Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross are the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Bliss and Cross stepped into the squared circle against The Kabuki Warriors in the opening contest of the WrestleMania 36 – Night 1 pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on the WWE Network.
At the show, Bliss and Cross dethroned Asuka and Kairi Sane to win the titles.
It turns out that Sane and Asuka beat Cross and Bliss to win the titles at the WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in Sacramento, California at the Golden 1 Center last year.
This was a last-minute match addition as the company only announced it a few hours before the show went live on WWE’s streaming service.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when Sane and Asuka will get their rematch for the titles. This marks the second reign as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles for Bliss and Cross together.
Your winners and the first-ever 2-time @WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, @AlexaBliss_WWE & @NikkiCrossWWE!
What are your thoughts on Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 aired tonight on the WWE Network. Goldberg defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Undertaker battled AJ Styles in a Boneyard match in the main event.
Becky Lynch def. Shayna Baszler to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
Sami Zayn def. Daniel Bryan to retain the Intercontinental Championship
John Morrison def. Jimmy Uso & Kofi Kingston in a Ladder match to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Kevin Owens def. Seth Rollins
Braun Strowman def. Goldberg to become Universal Champion
The Undertaker def. AJ Styles in a Boneyard match
Here are 8 takeaways from Night 1 of WrestleMania 36:
Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss Are The New Women’s Tag Team Champions
Stephanie McMahon kicked off the show with a taped message. Stephanie said this will be the most different WrestleMania of all because there will be no fans. She stated that it was WWE’s commitment to the fans to provide a diversion during these hard times.
WrestleMania host Rob Gronkowski said he knows how to start a party Saturday night and end it 30 hours later. Mojo Rawley joined the party in a ridiculous suit and Gronk hit him with four chops to the chest. The Women’s Tag Team Championship match was the first bout of the night. JBL joined Cole on commentary.
Match Recap: Alexa Bliss and Asuka started things off. Asuka quickly marched to the corner and tagged in Kairi Sane. Kairi shoved Alexa down and taunted her by playing with the bow in her hair. Bliss got pissed off and slammed Kairi to the canvas. Alexa danced in front of Asuka before tagging in Nikki Cross.
Asuka tagged in and Nikki quickly sent her out of the ring. Cross tripped up Kairi on the apron and Alexa followed it up with a Baseball Slide Dropkick. Alexa then leveled Asuka with a Cannonball off the apron. Nikki hit Kairi with a Crossbody before getting back into the ring to share a hug with Alexa.
Kairi tagged in and Cross quickly threw her to the outside. Kairi hit Nikki with a chop as Bliss once again connected with a Baseball Slide on Asuka. Sane hit Cross with a Hurricanrana and the action returned to the ring. Asuka and Sane isolated Nikki in the corner and beat her down.
Cross battled back and rolled up Kairi for a near fall. Bliss tagged in and hit Kairi with a couple of Clotheslines. Bliss hit another Dropkick as Asuka pleaded for a tag. Alexa went for a Splash in the corner but Sane escaped to the apron. Asuka hopped up for a distraction and Sane capitalized by tying up Alexa in the Tree of Woe.
Sane connected with a Double Stomp and went for the cover but Alexa was able to kick out at the last moment. Asuka tagged in and continued to beat Bliss down in the corner of the ring. Asuka hit Bliss with the Hip Attack and went for a Bulldog but Bliss blocked it. Asuka connected with a kick to the face and went for the cover but Alexa kicked out at two.
Asuka went for another Hip Attack but Bliss got her knees up. Asuka shrugged it off and knocked Bliss back down with another boot to the head. Nikki and Sane tagged in and Cross hit a couple Clotheslines. Nikki hit a Splash and followed it up with a Bulldog.
Nikki screamed and made her way to the top rope. She then leveled Kairi with a Crossbody for another two count. Sane raked Nikki’s eyes and Asuka tagged in. Asuka hit Cross with a few jabs but Nikki battled back and hit a Neckbreaker. Cross went for the cover but Kairi broke it up with the Insane Elbow.
Asuka trapped Nikki in the Asuka Lock in the middle of the ring but Alexa broke it up with Twisted Bliss. Sane then leveled Alexa with a Spear and all four superstars were down. Sane tagged in as Asuka hit Nikki with a Codebreaker. Sane climbed to the top rope but Nikki got up and joined her on the turnbuckle. Asuka went for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb and Sane hit her Cross with a Clothesline at the same time for a near fall.
Nikki planted Cross with a Neckbreaker and tagged Alexa in. Alexa hit Sane with the Twisted Bliss for the victory. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: I thought this match was solid and wish WWE would feature the Women’s Tag Team Championships more on RAW and SmackDown. It is hard to be invested in the women’s tag team division in it’s current state.
King Corbin came down to the ring and claimed that Elias wasn’t going to be here tonight. Corbin demanded that he be awarded the victory but Elias showed up attacked Corbin. Elias bounced Corbin’s face off the ring apron and rolled him into the ring. The match then officially started.
Match Recap: Elias connected with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Corbin kicked out at two. Elias stayed on the attack and hit Corbin with a chop. Corbin sent Elias tumbling out of the ring to buy himself some time to recover from the pre-match attack.
Elias got back into the ring and Corbin sent him into the ring post for a two count. Corbin followed it up with a massive Clothesline and went for the cover but Elias powered out at two. Corbin went to work on Elias’ shoulder and shouted at the announce table to tell everyone how good he is.
Corbin slammed Elias’ shoulder into the ring post for another two count. King Corbin got pissed off and demanded that the referee count faster. Elias regrouped and sent Corbin flying into the ring post. Elias beat the hell out of Corbin in the corner before the referee finally broke it up. Elias planted Corbin with the Drift Away but Corbin was able to kick out at two.
Elias climbed to the top rope and went for a Splash but Corbin got out of the way. King Corbin planted Elias with the Deep Six for another near fall. Elias hit Corbin with a knee to the face for a two count. Corbin held onto the ropes to try and avoid Elias. King Corbin then hit Elias with a right and went for the cover using the ropes for leverage but the referee caught him. Elias then rolled up Corbin and grabbed his tights for the pinfall victory. Corbin flipped out after the match and shouted at the referee.
Becky Lynch put her RAW Women’s Championship on the line tonight against Shayna Baszler. Becky Lynch arrived to the Performance Center in her custom truck and marched to the ring.
Match Recap: Baszler and Lynch exchanged punches to start the match off. Shayna went for the Kirifuda Clutch early but Becky escaped out of the ring. Baszler followed her out there and hit her with a few body shots before bouncing Becky’s face off the ring apron. Baszler dead lifted Becky but The Man countered into a Hurricanrana on the floor.
