In a post on Twitter, the recently-returned Edge hoped that this two-night WrestleMania would help “get people lost” in what they love to do and get their minds off the sucky situation that the world finds itself in at the moment.
“Whether you agree or disagree. The could haves or should haves, we’re here. It’s done,” Edge said of the mixed reaction of having WrestleMania in front of no crowd at the tiny Performance Center. “Speaking as a performer who didn’t have this for 9 years I realize what a privilege it is to do this for a living and WrestleMania is the pinnacle of that.”
Edge said that it wasn’t the same without a crowd as the crowd helps making the show and everyone missed them but he went with the mindset of thinking that people would enjoy his performance. “And, maybe, wishful thinking, just for a few hours this weekend, you get lost in what we love to do. Perform for you. To forget and just try to have fun. Cheer. Boo. Laugh. Cry,” he said.
The Rated-R Superstar also thanked the whole crew and everyone behind the scenes who helped “bring this beast to life” in the the safest and most responsible way.
The reigning Raw Women’s champion Becky Lynch will be appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter this morning at 10:15AM ET via video to discuss WrestleMania 36 and her match against Shayna Baszler from last night.
Lynch did something that very few people in WWE has managed to do and that was win a title at WrestleMania and then successfully defend it at the following WrestleMania, spending one full year as the Raw Women’s champion so far.
ESPN will air WrestleMania 35 today starting at 3PM ET leading up to night two of WrestleMania 36. It’s the last WWE content that ESPN has on schedule for the time being after having previously aired WrestleMania XXX and 32 over the past three weeks.
This season of Total Bellas gives fans a very special opportunity: the chance to know how the season ends before it starts. Recently, the Bellas twins, Nikki and Brie both announced that they are pregnant.
Nikki’s fiancee and former Dancing with the Stars pro, Artem, is her child’s father, and, of course, Brie and her husband, Daniel Bryan are expecting baby number two. While both couple’s are now happy with their news, they were not always. In fact, Brie was adamant that she didn’t want a second child at all.
However, Brie and Bryan had been trying to have a second child for months. Brie was feeling immense pressure to conceive, particularly because Bryan wants a son this time to carry on the family name. Although, the sex of the baby is beyond Brie’s control, she still felt intense pressure. The feelings were so heavy that Brie even consulted her doctor about her feelings. Her doctor encouraged her to relax, and to only have a second kid if she wanted one. Brie decided that she didn’t want one. Now, the only issue was how to tell Bryan.
In typical Bella fashion, Brie had terrible timing. Brie and Bryan’s beloved dog, Josie, passed away. The sad event occurred just before Bryan was to leave on a trip for WWE. In the midst of Bryan’s grief and packing Brie chose to let Bryan know how she felt. Then Bryan stormed away,leaving Brie feeling sad. Bryan had time to think about his feelings on the trip though, because, he came back and told Brie perhaps having a second child wasn’t practical at the time.
Brie wasn’t the only Bella sister who was making big choices in this episode. Nikki made some too.
Artem, Nikki’s boyfriend, now fiancee, lost his job, with Dancing with the Stars, and became worried about how he would pay his home. Wanting to be helpful, Nikki suggested that he move in with her. However, Nikki’s family and friends were nervous about her moving so quickly.
As always, Brie couldn’t keep her opinion to herself and said she didn’t want her sister to make a mistake. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, sisters shouldn’t butt into their sisters lives! Brie should focus on her own life, and let Nikki live hers, but that wasn’t the biggest problem.
Apparently, Nikki has timing that is as equally as bad as her sister’s. She chose to tell Artem that she didn’t think moving in together was a good idea while shopping for intimate apparel. What with gaffs such as this we are sure to be entertained by this season of Total Bellas!
WrestleMania 36 part one ended the night with three new champions as the Women’s Tag Team championship, the 24/7 championship, and the Universal championship all changed hands during the three-hour broadcast.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were the first ones to become new champions on the show, having participated in the opening match of the night. Bliss and Cross, who had been teaming up for the past several months, regained the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles from The Kabuki Warriors after the two lost it to them back in August of last year during an episode of Monday Night Raw. This makes Bliss and Cross the only two-time champs after ending the 181-day reign of Asuka and Sane.
The 24/7 title also switched hands with Mojo Rawley becoming the new champ. R-Truth was getting interviewed by host Rob Gronkowski and Rawley when all of a sudden Gronk hit Truth and went for the pin. But Rawley didn’t let that happen and broke the pin and then went for the pin himself, preventing his best friend from winning his first title in WWE.
And the third title to change hands was the Universal title with Braun Strowman beating Goldberg fairly quickly in the second-to-last match on the broadcast. Goldberg hit several spears on Strowman but the monster among men recovered quickly and hit four powerslams on the champion for the clean pinfall. The match did not even last three minutes. Reigns’ exit from the storyline was never explained despite Triple H saying it would play out to be satisfying for everyone.
“It’s real. The #UniversalTitle is in these hands. Thank you @Goldberg and the @WWE Universe who’ve always supported,” Strowman tweeted after the match.
Night one of WrestleMania 36 had one of the most memorable main events ever, if not the most memorable one in the history of the show. With all matches pre-recorded, WWE had a chance to think outside the box for some of its gimmick matches and did just that for the boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles.
