Hiya!

Wrestlemania 39 Day 1 was all sorts of awesomeness. It had nary a bad match and every match was pretty much worth watching. It kind of makes me feel sorry for the WWE Superstars who have to try to follow it up for Day 2. Not sorry enough to be as critical as possible, though! We have a lot to go through so let’s go critique the heck out of Wrestlemania 39 Day 2!

The first match of the night had Brock Lesnar take on Omos. This was my least anticipated match of Wrestlemania 39 because, as much as Omos has improved, his offense is still very limited. Also, I’m kind of tired of Brock Lesnar already. Thankfully, it looks like the WWE read my mind as this was a very quick match. There was some passable offensive moves by Omos, mostly because Brock Lesnar is a really good seller. I was also impressed by The Beast’s ability to pick up Omos and take the Nigerian Giant to Suplex City.

The finish came after Brock Lesnar’s back gave out while attempting to lift Omos up for an F5. Omos then went for his Choke Bomb but Lesnar gets out of the move and finally hits an F5 to get the pinfall victory. This was a thankfully short match as the longer the match goes, the more Omos’ limited ring ability will be seen. This was generally fine but pretty meh overall.

The next match was the Women’s Wrestlemania Showcase match. This had Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya and Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville vs Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. Man, I do feel sorry for these women as I can’t help but compare this match to the Men’s Wrestlemania Showcase from Day 1. The action here looked very disjointed when compared to the well-oiled machine of the Men’s version! There were a few fun spots, like Chelsea Green diving to the outside to escape Raquel Rodriguez and Natalya locking in a Sharpshooter on Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville at the same time. These moments were… cute but nothing really exceptional enough to write home about.

The finish had me pretty confused. Liv Morgan hits Shotzi with a Code Breaker but, while they were tied up in the ropes, Shayna Baszler tags Liv Morgan to enter the match. The Queen of Spades, who is not wearing her right boot and limping for some reason, kicks Morgan out of the ring and attacks Shotzi before tagging in Ronda Rousey. The Baddest Woman on the Planet then waltzes in and locks in her armbar submission on Shotzi. Shotzi taps out, giving the win to Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler.

I didn’t expect much from this match and I guess I was right not to. The action was tepid to say the least. The finish was also really weird because it seems like Shayna Baszler injured herself and no one really focused on that. Finally, giving Ronda Rousey the win just seemed insulting as she did not do anything! She had probably one singular spot when the action spilled to the outside but that was it! Lame.

The 3rd match for Wrestlemania 39 Day 2 was for the Intercontinental Championship. This saw GUNTHER defending the belt in a Triple Threat match against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. I knew coming in this was going to be an ultra hard hitting match with a lot of bone crunching strikes and chops. I was not disappointed and I love it. It did follow the tried and true tested Triple Threat pattern of having one guy hang out on the outside while the other two duke it out in the ring. I didn’t mind because everyone really got their licks in. Some of the spots, such as the chop fest between GUNTHER and McIntyre, Sheamus and McIntyre striking GUNTHER in the chest while the Ring General was tied up in the ropes and Sheamus delivering White Noise from the second rope. Really good stuff.

The finish came after a slugfest began between McIntyre and Sheamus. Sheamus managed to hit a Brogue Kick and flop over McIntyre for a pin only for it to be broken up by GUNTHER by jumping from the top rope. GUNTHER then powerbombed Sheamus on top of McIntyre, taking out the Celtic Warrior. The Ring General then set his sights on a fatigued Scottish Warrior and took him down with a powerbomb as well. GUNTHER pins McIntyre and gets the pinfall victory to retain his Intercontinental Championship.

This was just a fun match to watch. It was a no frill match with everyone just trying to annihilate each other with powerful strikes and slams. I kind of wish GUNTHER was a little more involved but he did eat a lot of the hits. This was still mostly Sheamus and Drew McIntyre’s match as they did most of the fighting. That’s just a minor gripe as I was giddy with excitement throughout the bout.

The next match had Bianca Belair defending her RAW Women’s Championship against Asuka. This had the potential to be a match of the night contender because both Bianca Belair and Asuka can put on a pretty good show. While overall, it was a pretty good fight but I just couldn’t get fully into it because of the lame buildup to the match. That’s not to say the action was bad. There were a good number of nice spots, like when Belair did a deadlift suplex on Asuka from the second turnbuckle back into the ring and that wicked powerbomb The EST of the WWE hit on the Empress of Tomorrow on the outside. I also like the juxtaposition of how Belair relied on her power while Asuka focused on using her technical and submission skills. The action did get better and the match progressed but it did take a while for it to get really good.

The finish came after Belair went for a KOD but Asuka grabbed onto the top rope. This led to Belair yanking too hard and almost hitting the referee. Asuka used this distraction to try to hit Belair with poison missed but the EST of the WWE ducked to avoid it. Belair goes for another KOD but Asuka reverses the move into an armbar submission. Belair powers out and hits her KOD finisher on Asuka to get the pinfall victory and retain her RAW Women’s Championship.

