https://nypost.com/2020/04/03/wrestlemania-36-guide-match-card-biggest-stories/
By Joseph Staszewski
April 3, 2020 | 10:10am
Drew McIntyrre; Shayna Baszler and Becky LynchWWE
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This will be a WrestleMania like no other.
With the majority of the sports and entertainment world on pause because of the coronavirus pandemic, WWE has marched on with WrestleMania 36. Two nights of shows on April 4 and April 5 start at 7 p.m. on WWE Network, Fox’s streaming platforms and cable pay-per-view. Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will host the event, and there will be kickoff shows on FS1 both days starting at 6 p.m.
This is the first two-day WrestleMania in history and the first without fans. WWE filmed the majority of the matches ahead of time on closed sets – including the company’s Performance Center – with only essential personnel to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s coronavirus guidelines.
The card, like all WrestleMania shows, is stacked. Nine championships will be defended, and Edge’s first singles match in nine years headlines an impressive cast of legends that includes John Cena, The Undertaker and Goldberg.
It may not look and feel like WrestleMania without 80,000-plus fans filling a stadium, but the show has a chance to produce some defining moments while testing the two-day format. WWE has yet to announce how the card will be divided between the two nights.
Here are five things to look for at WrestleMania 36:
Upper management
WWE’s totem pole could look very different after WrestleMania 36 if Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar don’t retain their championships.
Shayna Baszler isn't Ronda Rousey and she's getting to WrestleMania the hard way
Lynch has been the biggest star in the company since SummerSlam 2018 and has held the Raw women’s championship since last year’s WrestleMania. But Shayna Baszler, who appeared on the Raw scene with a gruesome bite attack on The Man and earned this title shot with a dominant win at Elimination Chamber, is a credible threat to end Lynch’s reign.
A win by Baszler, who is technically still aligned with NXT, would set up plenty of fresh feuds in the Raw women’s division. Maybe we get the “trade” of talent between the brands that Triple H has hinted at. Lynch likely was due for time off to get married to Seth Rollins, but the world’s coronavirus crisis could change that. If that’s the case, maybe a title change is delayed, but it would be a waste of Baszler’s build.
Like it was for Kofi Kingston a year ago, this looks to be Drew McIntyre’s WrestleMania. The Scotsman has been built into a position to take Lesnar’s WWE championship and fulfill Vince McMahon’s “Chosen One” prophecy from 11 years ago.
However, anything involving Lesnar is hard to predict. He already lost at last year’s WrestleMania. McIntyre looks enormously comfortable, and this is the best version of him we have seen in WWE, so it would be quite a moment and a breath of fresh air to see him finally win a world title.
Old school
Edge, who had retired because of a neck injury, came back at Royal Rumble and will wrestle his first singles match since 2011 against former tag team partner Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. The story here is very personal. Orton tried putting Edge out of commission again and even attacked Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, to keep Edge from risking injury in the ring.
John Cena returns from making movies to face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a “Firefly Funhouse” match (it remains to be seen exactly what that means). This feud is centered on Wyatt looking to avenge his loss to Cena at WrestleMania 30. The Fiend needs a win over a big-time opponent after losing the Universal Championship to Goldberg at Super ShowDown in late February. Cena could provide just that.
Fellow legend The Undertaker is in his most unique story in years – a “Boneyard Match” against AJ Styles. Both performers have used their real names and life stories in the promos. The Phenomenal One wants to face the classic Undertaker. But the Deadman has looked more like Mark Calaway, dropping the wide-brim hat and trench coat for a bandana and leather jacket. Will this match mark the next era of The Undertaker’s evolving persona?
Nothing has changed about the 53-year-old Goldberg, except for his opponent. Roman Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania – reportedly concerned about contracting coronavirus because he is immunocompromised from battles with leukemia. WWE has yet to name a replacement; the Wrestling Observer is reporting it will be Braun Strowman.
In addition to Lynch-Baszler, there are three other women’s bouts, most notably Rhea Ripley defending her NXT women’s championship against Charlotte Flair. A win for the Queen in the first NXT title match ever at WrestleMania means she would return to black-and-gold brand. A loss and WWE is strapping the rocket to Ripley.
Sasha Banks could be nearing her latest push, and WWE appears to be setting the table for a feud with best friend Bayley. Banks is part of a Fatal 5-Way elimination match along with Tamina, Lacey Evans and Naomi for Bayley’s SmackDown women’s championship.