This was no ordinary match, there wasn’t even a ring or a referee, just two future Hall of Famers beating the crap out of each other in the dirt. And WWE gave it a cinematic look to make it stand out above the rest with its own score, presenting it more like a movie rather than a regular wrestling match.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson also got involved during the fight along with a bunch of other druids, all of whom got their asses whopped by The Undertaker who brought back his American Badass persona, even riding in with a motorbike to Metallica’s Now That We’re Dead music.
The fight ended after The Undertaker put AJ in a grave and dumped the dirt from a tractor on him. A shot showed AJ Styles’ hand and glove trying to reach out from the dirt but the former WWE champion was buried alive. Taker then unveiled a headstone which showed Styles’ name and the year he was born and died.
This was similar to one of Matt Hardy’s matches at his compound but with production value ramped up 1,000 times more. It was a fitting way to end the first night of a weird WrestleMania with no fans.
Judging by the reaction online, fans and critics loved the boneyard match and the production aspect of it and how it was presented. WWE Superstars were tweeting about it during the match and were just as surprised as everyone else. Even Metallica tweeted about it saying that Taker came out to their song.
Here are the results from night one of WrestleMania 36 which took place from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Cesaro defeated Drew Gulak in the Kickoff show; Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeated Asuka and Kairi Sane to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team champions; Elias defeated King Corbin; Becky Lynch defeated Shayna Baszler to retain the Raw Women’s title; Sami Zayn defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the Intercontinental title; John Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston and Jimmy Uso in a triple threat ladder match to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins; Braun Strowman defeated Goldberg to win the Universal title; The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in a boneyard match.
Night two takes place tomorrow, Sunday, April 5 starting at 6PM ET with the Kickoff show and the pay-per-view at 7PM ET.
WWE executive Triple H believes that the way WWE will do business will change forever because the world will have to adjust to a “new normal” even after this coronavirus pandemic is over.
Speaking to TV Guide, Triple H said, “I think that it will get back to some normalcy, but the new normal will be what is normal. It’s not going to be what it was before. How people do business, how people interact with each other… I think all of that will change.”
He added that for WWE, the opportunity of doing these shows without fans and doing WrestleMania with off-site shoots will open their eyes to different ways of doing things that they as a company maybe didn’t see before and “will change the product probably for the better in the long run.”
WWE filmed a few WrestleMania matches outside the Performance Center in Orlando and reportedly made one look very cinematic.
Good afternoon, Pick’em Maniacs!! @TheMagnumDA here with the WRESTLEMANIA XXXVI Pick’em report. IT’S WRESTLEMANIA DAY! Well, it’s the first of two, but this is going to be one of the most interesting and unique situations we’ve ever had in WrestleMania history. For the first time ever, Mania will be broadcast this evening and tomorrow evening (with no audience) from the WWE Performance Center. Of course, this is due to the COVID-19 situation that is affecting everyone worldwide – please stay safe, friends!
Although we are aware that this production is taped, NONE of the participants in this Pick’em are aware of the outcomes or match placement…so we’re going to treat this like a live program and finally decide who is the Undisputed Wrestling-Online Pick’em Challenge Champion. Tonight, it’s a SIX PACK CHALLENGE – four of our favorite contributors (Heel Turn Tom, Tricky Don, The Renegade, and Brother Bull) will be joining yours truly and the Undisputed WOPC Champion Colin Vassallo. May the best picks win! Feel free to play along and follow the conversation on Twitter using the Hashtag #WOPC.
Couple of quick ground rules for the next two nights: 1. All correct Championship picks are worth 2 points.
2. Unless otherwise stated, all correct bonus opportunities are worth 1 point for each question.
3. If there’s a tie for 1st place, the title cannot change hands!
4. Some of the matches listed below will not be made official until the broadcast starts. If you don’t want to know any changes to the card, then stop right here!
With all of that said, ON WITH THE PICKS!
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
Heel Turn Tom: Stone Cold 2.0 will stun and win this match over Seth Rollins. KO gets the duke.
Renegade: I’m taking KO to win the match.
Tricky Don: Seth Rollins has picked up a WIN at every WrestleMania he has competed in. The winning streak will continue at WM 36.
Bull Brother: Rollins’ stable is falling apart at the seams. This is KO’s time to shine – KO Mania IV ends in victory!
Magnum: I gotta concur with the Bull Brother. Rollins needs a reboot, fast. We might see one of the best Stunner bumps, if KO gets Rollins with it. I’ll take Owens for the victory.
Colin: Stunner! Stunner! Stunner! Stone Cold Stone Cold…oh wait, sorry, wrong one. I do see a couple of stunners in this one though. Should be a good match between former NXT and Universal champions. Predicting that Kevin Owens come out of this one with his hands raised.
Elias vs. King Corbin
Heel Turn Tom: Who wants to walk with Elias? Well, Gronk does and he will help Elias beat Corbin.
Renegade: Give me King Corbin for the victory.
Tricky Don: If they had King Corbin beat Kurt Angle in his retirement match at WrestleMania 35, there is no way Elias will go over in this one. King Corbin wins.
Bull Brother: I’m going to walk with my boy Elias! He’s finally going to get his big PPV win.
Magnum: I think the “V-Card Rule” is in effect for this WrestleMania (by that, I mean debuting wrestlers at WrestleMania typically lose). I’ll take King Corbin to win the match, but there may be a little chicanery afterwards…?
