Reviewing the results and the aftermath of WrestleMania 39

It has taken a week to really digest it all, but WrestleMania 39 certainly lived up to the Hollywood hype. The stage was set up beautifully, the crowd was hot, and the wrestlers were ready to put on a show! There were huge highs, but even the lows weren’t devastating. The lack of big surprises was a bit….well…surprising. There were only a couple of tepid points of the weekend, particularly on night two, where the lack of them were truly noticed though. Overall, the show flowed smoothly. The aftermath caused more of a ruckus than the actual Granddaddy of Them All, but more on that later. For now, let’s recap WrestleMania 30.

Night One:

John Cena vs Austin Theory for the United States Championship

Perfect opener for the weekend to make the crowd happy off the bat. Good guy John Cena came out with a group of Make-a-Wish kids and Austin Theory played the perfect heel by beating him for most of the match after that. Cena had his moments, the biggest of which was when he had Theory tapping out to an STF, but the ref didn’t see it. This led to Theory going for the low blow on Cena before getting the pin. This wasn’t a big surprise considering we pretty much knew Cena wasn’t coming back for a championship reign, but the match still didn’t feel quite as exciting as I’d hoped it would. I think the lack of a good build up is to blame. Although, it probably doesn’t help that Cena is finally starting to show his age and has started to slow down. 

Men’s WrestleMania Showcase match

This tag team showcase match between the Street Profits, Ricochet and Braun Strowman, The Viking Raiders and Alpha Academy was the chaotic spot fest that we all hoped it’d be. Highlights included Strowman landing a frog splash, Ivar doing a moonsault, Gable suplexing Strowman, and an insane Tower of Doom. The Street Profits ended up getting the pin which was a bit surprising as it has seemed they are headed toward a split soon, but that might still be happening considering what happened on Raw After Mania. (More on that later.)

Logan Paul vs Seth Rollins

Logan Paul has proven once again that he can hang in the ring. His match with Seth Rollins ended up being a highlight of the night. He is great at selling, he hits great moves like the lariat and moonsault with ease, and always has impeccable gear. If you told me that KSI would be involved before the match then I would have expected to be annoyed, but his reveal as the Prime mascot was funny and ended up being even funnier when Paul accidentally landed a dive on him instead of Rollins. Speaking of Seth, he was excellent from his conductor-led entrance with a crowd of 80,000+ singing his song to the ending where he pulled off the big win. I thought they might give Paul the win and drag the feud out for the Saudi show, but I am glad they gave us the feel good moment of Rollins beating the bad guy instead!

Damage CTRL vs Lita Becky and Trish

Every woman in this match is an icon, in my humble opinion, and it definitely felt like a big match. Damage CTRL entered first with awesome matching gear. Lita, Becky Lynch, and Trish Stratus were next and their gear was not at all that cohesive, but I thought Lita’s faux thong was hilarious. The match itself had moments and the crowd showed them love, but for me it never came together as I’d hoped. I am sure a big part of that was ring rust. While Trish hung in there, Lita has majorly slowed down. Damage CTRL really carried the match for the most part and did a great job of selling and helping make the legends look good. I thought it was a huge miss to have Damage CTRL not pick up the win, but with rumors being that they are breaking up I suppose it makes sense. It is just too bad that it never felt like they got to reach their full potential.

Dominik vs Rey

This father/son grudge match was so fun. Dom is a shockingly good heel and getting crazy levels of legit heel heat. Rey is as loved as ever and still gives us great matches. There were times that felt a lil dragged out, like the interference from The Judgement Day and Legado del Fantasma or Dom’s side interactions with his mom and sister. Other moments, like Rey literally whipping Dom’s ass and Dom throwing a drink at Aalyah, more than made up for the slow parts though.

Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

Charlotte and Rhea are two of the most physically impressive women on the roster and pairing that with their strong chemistry led to the best women’s match of the weekend and one of the best matches of the entire weekend! Their physicality was put to good use throughout with big power moves used by each woman. The action was fast paced, crowd pleasing, and non stop from start to finish. Charlotte gave us the best counter to the riptide that we’ve ever seen by turning it into a gnarly DDT. Rhea ended up getting the finish after hitting the riptide from the middle rope. She finally got the big WrestleMania she deserves and it was made even sweeter considering it was her redemption moment after losing her title to Charlotte a couple years ago. It has also been nice to see The Queen getting her props after this match. It is clear she returned to once again be a transitional champion and to put Rhea over. Her joy at Rhea’s moment was caught on camera and it was a wonderful note to end on as she announced she will now be taking a break for an unknown amount of time. 

The Miz vs Pat McAfee

One of very few surprises this weekend was Pat McAfee showing up for a quick match against The Miz. This was just a silly, goofy moment that they thankfully kept short so we could enjoy it for what it was. Almost more entertaining than the match itself was the commentary. Michael Cole’s overwhelming joy at McAfee’s appearance combined with the saltiness of Graves brought some great humor to the moment.

