‘WWE Wrestlemania 38: Night Two’ PPV Results & Review
Welcome to this review of night two of WWE’s Wrestlemania 38 pay per view which emanated from the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas in front of a crowd of apparently 77,899 people!
Match #1: Triple Threat Match – RK-Bro def. Alpha Academy and The Street Profits
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The red-hot RK-Bro remain atop Raw, The Street Profits live to fight another day, and Alpha Academy have made a new, and highly decorated, enemy following the frenzy that was the Raw Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match. Competing under sudden death rules in which the first team to score a pinfall or submission would be declared the winner, all six Superstars fought with a sense of urgency. The first fireworks came when Montez Ford soared over the ring post onto the rest of the field, followed by a moonsault to the floor by Chad Gable. Otis later displayed his unparalleled strength, slamming and throwing anybody who got in his way. Each team also unloaded potent tandem offense. Randy Orton & Riddle scored with double Draping DDTs, and American Alpha hit a Steinerizer bulldog ala newly enshrined WWE Hall of Famers Rick & Scott Steiner, only to be outdone moments later by a double-team Blockbuster by The Street Profits. Yet, perhaps no one fought with the steely determination of champions Riddle & Orton, the latter of whom was competing in his 18th WrestleMania match — the most of any active Superstar, and the third most of all time behind only The Undertaker and Triple H.cAs Ford prepared to deliver his inimitable frog splash to The Viper, he was intercepted by a top-rope RKO by The Original Bro that brought the WWE Universe to their feet. Gable then tried to take flight, only to be grounded by a match-clinching RKO from the originator, Orton. After the match, The Street Profits graciously offered to celebrate RK-Bro’s victory with a red-cup toast. The teams invited Olympic Gold Medalist and 2022 NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Gable Steveson, who was seated ringside, to join the party, but Chad Gable had another idea in mind. Sour over the loss, Gable sought to ruin the celebration and slapped cup from Steveson’s hand, but before he could tell Steveson to shoosh, the future WWE Superstar threw the Alpha Academy member across the ring with a huge suplex.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Bobby Lashley def. Omos
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After going his entire WWE career without being pinned or made to submit, Omos finally tasted defeat at the hands of former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley in a showdown that pitted WWE’s largest titan against one of its strongest. The All Mighty showed no fear in the face of the juggernaut, slapping the 7-foot-3, 400-pounder. He did, however, suffer consequences, as Omos battered Lashley with clubbing blows, mowed him down with a clothesline and squeezed the air out of his lungs with a bearhug. Omos even caught a flying attack by the 276-pounder and launched him high overhead with a press slam. Lashley, however, would not be deterred in his first match back from injury. The powerhouse courageously fought back and delivered a WrestleMania Moment for the ages when he suplexed his gigantic foe, who, until a week ago, had yet to even be knocked off his feet. With Omos aching and in disbelief, Lashley then cut the giant in half with two massive Spears to claim the emphatic three-count.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Anything Goes Match – Johnny Knoxville def. Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
During his illustrious career, Sami Zayn has gone toe-to-toe with WWE’s toughest and most dangerous Superstars, but none of those battles could have prepared The Master Strategist for the perils of facing “Jackass Forever” star and world-renowned risktaker Johnny Knoxville in an Anything Goes Match. The Master Strategist proposed the stipulation thinking it’d allow him to punish his nemesis unencumbered by rules, and the plan worked … at least, until pyrotechnics, a gigantic mousetrap and a variety of other “Jackass”-inspired weapons entered the mix. Zayn uncorked a Helluva Kick as soon as the bell rang, and within minutes he was trashing “The South Knoxville Strong Boy” with implements ranging from a cookie sheet to a crutch. Knoxville, however, came prepared, and the lawless conditions played into his hands. “The South Knoxville Strong Boy” found help in the form of his “Jackass” buddies. Chris “Party Boy” Pontius caused a distraction by ripping off his track jacket to reveal a denim thong. Though Zayn removed Pontius from the equation soon after, he was caught off-guard by Wee Man, who emerged from under the ring to deliver a flurry of punches and a body slam before being Helluva Kicked. The trickery didn’t end there. With Zayn perched on the top rope, Knoxville set off pyrotechnics attached to the ring post, causing Zayn to take a nasty tumble. Knoxville then led Zayn straight into a painful high five from an oversized hand at ringside, a prank instantly recognizable to any longtime “Jackass” viewer. The Master Strategist regained the edge and again went to the top, only for Knoxville to throw him off the ropes and through a ringside table covered in mousetraps. After shocking Zayn with a taser, Knoxville scored the winning fall by placing his foe on a massive mousetrap and unhinging the mechanism to pin Zayn in a WrestleMania first.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Match – Sasha Banks & Naomi def. Carmella & Queen Zelina, Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan and Shayna Bazler & Natalya
