WrestleMania 36

[Al]

It’s probable we don’t see a live crowd again for months. When it comes to McIntyre and frankly anyone else, we’re in uncharted waters.

[Matt D]

3 minutes ago, Childs said:

Punk was an actual match. So it's more than two but fewer than a dozen. 

I really liked the Punk match.

I did not like the Bryan match a lot. 

More than two but fewer than a dozen.

My general theory is that everyone loves the Brock matches because they break all the rules and therefore feel more visceral than everything else, but if you break the rules too much nothing matters. It's better to use the rules to make something than to just tear them down because nothing feels like it matters anymore. It's just the damn company can't make anything matter anymore so there's no benefit in investing and it's easier to just let the noise in and thrash about.

[Boss Rock]

Didn't see the whole show, but definitely seemed like one that desperately needed a crowd. 

[funkdoc]

fuck it, tonight gave us the wrestling equivalent to the Gerogerigegege on a big stage and it's exactly what i want at this point

[Burgundy LaRue]

I wouldn't say Drew is ruined, but I don't know if anyone is going to care by whenever they have crowds again.

Braun is in worse shape. He's DOA right now. And for someone who puts down others for 'wanting handouts,' he only won because Roman Reigns medically pulled out of the match. Did nothing to earn the spot and even less to become champion, which is likely to be used against him in a feud when they get back rolling.

Brock and Roman may come out of this better than everyone else. Neither will be traveling through this COVID-19 mess to make shows in whatever location WWE can find. Out of sight, out of mind and will be major returns when the time comes.

[El Boricua]

I thought night 1 was great,  with the Boneyard being the highlight. Night 2 started off with the really good Charlotte vs. Rhea match, but I felt it went down from there. In particular the Edge vs Orton match that just dragged on and on and felt like a live action Backstage Assault video game. I laughed at a few things in the Funhouse, but I wouldn't give it the praise I've seen others giving it. Legit the highlight of the whole thing was the look on Titus' face immediately after the Funhouse segment was over. 

[KawadaSmile]

Overall: a naturally experimental show. I still need to watch/rewatch a lot of things, but judging by everyone's reactions, some things are noteworthy:

• No one felt tired by the show itself, despite some boring slogs along the way. In the past few years we've had gargantuan events that spanned like 8 hours or even more, and breaking down the biggest wrestling event of the year into two nights is a very wise move. If they stick to this format and add more NXT matches, they're good to go.
• Cinematic matches are an impressive way of doing things outside the box, and have to be explored more often, but carefully, so they don't lose their lust. The Bone Zone was a clear weekend favorite, and it did led to many memorable moments, much like the Funhouse. It's a great way to work around crazy gimmicks that don't really translate into a conventional ring, or with wrestlers who aren't as young or athletic anymore.
• Charlotte is forever going to be champion.

[Tim Evans]

I can't hate on a show that had WWE's version of a Customs match, a TIm and eric match and Otis/Mandy reuniting. Edge/Orton was bad but I feel like Gargano/Ciampa on Wednesday is going to be even longer and worse.

[RingoPlaysDrums]

Firefly Fun House. My God. It obviously was not a wrestling match but it was absolutely brilliant. An "acid trip" style production was exactly what I had envisioned but this was better than anything I could have hoped for. One of the best things WWE has produced in years. Ruthless Aggression. Doctor of Thuganomics. The SNME and Nitro bits. Macho Mercy. The Johnny Largemeat/Hulk Hogan reference with the 80s aesthetic, and then later on the references to Cena finally turning heel Hollywood Hogan-style. Bray singing the Bella's theme. Actually Wyatt had quite a few good lines in this - a few with double meanings. I liked Bray shrugging off Cena's first rhyming put down, then acknowledging the Husky Harris line but still not really being affected and then taking the bait when Cena brought up chances and not taking them. That little flashback sequence to all Cena's big moments (including the CM Punk kiss!) Wyatt giving Cena the chance to "put right" what he didn't do 6 years previous... which he does. And the Fiend prevails. Whether or not Cena will actually be heel moving forward I don't know but it definitely feels like the ballsiest character development he's undergone in years. There was so much here to unpack, I'll have to watch it again and see what I've missed. I really didn't think WWE were capable of storytelling this creative. I'm keen to find out who was involved in putting this together. Miles more entertaining than an actual Cena/Wyatt in-ring match would have ever been. 

[Slasher]

I'm almost certain that Funhouse match was Bray's idea. He is one of the few guys that WWE seems comfortable in allowing him to do what he wants creatively because "it's such good shit".

[Stiva]

Titus channelling Krusty after seeing Worker and Parasite was an easy highlight of a lacklustre second night. I’ll never complain about Charlotte’s in-ring, running dialogue anymore after seeing the complete embarrassment that was Edge and Orton’s terrible attempt at melodrama. Everything was just kind of there, I guess. Firefly Funhouse was commendable for them going fully out there with the insanity  and the gag with Cena doing lightning fast curls was genuinely hilarious. I’d honestly never have Bray wrestle in a live setting ever again. 

[Richeyedwards]

I haven't watched the shows or anything but something stood out to me. Did HHH not have a match on either night?