The Usos vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the undisputed Tag Team Championship

This was a perfect main event and possibly the best match of the weekend. The storyline leading to the moment was brilliant, the emotions were high, and the match was action packed. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and The Usos played off each other so well. Each team had big moments, but Zayn got his chance to really shine. One of his big highlights was when he became the first to kick out of The Usos’ finishing move, the 1D, and the other was when he hit Jey with three helluva kicks to get the win. Everyone from Kevin Owens, to the crowd, to me on my couch was misty eyed as night one came to close and Sami Zayn got his big WrestleMania moment.

Night two:

Brock Lesnar vs Omos

I am a sucker for big meaty men slapping meat and that is exactly what Brock and Omos gave us in the short yet sweet opening match of night two. It was crazy to see Brock Lesnar getting ragdolled, but that is exactly what Omos did. Lesnar sold every move brilliantly, but the second he got his chance, he took Omos to Suplex City. The Beast ended the match by hitting the F-5 on the Nigerian Giant. This was his first WrestleMania win since 2018 and it was nice to see. 

Women’s WrestleMania Showcase Match

This tag team women’s match featured Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan, Natalya and Shotzi, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville, and Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. The match was short which was perfectly fine by me because it was just not clicking. It quickly became clear that Ronda’s arm was still injured as she did next to nothing the entire match other than applying her arm bar on Morgan for the finish. The other women really tried to get something going and the efforts of Morgan, Rodriguez, and Green were particularly noticeable. It just felt pretty clunky overall and the lackluster finish did not help. While Rousey and Baszler winning was the obvious result, it would have been nice if they’d gotten more creative with it or, even better, given us a surprise winner. The surprise would have been especially nice since the winner was supposed to be the number one contender to face the tag team champions, Lita and Becky Lynch, but they ended up declaring new number one contenders on Raw After Mania. (Once again….more on that later.) The one highlight of this match was that Shayna Baszler got a WrestleMania moment and regardless of how you feel about Ronda Rousey, you cannot deny that Shayna deserved that!

Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship

This match between Gunther (c), Sheamus, and Drew McIntyre is my choice for the match of the weekend. It delivered on every level. The chops were brutal, the resentment between Sheamus and McIntyre continued to grow as they traded brogue kicks and claymores, and Gunther looked like a mega star from his epic entrance in his Ring General jacket to his top rope splash to powerbomb finish that solidified his first WrestleMania win. I really thought Sheamus was going to be given the victory considering this is the title that has always eluded him, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Gunther retain. He has already had the longest reign as the Intercontinental Champion in the 21st Century, but with his current streak of just over 300 days he is easily within reach of breaking the Honky Tonk Man’s record of 434 days. I am hoping that is what’s next for the Ring General!

Bianca Belair vs Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship

Unfortunately, this feud suffered from the lack of a good build up and that lackluster feeling transferred to the match. Bianca and Asuka are two talents that have proven over and over that they can shine on the grandest stage of them all, but something was just not hitting between the two for some reason. Belair has had a lack of in-ring chemistry with her last couple of opponents now which is unfortunate. Luckily, her chemistry with the crowd is still there and she had them rooting for her from the second she made her memorable entrance with the Divas of Compton. Asuka is also beloved by the fans and I really think her perfect pacing and timing during the match helped keep them invested. Her last efforts during the match built up the drama for the huge pop when Bianca took the win. While it sucked to see Asuka lose again at WrestleMania, it was cool to see Belair go 3-0 and this “feud” was not worthy of breaking her streak anyway. I am curious to see who will be the one to defeat Bianca and could see it maybe being Asuka still after her Kana character gets a chance to get a lil more crazy!

The Miz vs Snoop and Shane McMahon

Another goofy match for The Miz. Another “surprise” appearance. While it was cool seeing Shane get emotional at the warm reaction he got from the crowd, it wasn’t exactly the type of surprise we were all hoping for. It felt especially dissatisfying when Shane tore his quad immediately after the match started. Kudos to Snoop for improvising and doing what he could to salvage the segment. It was just a shame to have another Miz match anyway when it seemed like there could’ve been time to fit something more significant like the match for Bobby Lashley whose WrestleMania appearance was reduced to him bringing the Andre the Giant trophy out and giving the crowd a wave. Rumor has it that LA Knight was supposed to challenge him, but it ended up getting cut which was a huge mistake in my opinion. The fans love LA Knight and judging by the reaction he gets on Smackdown every week, the crowd pop would have been deafening in Hollywood. It was the surprise that the fans, Bobby Lashley, and LA Knight deserved.