Colin: Meh. Meh. Meh. Hopefully this is part of the Kickoff show. Who wins? Who cares? Probably Corbin. Cause we hate him, and they love screwing with us.
Bobby Lashley (w/Lana) vs. Aleister Black
Heel Turn Tom: WWE has been pushing Aleister for several months. This will be a big win for Aleister Black after hitting the Black Mass.
Renegade: I like Aleister Black in this match.
Tricky Don: Ricochet and Aleister tagged at Wrestlemania 35, and it looks like Aleister has the momentum out of the two a year later. Aleister Black gets the win.
Bull Brother: I’ll take Aleister Black – a win like this can propel him to bigger heights. He’s on his way to winning a championship soon.
Magnum: Aleister Black gets the biggest win of his career right here. Black Mass finishes the Almighty One.
Colin: As long as I can see the Ravishing Lana, again, I don’t care who wins this one. But the correct decision would be if Black wins.
Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Mandy Rose)
Heel Turn Tom: We need a feel-good story these days. The Sexual White Chocolate, Otis, will Caterpillar his way to the three-count and win.
Renegade: I’m going with Otis in this one!
Tricky Don: I think WWE will need some surprises for the two-night spectacle. I am going to say Mandy Rose will turn, and give Otis the win.
Bull Brother: I’ve got to give Dolph Ziggler his first WrestleMania win in his first WrestleMania singles match.
Magnum: Man, this is another difficult one. I don’t know if I can see Ziggler winning here, but the fact that he’s been acting like a snarky turd on Twitter leads me to think Otis is taking him to school. By the way, Dolph? Anyone who calls themselves a “Stand-Up Comedian” on Twitter probably isn’t much of a Stand-Up Comedian. Do you see David Cross or Patton Oswalt calling themselves “Comedians” on social media? Yeah, no.
Colin: Who would’ve ever thought Otis would be in a WrestleMania match on his own! Power of the people, I guess. Otis has been on the receiving end most of the time and it’s time to get his payback…and his girl at WrestleMania!
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
John Morrison (c) vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jimmy or Jey Uso (originally booked as Miz/Morrison vs. New Day vs. Usos)
Heel Turn Tom: This is so odd to have a singles match for the title. But I am going to predict there will be a little twin magic and that Jimmy and Jey Uso will win the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships.
Renegade: John Morrison will retain the titles for his team.
Tricky Don: John Morrison all the way, and I think he might steal the show with this match.
Bull Brother: I’ll pick Morrison to retain the titles for both himself and Miz.
Magnum: As you can see, both the New Day and The Miz are out of this match. Everything beyond that is a complete and total mystery. I’m expecting a fantastic bout and a showcase for the returning John Morrison. HEY HEY…HO HO…Mr. Morrison! John Morrison retains for his team.
Colin: What a clusterf*** this match/feud ended up being. Officially, they’re still promoting the originally-announced match. Idiots. Whatever the case might be, Morrison retains the titles for his team.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss
Heel Turn Tom: Not sure why Kabuki Warriors are still champs when they really use Auska as a singles champ. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss will win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Renegade: I like the Kabuki Warriors in this contest.
Tricky Don: I think since a new audience might be watching, they will have Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss win this one to keep the Total Divas fans who tune in happy.
Bull Brother: I’ll take the Kabuki Warriors to retain, ending the Bliss/Cross Connection as we know it.
Magnum: I’m also rolling with the Kabuki Warriors – Asuka is having the career resurgence of a lifetime.
Colin: I love Asuka and Sane as champions. They’re hilarious. But maybe it’s time to break them up and have them feud each other. Nikki and Alexa win.
NXT Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Heel Turn Tom: While I don’t want to see Charlotte lose two WrestleManias in a row, I don’t see her defending on NXT. Ripley will retain.
Renegade: I’m taking the Queen, Charlotte Flair, to win the NXT Championship.
Tricky Don: Rhea Ripley will retain, but I think her win will come in the form of a DQ. This will keep their feud going for Summerslam.
Bull Brother: I’ll take Ripley to retain – this win will skyrocket her career. NXT is going to make their mark at this show.
Magnum: One of the tougher picks of the weekend. This is one place where the debuting Rhea Ripley could be humbled, but damn it all, they’ve had her destroy EVERYONE in her path. I see both women’s titles changing here. Rhea, turn in your V-Card. It’s all over but the tapping. “The Queen” Charlotte Flair becomes the new NXT Champion.
Colin: Tough one. Ripley needs a victory to cement her place in NXT history. Charlotte doesn’t need the title but her being on NXT every week would probably elevate the brand a little bit more. I don’t want to see another Flair title reign for now so here I am hoping that Rhea Ripley walks out of there still the champ.
RAW Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Shayna Baszler
Heel Turn Tom: Becky has been champ for a year. Seems like WWE should change it up. Also, if Shayna destroys all opponents in the Elimination Chamber and doesn’t beat Becky, then that was a waste. Baszler makes Becky pass out to be new Raw Women’s Champion. If we are lucky, there will be an assist by Rousey.
Renegade: Shayna Baszler will become the new RAW Women’s Champion.
Tricky Don: I think they will keep Becky strong in this one, in hopes of setting up a match with Ronda Rousey later this year. Shayna will help Ronda when she faces Becky down the road.
