PINFALL: WrestleMania 36 Review

The showcase of immortals..... that no one saw live. Of course, the world is a tailspin from the COVID-19 situation, but World Wrestling Entertainment in their own unique way chose to push on by having their programming and biggest pay per view at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

What WrestleMania brought was a unique viewing experience for the fans as I am sure for the wrestlers. The matches that stood out were the matches shot in a theatric style, namely the Boneyard Match between AJ Styles & The Undertaker and the Clockwork Orange-ish Firefly Funhouse Match between John Cena & Bray Wyatt.

Two superstars got their moment in the sun, with Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre winning the WWE Universal Championship and the WWE Championship respectively. The matches for the most part to be honest were not WrestleMania quality, but I think I speak with the fans who felt, "It was about time."

Because WWE made the call to have two superstars who are full time performers to hold both of the main titles for the RAW and Smackdown brand. Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, the previous champions, are considered part timers who make appearances on random shows and events.

The show also may have marked the end of the WWE run for Brock Lesnar, as he reportedly did not want to take part in the event due to the lack of crowd and the minimal pay, not to mention a rumored fall out with the man who put him in such high favor, Vince McMahon himself.

The talent pool for WrestleMania 36 was shortened by the pandemic, including the late scratches of Reigns, Andrade, Dana Brooke and The Miz.

Brooke was booked for a Six Pack Challenge Elimination Match for the Smackdown Women's Title against Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Tamina, Naomi and the champion Bayley. The match was altered to a Fatal Five Way Elimination match that was won by the retaining champion, Bayley.

The Miz's exit led to a first for me, a Triple Threat for the Tag Team Titles with one member of each team wrestling as representatives. At first, it sounded strange, but the match between John Morrison, Jimmy Uso and Kofi Kingston turned out to be the most dynamic of the show.

The best match, it is a close call, but the Boneyard Match was absolutely epic, I'll even go as far as saying it is one of the best matches to date in WrestleMania history. The production value for this match was high quality and to recently learn that the dialogue between the two combatants was ad-lib, made it even better because it expanded the realism of this cinematic style encounter.

BEST MATCHES OF WRESTLEMANIA 36

1. Undertaker vs AJ Styles (Boneyard Match)

2. Edge vs Randy Orton (Last Man Standing)

3. John Cena vs Bray Wyatt (Firefly Fun House Match)

Where does WWE go after this, is anyone's guess, tonight's RAW, is the last taping that was filmed before the recent Stay At Home Order implemented in Florida. As far as the talent, there is several talent cuts rumored to take place because with the lack of production, the WWE may not be able to continue with such a large roster that currently consists of over 200 sports entertainers.

What else could the future hold for WWE after WrestleMania 36, I wonder if the theatric matches at Mania will be a style that Vince McMahon would consider for further matches and if the boneyard and firefly fun house matches will become permanent staples for the show. However, if the pandemic continues, I hope the WWE joins suit with all the professional sports leagues and take a hiatus, hopefully not a long hiatus, but a hiatus, because the show doesn't always have to go on.

I'll admit, WrestleMania 36 proved me wrong, I had my doubts that with such a pandemic spreading throughout the world that the show did not have to go on. Where would I rank WrestleMania 36, I would definitely give it a 4 out of 5 star score.