Back in the ring, Lynch climbed to the top rope and leveled Shayna with a Dropkick. The Man followed it up with a forearm to the face and then stomped away on Shayna in the corner of the ring. Becky went for an Exploder Suplex but Baszler blocked it by hanging onto the ropes. Shayna hit Becky with a knee to the face and went for the Kirifuda Clutch but Lynch countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Baszler planted Lynch with a Spinebuster and followed it up with a Cutter for a two count. The Man and Shayna traded punches on the ring apron. Becky got the better of the exchange and slammed Baszler with a Uranage on the apron for a near fall. Lynch climbed to the top turnbuckle but Shayna caught her with a boot to the face.
Shayna hit a Backbreaker and then immediately locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Lynch countered into a cover for a two count and then Baszler applied the Dis-Arm-Her for a moment. The Man escaped out of her own finisher but walked right into a knee to the face for a two count.
Becky then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her across the top rope before Baszler escaped and applied the Kirifuda Clutch on the ropes for a few seconds before the referee broke it up. Baszler swung Becky into the announce desk and rolled back into the ring to reset the count. Back in the ring, Shayna caught Becky in the Kirifuda Clutch but Becky countered into a cover for the victory.
Opinion: This match was very underwhelming and I don’t understand why WWE would have Shayna dominate the Elimination Chamber match for this result. There really isn’t a credible contender for Becky Lynch on the main roster now.
Sami Zayn Retained The Intercontinental Championship
Sami Zayn defended his Intercontinental Championship against Daniel Bryan tonight at WrestleMania. Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew Gulak were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Sami Zayn spent the first couple minutes of the match running around in an effort to avoid Daniel Bryan. Cesaro and Shinsuke kept getting in Bryan’s way as Zayn would return to the ring. Drew Gulak took out Shinsuke and Cesaro with a Crossbody. Gulak sent Cesaro and Nakamura over the barricade. Bryan then told Zayn he can have a countout victory if he wants it and Sami started walking up the entrance ramp.
Bryan sprinted after him and dragged Zayn back into the ring. Daniel beat him down a bit before sending him back outside. Bryan hit a Suicide Dive and rolled Sami back into the ring. Daniel connected with a Dropkick and then smacked Zayn in the face. Bryan shouted that Sami hasn’t earned anything and knocked him to the canvas with a kick to the face.
Sami caught Bryan with an elbow to the jaw and unloaded some punches to his face. Zayn followed that up with a Clothesline before taunting Bryan by shouting “giant mistake” over and over. Bryan battled back with a Clothesline and a few Yes Kicks. Gulak started up a “yes!” chant but Cesaro and Nakamura attacked him from behind.
Bryan took them out with a Suicide Dive and made his way to the top rope. Daniel leaped in the air and Zayn caught him with a version of the Helluva Kick for a pinfall victory. Sami Zayn is still the Intercontinental Champion.
John Morrison & The Miz Are Still The SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Kofi Kingston, Jimmy Uso, and John Morrison competed in a Triple Threat Ladder match to determine the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Morrison & Miz were the champions but The Miz was not cleared to compete in the match.
Match Recap: All three superstars battled on ladders to start the match off. Kingston knocked Jimmy down and hit him with a Crossbody. Morrison hit Kingston with a knee to the face and then unloaded some right hands to Jimmy’s face. Kingston and Morrison made their way up the ladder and traded punches at the top.
Morrison knocked Kofi to the canvas and reached for the belts but Jimmy Uso dragged him down. Kingston leaped through the ladder but Jimmy and Morrison caught him and sent him out of the ring. Jimmy hit Morrison with a chop and set him up on the top turnbuckle. Jimmy placed a ladder in the ropes and bounced Morrison’s face off it.
John knocked Jimmy on top of the ladder and hopped on the ring post. Morrison hit the Starship Pain on Uso before booting him out of the ring. John made his way up the ladder but Kofi came out of nowhere and planted Morrison with a Hurricanrana. Morrison picked up a ladder outside the ring but Kingston took him out with a Crossbody.
Jimmy ran across the top of the barricade but Kofi launched a ladder onto him. Kingston set up a ladder from the apron to the barricade and put Jimmy on top of it. Morrison walked across the top rope and planted Kingston with a beautiful Spanish Fly. Jimmy hopped to the top turnbuckle and hit Morrison with the Uso Splash.
Kingston climbed the inside of the ladder as Uso climbed the outside. Kingston sent Jimmy to the canvas by slamming his head into the ladder. Kofi went to grab the titles but Morrison hopped up and prevented him. Kingston knocked Morrison off the ladder with a headbutt and followed it up with a Double Stomp off the ladder.
Another ladder was set up as a bridge from the ladder and the ropes. Jimmy slammed Kofi’s face into the ladder and knocked him out of the ring. Uso leveled Morrison with a Superkick and set him up on the ladder. Morrison got up and shoved the ladder and Jimmy crashed to the floor outside the ring.
Morrison made his way up the ladder but Kingston climbed up the other side. Kingston hit Morrison with a headbutt as Jimmy brought another ladder into the ring. Everybody unhooked the titles at the same time but nobody had the titles. Jimmy and Kofi hit Morrison with headbutt and Morrison fell on the ladder below. Morrison grabbed the titles during his fall and won the match.
Opinion: Kofi Kingston, Jimmy Uso, and John Morrison put in a hell of an effort in this match. This was the first match of the night that the lack of a crowd really hit me. The energy would have been incredible if this were in front of a live audience. Having said that, this was easily the match of the Night 1 so far.
Match Recap: Rollins controlled the action early and hit Owens with a couple jabs to the face. Owens chased Rollins to the outside and launched him into the barricade. Rollins hit a knee to the ribs and rolled back inside. Seth went for the Stomp but Owens dodged it and beat Rolins down in the corner of the ring.
Owens connected with a Senton and taunted Rollins as he made his way back to his feet. Kevin went for a Cannonball but Rollins retreated out of the ring. Owens followed him out there and threw him into the barricade once again. Kevin went for a Powerbomb on the apron but Rollins countered into a Back Body Drop.
Rollins followed it up with a Falcon Arrow on the apron and Owens crashed to the floor outside the ring. Rollins leveled Owens with a Suicide Dive the moment he got back up to his feet. Seth taunted Owens and claimed that he becomes a god when the lights are the brightest. Rollins hit Owens with another Suicide Dive while continuing to taunt him.
