WrestleMania 32 took place last year on April 3, 2016, and was home to one of the biggest crowds in the history of professional wrestling. Unfortunately, despite the huge crowd, last year’s WrestleMania was largely regarded as a dud.
There were a few good matches like the one between Chris Jericho and AJ Styles, as well as the Intercontinental Championship ladder match, but that was practically all there was as far as enjoyable matches go.
The New Day lost their match but didn’t defend their Championships, Brock Lesnar squashed Dean Ambrose, the Hell in A Cell match between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker was only good for the dive off the top of the cell, The Wyatt Family weren’t even on the show, and the main event for the WWE Championship between Roman Reigns and Triple H fell flat.
WrestleMania 32 was considered by many a disappointing pay-per-view, but it really didn’t have to be. While it is true that several top stars like Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, John Cena, and Sting were all out due to injury, that doesn’t excuse the lacklustre card that the fans were presented with.
There were other options that the WWE could’ve considered, but they went with what they went with and the fans didn’t care for it at all. So, to give a fan’s perspective on how the show could’ve been better, this article will look at 5 matches that could’ve vastly improved WrestleMania 32 based on who was available at the time.
Sidenote: The matches between AJ Styles and Chris Jericho, the Inaugural Raw Women’s Championship match, and the match between The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon would remain on the show. As far as outcomes go, only Styles vs. Jericho would need to be changed to Styles winning the match.
Also, the Undertaker and Shane McMahon match wouldn’t put The Deadman’s career on the line.
#5 Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens – Intercontinental Championship Match
The Intercontinental Championship Ladder match was probably one of the better matches on the WrestleMania card, but it didn’t really make much sense. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had a solid storyline that could’ve easily been built up with the time they had, but the WWE decided to throw several wrestlers into the match who weren’t even qualified to win it.
And to make matters worse, they gave the title to a wrestler they neglected for years, just to take it away from him the next night. All they had to do was play off the Owens-Zayn rivalry, and the storyline for the Intercontinental Championship would’ve been great.
Aside from their backstory on the independent circuit, the narrative built in the confines of WWE was easily building up to a big win for Zayn. Owens brutalised Zayn, took his NXT Championship and put him on the shelf for months.
Then, when Zayn returned, he cost Owens his shot at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble and would continue to attack him heading into WrestleMania. This was the perfect scenario for Owens and Zayn to battle for the Intercontinental Championship and give Zayn a big win that means something.
These two men have been regarded as some of the best wrestlers the WWE has employed and their matches have not disappointed. This was their best chance to introduce Zayn as someone who mattered, while also giving both men a high-profile match and it more than likely would’ve been a highlight of WrestleMania.
IF they did even half of what they did at Battleground last year, they could’ve stolen the show.
#4 The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos – Tag Team Championships
The tag team match between The New Day and The League of Nations was one of the least memorable matches on the entire show. The two teams had been fighting on television for weeks leading up to the match and the titles weren’t even on the line when they faced off on the big show.
This match was a waste of time that only led to a legends segment, which didn’t really help anyone involved. The Tag Team Championships should’ve have been defended and two teams that should’ve contended for the titles were The Usos and Lucha Dragons.
Back at TLC in 2015, The Usos, Lucha Dragons, and The New Day all faced off in a highly entertaining ladder match. It wasn’t on the level of the feud between The Hardyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian, but it was still an entertaining match.
The fans all appreciated the work the teams did and the WWE really should’ve run with this feud instead of breaking up the Lucha Dragons and everything else that followed.
Imagine the WWE doing a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match with all three teams from the TLC match. A tag team match like that could’ve not only have filled the void left if the WWE didn’t book an Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match, but it could’ve established the New Era of the WWE better than anything the company did after WrestleMania 32.
As far as who the winners would be, it would have to be The New Day because the WWE still wanted them to break the tag team Championship record of Demolition. A great match with a finish that both the fans and the WWE could be satisfied with.
