Hiya!

Well, Disney+ in the Philippines, you’re still flubbing it. It’s already Wednesday afternoon and you still haven’t made Wrestlemania 40, either Night 1 or Night 2, available. What’s the point of promoting yourself as the exclusive broadcaster of WWE pay-per-views in the Philippines when you won’t do it in a timely manner? I hope Netflix won’t be this way when WWE programming moves there next year! So, once again, I’m forced to enter the deep underbelly of the Internet to watch Wrestlemania 40: Night 2. Once again, I blame you, Disney + Philippines!

Anyway, let’s go check out Wrestlemania 40: Night 2!

Match #1: Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

The story here was mostly focused on how banged up Seth Rollins was coming in due to him competing in the main event of Wrestlemania 40: Night 1. Drew McIntyre jumpstarted the match by nailing Rollins with a Claymore to start things off. The Scottish Warrior targeted the parts were injured during that match. Rollins did make a few comebacks but, in general, McIntyre was in control for most of the match. Lots of cool near falls with Rollins going for a Stomp and the aforementioned Claymore at the start of the match from Drew.

The finish came after McIntyre tried to powerbomb Rollins through the announcer’s table but The Visionary blocked it and hit a Stomp to Drew on the announcer’s table instead. Rollins then toss McIntyre back into the ring but Drew recovered enough to hit a Claymore as Rollins was re-entering the ring. McIntyre only gets a 2-count afterwards but, after Rollins taunts him, he hits another Claymore to finally get the pinfall victory and become the NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion and the top guy of the RAW brand!

It’s not over though. Seth sadly acknowledges his loss but Drew has to gloat at CM Punk, who he injured and has been doing commentary for this match. McIntyre starts badmouthing Punk and does a crotch chop right in front of him. This angered CM Punk enough to take out Drew from the legs and nail him with his arm brace. This is when Damien Priest, the current Senor Money in the Bank runs in, clocks McIntyre with the briefcase before cashing it in! The match starts and The Judgement Day member hits his South of Heaven chokeslam in the middle of the ring to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion instead!

This was a fun match, mostly because of how you really didn’t know how it was going to end. It was a really good decision to have McIntyre hit the Claymore and get the early near fall to wake up the crowd and make you feel this could end at any moment. The only real issue I have with it was how Drew lost the title quickly. I don’t mind Damien Priest cashing in. Heck, I predicted something like that would happen. What I didn’t like was how CM Punk got involved. They could’ve just had have Damien Priest run in, bash Drew’s head in with the briefcase and that would’ve been fine. This makes Priest come off as a lame duck out of the gate. Other than that, this was a great way to start off Night 2!

Match #2: The Pride (Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits with B-Fab) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain with Scarlett and Paul Ellering) in a Philidelphia Street Fight

Well, this feud has lasted for a long time, hasn’t it? Hope this is the last we hear of it because it wasn’t interesting to begin with and I hope they can move on. Anyway, Snoop Dogg is the guest commentator and Bubba Ray Dudley is the special guest referee because… why not? Some wicked hits, like a neckbreaker to the backrest of a steel chair, Montez Ford flying over the corner post to take out the AOP and B-Fab taking Scarlett through a table with a side russian leg sweep, among others. I just wish I was more into this feud so these moves would’ve been more interesting to me.

The finish came after Kross tried to intimidate Bubba Ray but this distraction allowed Lashley to connect with a spear. The Pride then hit the Dudley Boys’ Wazzap diving headbutt and, in a very hilarious botch, tried to stack Kross on top of another table but the table broke because they didn’t stand it up properly! You could actually see B-Fab and Lashley lauging as they tried to recover from the gaffe! Anyway, another table was brought in, allowing Ford to frog splash Kross through the table and getting the pinfall victory for his team.

This was fun but forgettable match. There were some cool moments but nothing that will probably be lodged in my memory. The only thing I’ll remember from it is the table spot botch. Hey, if the people in it thought it was funny, what more I?