Seth called Owens a disappointment to his kids and went for another Suicide Dive but Kevin caught him with a punch to the face. Owens’ momentum was short-lived as Seth planted him with a Slingblade. Owens avoided the Stomp twice and hit Rollins with a DDT. Owens followed that up with a Superkick and a Cannonball in the corner.
Owens climbed to the top rope and connected with a Senton for a near fall. Kevin went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but Rollins escaped. Seth hit Owens with an Enziguri but Kevin bounced off the ropes and connected with a Clothesline as both superstars fell to the mat.
Rollins tried to catch a breath on the apron but Owens wouldn’t let him. Kevin brought Seth up to the top turnbuckle and set up for a Superplex but Rollins held onto the ropes. Seth raked Owens’ eyes and went for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb. Rollins then carried Owens across the ring and hit a Buckle Bomb.
Seth connected with a Superkick but Owens shrugged it off and planted Rollins with a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. Rollins rolled out of the ring and Owens chased him out there. Seth hit Owens in the head with the ring bell and the match ended in a DQ.
Kevin grabbed a microphone and said those weren’t the actions of a god, those were the actions of a little bitch. Owens demanded Rollins come back to the ring and finish the match with no disqualifications. Rollins accepted the challenge and marched down to the ring and the match restarted.
Rollins hit Owens with a knee to the face and sent him out of the ring while shouting “fat piece of crap!”. Seth grabbed the steel steps and bashed them on Owens’ head. Seth hit Owens with a steel chair a couple of times but Owens kept talking and called Rollins a little bitch.
Owens then hit Rollins over the head with the ring bell twice and Seth fell on top of the announce table. Kevin Owens then climbed on top of WrestleMania sign and leaped onto Rollins through the table. Owens rolled Rollins back into the ring as Seth pleaded for mercy. Kevin hit him with the Stunner for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I thought this was awesome. The constant trash talk between Owens and Rollins was hilarious and the final few minutes of the match were terrific. Owens finally has his WrestleMania moment after hitting Rollins with an Elbow Drop off the WrestleMania sign.
Goldberg defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman tonight at WrestleMania 36. Goldberg was originally supposed to defend against Roman Reigns but he pulled out of the match.
Match Recap: Braun and Goldberg traded words before the bell rang. Goldberg booted Braun in the ribs but Strowman shrugged it off and went for the Running Powerslam. Goldberg escaped and hit three Spears in a row. Goldberg went for a cover but Braun kicked out at two.
Goldberg hit a fourth Spear and went for a Jackhammer but Braun countered into a Powerslam. Strowman hit two more Powerslams and shouted at him to get up. Strowman hit another Running Powerslam for the pinfall victory. Braun Strowman is the new Universal Champion.
Opinion: I couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of this outcome. Strowman versus Goldberg had zero build and was never explained why it was happening in regards to a storyline. Goldberg defeated The Fiend and took the title off of him, only to drop it to Strowman of all people. I figured WWE would just have Goldberg win this match and drop the title to Reigns at a later date.
AJ Styles battled The Undertaker in a Boneyard match in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 36.
Match Recap: AJ Styles arrived at the cemetery in a hearse and popped out of a coffin. The Undertaker arrived on a motorcycle and walked through fog. AJ said he took the liberty of digging Undertaker’s grave for him. AJ grabbed a rock but Undertaker caught him with a punch to the face.
Undertaker slammed Styles’ head off the coffin a couple of times and tried to hit him but AJ ducked. Taker hit the hearse window and cut his arm. Undertaker slammed Styles on the front of the hearse and took a seat next to him. Taker taunted AJ as he climbed on top of the hearse.
The Undertaker unloaded a bunch of punches to AJ’s face and told him to never talk about his wife again. Styles threw dirt in Taker’s eyes and booted him in the balls. Undertaker battled back but Gallows and Anderson showed up with a bunch of masked men.
Undertaker fought them all off one by one until Gallows & Anderson teamed up on him. Undertaker grabbed a shovel and beat Gallows down. AJ Styles bashed Undertaker in the back with a headstone and said Michelle never should have let Undertaker out.
AJ punched Undertaker in the face a couple of times but claimed to break his finger while doing so. Styles told Undertaker to give up and retire already. Undertaker slowly got up and Styles tackled him through a fence. The music got very somber as Styles stated that The Undertaker wasn’t the American Badass anymore, he is just a broken down old bitch.
Styles hit Undertaker with a shovel and he fell into the grave. AJ said “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” before hopping on a tractor. AJ went to pour the dirt on Undertaker but he somehow appeared behind Styles. The Undertaker and Styles then battled on the roof. Undertaker raised his hands and flames came out of nowhere. Gallows tried to attack Undertaker from behind but he threw him to the ground. Undertaker then planted Anderson with a Tombstone. The Undertaker Chokeslammed AJ Styles off the roof and then climbed down.
Undertaker told Styles that they were just getting started and picked him up. The Undertaker dropped him next to the grave and AJ apologized. Undertaker told Styles to go out like a man and grabbed him by the throat. Styles asked Undertaker not to bury him and he said he is not going to do that. Undertaker hugged AJ and said “you fought your ass off and you are good brother”.
The Undertaker then booted Styles into the grave and stared at him. Taker started the tractor and poured the dirt on top of Styles. He got off the tractor and revealed a headstone that read “AJ Styles 1977-2020”. The Undertaker put on his bandana and raised his fist and flamed erupted behind him. Undertaker then rode off on his motorcycle to end the show.
Opinion: I had no idea what to expect with this match but wound up loving every second. It was unique, and absolutely ridiculous but entertaining as hell. Overall, Night 1 of WrestleMania was a success in my opinion. The Universal Championship match was a waste of time, but there were several good matches tonight. I’m looking forward to escaping with some wrestling during Night 2 of WrestleMania tomorrow.
DDP made some interesting comments to talkSPORTS’s Alex McCarthy, who shared a message from the WWE Hall of Famer.
Diamond Dallas Page told the media outlet that because he helped out Cody Rhodes with AEW, WWE won’t work with him. DDP also brought up how he gives credit to Cody’s father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, for his success in WCW.
It should also be noted that DDP has been friends with the Rhodes family for decades. You can see the tweet here:
DDP tells #talkWRESTLING that WWE won't work with him at the moment because 'I helped out Cody'.
He says without Dusty Rhodes there is no DDP, so it was a no brainer for him.
DDP made his promotional debut with AEW back at Double or Nothing last year at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The legendary pro wrestler made another appearance on the October 23, 2019 episode of Dynamite where he helped Cody, Adam Page, and Dustin Rhodes brawl with the Inner Circle in the arena after Jericho interrupted Cody’s promo to build their program heading into Full Gear.