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Title underwent a glow-up at WrestleMania, courtesy of Naomi & Sasha Banks. “The Boss ‘n’ Glow” brought an end to Carmella & Queen Zelina’s reign of terror, overcoming not only that arrogant duo, but also Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler & Natalya in a cyclonic Fatal 4-Way Match that left the WWE Universe breathless. The tags between teammates and opposing squads came fast and furious, as did the high-impact hits and near-falls. Baszler wrenched limbs with bad intentions, Carmella scored with a top-rope hurricanrana on The Nightmare, and Natalya clobbered Mella with a fierce clothesline. The match grew only more chaotic from there, with Morgan and Ripley at one point taking all their opponents to the mat with tandem Towers of Doom from opposite corners of the ring. Throughout the mayhem, Banks & Naomi never lost sight of the prize, and their finely tuned teamwork was the difference-maker. In the bout’s waning moments, Carmella fumed over getting only a two-count off a superkick to Naomi. That left her vulnerable to a flurry of quick attacks by “The Boss ‘n’ Glow,” culminating with an innovative double-team move that sent the vainglorious and self-proclaimed “Most Beautiful Woman in WWE” face-first into Banks’ knees. The three-count was not far behind. The victory marks the start of Banks’ third reign as Tag Team Champion and Naomi’s first championship win since 2017.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Edge def. AJ Styles
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Edge made good on his promise to turn WrestleMania into AJ Styles’ “judgment day,” but the record will show that the scales of justice were out of balance. For if Edge was the judge, then that would make Damian Priest — who arrived at the end of the match to swing the tide in the Hall of Famer’s favor — the jury, if not the executioner too. Even before Priest’s surprise appearance, the long-awaited, first-time-ever showdown between The Ultimate Opportunist and The Phenomenal One felt more like a nightmare than a dream match as Edge emerged from the darkness on the WrestleMania stage seated on an ominous throne. Channeling his inner pit bull, Styles was ready to throw down at the opening bell, but it soon became apparent that Edge was going to dictate the pace, using The Phenomenal One’s highly charged emotions against him whenever possible. Case in point: Edge got his knees up just in the nick of time to counter Styles’ high-flying springboard 450 Splash. Styles’ miscalculation gave The Rated-R Superstar an opening to unleash a targeted attack on Styles’ left shoulder. Later, when Styles ran full-steam-ahead at his rival, Edge sidestepped the attack, causing Styles to crash into the turnbuckles. Styles’ tenacity nonetheless shined through. When his shoulder appeared to be popped out of its socket, Styles bravely put it back in place and kept fighting. Despite being limited to using only one arm, The Phenomenal One scored a near-fall off a Torture Rack Bomb and, in a pivotal moment, hit the Styles Clash, but still came up short. As Styles prepared for a Phenomenal Forearm, the massive Priest appeared ringside. The momentary distraction was enough to throw off Styles, who still took flight but was cut down by a mid-air Spear that sealed his fate on The Grandest Stage of Them All. As Edge and Priest raised their hands in the center of the ring, Corey Graves summed up the scene best, wondering aloud what the new unholy union means for WWE.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Sheamus & Ridge Holland def. Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Though they were intent on defending the honor of their injured friend Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods were denied the sweet satisfaction of payback in their clash with Sheamus & Ridge Holland. Letting it be known that this match was for Big E, Kingston & Woods paid tribute to their New Day brother by wearing singlets styled after the one that The Powerhouse of Positivity wore when he captured the WWE Title last year. The heartfelt gesture, however, was soon overcast by Sheamus & Holland’s pre-match sneak attack. The blitz proved to be a cunning, if underhanded tactic, though Kingston & Woods rebounded with several big hits, including a Trouble in Paradise to Holland that nearly ended the match moments after the opening bell. As much damage as The Celtic Warrior and his tank of a protégé inflicted before the match began, the true turning point occurred when Butch distracted the referee, allowing Sheamus to sneak into the ring and pummel Woods with an illegal Brogue Kick. From there, Holland slammed Woods with Northern Grit to claim the statement victory.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #7: Pat McAfee def. Austin Theory, then was defeated by Mr. McMahon