Match #3 LA Knight vs AJ Styles

Honestly, this was the second match of the night I was most anticipating. Why? Because it’s LA Knight’s Wrestlemania debut! It also has AJ Styles in it so what could possibly go wrong? Nothing, and I was right about that! Lots of good back and forth, with both Styles and Knight switching between who had the advantage. LA Knight using the cheers of the crowd to regain momentum while Styles trying to strike at his opponent’s leg to set him up for his Calf Crusher submission. Some awesome moments here, like the Megastar hitting a back suplex from the top rope and the Phenomenal One reversing Knight’s powerbomb attempt to the unprotected flood with a back body drop. Really good in-ring storytelling here.

The finish came after a slugfest ensued with Knight getting the advantage but Styles stopping the momentum with a Pele Kick. Styles then went for a Phenomenal Forearm but Knight ducked underneath. Knight went for his Blunt Force Trauma finisher but Styles blocked it and set up for a Style Clash but Knight kicked Styles in the face to break out of the move. The Phenomenal One went for another Phenomenal Forearm but Knight hits the rope as Styles was springboarding off it, knocking his for off-balance. Knight finally connects with the Blunt Force Trauma to get the pinfall victory.

This was an excellent match and, weirdly enough, a pretty old school match. No kicking out of finishers, making each other’s big moves stay protected. There weren’t any neat spots but the overall wrestling was fantastic thanks to each other’s selling. Everything flowed together really well. A fine match. Maybe not match of the year but a darned good one.

Match #4: Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owen for the United States Championship

First off, kudos for allowing Kevin Owens and Randy Orton to have a goofy entrance together. I loved it. I also loved how the two of them didn’t stupidly fight each other at the start and chose to try to take out Logan Paul out initially before Orton tried to sneak in an RKO on Owens. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Some cool moments, like Paul hitting a Buckshot Lariat on both Owens and Orton as well as a senton drop to Owens before comboing into a splash to Orton. There’s also Orton reversing Paul’s Buckshot Lariat into a powerslam and Owens hitting a Codebreaker to Orton while slamming himself into a prone Paul. I do love it when a Triple Threat fully uses all 3 competitors in their spots instead of the usual “it’s a one-on-one match while the other guy rests on the outside.”

The finish came when Logan Paul hit Orton with brass knuckled for a 2-count. Paul then hit Owens with the loaded fist to send him to the outside. This did give Orton enough time to recover and hit an RKO but he was too out of it to go for a cover. He did take off the brass knuckles of Paul and gave them the official. Orton then set up for his Punt Kick but the Prime drink mascot dragged Paul out of the ring. It turns out it was some another of Paul’s friends but Orton took him out with an RKO on the announcer’s table. Paul did recover enough to slam Orton into the ring post and he tried to hit a frog splash but Orton rolled out of the way.

Owens then came back in and hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb to Paul and then a Stunner to Orton. The Prizefighter then tried to hit his Pop-Up Powerbomb to Orton but The Viper reversed it into an RKO. Paul then ran into the ring and it looked like Orton was going to toss him out but The Maverick reversed it and sent Orton to the outside. Paul then hit a frog splash to Owens to retain his United States Championship.

This was a super fun match. It was pretty cool how they did showcase the bond between Orton and Owens throughout the match and how Logan Paul had to use a couple of dirty tricks to eventually retain his belt. Some really good action and the pacing was just excellent.

Match #5: IYO SKY vs Bayley for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Okay, first off, why did Damage CTRL not follow IYO SKY to ringside? That seems ridiculous as they’re supposed to really, really hate Bayley. If they weren’t going to be a factor, they could’ve had one of them try to interfere, get caught by the official and then sent to the back. That would’ve made the already hot Wrestlemania crowd even hotter, right? Anyway, some cool moves here, such as Bayley’s fireman’s carry into a spinning sidewalk slam and IYO SKY’s various moonsaults and a cool looking double german suplex combo. However, the spots weren’t what made it good. What made the match a good watch was how both Bayley and IYO SKY gradually increased the intensity.

The finish came after Bayley kicked out of an Over the Moonsault by IYO SKY. The Genius of the Sky does several moonsaults, slowly getting higher and higher in the corner. Bayley dodges the final one from the top turnbuckle and she tries a Rose Plant but IYO SKY rolls through! IYO SKY charges at the Role Model, only to eat a clothesline. Bayley hits a back suplex and then hits a top rope elbow to IYO SKY. She then hits her Rose Plant finisher for real to get the pinfall victory to become the NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion!