In fact, DDP came out of retirement to work another match. He did so back on the January 15th Dynamite episode, themed Bash at the Beach, on TNT in Miami, FL at the Watsco Center.
He teamed up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall to take on MJF and The Butcher & The Blade in an eight-man tag team match that saw the heels go over.
The White House and US President Donald Trump held a conference call with commissioners from major sports leagues in the United States today. Vince McMahon represented WWE on the call. The topic of conversation was how the ongoing global pandemic is impacting sports in the country.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Trump told those on the call that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums, arenas, and at live events by August or September. It is not clear, however, if medical experts agree with this timeline.
Donald Trump also told commissioners that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/EFqDryGlTQ
In addition to Vince McMahon, Dana White was on the call representing the UFC, Adam Silver representing the NBA, Rob Manfred representing MLB, Roger Goodell representing the NFL, Gary Bettman representing the NHL, Jay Monahan representing the PGA Tour, John Middlebrook or Jim France representing NASCAR, Don Garber representing MLS and Cathy Engelbert representing the WNBA.
Most major sporting leagues across the United States have currently suspended ongoing play. The UFC, however, is still hoping to present its UFC 249 PPV. Vince McMahon and WWE have been filming content on closed-sets with no fans in attendance.
WWE officially confirmed on “the Bump” that the Miz will not participate in WrestleMania 36 this year. The announced reason for him being pulled from the card is that he was injured on last night’s Smackdown. It had previously been reported, however, that Miz did not perform on the show due to being sick. The Miz was scheduled to defend the Smackdown tag team titles in a tag-team triple threat ladder match against The Usos and New Day.
The tag-team titles will still be defended in a triple threat ladder match, however. The match has been changed from a tag-team triple threat to a single’s triple threat. The tag titles will still be on the line, however.
WWE has also announced 2 new matches to take place on the WrestleMania 36 Kickoff shows. Drew Gulak will face Cesaro in single’s competition. The other added match features Natalya taking on Liv Morgan.
The final betting odds for all of the matches that will take place at the WWE WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event have been released.
The card for the show that takes place tonight (Saturday, April 4, 2020) as well as tomorrow from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center has not been finalized.
WWE WrestleMania 36 Betting Odds
Make sure to join us tonight for match recaps and our takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE.
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Odds call for all three titles to change. Here are the final betting odds courtesy of BetOnline:
Shayna Baszler -180 (5/9) vs. WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch +140 (7/5)
Drew McIntyre -350 (2/7) vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar +225 (9/4)
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley -180 (5/9) vs. Charlotte Flair +140 (7/5)
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley (c) 5/4 vs. Sasha Banks 1/1 vs. Lacey Evans 4/1 vs. Naomi 13/2 vs. Tamina 33/1 – Five Pack Challenge
WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn -200 (1/2) vs. Daniel Bryan +150 (3/2)
Edge -500 (1/5) vs. Randy Orton +300 (3/1) – Last Man Standing Match
Kevin Owens -220 (5/111) vs. Seth Rollins +150 (3/2)
Bray Wyatt -500 (1/5) vs. John Cena +300 (3/1) – Firefly Fun House Match
The Undertaker -400 (1/4) vs. AJ Styles +250 (3/2) – Boneyard Match
Aleister Black -700 (1/7) vs. Bobby Lashley +400 (4/1)
Vince McMahon is scheduled to take part in a phone conference with major sports league commissioners and US President Donald Trump today. ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed the participants of today’s call today on Twitter:
Scheduled participants on call with Trump:
NBA – Adam Silver WNBA – Cathy Engelbert MLB – Rob Manfred NFL – Roger Goodell NHL – Gary Bettman PGA Tour – Jay Monahan UFC – Dana White WWE – Vince McMahon NASCAR – John Middlebrook or Jim France. MLS – Don Garber.
Vince McMahon To Participate In White House Call With Sports Commissioners
While the exact nature of the call is not known, it is expected it will cover the growing spread of the COVID-19 in the United States and its impact on sports. Most sporting leagues have shut down for the time being except for the UFC. The UFC is still hoping to go-ahead with UFC 249 despite the main event falling apart. WWE has been hosting closed-set shows from the WWE Performance Center.
Donald Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Mick Foley, Bob Backlund, Trish Stratus, Bruno Sammartino and Booker T were also inducted that year. Additionally, Vince McMahon’s wife, Linda McMahon, announced last year she was stepping down as the head of Small Business Administration for the Trump Administration in order to chair the Super PAC America First Action.
WrestleMania IV and V were hosted at Trump Plaza. Trump also managed Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 23. Vince McMahon managed Umaga. McMahon then had his head shaved after Lashley defeated Umaga at the event.
Seth Rollins is scheduled to wrestle Kevin Owens this weekend at WrestleMania 36. Today, he released a statement about the unique nature of this year’s WrestleMania.
Rollins released his statement through his social media channels:
“Every year since I was a little boy I’ve woken up on the morning of WrestleMania feeling excited the day had finally arrived. WrestleMania was bigger than Christmas for me.
Since 2013 that excitement has been coupled with surreality as I’ve been so so so fortunate to have played a small role in the lore of the event; hopefully inspiring young children to follow their dreams the way my idols did for me, and giving anyone watching moments to look forward to… and memories to look back on.
Today is WrestleMania and that feels so strange to say. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic nothing feels normal. We’re all trying to figure out what’s happening, what’s right, what’s wrong, and where we go from here. My hope is that this year WrestleMania will not only provide us with all the moments and memories we’re used to, but maybe also some distraction and calmness, some normalcy, and some unity.
I still woke up excited. It still feels surreal. Maybe more than ever…today is Wrestlemania.”
Rollins at WrestleMania Statistics
Rollins is 6-1 at WrestleMania. He’s won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Universal Championship, and Intercontinental Championship previously at the event.
2013: WrestleMania 29: The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) defeated Randy Orton, Sheamus & The Big Show
2014: WrestleMania 30: The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) defeated Kane & The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg)
Ric Flair’s retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV received universal acclaim and it’s remembered as one of the most emotional moments in the history of professional wrestling.
However, The Nature Boy decided to break the vow. He returned to the ring during the Hulkamania tour in 2009 and has wrestled a number of matches since then.
