While I grew tired of the super long Wrestlemanias that were 6+ hours in length and very much prefer the two-night format, it still is rather strange to gear yourself up for another night of action. Especially, when Night 1 was so incredibly fun with a lot of tremendous moments. Dare I say, there is a hint of it feeling less "special" when there are two nights. But eh, such is the tradeoff. With the record-breaking revenue generated, I doubt we'll ever get back to one night.
But eh, whatevs.
Night Two was a mixed bag in my opinion. Not many "moments" or good feels - possibly because it's Night Two - but the in-ring action was absolutely awesome. Specifically, two matches that I cannot wait to rewatch.
With that said, here are my thoughts and reactions to Night Two of Wrestlemania 39:
- Before jumping into the card, the following must be said - Samantha Irvin is THE BEST in-ring announcer in pro wrestling, RIGHT NOW. I also think second place is not very close. What a tremendous voice, energy, and presence she has. All of her calls are so unique and bring a specific passion to the overall presentation. Huge fan here.
- I'm not sure what to make of Brock Lesnar vs. Omos. These kinds of matches are always special attractions and often carry a specific grab due to the sheer monstrosity of the competitors in the ring clashing. The match wasn't all that bad and told a decent story. I just never got into the story behind the match, and it kicking off the show felt sort of strange.
For what it's worth, Omos is VERY different. I hope they take care of him as such. I've always thought the character of The Big Show was wasted...but that's a different rant for another post.
- The "Women's Wrestlemania Showcase" was just another match that was there for me. Again, it wasn't terrible. But, in Night Two, getting fans geared in for "more special-ness" needs a certain oomph, and the first two matches didn't carry that.
Ronda Rousey's star really has dimmed, huh? There's just no juice there.
- I'm a big Gunther fan. I had this match selected as my "show stealer", and it did not disappoint. This was as hard-hitting as I expected it to be and is likely a match I'll be navigating the awful Peacock app to sort through in order to re-watch. No words will do this justice. It's just the kind of match that any kind of pro wrestling fan would appreciate.
- I LOVED Bianca Belair's entrance. And of course, grew to love it even more once Triple H shared with the world the backstory of one of the dancers.
This was as expected from Asuka and Belair. Asuka is just a gem. Bianca is just a star. Nothing much else to say or expect to say here. Great stuff.
- At this point, I'm not a fan of Shane McMahon on my tv screen. He's just not my cup of tea. When his music hit, I wasn't thrilled. It was more like a roll of the eyes. The Shane McMahon character always felt like a cheat code - why are we supposed to take him seriously? When did he become a viable wrestler?
Also, the character itself never changed or evolved. It's tough to take a 53-year-old skipping around. It worked for the punk kid that led the Mean Street Posse. Not so much now.
But I digress...
Let me say the obvious - It sucks what happened to Shane. So many props to Snoop Dogg and The Miz for saving what could have been a disaster of a segment.
Snoop "bouncing" off the ropes was just too funny.
This segment was such a mixed bag. Should've been LA Knight involved in my opinion.
- The Edge vs. Balor feud hasn't moved me since the inception of this program. It's hard to feel for Edge in starting a group he got removed from. Again, I've said this before, and I'll leave the backstory at that.
"Brood" Edge is not a thing. I just don't buy it. But him coming out to Slayer was awesome.
"Demon" Balor is a thing. And it feels special when we see it.
Regardless, this was another solid match. Did we need Hell in a Cell? No. But it was still cool.
- Anyone else have the basic version of Peacock and realize we're not getting access to various segments of Premium Live Events? Ah well...
- I absolutely LOVED Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes. Everything about it. EVERY. THING.
To me, this was pro wrestling at its finest, and of course, the industry's best - Roman Reigns - is involved in it. From the long entrances, the big fight feels, the story told, the time given, the insanely believable false finishes, the chaos that ensued, and to the very end, it was all so special.
I'm going to let this one simmer just a bit, but I very much plan to rewatch it very soon. As of this post, it's my match of the year.
As for the ending, I'm for it. I really am.
Reigns winning continues what is an impressive run, but most importantly, I firmly believe it sets Cody up for an even more enticing run back at Reigns. Cody should be champ by Summerslam, right? And it wouldn't shock me if he somehow ONLY wins the WWE Championship.
Of course, with the sale of the WWE pending, this all might be a moot point with Vince McMahon taking back creative, and us not exactly getting to see where this entire ordeal should have gone - or could have gone.
Nonetheless, Wrestlemania Night 2 was fantastic for a few matches. Night 1 collectively was better. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the fallout on Raw - well, you know, unless that creative change happens sooner than we think.
I guess we'll see.