Bull Brother: Shayna has to win this match – there’s no going back. Anything less would be a disappointment. NXT continues to dominate.
Magnum: All I can say is this – you don’t have Shayna go out there, win the Chamber in the fashion that she did, and then have her lose at WrestleMania. Rhea’s run, Asuka’s run…those are different situations. Shayna’s a killer, and there’s no f***ing around here. Becky, whether it’s Night 1 or Night 2, you’re in for a long night. Shayna destroys The Man and takes the title.
Colin: Becky did one full year as a champion and hasn’t wrestled much lately, has she? In a perfect world, it would have been awesome if Ronda interfered causing Becky to lose the match and then we’d get that one on one between the two for maybe Summerslam. I still think Shayna Baszler will dethrone The Man, new champion.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans vs. Sasha Banks vs. Naomi vs. Tamina Snuka
Heel Turn Tom: I feel WWE needs a shakeup on this title. Bayley has held for a long time. I see her friend Sasha Banks turning on Bayley to become the new WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Renegade: I’m actually going to take Naomi in this match.
Tricky Don: They had to talk Sasha Banks into to returning last year, so I think this will be her WrestleMania moment (since she had to drop the tag titles last year). Sasha Banks finally gets her WrestleMania win.
Bull Brother: Has Sasha ever won at WrestleMania? No? That makes this an easy decision – I’m going to roll with Sasha Banks.
Magnum: It’s good to see Bayley and Sasha back in the title mix at WrestleMania (after last year’s debacle). The difference is this: Bayley worked out her issues, while Sasha sat on the sidelines for months. That means Bayley is retaining, and Sasha is still going to be without her WrestleMania win.
Colin: I would have preferred if this match was simply Bayley vs Sasha but I understand trying to get as many people on the card. I’m thinking Bayley retains here somehow and Sasha will not be happy.
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship
The Street Profits (c) vs. Angel Garza and Austin Theory (w/Zelina Vega)
Heel Turn Tom: While this is a good opportunity for Garza and Theory to make a WrestleMania card, the popular Street Profits will retain the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships.
Renegade: I like The Street Profits to retain their RAW Tag Team Championships.
Tricky Don: “Two big for one night.” That could have been the slogan for WrestleMania 33, 34, and 35 as well, with a lot of matches without storylines going into the event. The Street Profits retain.
Bull Brother: I’ll take the Garza/Theory team to shock the world and win the Tag Titles. It’s another way for NXT to get some shine, and it’s someone for the Street Profits to chase later this year.
Magnum: What an opportunity for Austin Theory – from outhouse to penthouse in mere days! Sadly, that’s about as feel-good as it gets for this team, as they’re going to get SMOKED by TSP. Street Profits retain.
Colin: I would be very, very surprised if two guys thrown together in the last second won the championship here. The Street Profits are over. Montez Ford is awesome. Still Tag Team champs, TSP.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Sami Zayn (c) (w/Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura) vs. Daniel Bryan (w/Drew Gulak)
Heel Turn Tom: Sami hasn’t been the IC champion long. I see Bryan and Gulak doing something in the tag division after WrestleMania. Sami with a little help from his friends wins to remain the Intercontinental Champion.
Renegade: Daniel Bryan wins the match and becomes IC Champion once again.
Tricky Don: I think we have to have our first empty arena double count out. No winner.
Bull Brother: If the corners are actually in the match, Gulak will try to do the right thing by keeping Cesaro at bay…but something will go wrong and Zayn will retain. It’s possible that Bryan sees this as Gulak trying to screw him, but that’s not the case.
Magnum: This is a tough one too! But I can’t go against Daniel Bryan this year. Sami is fantastic, and I donated to SAMS many moons ago, but I’ve gotta roll with Bryan to take back the IC title.
Colin: Bryan should be in a more meaningful match to be quite honest but this could be a great match as both of them are great wrestlers. I’m suspecting a little bit of interference here and there that will go in the favor of Sami Zayn retaining the title.
Firefly Fun House Match
John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
Heel Turn Tom: This could be the coolest shot match in WrestleMania history. But there is no way that Cena doesn’t do the job. The Fiend will defeat John Cena.
Renegade: I like The Fiend here. Bray Wyatt wins.
Tricky Don: Rumor has it that Bray will get this win for dropping the title to Goldberg. Plus, John Cena has never been in a Firefly Fun House match, and taking into consideration he’s never won at WrestleMania…I’m going with Bray Wyatt.
Bull Brother: Bray Wyatt finally gets his first WrestleMania win. This match could be amazing, or it could be a disaster.
Magnum: It’s good to have John Cena back, but this is Bray’s chance. For six years, I’ve thought of him as overrated – in the last year, though, he finally found a character with purpose. The sad part is that this was all flushed down the toilet in Saudi Arabia vs. Goldberg. This is his chance, though – I’ll take him to win…but he has to show me a masterpiece tonight, and I’m not talking about MST3K. The Fiend wins.
Colin: Cena already has one victory over Wyatt. Wyatt needs a strong win after being jobbed like that to Goldberg. Losing here would be catastrophic to The Fiend gimmick. Plus, it’s a Firefly Fun House match, whatever that is. The Fiend wins.