During a recent interview with Metro.co.uk, the 16 Time World Champion recalled his WrestleMania match with HBK and Flair said that being in the ring with Michaels was the greatest thing anybody could have ever given him
“I was nervous, extremely nervous. That was at a time when my self-confidence levels were up and down. I should have realized that being with Shawn alone was the greatest thing anybody could have ever given me. He just led me through the match, and afterwards it was a really emotional moment for me, my family. “
Ric Flair Expresses Regret On Wrestling After WrestleMania XXIV
Ric Flair then claimed that it was the greatest moment of his life and admitted his regrets on wrestling again after the WrestleMania match:
“The best answer I have is that was the greatest moment
of my life, the saddest moment in my wrestling career, and I wish I’d never
wrestled again after that. ‘I just couldn’t stay away. At the end of the day
people remember that like it was my last match, and that’s the important
thing,”
The WWE Hall Of Famer also talked about the upcoming WrestleMania 36 event and how it will be a taped show with no audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Flair said that it’s difficult but the technologies will make it look as live as possible and while he wishes he was there for the event, he is still excited for it.
Relive the iconic WrestleMania bout between Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels in the video below:
It’s been almost a year since Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event of WrestleMania 35, but the Man is still not missing any chance to take shots at the former UFC star.
The current Raw Women’s Champion recently had an interview with Vicente Betran from ViBe & Wrestling ahead of the historic two night WrestleMania 36 event where she talked about a number of things.
Though when asked about the former Champion, Lynch offered
some harsh words and explained that Ronda should be left at home because she
doesn’t want to put in the work:
“Leave her at home, I have talked a long time that all these MMA heads that want to come into WWE because they think it’s an easy meal ticket but not put in the work and hours and hours we do when it comes to travel and the grind and obsessing about this and making sure the crowd appreciates everything we do. She doesn’t want to put in that work. Just remember that I’ll be getting better and better every time while she’s at home playing with her Twitch or whatever.”
Becky also talked about the NXT Championship being defended at WrestleMania. She wondered if an NXT person should have gotten the chance to fight for the title but said that it’s awesome to see it being defended at the show.
Becky Lynch will be defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Elimination Chamber winner Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36.
You can check out the updated match card for the event at this link.
ESPN will be running a Brock Lesnar marathon this Sunday and the channel will be showing content related to the Beast including some of his UFC bouts throughout the day.
Before this marathon, the organization spoke to many WWE
superstars and other personalities of his life and asked them to describe the
current WWE Champion in real life.
When they asked former WWE star CM Punk about Lesnar, the
Straight Edge Star said that he doesn’t want to ruin his image, but described
the former UFC star as a sweetheart:
“I don’t want to ruin his image, I think he’s a f—in’ sweetheart. This is a guy, when I got into MMA and I left wrestling, he was texting me, ‘Hey, if you need any help.’ I’m always kind of a standoffish guy. It’s hard to open up and trust people in the pro wrestling world. I think Brock has got a big heart, and that’s something a lot of people don’t talk about. “
Punk also discussed his match with Lesnar from SummerSlam 2013. He said that he didn’t know if the Monsterous Athlete would be receptive to any ideas. However, the match turned out to be fun and it was everything he loves about wrestling.
Rey Mysterio On The Human Side Of Brock Lesnar
Rey Mysterio who was there for Brock Lesnar’s first run with
WWE recalled how Lesnar had become miserable during his run and explained how
this shows the human side of him:
“I remember at one point Brock being miserable, This is right before he left WWE in 2004 the first time. We were going to Europe, and my wife and I were sitting right behind Brock on the charter plane. I just saw Brock biting the f— out of his nails and looking at a picture of one of his kids.
It really hit him, the fact that he had to travel so much. That was the human side of him. The father instinct that he has. Shortly after that, he was like, ‘I’ve gotta get out of here, bro. I can’t f—ing do this anymore.'”
Mysterio went on to claim that seeing Lesnar like that put
things into perspective for him and it made him see his personal life in a
different way as well.
The article also featured comments from the likes of his on-screen advocate Paul Heyman and Jim Ross. You can check out the full piece at this link.
WWE has confirmed that NXT star Austin theory will be making his WrestleMania debut this year and competing in the Raw Tag Team Championship match at the show.
The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some details on this change and reveals why the 22-year-old star was chosen to replace Andrade on the event.
According to the report, the decision to put Theory in this bout was made by none other than the Raw Executive Director Paul Heyman, who is responsible for pushing many unused stars in recent times.
Heyman is high on The Raw Tag Team Champions, The Street
Profits and the United States Champion Andrade and it seems the same can be
said for Austin Theory and his partner Angel Garza as well.
For those who don’t know, The US Champion Andrade suffered a rib injury during a Raw episode two weeks ago and he wasn’t cleared to compete at WrestleMania.
Due to his injury, WWE altered the plans for his match at
the Show Of Shows and brought in the NXT star to replace the Mexican wrestler
at the PPV event.
Austin Theory has not wrestled much on NXT TV but he has
been wrestling in the independent circuit since 2016. He held the Evolve
Championship for a while before signing with WWE and has wrestled for companies
such as CMLL in Mexico as well.
Austin Theory will now be teaming up with Angel Garza to challenge the Street Profits for The Raw Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
WrestleMania will be broadcasted over two nights this year in an unprecedented event and former champion Bobby Lashley believes that WWE should continue this format for future versions of the show as well.
The former World Champion recently had an interview with
Vicente Betran from ViBe & Wrestling where he talked about things like the
coronavirus pandemic and more.
When asked about the two night format of the Show of Shows and whether the company should continue with this in future, Lashley replied positively:
“I would say yes across the board, and I would say yes because we have so much talent that is available, there’s a lot of guys sitting at home right now that are hugely talented not even being able to get a match on RAW. So yes, if we have an opportunity to bring everyone out and do more storylines and see it for two days, that would be incredible.”
Though the Raw star continued by saying that they already do that in a way with the NXT Takeover specials and Bobby Lashley said that maybe the company should just integrate more people here and there.
The former ECW Champion also revealed which WrestleMania match he is most excited for claiming that he is looking forward to the bout between Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar.
WWE SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania 36 this weekend.
SmackDown Results (4/3)
Tamina def. Lacey Evans & Naomi
Tucker def. Dolph Ziggler via DQ
Daniel Bryan def. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ
John Cena accepted Bray Wyatt’s challenge
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Miz & Morrison Sent A Message To The Usos & New Day
John Morrison and The Miz. Image Credit: WWE.com
The Miz and John Morrison were set to host an episode Miz TV but The Usos immediately interrupted. They said they aren’t going to wait for Miz and Morrison to invite them on their show.
New Day joined The Usos in the ring and said that The Usos weren’t going to be the team to win the Ladder match at WrestleMania. SmackDown Tag Team Champions Miz and Morrison came down to the entrance ramp and climbed up the ladders. They climbed to the top and vowed to do the same at WrestleMania and retain the titles.