The women’s tag titles are on the line as the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) defend against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, who lost the belts to the Kabuki Warriors at Hell in a Cell in October. The women’s tag division really needs something to jumpstart it.
Opportunity knocks
WrestleMania can be a launching pad for performers to achieve stardom in the next year, and there are plenty of opportunities for that on the undercard.
Kevin Owens has been in a long feud with Rollins, and the “Monday Night Messiah” has questioned Owens’ ability to win at WrestleMania. The winner could be in for a move up the card. Owens, who has been outside the world championship picture for a while, needs this much more than Rollins does.
Sami Zayn defends his Intercontinental championship against Daniel Bryan. Zayn already owns a win over Strowman. He becomes more than a flash-in-the-pan champ and will have plenty to gloat about if he can beat Bryan, no matter how that victory comes.
Otis and Aleister Black are each getting their first singles matches at WrestleMania, and they couldn’t be in more different positions. Otis finds himself in a Beauty and the Beast-type storyline with opponent Dolph Ziggler having stolen the woman of his dreams, Mandy Rose. Black, who is in the process of getting a big push, is in a thrown-together match against Bobby Lashley. It’s likely onward and upward for him.
Ziggler brags about stealing the show, but that could come from the tag division. The Raw tag title match features the champion Street Profits making their WrestleMania debut against fellow first-timers Angel Garza and NXT’s Austin Theory, who is stepping in for the injured Andrade. The veteran teams of The New Day, The Usos and SmackDown tag champs The Miz and John Morrison are scheduled for a match, though it’s likely to change in format, given reports of The Miz being sick.
Patriot games
Gronkowski, also an NFL analyst for Fox, made an uneven official WWE debut two weeks ago – helping to make the match between Elias and King Corbin. WWE needs these two nights to go well for Gronkowski and his sidekick Mojo Rawley by limiting the sophomoric hijinks that could turn off the audience. Gronkowski could get involved in the Elias-Corbin match to start a story that gets him in the ring at SummerSlam, scheduled for Boston this August.
By Joseph Staszewski
April 3, 2020 | 10:10am
Drew McIntyrre; Shayna Baszler and Becky LynchWWE
MORE ON:
WRESTLEMANIA 36
The pain and doubt rising WWE star conquered to reach WrestleMania
WWE star addresses pulling out of WrestleMania 36
WWE star off WrestleMania due to coronavirus concerns
WWE moving WrestleMania 36 to the Garden was never close to happening
This will be a WrestleMania like no other.
With the majority of the sports and entertainment world on pause because of the coronavirus pandemic, WWE has marched on with WrestleMania 36. Two nights of shows on April 4 and April 5 start at 7 p.m. on WWE Network, Fox’s streaming platforms and cable pay-per-view. Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will host the event, and there will be kickoff shows on FS1 both days starting at 6 p.m.
This is the first two-day WrestleMania in history and the first without fans. WWE filmed the majority of the matches ahead of time on closed sets – including the company’s Performance Center – with only essential personnel to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s coronavirus guidelines.
The card, like all WrestleMania shows, is stacked. Nine championships will be defended, and Edge’s first singles match in nine years headlines an impressive cast of legends that includes John Cena, The Undertaker and Goldberg.
It may not look and feel like WrestleMania without 80,000-plus fans filling a stadium, but the show has a chance to produce some defining moments while testing the two-day format. WWE has yet to announce how the card will be divided between the two nights.
Here are five things to look for at WrestleMania 36:
Upper management
WWE’s totem pole could look very different after WrestleMania 36 if Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar don’t retain their championships.
Shayna Baszler isn't Ronda Rousey and she's getting to WrestleMania the hard way
Lynch has been the biggest star in the company since SummerSlam 2018 and has held the Raw women’s championship since last year’s WrestleMania. But Shayna Baszler, who appeared on the Raw scene with a gruesome bite attack on The Man and earned this title shot with a dominant win at Elimination Chamber, is a credible threat to end Lynch’s reign.
A win by Baszler, who is technically still aligned with NXT, would set up plenty of fresh feuds in the Raw women’s division. Maybe we get the “trade” of talent between the brands that Triple H has hinted at. Lynch likely was due for time off to get married to Seth Rollins, but the world’s coronavirus crisis could change that. If that’s the case, maybe a title change is delayed, but it would be a waste of Baszler’s build.