Last Man Standing
Randy Orton vs. Edge
Heel Turn Tom: This will be the match of the night. No way Edge loses. He will hit the Spear on Orton for the feel-good comeback win.
Renegade: I’m going against the grain – I’ll take Randy Orton to win this match.
Tricky Don: Edge’s return at the Royal Rumble was historical, and this will be the feel good moment for the fans at WrestleMania. Edge wins.
Bull Brother: This is the match I’m most excited to see, being an Edgehead. We don’t appreciate RKO enough or talk about him as much as we should. I’ll take Edge for the victory.
Magnum: Even though I correctly predicted that Edge would be back at the Rumble, I had no idea how great he would look. Then again, he’s one of the greatest of all time, and the promo on Monday solidified that. I’ll take Edge to have a huge win in his WrestleMania homecoming.
Colin: This is one of the matches I’m most looking forward to. Should be fantastic. A motivated Randy Orton is one of the best in the ring. I suspect this will be a wild brawl but Edge HAS to win this one.
Boneyard Match
AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker
Heel Turn Tom: I want AJ to win because it would help out with an everyday wrestler. But I have picked against the Undertaker way too many times. The Undertaker will Tombstone his way to his 25th WrestleMania victory.
Renegade: I think The Undertaker will get the win here.
Tricky Don: This will be the 25th WrestleMania victory for The Undertaker. I am surprised they have not built the quarter-century achievement up at all.
Bull Brother: I’m going with my gut – AJ Styles. This puts him in the title hunt. Undertaker is going to give us a memorable match, this time for good reasons!
Magnum: I’m not sure who the “Unholy Trinity” is, but I can’t see The Undertaker getting his 25th WrestleMania win without a crowd. This man deserves a greater send-off…so I’m going to go out on a limb with my upset pick of the night – AJ Styles gets the victory over The Undertaker.
Colin: Not even sure what this one entails. Wrestling ring in a boneyard? No ring, just a fight? I know the streak is no more but I can’t see The Undertaker losing here…again.
WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Heel Turn Tom: It’s sad that this will be Drew McIntyre’s WrestleMania moment in front of an empty crowd. Drew will Claymore his way to the WWE Championship.
Renegade: Drew McIntyre becomes the new WWE Champion.
Tricky Don: I do not think WrestleMania will have two men’s world title changes, so my initial thought is they will save Drew’s title win for Summerslam. Plus, ESPN is having a marathon for Brock. Lesnar retains.
Bull Brother: Drew took the long road back to the WWE roster – I don’t know how much longer Brock will be around. Drew’s moment of redemption is now. Drew McIntyre will be the new WWE Champion.
Magnum: Similar to Shayna Baszler, I can’t see Drew getting this kind of a push…only to lose. They have a freaking documentary coming out about him soon! You want people to watch a loser? Didn’t think so. This is Drew’s moment – he’s waited a long time for it. Claymore ends it. Drew McIntyre is the new WWE Champion.
Colin: Man, they’re pushing Drew to the moon aren’t they. I like it, he’s awesome, looks like a champ too. Will Brock do the second consecutive job at a WrestleMania? Unless they want to kill all of Drew’s momentum, I think so. #AndNew
WWE Universal Championship
Goldberg (c) vs. Braun Strowman
Heel Turn Tom: I’m going to take Braun Strowman to win the Universal Championship. GET THESE BELTS!
Renegade: I’m taking Goldberg to retain the Universal Championship.
Tricky Don: Who’s next to get these hands? My biggest hope for this match is that Goldberg doesn’t try a Jackhammer. Braun Strowman wins the Universal Championship.
Bull Brother: After carrying a kid to the Tag Titles two years ago, Braun Strowman finally climbs the mountain and becomes the NEW Universal Champion. The Monster Among Champions. I’ll be happy for him when he wins – it’s been a long journey.
Magnum: I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I don’t even know if Goldberg can hoist the guy up for a Jackhammer…but somehow, someway…Goldberg retains the title. Roman will be waiting for him at the end of the road. Quick crazy fact: If this happens, Goldberg will be the first and only active Hall of Famer to walk out of WrestleMania as World Champion. Talk about getting the keys to the kingdom!
Colin: Strowman had no match until…yesterday. Weird for such a popular guy to be left off the card like that. I don’t see Goldberg working any more shows until the next Saudi one comes around to be honest, so new champion Braun Strowman.
To ensure that there will not be a tie, we’re going to add 10 Bonus Questions that will allow the Pick’em Crew to score up to an additional 12 points!
BONUS #1: Will Gronk hit a wrestling move on someone during the broadcast?
BONUS #1a: If #1 happens, can you guess who Gronk’s victim would be?
Heel Turn Tom: Yes, he will do something on King Corbin, probably a Spear or shoulder tackle. But if WWE Marketing has anything to do with it, he will do the Gronk Spike (Samoan Spike or a big jumping chop).
Renegade: Yes, Zack Ryder!
Tricky Don: Yes, King Corbin!
Bull Brother: Yes, King Corbin.
Magnum: Yes, King Corbin after his match with Elias.
Colin: No, I’d imagine they would save this in front of a live crowd.
BONUS #2: How many times will the 24/7 Championship change hands during the broadcast? If someone hits it on the nose, they win 2 points! Otherwise, closest number without going over wins 1 point.
Heel Turn Tom: Let’s go with 3.
