'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome to the second night's edition of things WWE subtly told us at WrestleMania 36. We'll be straightforward by saying that we preferred the first day to the second, but when looking back, it hasn't been the worst WrestleMania despite WWE taking their foot off the gas and the superstars performing inside an empty arena.
Either way, WrestleMania 36 is now in the books and the road going forward is going to be an interesting one. The prevailing circumstances forced WWE to change venues and try something entirely different - and to their credit, they largely succeeded at that.
This WrestleMania was far from perfect, but it was still better than the underwhelming editions of the previous years such as WrestleMania 32 and 27. Let's jump right into what WWE subtly told us!
#9 Vince McMahon takes a shot at Jon Moxley
A puppet Vince McMahon made an appearance in the Firefly Fun House match, which was less of a match and more of a long segment. We'll get to that in a bit, but we couldn't help but notice the clear shot taken at Jon Moxley fka Dean Ambrose.
Moxley, on an episode of Talk is Jericho that was released after his AEW debut, heavily criticized his storyline and heel turn against Seth Rollins in late 2018. There was one particular segment where Moxley had to take a shot to his backside, something that he was vocally unhappy about. In his own words, Vince McMahon pitched the segment and said "This is such good s**t", which became a running joke among wrestling fans.
As it turns out, it isn't only AEW who can take shots at WWE. The puppet McMahon said "This is such good s**t", taking a clear shot at Jon Moxley.
There was even a special CM Punk appearance at the end, featuring the shot of him giving Vince McMahon a flying kiss after winning the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011.
#8 A future Champion debuts
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins' first WrestleMania outing was a big success as they defeated Angel Garza and Austin Theory to retain the RAW Tag Team Championship. It was a short match and nothing particularly special since it felt like any other match on RAW.
However, what was most notable about it was what happened after the match was done. The Street Profits defeated Angel Garza and Austin Theory and the challengers would attempt a beatdown after the match with Zelina Vega urging them on and assisting as well.
NXT superstar Bianca Belair made her debut and saved The Street Profits, taking out Vega while the RAW Tag Team Champions cleared house. Belair would then stand tall with the Champions, seemingly confirming her alliance with them.
If you're not familiar with Belair, then you should know that she's the wife of Montez Ford. However, she'll be far more than just a manager. She's considered to be one of the best homegrown talents of the WWE Performance Center and while she may not have had title success in NXT (being a challenger on many occasions), she will undoubtedly have a lot of championship success on RAW.
#7 What's next for Aleister Black?
One of the most random matches on the WrestleMania 36 card was Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley. Black was just squashing enhancement talent while Lashley hadn't done much since the Rusev feud.
It was a match to get both men on the card, which is why it wasn't too surprising that they had no interaction before the show of shows. It was a short match and Black won as expected. Despite not being in any major storyline since debuting, it's clear that WWE is carefully pushing and protecting the Dutch Superstar to build him up.
He already has wins over the likes of Murphy, AJ Styles, and Bobby Lashley on RAW, which is why he's ready for the next step. We don't blame WWE for not putting him in a significant match this year, especially when they can start building him up after WrestleMania.
And we fully expect Aleister Black to get that post-WrestleMania push. There are plenty of Superstars for him to feud with.
#6 Otis gets the girl at the expense of Fire and Desire
This was one of the two matches that truly needed a crowd to thrive. Otis somehow got a WrestleMania spotlight to himself and was in one of the more highly-anticipated matches. It was never going to be a technical classic, but the story was more important.
Otis and Dolph Ziggler had a match that would have been over big with a large crowd and would have created an unforgettable moment. With that said, WWE pulled the trigger at the right time, with Mandy Rose coming out and slapping Sonya Deville before hitting Dolph Ziggler with a low blow.
Otis won and carried Mandy Rose away, with the two now confirmed as an on-screen couple. It also cements the end of Rose's run with Deville as Fire and Desire after over two years together.
It's the right timing and we hope that both women can benefit from the spot. How long the storyline will go on, we can't tell. But it's worth investing in it long-term.
#5 Why did Charlotte win the NXT Women's Championship?
Charlotte Flair became only the second woman to become NXT Women's Champion twice. She won the Royal Rumble 2020 match and opted to face Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship.