The last 3rd of the match really picked up the pace and amped up the action. However, it did take its sweet time getting to that point. I can say both Asuka and Belair did put on a good show but the general lack of heat and animosity between the two did affect how much I got into it. It’s a good match but I just wasn’t feeling it.

We then had the obligatory comedy break match. This had Snoop Dogg set up a match between the Miz and a returning Shane McMahon. However, it wasn’t meant to be as, after leapfrogging over the Miz, Shane McMahon fell down like a pile of bricks. They had to pivot and, all of a sudden, we had Snoop Dogg knocking out the Miz and hitting a laughably lame looking People’s Elbow on the Miz. It didn’t matter how dumb it looked because Snoop Dogg beat a former WWE Universal champion in the Miz with the move.

The finish didn’t make a whole lot of sense as, when the match officially started, the Miz was facing Shane McMahon. It didn’t matter as, for some unexplained reason, it seems like Snoop Dogg was the official participant! Okay, I’m glad they managed to work it out because this was a much better finish than seeing Shane McMahon beat the Miz. No, I’m being sincere here! I actually liked this segment for how dumb it was. This was a better match than the one the WWE had planned!

The next match had Edge take on The Judgement Day’s Finn Balor’s Demon form in a Hell in a Cell match. There was some innovative use of the Hell in a Cell’s No DQ rule, like Edge trapping Balor in the corner using kendo stick so he can strike with a dropkick off the ring apron, Balor retaliating by sending Edge through a table with a dropkick of his own, Edge nailing Balor with an Edgecution from the top of a ladder and Edge avoiding disaster by avoiding Balor’s Coup de Grace double foot stomp from the top of the Hell in a Cell! Things got a little too serious with the match being put on pause as Balor got busted open by a ladder flung to his face. I did like it as it made things feel read… because the injury probably was.

The finish came after Balor managed to kick out of Edge’s spear. Edge then wailed on The Demon with kendo stick and chair shots. Edge then hit a One Man Con-Chair-to to Balon and this was the end. Edge got the pinfall victory over Balor.

This was a bloody good fight and a fine Hell in a Cell match. I initially didn’t get why they used The Demon instead of the more “sane” Finn Balor. However, after watching it, I get it because they had to get Edge to really go all out on Balor. Lots of brutality here and creative spots. They didn’t really use the Hell in a Cell all that much as it could’ve been a No DQ match and, with a tweak here and there, it would’ve been the same. Still, adding the Cell to the proceeding did add a bit of prestige and hint at the brutality in store. This was super good.

The final match of the night was for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. This had Cody Rhodes taking on the current champion and the leader of the Bloodline, Roman Reigns. I expected this to be a crazy bout but this was on a different level. It was a methodical affair for the first half with Roman Reigns slowly beating down on Rhodes but Cody did get a few good licks in as well.

Lots of drama involved with Solo Sikoa who blindsided Cody Rhodes whenever possible, making the Son of the Son of a Plumber having to combat the odds. Things were looking up when Sikoa was ejected from ringside after doing this one too many times. Add to that the number of near falls from moves and reversals which looked like any of them could end the match. This was a fantastic way to build up the drama and get the live audience super excited.

The finish came after Cody accidentally took out the referee and both competitors knocked each other down with dual clotheslines. The Usos saw this as their opportunity to rush to the Head of the Table’s aid. They hit Cody with their 1D double team move and lay Reigns on top of the challengers. However, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn entered through the crowd to take out the Usos! Reigns then eats a Stunner from Owens then a Helluva Kick from Zayn! The Usos then recovered just enough to continue the fight into the crowd. Cody then covers the prone Tribal Chief but Reigns gets his shoulder up!

Rhodes and Reigns start trading blows. Reigns goes for a Superman Punch but Cody dodges it and then starts peppering Reigns with jabs before ending with a Bionic Elbow. Cody then performs 2 Cross Rhodes on Reigns. He tries to go for a 3rd but Paul Heyman climbs the ring apron to distract the official. This allows Solo Sikoa to sneak into the ring from the crowd and nail Cody with a Samoan Spike. Reigns then hits a spear on Cody and he gets the 3-count. Roman Reigns is still your reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion!

This was a crazy and great match, with my only real issue being the ending. I really wanted Cody Rhodes to win as it’s about time for Roman Reigns’ reign to end for both their stories to enter a new level. I still won’t deny the entire match was brilliantly planned out from start to finish. All those moving parts worked together flawlessly and the drama was palpable. I admire the WWE for ending a Wrestlemania with the heel winning the main event but I can only imagine the uplifting reaction we would’ve got if Cody Rhodes won in the end.

All-in-all, Wrestlemania 39 Day 2 was very good but not as good as Day 1. There were some clunkers, like the Women’s Wrestlemania showcase and the Brock Lesnar vs. Omos match. I can’t help but be a little disappointed by the RAW Women’s Championship match and the finish for the main event. Still, the high points, like the Interncontinental Triple Threat and the Hell in a Cell matches, made up for the low points and more.

Byee!

What did you think of Wrestlemania 39 Day 2? Was is better than Day 1? Let me know in the comments section below!