‘WWE Wrestlemania 39 – Night Two’ PPV Review
Welcome to this review of night two of WWE’s Wrestlemania 39 pay-per-view which came live from Hollywood (well, sort of). Let’s see what went down on Sunday’s show…
Match #1: Brock Lesnar def. Omos
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Brock Lesnar and Omos combined for a colossal matchup to start WrestleMania 39 Sunday. No David’s were allowed; this was an official Goliath vs. Goliath contest. Entering the 12th WrestleMania match in his career, The Beast was oozing with experience, but Lesnar had yet to solve the puzzle of Omos in recent weeks. This dominance continued at the onset with Omos clobbering Lesnar. Lesnar attempted a German Suplex, but Omos broke free and slammed the 10-time world champion. In a startling image, Omos lifted Lesnar up into a bear hug, a truly shocking image given the size and strength of Lesnar. With the WWE Universe rallying behind The Beast, he muscled out of the bear hug but was met with a Chokeslam for his troubles. Finally, after catching Omos and sending him into the turnbuckle, Lesnar took Omos to Suplex City. After three German Suplexes, the war-torn Lesnar couldn’t lift Omos for an F-5. The second attempt at the F-5 was successful, as The Beast nearly drove Omos through the canvas and put him down for the three-count.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #2: Women’s Wrestlemania Showcase Match – Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler def. Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan, Natalya & Shotzi and Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Four of the best women’s tag teams WWE had to offer threw down in the second match of the night on WrestleMania 39 Sunday. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan, Natalya & Shotzi and Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville delivered in an effort to showcase themselves. Whilst it was Natalya’s latest appearance at The Grandest Stage of them All, it was Rodriguez, Shotzi and Green’s debut at WrestleMania. The pace was pushed early on as Rodriguez and Morgan started off strong. After being tagged in by Natalya, Green attempted to hit a missile dropkick on Rodriguez but Rodriguez shrugged it off. Shotzi showed out, leaping twice onto her opponents, once in an awesome Suicide Dive. Green got involved in the airborne activities as she also leaped onto her opponents below from the top rope. Rodriguez and Morgan teamed nicely with Rodriguez powerbombing Morgan on top of the competition who were at ringside. In a painful looking moment Natalya locked the Sharpshooter on both Green and Deville before Morgan interrupted what was surely to be a submission. An Oblivion from Morgan to Shotzi was for nought as Rousey tagged herself in, talking trash and taking her time before locking in the Armbar, forcing Shotzi to tap out.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Intercontinental Title Triple Threat Match – Gunther def. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Gunther’s lengthy Intercontinental Title reign had its biggest test yet with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus both looking to gain the gold. Sheamus was attempting to cap off a golden career; by becoming Intercontinental Champion, The Celtic Warrior would become a Grand Slam Champion. Drew McIntyre, meanwhile, was looking to become Intercontinental Champion for the first time since 2010, which would be a record for longest time between reigns. McIntyre dropkicked Gunther out of the ring to start the contest, leaving the two battling Warriors, who have not been seeing eye-to-eye, in the ring. Gunther soon came back into the ring, delivering a symphony of chops. The Scottish Warrior got in on the chopping action as well, with Gunther and McIntyre going chop-for-chop, delighting the WWE Universe. Sheamus locked Gunther in the Beats of the Bodhran, with McIntyre also beating Gunther’s chest. Sheamus then caught McIntyre, delivering 27 Beats of the Bodhran and earning a standing ovation for his efforts. As Gunther headed to the top rope, Sheamus caught him and hit a jaw-dropping White Noise from way up high. A High Cross took Gunther within milliseconds of losing his title, but Gunther kicked out. With the WWE Universe firmly behind him, Sheamus signaled for the Brogue, hitting The Ring General and almost winning the title. At the last second, however, McIntyre dragged Sheamus out of the ring to break the count. Sheamus and McIntyre each hit the other with a Brogue Kick and a Claymore, but both kicked out incredulously. The brutality continued as Sheamus and McIntyre went blow for blow. Sheamus caught McIntyre with another Brogue and looked set to win the title, but Gunther flew from the top rope to break up the pinfall. Gunther then Powerbombed Sheamus onto McIntyre’s back, gave McIntyre a traditional Powerbomb, pinned The Scottish Warrior to end Banger-Mania, and became “The WrestleMania General.”