Hell in a Cell Match: Edge vs the Demon

In what is to finally mark the end of the seemingly never ending feud between the Judgement Day and Edge, we got a Hell in a Cell match. Finn Balor made an appearance as his alter-ego, The Demon, which we haven’t seen since Extreme Rules 2021. The match started off strong, but was quickly thrown off pace when Balor got a huge gash from a ladder on his head. Medics rushed in to literally staple him together while Edge awkwardly killed time. The confusion of the moment killed the hype and even after The Demon was back in action, it took a while for the momentum to pick back up. Once it did then things got fun again with both wrestlers delivering some good spots. Edge ended up getting the win with a spear and con-chair-to which made sense for the storyline. What did NOT make sense was having Balor appear as The Demon at all. The gimmick is supposed to be an unstoppable force of nature, but now has been stopped in back to back appearances. It is a waste of such a cool character, especially considering the huge pop from the crowd during the entrances. The result wasn’t a mistake, but the character choice was.

Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

This brings us to the now controversial main event. The hype for this match was HUGE and everything fell into place for it. Cody Rhodes entered as the hero, with the crowd fully behind their baby face, his family in the front row, and he even delivered his belt to the late Brodie Lee’s son. Roman Reigns entered with an orchestra playing his theme like he is the ultimate villain….which he is. The match itself was fantastic. Rhodes proved to be one of the best in-ring opponents for Reigns in quite some time. The intensity was there, the emotion was there, the repertoire of moves was there, and the heartstopping near falls were there. Solo interfered and got kicked out for it. The Usos interfered, but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens showed up to back Rhodes and we got to relive their victory from the previous night as they fought them off. And then in the swerve no one saw coming, Solo snuck back to deliver a Samoan Spike to Cody Rhodes which set Roman Reigns up for the spear that would solidify his victory as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. To say the fans were shook is an understatement. Some were furious and some appreciated the surprise. I fall into the latter category. Before WrestleMania, I could not even consider the possibility that Cody Rhodes would lose. Everything pointed to him winning. I hadn’t considered how close Roman was to reaching the impressive 1000 day mark as champion or the fact that him losing while the Bloodline is still intact would not make much sense or even the fact that if he had been fighting The Rock as originally planned then he definitely wouldn’t have lost then either. I hadn’t thought about how Rhodes’ status as an underdog is a bit questionable when he’s had such a quick run to the top. The Bloodline saga has been excellent and with so much talent being involved with it I can only hope and trust that this will continue until the end. 

The Aftermath of WrestleMania 39

This brings us to the “later” that I have been talking about this whole article. The aftermath of WrestleMania was a mess. First was the announcement of the WWE sale to Endeavor and the merger with the UFC. This news was hardly surprising, but it led many of us to wonder what the future of the company will look like. What really caused concern was the reappearance of Vince McMahon, complete with an evil villain mustache. Those concerns grew when it became clear that he was in charge of RAW After Mania and crushed the morale of fans and wrestlers alike. I held out hope that the episode would improve until they cut the Seth Rollins promo and reduced him to nothing more than a walk out to the ring while the crowd sang his song. The biggest surprise of the night was the return of Matt Riddle. A women’s Triple Threat match where the winner gets to face Bianca Belair got cut for a women’s number one contender tag team match even though the number one contender’s had supposedly just won at WrestleMania. The pacing was absolutely awful.

It was a sad sad episode with very few positives.

One of those positives was the tag team match between The Street Profits vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. At first I thought this might be a bit of a waste of a feud, but now I think the Street Profits are probably still headed towards a split and it has become clear that Owens and Zayn are not finished with the Bloodline.

Besides being strangely booked, the women’s tag match was actually better than the WrestleMania tag match. Raquel and Liv looked even stronger as a team and took the win. Even more exciting, they ended up winning the title on the next episode of RAW! This makes the booking of Shayna and Ronda winning at Mania very confusing, but I don’t think any of us are mad that they weren’t the ones to beat Becky Lynch and Lita (Or Trish) for the titles.

The biggest highlight of RAW After Mania was Brock Lesnar. He offered himself as a tag partner for Cody Rhodes against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa which was an exciting prospect, but when the time for the tag match actually arrived it turned out the only thing Lesnar was interested in was destroying Cody Rhodes. Heel Brock is back and as beastly as ever. The original explanation from commentary was that Brock was mad about opening WrestleMania while Rhodes was headlining. In this week’s RAW, Cody’s theory for the turn was that Brock is “uncertain” about the hype around him and the changes he is bringing to the WWE that directly impact the Beast. I personally love this feud for Cody Rhodes to build himself back up with and I expect his match against Lesnar at Backlash to be a lot of fun!

Luckily, it appears that Vince running creative again was an ego move that he wanted to pull while he was in town for the show. I specifically put off the release of this article until I could see how the next episode of RAW and Smackdown went. Both were great and it appears that Triple H is back to running things! Let’s hope this continues and we can continue having fun with this current era of WWE.