Renegade: I’m going to say 6 times.
Tricky Don: I’m going to say 0 – do they even have time for these matches?
Bull Brother: I’d love to say 36 times (for Mania 36), but I’ll say 8 times.
Magnum: There’s no title matches scheduled, so zero is a safe pick. That said, we’re going to need some segments between these matches, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see maybe 4 title changes?
Colin: Twice. Truth loses it but regains it before WrestleMania (both nights) is all over.
BONUS #3: Will Edge vs. Randy Orton take place on Night 1 or Night 2?
Heel Turn Tom: Night 2.
Renegade: Night 2.
Tricky Don: Night 2.
Bull Brother: In my opinion, this should be the Main Event of Night 1.
Magnum: Night 1.
Colin: It should be the main event of Night 1. That’s my pick.
BONUS #4: Will Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan take place on Night 1 or Night 2?
Heel Turn Tom: Night 1.
Renegade: Night 1.
Tricky Don: Night 1.
Bull Brother: Night 2.
Magnum: Night 1.
Colin: Night 1.
BONUS #5: Not counting The OC, Kane, or Michelle McCool, is there anyone else who will show up during the Boneyard Match? 1 point maximum, 1 guess allowed. No points if there are no additional cameos.
Heel Turn Tom: The man called Sting!
Renegade: SNITSKY
Tricky Don: Nathan Jones. Just kidding. 😀 Sting!
Bull Brother: I’m going to go with Jeff Hardy – here’s a wildcard who doesn’t have a spot on the show! Nothing to lose by making a pick.
Magnum: Holy crap, I didn’t even think of Sting until I started to see people’s responses. That would be AWESOME. I’ll roll with STING.
Colin: No
BONUS #6: Which Uso will wrestle John Morrison? Jimmy or Jey?
Heel Turn Tom: Little Jimmy
Renegade: Jey Uso
Tricky Don: Jimmy Uso
Bull Brother: Jey Uso
Magnum: I think Jey’s the one that’s stayed out of trouble, right? I’ll go with Jey.
Colin: Jey Uso
BONUS #7: Will the Universal Championship Match be longer or shorter than 5 minutes?
Heel Turn Tom: Shorter
Renegade: Longer
Tricky Don: Longer
Bull Brother: Longer
Magnum: If Goldberg’s out there for longer than 10 minutes, there’s no way he’ll Jackhammer Braun. I’ll say longer, but I am thinking this is a 5 or 6 minute match, tops.
Colin: Shorter
BONUS #8: Who gets the winning fall in the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match?
Heel Turn Tom: Montez Ford
Renegade: Montez Ford
Tricky Don: Montez Ford
Bull Brother: Austin Theory
Magnum: Montez wants THE SMOKE
Colin: Montez Ford
BONUS #9: Who gets the winning fall in the Women’s Tag Team Championship Match?
Heel Turn Tom: Alexa Bliss
Renegade: Asuka
Tricky Don: Nikki Cross
Bull Brother: I’ll take Asuka to get the winning fall – she’s been screwed over at every WrestleMania prior to this!
Magnum: Asuka
Colin: Alexa Bliss
BONUS #10: Does Mandy Rose leave WrestleMania with Dolph or Otis?
Heel Turn Tom: With Sexual White Chocolate Otis.
Renegade: Otis
Tricky Don: Otis
Bull Brother: I picked Dolph to win the match, but I’m picking Mandy to leave with Otis.
Magnum: I have this feeling that, during the course of the match, Dolph will be exposed for conspiring an entire plot to humiliate Otis. So while I predicted Otis to get the victory, he may not get the girl. It’s likely that Mandy and Dolph head back to the dressing room still together.
Colin: Ideally, with me. 😀 But in this case, Otis.
There you have it! From all of us at WO, thank you so much for checking us out. Take care of yourselves, and follow us on Twitter! @TheMagnumDA @wrestlingonline #WOPC
United States President Donald Trump held a conference call today with leaders of all major sports leagues in the United States which also included WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White. The conference call took place at Noon.
WWE and the UFC are the only ones which are still going ahead with shows although the UFC have had less luck in finding locations where to hold their next pay-per-view event after having cancelled a few shows over the past few weeks due to the coronavirus. WWE has used their own Performance Center for multiple recordings, including today’s WrestleMania, but with Florida under lockdown, WWE has to move to continue tapings unless a special waiver is granted.
Adam Schefter from ESPN reported that other individuals invited to the conference call included Adam Silver from the NBA, Cathy Engelbert from the WNBA, Rob Manfred from the MLB, Roger Goodell from the NFL, Gary Bettman from the NHL, Jay Monahan from PGA Tour, John Middlebrook from NASCAR and Don Garber from MLS.
Trump has a news conference set at 3:30PM at the White House today but it’s not known if he will address what was discussed at the conference call earlier.
The WrestleMania go-home episode of Friday Night Smackdown on FOX did 2,374,000 viewers, which is the identical audience that it did last week. Hour one did 2,407,000 viewers and hour two dipped slightly to 2,342,000 viewers. In the 18-49 demo, Smackdown did just a 0.6 which is lower than usual. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Apart from the 16 matches on the WrestleMania main card, WWE has just added two more matches for the Kickoff shows.