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Match #4: Raw Women’s Championship Match – Bianca Belair def. Asuka
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Bianca Belair was joined by “The Divas of Compton” as she made her entrance to the ring on her one-year anniversary of becoming Raw Women’s Champion. A cagey start quickly became an effort to wear down the other. Asuka locked in the Asuka Lock, but The EST muscled out. In an astounding moment, Belair evaded an armbar attempt to deliver an earth-shaking powerbomb on the outside of the ring. Asuka somehow shook off the pain, but her ankle lock was countered by Belair, who connected with a back suplex. Asuka kept coming back from the Belair highlight reel, kicking out after a moonsault. This appeared to frustrate Belair, who threw off some of her outfit. Asuka went a little dirty, using The EST’s own braid to hit a codebreaker for a close two-count. Belair went for the K.O.D., but Asuka evaded before Belair ducked out of a green mist attempt. Belair’s second attempt at the K.O.D. was also evaded, with Asuka locking in an armbar. Belair’s third and final attempt at the K.O.D. was successful, and The EST retained the Raw Women’s Title in an instant classic.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #5: Hell in a Cell Match – Edge def. “The Demon” Finn Bálor
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In just the fourth Hell in a Cell Match in WrestleMania history, Edge and Finn Bálor tore each other apart. The Rated R-Superstar was looking to end The Judgment Day once and for all, nearly a year after forming the dark and foreboding group. With Bálor trapped in a Kendo stick jail in the corner of the cell, Edge delivered a menacing dropkick. Bálor seemed to be unaffected by Edge’s offense, shrugging off with an Impaler DDT. Bálor put the purple table to good use, driving Edge through it. After being pummeled by two steel chairs, Edge fought back to hit Bálor with a Killswitch. In a key moment, Edge hurled a ladder in the face of The Demon. This attack wounded Bálor, forcing WWE medical personnel to briefly tend to him. Bálor came back by evading a Spear that sent Edge straight into a ladder. An Edgecution off the ladder gave Edge his chance to win the match but again The Demon kicked out. Bálor went up even higher than the turnbuckle, leaping from the wall of the cell to deliver a Coup de Grace onto Edge, who was lying on a table, but The Rated-R Superstar moved out of the way. This sent Bálor crashing through the splintered wood. Edge followed up with a Spear but still could not put away Bálor. A year of pent-up aggression from Edge led to multiple steel chair strikes. Edge did not stop there as he connected with a Con-Chair-To, defeating The Demon inside Hell in a Cell.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #6: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match – Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With a bold “Acknowledge me” statement from Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, one of the most highly anticipated title fights in WWE history began in an electrically charged atmosphere. A methodical start by both men soon led to a Disaster Kick attempt by Rhodes, but Reigns caught him and planted him with a powerbomb. Solo Sikoa, The Bloodline’s enforcer, meddled in the match multiple times, first driving a steel chair into Rhodes’ ribs, then pulling Cody’s leg out as Rhodes was bouncing off the ropes, both behind the back of the official. Reigns attempted another powerbomb, this time through the announce table, but The American Nightmare countered by sending Reigns tumbling through the broken wood instead. As Rhodes was gaining steam, Sikoa once again got involved, hitting Rhodes with his own weight belt. The referee saw this, however, and ejected The Bloodline’s enforcer, finally leaving Reigns alone and vulnerable. Reigns seized the weight belt and looked ready to clobber his opponent with it, but Rhodes caught Reigns with a huge Cross Rhodes for a two-count. Reigns channeled his cousin, delivering a Rock Bottom for a close two-count of his own. Reigns geared up for a Superman Punch, but Rhodes evaded and channeled the legendary Triple H by executing a Pedigree for another two-count. Rhodes edged his way out of a Spear attempt, allowing Rhodes to lock in a Figure-Four Leglock. Reigns countered by shifting the weight onto Rhodes’ leg, forcing the challenger to the ropes. Reigns looked ready to end the match, clutching Rhodes into the Guillotine and making the challenger fade. Miraculously, Rhodes broke the Guillotine and began raining down right hands on the champion, much to the delight of the WWE Universe. When the official was taken out by an errant kick from Rhodes, The Usos hit the scene, superkicked Rhodes and hit the 1-D. As The Usos were dragging Reigns onto Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacked The Usos. Owens hit a Stunner on Reigns followed by a Helluva Kick from Zayn. The main event foursome from Saturday fought each other into the stands, allowing Rhodes to cover Reigns. An agonizingly slow count from the injured official allowed Reigns to kick out, shocking the WWE Universe and Rhodes. The American Nightmare became The American Dream, hitting the Bionic Elbow. With Rhodes attempting a third Cross Rhodes, Sikoa rejoined the affair, hitting Rhodes with the Samoan Spike. Seconds later, Reigns crashed through Rhodes with a Spear, and Rhodes’ dream went up in smoke while Reigns retained his title in the main event of WrestleMania for the third consecutive year.
My Score: 5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
When the WWE puts on their big pay-per-views they really pull out all the stops… and Wrestlemania 39 is no exception. The first Wrestlemania without a McMahon booking the show, this first night was a mix of surprises and crowd-pleasing moments. Just how Wrestlemania should be. This half of Wrestlemania started off slow, with two less-than-stellar matches but soon picked up with THAT Intercontinental Title match which was a hard-hitting, brutal-looking and well-fought match. No matter the outcome of this one, the winner HAD to fight for it. The Women’s Raw Championship match was a great follow-up, with Bianca and Asuka almost trying to match up to the men’s triple threat match in terms of hard-hitting action. I would have loved to see Asuka win on such a grand stage but Bianca retaining was, honestly, just as good as she’s a fantastic champ and advocate for WWE. The Hell in a Cell match felt a little underwhelming, even for a vicious thing like a cage match (probably due to the brief “stoppage” to check on Balor) but it was still, ultimately, a great match. Then, of course, we got a second main event featuring the Bloodline and guess what? That match delivered just as brilliantly as night ones. The story may have been a bit different, with not as much depth as the tag match but Reigns and Rhodes really told a great in-ring story, with close call after close call which had the audience, in attendance and at home, on tenterhooks throughout. And the WWE didn’t cave and give us the happy ending for Cody Rhodes either, which was the REAL highlight of the night.