Like it was for Kofi Kingston a year ago, this looks to be Drew McIntyre’s WrestleMania. The Scotsman has been built into a position to take Lesnar’s WWE championship and fulfill Vince McMahon’s “Chosen One” prophecy from 11 years ago.
However, anything involving Lesnar is hard to predict. He already lost at last year’s WrestleMania. McIntyre looks enormously comfortable, and this is the best version of him we have seen in WWE, so it would be quite a moment and a breath of fresh air to see him finally win a world title.
Old school
Edge, who had retired because of a neck injury, came back at Royal Rumble and will wrestle his first singles match since 2011 against former tag team partner Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. The story here is very personal. Orton tried putting Edge out of commission again and even attacked Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, to keep Edge from risking injury in the ring.
John Cena returns from making movies to face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a “Firefly Funhouse” match (it remains to be seen exactly what that means). This feud is centered on Wyatt looking to avenge his loss to Cena at WrestleMania 30. The Fiend needs a win over a big-time opponent after losing the Universal Championship to Goldberg at Super ShowDown in late February. Cena could provide just that.
Fellow legend The Undertaker is in his most unique story in years – a “Boneyard Match” against AJ Styles. Both performers have used their real names and life stories in the promos. The Phenomenal One wants to face the classic Undertaker. But the Deadman has looked more like Mark Calaway, dropping the wide-brim hat and trench coat for a bandana and leather jacket. Will this match mark the next era of The Undertaker’s evolving persona?
Nothing has changed about the 53-year-old Goldberg, except for his opponent. Roman Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania – reportedly concerned about contracting coronavirus because he is immunocompromised from battles with leukemia. WWE has yet to name a replacement; the Wrestling Observer is reporting it will be Braun Strowman.
In addition to Lynch-Baszler, there are three other women’s bouts, most notably Rhea Ripley defending her NXT women’s championship against Charlotte Flair. A win for the Queen in the first NXT title match ever at WrestleMania means she would return to black-and-gold brand. A loss and WWE is strapping the rocket to Ripley.
Sasha Banks could be nearing her latest push, and WWE appears to be setting the table for a feud with best friend Bayley. Banks is part of a Fatal 5-Way elimination match along with Tamina, Lacey Evans and Naomi for Bayley’s SmackDown women’s championship.
The women’s tag titles are on the line as the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) defend against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, who lost the belts to the Kabuki Warriors at Hell in a Cell in October. The women’s tag division really needs something to jumpstart it.
Opportunity knocks
WrestleMania can be a launching pad for performers to achieve stardom in the next year, and there are plenty of opportunities for that on the undercard.
Kevin Owens has been in a long feud with Rollins, and the “Monday Night Messiah” has questioned Owens’ ability to win at WrestleMania. The winner could be in for a move up the card. Owens, who has been outside the world championship picture for a while, needs this much more than Rollins does.
Sami Zayn defends his Intercontinental championship against Daniel Bryan. Zayn already owns a win over Strowman. He becomes more than a flash-in-the-pan champ and will have plenty to gloat about if he can beat Bryan, no matter how that victory comes.
Otis and Aleister Black are each getting their first singles matches at WrestleMania, and they couldn’t be in more different positions. Otis finds himself in a Beauty and the Beast-type storyline with opponent Dolph Ziggler having stolen the woman of his dreams, Mandy Rose. Black, who is in the process of getting a big push, is in a thrown-together match against Bobby Lashley. It’s likely onward and upward for him.
Ziggler brags about stealing the show, but that could come from the tag division. The Raw tag title match features the champion Street Profits making their WrestleMania debut against fellow first-timers Angel Garza and NXT’s Austin Theory, who is stepping in for the injured Andrade. The veteran teams of The New Day, The Usos and SmackDown tag champs The Miz and John Morrison are scheduled for a match, though it’s likely to change in format, given reports of The Miz being sick.
Patriot games
Gronkowski, also an NFL analyst for Fox, made an uneven official WWE debut two weeks ago – helping to make the match between Elias and King Corbin. WWE needs these two nights to go well for Gronkowski and his sidekick Mojo Rawley by limiting the sophomoric hijinks that could turn off the audience. Gronkowski could get involved in the Elias-Corbin match to start a story that gets him in the ring at SummerSlam, scheduled for Boston this August.