This year’s Kickoff shows are one hour each and will take place on each WrestleMania night. The two matches are Liv Morgan vs Natalya and Cesaro vs Drew Gulak. WWE did not specify which match is airing on what night but if you go with the order in which the matches were listed, the women’s match was mentioned first.
WWE has not announced who will be hosting the Kickoff shows and who will form part of the panel. Papa Johns is listed as the presenting sponsor for the two Kickoff shows.
WWE will be presenting night one of WrestleMania tonight and airing on the WWE Network and other streaming providers as well as on traditional pay-per-view. The show is recorded from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The card for night one is:
Goldberg vs Braun Strowman for the Universal title; Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler for the Raw Women’s title; Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan for the Intercontinental title; John Morrison vs Jimmy Uso vs Kofi Kingston in a triple threat ladder match for the Smackdown Tag Team titles; The Kabuki Warriors vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles; The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles in a boneyard match; Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins; and Elias vs King Corbin.
The WrestleMania Kickoff show will start at 6PM ET and will air on the WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, FOX Sports 1, and FITE TV. WrestleMania is FREE to watch if you are a first-time subscriber to the WWE Network. Simply go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk to subscribe and get your 30-day trial.
The screen “glitches” that had been appearing every week on WWE television had some sort of closure yesterday as it was revealed on Smackdown that a hacker was behind them all – and exposed a “mystery” that was bad news for Sonya Deville.
With “The Truth Will Be Heard” flashing on TV after Tucker and Dolph Ziggler wrestled, a mysterious figure was shown from the back in front of several computer monitors. The person wore a hoodie and his voice was altered to conceal the identity.
After pressing a button, footage played of Sonya Deville sending a text message to Otis from Mandy’s phone saying that she would be late for their Valentine’s Day date. She then deleted the evidence unbeknownst to Mandy. Another clip was played with Sonya being in cahoots with Dolph Ziggler, saying that whatever they want, they get.
The revelation seems to have pissed off Mandy Rose who wanted nothing to do with Sonya throughout the rest of the night despite repeated attempts to apologize.
Enrolling yourself in Muay Thai classes is a great decision if you want to learn self-defense, discipline, or just a productive hobby. Many people are motivated to start this due to the sudden popularity of MMA fights and tournaments on television.
If you are considering training yourself to become a Muay Thai player, you must invest in the basic sports gear that you would need as you enter your first Muay Thai class.
Boxing Gloves
This is the most important gear when in training. This is very common as you do not only see this in Muay Thai but in other sports events including boxing as well. Although you would not see the gloves in actual games, this is an essential protection in training to protect your hands and muscles from damage and injury. The impact of the first few punches can especially be shocking to skin that has never tried heavy training before. You can also avoid bruising yourself and your sparring partner if you use gloves. Since you will be using this for a long time, investing in a quality one will make you better in the long run.
Training Pads
In training, you are not only taught how to throw punches and attacks, you are also taught how to defend yourself. In order to learn self-defense and not get hurt during the process, you would need to have your training pads to protect you from kicks and strikes you get when you are training for defense or sparring with a partner. If you need references, you can look into the best thai pads reviewed by MMA Gear Addict to help you make a better decision before a purchase. If you have your own training pads, you would be able to train with a friend even at home, especially on the days you cannot go to the gym.
Headgear
The most important part of the body you have to protect in any training or match is the head. Since this sport is heavily physical, sometimes it cannot be helped that you experience some failed movements that can cause trauma to your body. Having a steady head gear in training will protect you at all costs, especially when you can not know exactly when you’ll slip and get tossed. Even if you do not experience hard knocks on the head, there is an impact from training over time and you can minimize this by having protection. You can also find gears that are intended to the other parts of the body so your protection is more well rounded. In order to become the best athlete in the best shape, do not allow injuries to happen by protecting yourself in the first place.
Playing Muay Thai is a sport you have to prepare for. It is great that there are gears intended for the protection and well being of a player. This way, people can enjoy the sport better because they are able to stay safe and healthy even if it is a heavy physical activity.
The season five premiere of Total Bellas with an episode titled Brave New Bellas did a total of 563,000 viewers, up from the 448,000 the season four finale did last year. This was the most-watched episode of Total Bellas since episode 12 of season three which did 665,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
With no signs of the coronavirus spread slowing down, major movie studios are delaying many of their releases and Dwayne Johnson’s Jungle Cruise suffered the same fate.
Disney announced yesterday that the highly-anticipated movie will now be released on July 30, 2021, a full year after its original schedule.
“Our @disneystudios JUNGLE CRUISE is officially pushed by one year to be released JULY 30, 2021. I feel great and bullish about this date as it gives us time for Disney to be fully operational in all their businesses – theme parks, hotels, cruise ships, but more importantly, it gives the world time to bounce back to living confidently, productively and joyously once again,” Johnson wrote in a message on social media. “Thank you, Disney leadership team. And thank you to all the fans worldwide. The movie will be worth the wait. Stay healthy, my friends. D”
Joining Johnson in the leading role for the big-budget flick are Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. It’s directed by Jaume Collet-Serra off a screenplay by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa.
This weekend’s WrestleMania will have no fans, most likely few to no pyro either due to the location, and something else will be missing from the card: Triple H.
Since his first WrestleMania in 1996 against the Ultimate Warrior, Triple H only missed one – in 2007 when he was injured – and competed in 23 of them in total. This year, the man who usually has an elaborate entrance at every Mania held in a stadium, will be sitting backstage helping directing traffic and producing the show along with his father-in-law Vince McMahon.