It was the first time an NXT title was defended at WrestleMania 36 and we felt that this was the perfect match to open night 2 of the show. Had there been a crowd, it would have benefited big from being one of the first few matches.
Charlotte Flair is truly establishing her name as Ms. WrestleMania, now being 3-2 at the show of shows. It isn't just about the record, but the matches she's involved in. It was a far better match than Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler and as Asuka did two years ago, the Australian Champion tapped out and dropped the NXT Women's Championship to Charlotte Flair.
Charlotte Flair will now be a member of the NXT roster and was likely made to work there to help increase the ratings and the status of the brand.
#4 Edge moves forward
Edge made his long-awaited return to singles competition at WrestleMania 36 when he took on Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. It was the longest WrestleMania match in many years and perhaps one that went on for 15-16 minutes longer than required.
With that said, we imagine that Edge himself requested to work a long match to get right back into it after nearly a decade. They utilized most of the Performance Center and had a solid match with great psychology and storytelling.
However, the runtime of the match was a bit excessive and that would have affected it big time had it been in front of a crowd. Either way, Edge rightfully won and is now right back into the mix.
We won't expect to see Edge for a few months, but when he returns, it's time for him to start a new, exciting chapter of his career. In recent media calls, Edge expressed his excitement at the prospect of facing all the new talent - a completely different locker room from when he left. Get ready for some dream matches in the coming few years.
#3 John Cena takes a trip down memory lane
As expected, the Firefly Fun House match was shot in the cinematic-style, slightly different from Night 1's 'Boneyard match' between The Undertaker and AJ Styles. While that was shot like an old Western film with no guns, this resembled horror with a hint of comedy.
One of the biggest gripes we had with this was the fact that it wasn't a match. It was an extended segment and John Cena never even got pinned - he just vanished. However, don't let that stop you from watching it if you haven't. It was a surreal segment that saw Cena go down memory lane, appearing in the same tights that he debuted in when he faced Kurt Angle.
Many moments of his past were recreated, including WrestleMania 30 when Cena was going to hit Bray Wyatt with a chair, and the Doctor of Thuganomics made an appearance as well.
It's going to be one of the most talked-about WrestleMania matches and we expect a polarizing opinion about it. However, Wyatt has big things planned ahead, while Cena is done and dusted until the next time we see him.
A special shoutout to WWE for the "Nitro" segment featuring nWo versions of Wyatt and Cena.
#2 The seeds have been planted
Bayley defended the SmackDown Women's Championship in a Fatal-5-Way elimination match - featuring Naomi, Tamina, Lacey Evans, and Sasha Banks. The big question was as to whether Sasha Banks would betray Bayley and the answer was no.
Tamina was eliminated first followed by Naomi, which left Lacey Evans in a 2-on-1 situation. Bayley pushed Banks out of the way but a momentary spin saw The Boss eat the Woman's right and get pinned in the process. Interestingly, the replay showed that Bayley could have stopped the pin but opted not to.
Despite this, Sasha Banks came back and helped Bayley defeat Lacey Evans, with the seeds for a Sasha Banks vs Bayley feud officially planted. We don't know when it's going to happen, but the best time and place for it is at SummerSlam this year.
It would be apt because their match at NXT Takeover was at SummerSlam weekend 5 years ago. It's going to be interesting to see what lies ahead for Bayley, who has won two of her four WrestleMania matches. She's the only woman in WWE to win the NXT Women's title, the RAW and SmackDown Women's title, and the Women's Tag Team titles. She's truly racking up the accomplishments.
#1 Is this the last we've seen of Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar
We feel for Drew McIntyre because a moment that he's likely imagined since childhood took place in front of an audience of zero. He faced Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 and had his long-overdue coronation as he beat The Beast Incarnate clean in less than five minutes.
Similar to the Universal Championship match, there were hardly any moves utilized, with McIntyre mainly taking suplexes and multiple F-5s. One of the most interesting parts was how McIntyre kicked out of the first F-5 at one. He needed a few Claymore kicks to get the job done, but there wasn't much else he needed to do.
We felt that the main event should have been much longer. However, there's a possibility that the 4.5-minute match was booked on purpose to have a rematch down the line. If McIntyre beats Lesnar clean in front of a good crowd, it'll feel like his true coronation.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
