9 Match Star Ratings For WWE WrestleMania 36 (Night Two)
Featuring one of WWE's greatest, improbable achievements - and an unfathomable disappointment.
Quick disclaimer: you can rate anything.
Some thoughts on Part 1 of WrestleMania 36, since Adam Clery helpfully and capably deputised yesterday:
The Boneyard match was a creative triumph that somehow conspired to add yet another decade onto the Undertaker's career and create a true 'Moment' from the least 'Mania feeling 'Mania ever...
...provided you can stand 'Taker's awful cornball goth Clint Eastwood Attitude Era bit. Objective smash success, subjective cringe.
Braun Strowman is your new Universal Champion. The shock teases of a flash finish badly need a crowd to work. It was poorly done, but they were hardly going to ask Bill for a second take.
Daniel Bryan kicking the absolute sh*t out of somebody rules in any context, but the finish to his match with Sami Zayn reeked. The finish to no less than four main show matches reeked - cop-outs, diminished returns, the classic "Let's make our babyfaces look like a*sholes" deal - which was shocking, considering how brave the roster was in turning up, much less taking harrowing ladder bumps with no adrenaline to carry them through it. Ultimately, WWE belatedly got empty arena wrestling halfway right, after some awful telly, by emphasising physicality over theatre. It wasn't a particularly comfortable night, but it was sure as sh*t snug.
As for Part 2...
9. KICKOFF - Liv Morgan Vs. Natalya
WrestleMania 36 was too big for just one night!
It was so big that they had to split it up across two nights.
It could be strongly argued from a creative, business and ethical standpoint that WrestleMania 36 should not have happened at all.
This match was a late addition to the pre-PPV Kickoff show, which is infamously the epicentre for nothingness. The show was already too big! They'd told us this!
Natalya and Liv Morgan had no burning grudge heading into it. If anything, Liv Morgan hadn't worked through her issue with Ruby Riott.
Seriously, and this isn't snark, factoring in the above, this might just be the most unnecessary professional wrestling match ever.
A long programme with Natalya did much to improve Lacey Evans, so this might double as an onscreen training course of sorts, but the veteran versus upstart dynamic was exactly the same as the actual 'Mania opener. Even when they have over a week to think this sh*t through and edit accordingly, they don't.
The work was sound enough, the story as it should have been, the finish a cute way of capping it off - but the verbose acting and overstated selling that sought to compensate for the lack of atmosphere went full Shockmaster.
It fell flat on its fooking a*se!
Star Rating: ★★½