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Pat McAfee waited his whole life to experience a WrestleMania Moment, but the NFL great-turned-sports media megastar wound up with enough WrestleMania Moments to last a lifetime. To be clear, McAfee showed up and showed out against Mr. McMahon’s hand-chosen opponent, Austin Theory, whom the WWE Chairman and CEO announced as a “future Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.” McAfee struck first and struck often, demonstrating the athleticism that made him the NFL’s Punter of the Decade. Boom Stick likely shocked Theory — as well as the WWE Universe and Mr. McMahon — with his in-ring prowess. The capacity crowd inside AT&T Stadium cheered loudly as McAfee bounced Theory’s head off the announce desk, threw caution to the wind with a Swanton (which missed, but still looked majestic) and took Theory off the top rope with a thunderous superplex. A world-class athlete in his own right, Theory didn’t go down easily, and even appeared on the verge of victory as he set up McAfee for A-Town Down. McAfee had his competition scouted, however, and reversed the move into a crucifix pin for the stunning upset! Disgruntled over his protégé’s failure, Mr. McMahon then did the unthinkable, stripping off his suit jacket and dress shirt and challenging McAfee to a match on the spot. A referee signaled for the bell, and McAfee, already bruised and aching from his scheduled showdown, was caught unawares by a clothesline by the jacked WWE Chairman. Theory got in on the action, crotching McAfee on the ring post and handing a football to Mr. McMahon, which he punted into McAfee’s midsection before claiming the pin. As Mr. McMahon and Theory celebrated their successful ruse, the familiar sound of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s glass breaking hit. The Texas Rattlesnake sent Theory flying with a Stunner before doing the same to his longtime rival, Mr. McMahon. Austin then invited McAfee into the ring for a Broken Skull American lager, only to shock the popular SmackDown commentator with yet another Stunner. A lifelong WWE fan who watched Austin in his Attitude Era heyday, McAfee should’ve known better. After all, as “Stone Cold” says, don’t trust anybody.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #8: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match – Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In his sixth WrestleMania main event, on day 581 of his record-setting Universal Title reign, Roman Reigns fulfilled his quest to be acknowledged as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The Tribal Chief topped WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Take All clash that more than lived up to its billing as The Biggest WrestleMania Match of All-Time. In victory, Reigns not only scored redemption against a career-defining foe and closed the door on arguably the greatest WrestleMania rivalry in history, but he altered the landscape in WWE, unifying the top two prizes in sports-entertainment. The fight that preceded Reigns’ historic accomplishment was nothing less than a gritty spectacle. After declaring for weeks that he’d be out for Reigns’ blood in Dallas, Lesnar removed his gloves at the sound of the opening bell, underscoring his ill intent. The Beast Incarnate then dominated the early goings, delivering suplex after suplex until Reigns’ Special Counsel got involved. Paul Heyman cowered from Lesnar at ringside, and The Tribal Chief recovered enough to lock Lesnar in his crosshairs and Spear him through the barricade, leaving the WWE Champion in a heap. The Head of the Table punctuated his attack with another Spear and two Superman Punches, none of which kept Lesnar down for the count. The Conqueror countered a third Superman Punch with a German suplex, then three more. The big hits kept coming — Reigns landed another Superman Punch, Lesnar hit an F-5 — but no matter the artillery, neither Superstar stayed down for long. The referee later wound up sandwiched between Lesnar and the turnbuckles when Reigns fired off an especially hard-hitting tackle into the corner. With the official momentarily indisposed, The Head of the Table low-blowed Lesnar and cheap-shotted him with the Universal Title in a scene reminiscent of the closing moments of their clash at WWE Crown Jewel. Still, Lesnar escaped the pin once the official came to. Mustering every ounce of energy he had left, Lesnar reversed another Spear into a Kimura Lock, but Heyman, operating outside the ref’s field of vision, pushed the bottom rope into Reigns’ hand, forcing Lesnar to relinquish the hold. Lesnar then positioned Reigns for an F-5, but the Universal Champion broke free and gutted The Beast with one more Spear, this one match-ending. To stand alone atop the WWE mountain is a life’s goal for most Superstars, but for Reigns, notching a win over Lesnar at WrestleMania represents nothing short of vindication, reversing a pair of losses that have haunted Reigns. As Reigns walked up the ramp with both titles draped over his shoulders, just as Heyman had prognosticated, The Head of the Table left the WWE Universe no choice but to acknowledge him.
My Score: 3 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Triple H formally retired by leaving his boots in the ring after introducing night two of Wrestlemania.
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Well this was something. Talk about wasting all your good matches on night one… It says a lot when your most memorable matches on a card feature people who AREN’T wrestlers. I’m talking about the fantastically funny Jackass/Sami Zayn match, which saw Wee Man, yes Wee Man, pick up Sami Zayn and slam him into the mat! OK,, so some of the gags didn’t work, literally, but this match was a huge amount of fun. Then we had the closing match, which saw Pat McAfee pull off some great wrestling – including a brilliant backflip, jump up to the corner and superplex combo that looked like the work of someone who’s wrestled for their entire life. Shame that was all ruined when Vince McMahon decided to get back into the ring and fight… That, and the appearance of Stone Cold, seemed like a desperate effort IMHO… Good god, no one needs to see THAT stunner ever again! Honestly, you can safely watch this half of Wrestlemania via YouTube clips instead of sitting through the entire thing. Really. At least the WWE can rely on Edge and Roman Reigns to deliver…