The Usos and New Day ran up the ramp and a brawl broke out. The Miz and Morrison came out on top and posed on the ladders to end the segment. There was no acknowledgement of this match reportedly not happening this weekend.
Tamina Picked Up Some Momentum Heading Into WrestleMania
Photo: WWE.com
Naomi, Lacey Evans, and Tamina competed in a Triple Threat match tonight on SmackDown. Bayley and Sasha Banks joined Michael Cole on commentary.
Match Recap: Naomi and Evans went after Tamina to start things off and beat her down in the corner. Evans hit Tamina with a Dropkick but Tamina battled back and sent Lacey to the apron. Tamina knocked Naomi and Evans to the floor as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Michael Cole tried to get Sasha Banks to admit that she is excited to be in the title match at WrestleMania. Banks kept ignoring the question as Evans connected with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Bronco Buster on Tamina.
Lacey hit an Elbow Drop and was going to go for the cover but Naomi dragged her to the outside. Sasha Banks left the commentary table and launched Lacey into the steel steps. Naomi rolled up Tamina for a two count and then hit an Enziguri. Tamina planted Naomi with a Samoan Drop and went for the cover but Naomi kicked out at two.
Bayley got sick of Cole and left the announce table. Bayley attacked Naomi and Tamina capitalized with a Superkick for the victory. Bayley then got in the ring with a smile on her face. Bayley tried to shake Tamina’s hand but she got a Superkick to the face instead. Tamina then planted Sasha Banks with a Samoan Drop.
Tucker and Otis had a conversation backstage. Tucker told Otis that Mandy asked about him but seemed to be heading to Dolph’s dressing room. Otis got a text and ran off. Tucker then battled Dolph Ziggler.
Match Recap: Tucker started off the match in control and connected with a Clothesline. Ziggler battled back and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Tucker escaped and launched Dolph into the corner. Ziggler once again applied a Headlock and Tucker quickly broke free with a couple punches to the ribs.
Tucker sent Dolph out of the ring and launched him into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Tucker connected with a Side Slam for a near fall. Ziggler brought Tucker to the outside and hit a Zig Zag onto the steel steps to end the match in a DQ. Ziggler was about to bash Tucker’s head with the steel steps but Mandy and Sonya prevented him. Otis then rushed the ring as the glitch showed up saying “the truth will be heard”.
A masked man appeared and said that the truth will be heard and showed a video of Mandy Rose saying that Otis is cute and sweet. Mandy then went to meet Otis but left her phone behind. It showed Sonya texting Otis a time change. Otis responded “sounds great ;)”. Sonya deleted the message and told Ziggler that he is going to get what he wants. Rose stormed off as Otis chased Dolph away.
Opinion: I thought this was well done and it will be interesting to find out who was under the mask. This is one of the only interesting storylines heading into WrestleMania.
Daniel Bryan faced Shinsuke Nakamura tonight on SmackDown. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn joined Michael Cole on commentary for the match. Cesaro and Drew Gulak were ringside.
Match Recap: Bryan and Nakamura traded submission holds to start off the match. Daniel connected with a Dropkick and then sent Nakamura out of the ring. Bryan hit a knee to the face off the ring apron and taunted Sami before rolling Shinsuke back into the ring. Bryan hit another Dropkick off the top rope and continued to taunt Sami.
Daniel perched Nakamura up on the top turnbuckle and went for a Hurricanrana but Shinsuke held onto the ropes. Bryan battled back as Sami complained about having to defend his title against him at WrestleMania.
Nakamura connected with a boot to the face and followed it up with a Reverse Suplex. Shinsuke went for the Kinshasa but Bryan countered into a Half Crab. Nakamura battled through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Bryan then got Nakamura in the Yes Lock but Cesaro broke it up to end the match in a DQ.
Cesaro dumped Gulak over the barricade and then somehow caught Daniel Bryan as he went for a Suicide Dive. Cesaro slammed Bryan on the announce table before launching Gulak into the steel steps. Shinsuke hit Bryan with a Kinshasa and Sami followed it up with the Helluva Kick.
WWE Didn’t Explain Why Braun Strowman Is Replacing Roman Reigns At WrestleMania
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Ariel Helwani interviewed Triple H on ESPN MMA this week. Triple H hyped up WrestleMania 36 and said the following about how WWE was going to explain Strowman replacing Reigns in the Universal Championship match:
“It will unfold in a unique way and I think it will be meaningful for everybody.”
Reigns released a video on Instagram explaining the reasons why he backed out of the match. He noted that he made the trip to the Performance Center and planned to compete but had to make a decision for himself and his family.
It was advertised that Reigns and Goldberg will have a face-to-face meeting on tonight’s show. They already had a contract signing on a recent episode of SmackDown for the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania.
WWE’s “unique” way of explaining why Braun Strowman is replacing Roman Reigns was to simply announce it. I don’t understand why WWE couldn’t create some kind of storyline or maybe they filmed something and decided not to air it. Either way, not explaining it at all is an odd decision.
John Cena Vowed To Squash Bray Wyatt At WrestleMania
John Cena
John Cena came down to the ring and thanked the audience for watching at home. Cena said that this was the final minutes of the final broadcast before an unprecedented WrestleMania.
Cena claimed that this year’s WrestleMania will be the most viewed and talked about WrestleMania in history because nobody knows what is going to happen. John added that he has no idea what a Firefly Fun House match is and that The Fiend loves uncertainty because it can lead to fear and panic.
John looked directly into the camera and said that he will not panic and will squash Bray Wyatt. Cena claimed that Bray Wyatt is not even on the level below him and referred to him as a bootleg Mr. Rogers. John vowed to expose The Fiend as embarrassment at WrestleMania.
Cena added that The Fiend is still going to get his ass kicked in his own match and accepted the match. The Firefly Fun House puppets appeared on the barricade and said that Cena is going to play with them forever after the match. The lights went out and The Fiend appeared on the podium Baron Corbin threw Elias off of. Cena and The Fiend stared at each other before Bray Wyatt appeared behind John and said “let me in” to close the show.
Opinion: I’m looking forward to finding out what a Firefly Fun House match is this weekend. Cena cut an excellent promo tonight and the entire segment was excellent. Overall, the build to this year’s WrestleMania was bizarre for obvious reasons and I just hope the show is entertaining this weekend.
Heading into Friday’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, most fans knew of the changes that had to be made to title matches taking place at WrestleMania 36.
The first expected change was Roman Reigns, who was slated to challenge Universal Champion Goldberg at this event, not competing.
