championship
The two muscle monsters scramble to get their advantage and McIntyre manages two Claymore Kicks right away but can’t get a three count before Brock takes him to Suplex City. The formula from Brock and Roman Reigns’ poorly-received-but-well-reviewed match from WM34 returns with Drew taking multiple F-5s from Lesnar but persevering after each one. Drew manages to slip off Brock’s shoulders on an F-5 attempt, shove The Beast into the ropes, and nail him with a Claymore to turn the tide. Two more Claymores and we’ve got a new champion. The match is short and, unfortunately, no crowd was there to give Drew McIntyre their approval but I feel it was done well and the right move in all aspects.
Depending on personal preferences, the match of the night at Wrestlemania 36 Night 2 (or both nights) could have been any of them. Charlotte and Rhea put together the best technical match in my opinion but the Firefly Fun House match was fascinating TV. The endings of the tag team championship, main event, and The Mandy Rose Invitational certainly would have benefitted from a live crowd. On the other hand, some of the “gimmick” matches this year may have had more artistic freedom without worrying about an entire stadium staring at monitors. The “Wrestle Kingdom” format makes the long card more manageable to watch but requires a two night commitment. Necessity gave birth to invention, the show went on (as it must,) and this has been a Wrestlemania that we’ll all remember for so many reasons.
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