 

[FMKK]

1 hour ago, Richeyedwards said:

I haven't watched the shows or anything but something stood out to me. Did HHH not have a match on either night?

 

He didn't. Paul may be on the outs but he's still a worker.

[FMKK]

Genuine question: Is Randy Orton the worst Wrestlemania performer of all time for anyone who has been consistently pushed?

[Flyin' Brian]

I want Sting and Undertaker in a Boneyard match next year. 

[C.S.]

1 hour ago, FMKK said:

Genuine question: Is Randy Orton the worst Wrestlemania performer of all time for anyone who has been consistently pushed?

His match with Rollins was pretty great though, or at least the finish was. 

[hammerva]

1 hour ago, FMKK said:

Genuine question: Is Randy Orton the worst Wrestlemania performer of all time for anyone who has been consistently pushed?

I was worried about Orton vs Edge sucking I thought it was going to be like Orton vs Triple H where it this incredible hate filled feud and then at WM for about 25 minutes they were working holds like it is just a match on RAW.  At least you can feel the hate in the Orton vs Edge match but after about 25 minutes into it then the novelty wore off

[KawadaSmile]

3 hours ago, FMKK said:

Genuine question: Is Randy Orton the worst Wrestlemania performer of all time for anyone who has been consistently pushed?

Triple HHH will always take the cake IMO

[FMKK]

45 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

Triple HHH will always take the cake IMO

People really love those Undertaker matches though. And his Bryan match. In spite of all his transgressions, that's more high end shit than Orton has ever had.

[Migs]

It's hard to even remember a lot of the Orton WM matches for me. I remember the finish of the Rollins match... the Punk match was pretty good... and everything else that springs to mind ranges from boring to disaster.

[Log]

Orton’s Wrestlemania matches have good endings, but getting there isn’t so great. 

[MoS]

It's funny how Triple H has arguably had the two best wrestlemania matches of the last decade - Bryan and the Ronda tag. As per Meltzer, he was also heavily involved in the layout of the Taker-Styles match. With all the backlash Shawn Michaels's agent work is receiving on wrestling Twitter, Triple H's rep has improved quite a bit. Of course, he also helpfully maintained some balance by having some of the worst matches in the last decade as well. That Lesnar match is terrible. 

[Sweet Brown Koko]

9 hours ago, Slasher said:

I'm almost certain that Funhouse match was Bray's idea. He is one of the few guys that WWE seems comfortable in allowing him to do what he wants creatively because "it's such good shit".

Bray Wyatt = “Horror” Vince Russo

Good grief, this was awful! The ONLY thing that I can give WWE credit for is going all in on this but I thought that this was garbage. I think the same thing could have been done to John Cena psychologically without traveling to another dimension. Get in his head and push him to the brink.

The only interesting thing I liked about this is that it COULD be interesting to see certain wrestlers go back to certain points in their careers and make different choices. That could be a show for The Network. I just don’t like it in the regular programming.

Someone really needs to filter this stuff....just my opinion.... 

[Cowboy Hats 4.0]

From a sad man's memory:

WM 20: Orton, Batista and Flair v. Rock and Foley
WM 21: Orton v. Undertaker
WM 22: Orton v. Angle v. Mysterio
WM 23: MITB?
WM 24: Orton v. HHH v. Cena
WM 25: Orton v. HHH (main event)
WM 26: Orton v. Rhodes v. Dibiase
WM 27: Orton v. Punk
WM 28: Orton v. Kane
WM 29: Orton, Big Show and Sheamus v. The Shield
WM 30: Orton v. Batista v. Bryan (main event)
WM 31: Orton v. Rollins
WM 33: Orton v. Wyatt
WM 34: Orton v. Rusev v. Mahal v. Roode (?)
WM 35: Orton v. Styles
WM 36: Orton v. Edge

Can't hold all against him (Kane, Wyatt, US title four way, MITB), but yeah, not a great record. Offhand, would be willing to revisit the Evolution tag, Undertaker and Punk. Maybe Rollins.

[Cowboy Hats 4.0]

12 hours ago, KawadaSmile said:

• No one felt tired by the show itself, despite some boring slogs along the way. In the past few years we've had gargantuan events that spanned like 8 hours or even more, and breaking down the biggest wrestling event of the year into two nights is a very wise move. If they stick to this format and add more NXT matches, they're good to go.

Not in favor of adding more matches to the mix. Both nights came in around three hours, right? And that's without a concert or mini-HOF ceremony. Skipping around a three hour show the night of or the next morning was reasonable. Anything more and we're back to it being a chore.

Watched Flair/Ripley live, but couldn't get back to things until the show was over. Frustratingly, the network app took at least twenty minutes for the show to post (around 10:45 pm EST the live feed was on whatever they were showing next and there was no WM Part II link for a while). Once I got on, skipped to Lesnar/McIntyre (no matter the result, felt bad for Drew after watching the well done Chronicle of him earlier in the day) and then the Funhouse. I considered Orton/Edge, but my willingness continued to fade as I continued to rewind the feed and was coming to terms with just how long it was. Before then, even, I was checking out comments here and considering avoiding spoilers, I skipped a whole page of comments during this match. Two pages later and the comments were still going! I can probably handle a 15 minute trainwreck, but this just seems like too much.