#3 Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt
At the 2016 Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt and the rest of the Wyatt Family started a feud with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar would eliminate everyone but Bray Wyatt from the match but would be eliminated illegally by the Wyatts.
This seemed like the set up for an interesting WrestleMania match, but it never came to pass. Instead, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper both lost a handicap match to Lesnar at the televised house show Roadblock.
Lesnar then went on to squash Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania, while The Wyatt Family suffered a beatdown at the hands of The Rock and John Cena. Clearly, that wasn’t the right move to make.
It would’ve been easy for the WWE to book Lesnar in a handicap match against Strowman and Harper, instead of Bray at Roadblock, which could’ve led people to believe it would be a one-on-one contest with no outside interference.
The buildup easily could’ve been Wyatt not being scared since he’s faced men like The Undertaker and others. There were so many possibilities that the WWE could’ve tapped into that they didn’t and the show suffered for it greatly.
The company could have either continued with Lesnar looking unstoppable or they could’ve had Wyatt win, which could’ve not only protected Lesnar’s mystique but started Wyatt on the road that could build him up to being the WWE Champion; as opposed to him randomly winning the title with no build up at the Elimination Chamber.
#2 Triple H vs. The Rock
While many fans can agree that Triple H’s match with Roman Reigns wasn’t good, the fact remained that his star power was needed with the full-time roster depleted. With that in mind, there was no need for him to become the WWE Champion or main event the show.
Even history has shown that Triple H often thrives when he’s not in the main event as shown with his bouts against The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and Daniel Bryan. His opponent could’ve been Dean Ambrose and that would’ve been good, but a match with The Rock would’ve been better. The Great One was originally chalked out to face The Game after their interaction at WrestleMania 31 and over time, WWE sadly dropped the idea.
The Rock did have a match at WrestleMania 32 against Erick Rowan, but no one really wants to remember that. People would’ve much rather have seen a 10-15 minute match between The Rock and Triple H than what either man ended up doing.
The setup could be as simple as Reigns vs. Triple H happening at the Royal Rumble and The Rock coming out to help his cousin after Triple H makes some comments about the A’noi family in the promos leading into the match.
After the interference, The Rock and Triple H could have a confrontation and the two could agree to a match with each other.
There is a rumoured concern from The Rock about wrestling again due to the injuries he sustained in both of his matches with John Cena, but after everything Triple H and The Rock did to each other, it probably would’ve been easier for The Great One to trust The Game than anybody else.
The match would only need to end with The Rock winning and it would be a nice throwback to what the WrestleMania 16 main event should’ve been and one of the greatest rivalries in either man’s career.
#1 Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Championship
This was the best match possible for the main event of WrestleMania 32 and the fact that they didn’t recognise that was sad. When news of Seth Rollins injury broke and the WWE Championship tournament was announced, fans knew that the end of the tournament would mean Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns and hoped it would mean one of them turn on the other, so it could be a long-term program.
Instead, the WWE didn’t do that and they went with Sheamus as the Champion instead. After Sheamus lost the title to Reigns, the WWE had a second chance to not only turn Reigns heel but book the best match possible for the main event of WrestleMania 32. It didn’t happen and it’s a shame that it didn’t because it could’ve been great.
The setup could be as simple as Ambrose winning the 2016 Royal Rumble and still wanting to maintain his friendship with Reigns. This could have led to Reigns getting cautious around Ambrose.
Then, when Reigns was booked for a Championship match on Raw heading into WrestleMania, Ambrose could come to the rescue and help him keep the title. This could then be used as a trigger for Reigns turning heel, citing Ambrose as a selfish liar who only wanted Reigns to be the champ because he thinks he’s better and can beat him.
Ambrose could’ve retaliated by bringing back some of the craziness and unpredictability he had during his first feud with Rollins in 2014 and the stage could be set for one hell of a fight.
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