Since the show was taped last week, Reigns decided to pull out of the contest due to his concerns about the coronavirus as he has a weakened immune system with his leukemia battle.
WWE confirmed on SmackDown that Braun Strowman will replace Reigns in the contest to challenge the WWE Hall of Famer for the Universal Title. Despite Triple H stated that WWE would make the match change in a unique manner, WWE had Michael Cole announce the news in a quick segment.
WWE had originally announced face-off for Friday’s SmackDown with Goldberg and Reigns, where it was expected that the change would be explained. Clearly, that didn’t happen.
The other change was to the originally announced contest that would’ve seen John Morrison and The Miz defending the SmackDown Tag Team Titles against The Usos and The New Day at WrestleMania 36.
The Miz was pulled from the match due to him being ill and not able to work the show. However, WWE didn’t announce that change during the broadcast.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event as a two-night event on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
A new report has surfaced online regarding WWE having serious talks with ESPN that dates back to last year involving WrestleMania 35.
Sports Illustrated reports that ESPN wanted to up their coverage of WrestleMania 35 and the network was in a “deep discussion” to have a desk at WrestleMania, and to air WrestleMania SportsCenter breaks all weekend.
However, as WrestleMania week approached, the talks died the week before. The reason for it not happening was due to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon not wanting to reveal the behind-the-scenes aspects of WWE. This would include moments after the show ended.
This is interesting considering that WWE shows this type of footage on various programs such as Total Bellas, Total Divas, WWE 24 and WWE Chronicle.
Per the report, this type of footage could have been acquired by ESPN for a significant price. However, this footage is far more valuable to WWE than it would be to ESPN.
Fast forward a year later, it’s been reported that WWE was in talks with ESPN to air the pay-per-view on the ESPN+ pay-per-view service. This type of deal didn’t happen when the coronavirus pandemic started in the United States.
ESPN did not want to spend such a high price on any event that was surrounded by uncertainty.
WWE executives questioned whether this type of deal would’ve led to a mass decrease of WWE Network subscribers. Finally, FOX and the USA Network were “less than enthused” with WWE making a deal to air replays of past WrestleMania events including from 2014, 2016, and 2019.
The broadcast of WrestleMania 35 will serve as a lead-in for Night Two of WrestleMania 36, which FOX was especially not thrilled with.
Originally, FOX hoped that some of the WrestleMania encore presentations would air on FS1, but WWE made the decision to air them on ESPN because that network draws significantly more viewers.
On a weekly basis, WWE has to deal with spoilers from leaking and WrestleMania 36 was no different.
The company taped episodes of RAW, NXT, and SmackDown in addition to both nights of WrestleMania 36 last week. These tapings were different, according to a new report from Sports Illustrated.
WWE had to move WrestleMania 36 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay to the empty WWE Performance Center. This was done due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Per the report, leaking WWE information is a fireable offense. With WrestleMania being WWE’s biggest event of the year, WWE wanted to present it in the best way possible despite it being a taped show.
It was noted that the tapings for WrestleMania 36 ran overnight from 11pm until 5am.
Also, there were only a limited number of people present for the set of WWE TV and pay-per-view tapings held last week. People like WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Paul Heyman, and Bruce Prichard were in attendance.
Also, the majority of the producers or agents were not present for the matches. The agents that helped put the matches together were the likes of Adam Pearce, and WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels, and “Road Dogg” Brian James.
These producers are considered to be the unlikeliest of candidates to leak spoilers. So far, no leaks regarding the outcome of the matches taped have been revealed.
AJ Styles recently did an interview with Newsweek where he spoke about a wide range of topics including WWE’s decision to split WrestleMania 36 into a two-night event.
The first night will take place on Saturday and the second night the following day. He was asked if WWE should make the event a two-night show going forward.
“I think we’ve got to do something, as a company. There are a lot of matches in one night, too many if you ask me. Either we cut down on the matches or have two nights. Either way is fine with me.
At the end of the day, it’s up to the fans and whether they are willing to show up. And at the same time, maybe give someone a chance who can’t afford two days they can see one day or pick the night and the matches they want to see. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Next year, we’ll see what happens.”
Since the launch of WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, the length of these pay-per-view events have been extended.
The big four shows – Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and SummerSlam – can last anywhere from four to six hours long.
This year’s WrestleMania is expected to have a four-hour main card with a one-hour pre-show.
CM Punk recently did an interview with No Sports Report where he talked about WWE’s decision to push forward with WrestleMania 36.
WWE had to make the change to the location of the event due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has been impacting their event schedule. It was moved to the Performance Center and held in front of no fans. It’ll also be a two-night event.
“Even from a business standpoint, a fan standpoint, you gotta push the date, reschedule, have it in June/July. What is the silver lining in that? Maybe you can have it in an open-air arena in the midwest when it’s warm.
Punk says the situation is almost as if WrestleMania is cancelled, but they’re moving forward anyways. He also revealed that there’s buzz behind the scenes that certain performers are sick.
“Yeah, I think it’s completely strange. You know, I hear all the rumors of who’s sick.”
– CM Punk
Then you’ve got all these guys that are whether the culture there has changed or not, are going to be job scared so they’re going to show up and then they get somebody else sick. Obviously, that’s how the virus works.”
Punk continued by noting that he thought the decision was just so obtuse and the wrong decision. He stated that he wouldn’t have made a two-night event. He then brought up how they pre-taped segments and questioned the insanity of watching it come Sunday if there are spoilers.
Punk also talked about how it must suck for the performers to work in front of no fans under these conditions.
It is not entirely surprising that CM Punk is outspoken about WWE’s practices. He is known for speaking his mind almost as much as his ring work. He is also not on very good terms with WWE, despite occasional appearances on the FS1 Backstage show.
Triple H has responded to the criticism WWE has received for going through with WrestleMania 36 despite the current coronavirus pandemic.
Former WWE Champion “The Game” was recently a guest on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” to discuss “The Show Of Shows.” Triple H noted that WWE believes they’re putting on an essential service of entertaining fans during this hectic time.
“Look, there’s going to be critics of everything. I think we’re doing this to provide what we believe is an essential service in entertaining our fans, entertaining people around the world, and I think you see that with ESPN picking up past WrestleManias, and FOX, NBC and that partnership, we can put out content… even our historic content is evergreen in nature because of the storytelling aspect of what we do, and I say this a lot, we’re more akin to the ‘Rocky’ movie than we are actual boxing.
“Once the event takes place live in boxing, you’re kind of done with it. With us, you’ll watch it over and over again, because it’s the story, and the characters, and the emotion that you feel. You’ll go back and relive those epic moments — Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3, or whatever connects with you from the past.