This was a good match but, strangely enough, not that memorable. I guess I will remember the fact Bayley got the Smackdown Women’s Championship and her feud with Damage CTRL. However, the match itself is always going to be a little hazy. Like I said, the action was good but there were no real highlights to make it stick out. It’s a good watch but nothing I would deem a rewatchable classic unless you have the context of the feud.

Match #6: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Unified WWE Universal Championship in a Bloodline Rules match

We come to the final match of the night: the Unified WWE Universal Championship in a Bloodline Rules match. The latter part is just a good old No Holds Barred match, which we already got in the last match of Night 1. They really made the most of it by the end, didn’t they? However, I do have to talk about the entrances because, just like in Night 1, these felt horrendously long! I also didn’t care for Cody Rhodes skull mask. I get it’s supposed to be his tattoo/symbol. It doesn’t make it look any less ridiculous and cartoony!

The first few moments of the match was a classic David vs. Goliath match, with Reigns dominating with his power while Cody would try to come back using his quickness and agility. Things slowly devolved into the Bloodline Rules stipulation as kendo sticks and battling through the crowd came into play. Some cool moves here, like Cody getting snatched out of the air by Roman Reigns to hit a powerbomb and Reigns hitting a decent looking Perfect-Plex fisherman’s suplex and Cody Rhodes hitting a spear for a 2-count.

Thing broke down even further as the real reason for Bloodline Rules was implemented for this match. Jimmy Uso tried to interfere but Jey Uso was eventually able to get his brother out by spearing him from the top of the ramp and into a nice breakaway platform. Solo Sikoa then stormed in and hit a Samoan Spike to Cody. Sikoa and Reigns then hit a Samoan Spike and Spear combination but Cody still managed to kick out. Then things still got even crazier with John Cena entering the fray to take out the Bloodline’s Enforcer!

The Bloodline wasn’t done as The Rock came out to take out John Cena, which he did with a Rock Bottom. Then the SHIELD’s music hit and it looked like Seth Rollins was going to take out The Rock with a steel chair but Roman Reigns literally beat him to the punch as the Tribal Chief took out his old compatriot with a superman punch. The Rock was going to hit Cody with the Mama Rhodes weight belt but the lights went out and, when they came back on, The Undertaker (in street clothes, which looked dumb) was in the ring and he took out The Final Boss with a chokeslam before he disappeared himself.

Reigns got a steel chair and was going to use it on Cody but he saw Seth Rollins in his old SHIELD garb. So he decided to wallop Rollins with the chair first. Reigns then tried to spear Cody but the American Nightmare blocked it with a kick. He then connected with 3 consecutive Cross Rhodes neckbreakers to finally pin Reigns to become the NEW Undisputed WWE Universal Champion! Cody Rhodes then celebrates with his co-horts and he asks Triple H to come to the ring to give his thanks to close out Wrestlemania.

Now, I know I’m in the minority here but I actually didn’t like all of the cameos because it didn’t make sense to me. I know John Cena hates Solo Sikoa and he had a feud with The Rock way back when. I understand The Undertaker and The Rock hated each other as well. I still don’t get why they were there! They weren’t featured in any of the other matches of Wrestlemania! So, they flew in there to just screw around because, hey! Bloodline Rules means we can interfere as well! If they changed it to be all of Roman Reign’s previous challengers, like Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and LA Knight, then I would be more on board with the idea. Then again, this was more because The Rock was involved. Still, I will admit I do love the sizzle even though the steak underneath was a little underseasoned. I mean, the match itself was good until it devolved into the cameo-fest it became.

All-in-all, Wrestlemania 40: Night 2 was a pretty good show, if a little uneven. I will say it was much better than I expected but I do think the luster will diminish after a few weeks before it eventually fades away from my memory. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a good show but not exactly a Wrestlemania I’ll want to rewatch over and over again. So, Disney+, maybe you were right in not making the replays available immediately.

Byee!

What did you think of Wrestlemania 40: Night 2? Let me know in the comments section below!