“Last year, it was questionable whether I was going to do anything at WrestleMania, and the Batista match came up,” Triple H told Sports Illustrated in an interview. “This year, it was never really discussed, and I never brought it up.”
The former champ and WWE Hall of Famer admitted that as every year has passed, he’s been busier and busier with added responsibilities so it’s not always that he can lace up his boots and step inside the squared circle.
Triple H has a horrible record at WrestleMania, losing 13 out of the 23 matches he has competed in. His last win came last year against Batista.
Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch is reporting that All Elite Wrestling filmed enough footage over the course of the past week that with some creativity they can stretch the episodes of Dynamite and Dark up until the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in late May.
While the company did manage to film additional material at the Daily’s Place in Jacksonville before they were booted, AEW crew had to move to Georgia and went full speed ahead with filming several matches but had to stop after the lockdown enforcement in the state came down.
Keller added that the wrestlers who were part of the match tapings this week in Georgia will be the ones who will be appearing on TV over the next several weeks as no additional wrestlers were brought in. AEW is believed to be using footage shot by their talent to fill in the gaps as they cannot do like WWE and air old matches since their tape library is fairly new.
The Hager vs Moxley match which is set for the April 15 episode of Dynamite was apparently already filmed in Jacksonville so at least for that match AEW will “switch” locations during the pre-recorded Dynamite.
With Roman Reigns out of WrestleMania, Braun Strowman stepped in to take his place and will now be facing Goldberg for the Universal title this weekend.
The former Intercontinental champion was not even slated to be on the card and had no match at Mania. Last year he was also left out from a singles match and thrown in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal which he won. That match was on the Kickoff show.
Strowman and Goldberg both were missing from the Smackdown broadcast last night and no angle was played out to write Reigns off. Smackdown announcer Michael Cole simply announced the match without any backstory given. Triple H has said in an interview this week that the way Reigns’ exit will play out will be satisfying for everyone but unless they’re keeping it for the WrestleMania pay-per-view, nothing was satisfying about how they announced the replacement.
The man also known as the monster among men had several Universal title shots over the past few years but he came up short every time. He even won the Money in the Bank match but failed to cash-in against Seth Rollins.
16 matches will make up the WrestleMania card this weekend, the biggest one in WrestleMania history. Despite the show being recorded already, betting companies are still taking odds for 14 of those matches. Two matches – the Universal title match and the Smackdown Tag Team title match – are not available because WWE has not officially announced yet who will be taking part in them.
Roman Reigns was removed from the card after he requested out due to his health while The Miz was sick and was not allowed to participate. The replacements will be officially announced on Smackdown tonight.
Since we don’t know which matches will take place on night one and night two of WrestleMania, today we will present the odds for all the matches. Please keep in mind that these odds might change over the next 24 and 48 hours so be careful.
The WWE title match will see Brock Lesnar defending against Royal Rumble winner and number one contender Drew McIntyre. It’s not usual that Brock Lesnar is the underdog in matches, but he is big time this time around as his odds are of 9/4 to retain while the Scotsman is the overwhelming favorite with odds of 2/7.
There will be four women’s matches at this WrestleMania with all titles up for grabs. In a first, NXT Women’s champion Rhea Ripley will be defending her gold against Charlotte Flair. Ripley is the slight favorite for now with odds of 13/20 while Flair is 11/10 to get her 11th title reign. The Man’s reign as Raw Women’s champion looks like it’s coming to an end if bookmakers are correct as challenger Shayna Baszler is favorite with 11/25 odds against Becky Lynch who is at 8/5 to retain. Bayley’s odds of retaining her Smackdown Women’s title in a fatal 5-way match would usually be slim but the reigning champion is 3/4 favorite to retain. Sasha Banks is 6/4 to beat her best friend, Lacey Evans is 11/2, Naomi is 7/1, and Tamina is a long shot with 25/1 odds. And the Women’s Tag Team titles are also on the line with Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss the slight favorites to regain their titles with odds of 3/4 against The Kabuki Warriors who are 19/20.
The Street Profits are favorites to retain the Raw Tag Team titles in their first WrestleMania outing with odds of 11/50 against Austin Theory and Angel Garza who are 14/5 underdogs. The other title match on the card is for the Intercontinental title with Sami Zayn favorite at 8/13 to retain against Daniel Bryan who is 23/20 to win.
There are three gimmick matches this year at WrestleMania. The Firefly Fun House match is one of them with Bray Wyatt favorite at 1/3 to defeat John Cena who is wrestling for the first time since January 2019. Cena has odds of 2/1 to win. A boneyard match will also take place with The Undertaker favorite with 2/7 odds against AJ Styles who has odds of 9/4. And one of the most anticipated matches of the night is the last man standing match between Edge and Randy Orton. Edge is 1/4 favorite for this match while Orton is 5/2.
The four other remaining matches has Aleister Black listed as 1/16 favorite against Bobby Lashley who is 6/1, King Corbin with 11/20 odds favorite against Elias who is at 5/4, Kevin Owens at 2/5 favorite against Seth Rollins at 7/4, and Otis the slight favorite over Dolph Ziggler with odds of 3/4 and 19/20 respectively.