He went on to note that WWE is working very closely with government officials, and taking all the necessary precautions to protect all involved.
“We’re working with the government officials very closely. We’re taking all of the precautions, we’re screening our talent. Anybody that’s uncomfortable doing this doesn’t have to. The crew and the staff is very, very limited.
“We’re working the talent waves, where we bring them in for their particular stuff and then they can leave, and keeping people as separated as possible, trying to do this in as safe a way as possible, while still being able to perform a vital service. We’re following CDC recommendations, as well as Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Jeffrey Dugas.”
WrestleMania 36 was initially scheduled to take place from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on April 5. However, after the coronavirus outbreak, the event was canceled due to gathering bans. WrestleMania was expected to attract over 70,000 people. Now, the event has been relocated to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Also, the show will take place over the span of two nights. Day one of WrestleMania 36 begins tomorrow, Saturday, April 4 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The action continues on Sunday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET as well. Aside from the location and date changes, some of the matches have also been affected. One of the biggest changes being Roman Reigns’ removal from his Universal Title match with Goldberg. Goldberg will now face a replacement opponent on the show.
WrestleMania 36 kicks off tomorrow, and for the first time ever, it will take place over the span of two days.
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, no fans will be in attendance for Wrestlemania, another first-ever for the WWE. According to a recent report from the WrestleVotes Twitter account, we have some more details to pass along regarding the two-night lineup. WWE officials were still working on the lineup for the event as of this week. It’s likely the two gimmick matches will air on separate days.
Those being the Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles, and the Firefly Funhouse match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt. Also, it’s believed that the two World Title matches will also air on separate nights. Goldberg will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns’ replacement opponent, after Reigns pulled from the card due to health concerns.
Also, Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. The same is expected for the two Women’s Championship matches. Charlotte Flair challenged Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship. Becky Lynch will also be defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Shayna Baszler. SEScoops will be providing you with live coverage of WrestleMania 36 both nights.
Coverage on Saturday and Sunday will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Ronda Rousey recently uploaded a rather interesting video to her official YouTube channel. The video features her answering questions from fans. One of the questions Ronda answered was in regard to when she’ll be coming back to WWE. Ronda initially said she was taking an “impregnation vacation” from the company and according to recent comments, she is still on said vacation.
“Well, Trav and I are still working on that mommy/daddy time if you know what I mean?” Ronda said when asked when she’ll be returning to WWE.
“I won’t be at WrestleMania this year…or will I?” Ronda responded to another question. “I’m just kidding, I’m not going to be at WrestleMania.”
Ronda then went on to answer several questions about her feet…
Ronda Rousey Answers Feet Related Questions
Midway through the video, Ronda becomes concerned about the growing amount of questions in her inbox from fans regarding her feet. She called Travis Browne over to investigate.
“There’s like 8000 emails here and they all talk about feet,” Ronda lamented. “These people need help.”
A montage is then shown of Travis and Ronda answering emails and taking pictures of Travis’ feet, goats feet, and more. Ronda also plays the saxophone for a bit. You can view this rather unique video in the player below:
As more restrictions are taking place across the United States due to the ongoing global pandemic, many wrestling fans are wondering how much longer AEW will be able to air new content on Wednesday nights. According to a report from PWTorch, AEW has weeks, if not months, of content already filmed.
The promotion is reported to have been filming content at QT Marshall’s gym in Norcross, GA up until the midnight deadline last night when all non-essential businesses in the state were ordered to close. They are said to have filmed enough “storyline-advancing” matches for several episodes of Dynamite.
The next few episodes will intersperse matches filmed from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville and those filmed from the Georgia location.
Some of the matches filmed recently might end up airing on episodes of Dark if restrictions are lessened in the coming weeks. If, however, restrictions are not lessons those matches could be used on Dynamite.
It is also being reported that a Georgia state official attended the tapings to ensure AEW was adhering to regulations. AEW did have the proper paperwork filed and had notified local officials before filming commenced.
The majority of wrestlers used for the tapings either live nearby and were able to drive to the shows or they have been staying nearby even if they don’t live there. One or two wrestlers not from areas hard hit by the virus did fly in for the shows.
All wrestlers are being asked to go into isolation for 2 weeks. They are then hoping to be able to tape again later this month or in May if it is possible to do so.
AEW TNT Championship Tournament Has Been Filmed
The TNT Championship tournament is said to have been filmed up to the finals, which will take place at the Double or Nothing PPV.
The TNT Championship tournament will begin airing next week and an AEW World Championship match between champion Jon Moxley and challenger Jake Hager will air in 2 weeks time.
A new episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is here and it’s slated to be an important show.
The reason for that is due to it serving as the final show before WrestleMania 36. With just hours until bell time, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Despite the known changes, WWE is still hyping up John Morrison and The Miz defending the SmackDown Tag Team Titles against The Usos and The New Day at WrestleMania 36.
In fact, the company is hyping that all three teams will be on Miz TV. WWE will have to announce the changes to this match due to one of the stars not being able to work the contest.
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for SmackDown.
WWE holds this show from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
John Cena will appear to respond to Bray Wyatt’s challenge for a Firefly Funhouse match
The Usos and The New Day stop by “Miz TV” ahead of WrestleMania championship showdown
WWE to address Roman Reigns vs. WWE Universal Champion Goldberg at WrestleMania
WrestleMania 36 match order to be revealed
Final WrestleMania 36 build
Join us here later tonight for our post-show WWE SmackDown Results and Takeaways feature.
A new WWE Network special looking at Edge’s return to the ring will premiere this weekend.
WWE 24: Edge: The Second Mountain will air Sunday night, April 5th immediately following the conclusion of WrestleMania 36 (Night 2).
The documentary will apparently give the WWE Universe an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Edge’s triumphant return to in-ring action. “The Rated R Superstar” made a comeback to WWE at January’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He was the 21st entrant in the 30-man Royal Rumble matchup. The matchup was eventually won by Drew McIntyre.
Here is the official trailer for WWE 24: Edge: The Second Mountain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erZ8fAKT69o
Edge’s Retirement, WrestleMania Feud
Edge was unfortunately forced to retire back in 2011. He had been diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis. This led him to retire from pro wrestling and pursue a new career in acting.
Following his return at Royal Rumble, Edge has been involved in a personal grudge match with his former Rated RKO teammate, Randy Orton. The two will clash at this weekend’s WrestleMania 36 weekender in a Last Man Standing matchup.
The show, originally intended to take place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, will now take place on April 4 and 5. It has been pre-recorded from multiple locations out of concern of the current coronavirus pandemic.
