Best and Worst Booking Decisions of WWE WrestleMania 2023 Night 2 Card Results

There were a few head-scratching booking decisions executed Sunday night at WrestleMania 39, the second night of WWE's annual pro wrestling extravaganza. Perhaps none was more controversial than Roman Reigns defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

While that one left fans in awe, it should not necessarily be considered one of the "worst" of the night as both Triple H and Reigns himself promised afterward that there is more story to be told. Given the quality of what they have put together, they have earned the benefit of the doubt.

The same cannot be said for other decisions, including one puzzling defeat and another return that no one asked for.

Not all were bad, though, as others were absolutely the right call and will help with the strengthening of their respective divisions moving forward.

Best: Gunther Retains

Before Sunday's show, some fantasy-booked Gunther to drop the Intercontinental Championship and move up the card to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

For several reasons, the most obvious being that Rhodes did not win in the night's main event, that will not happen. Nor should it have.

Gunther has helped revitalize the Intercontinental Championship. He has lent it credibility and brought it back to legitimacy after years of the coveted midcard title being traded between stars as a prop to necessitate rivalries.

The Ring General has repaired the image of the title to the point that it can easily main-event SmackDown and still generate interest, thanks to how strong a champion he is and the respect with which he carries the gold.

Sunday, he successfully retained against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre in one of the best matches of the entire WrestleMania weekend: an instant, five-star classic that saw him spoil the babyfaces' attempt to wrest the gold from him.

In the process, he even further strengthened his title reign and his own legitimacy.

Sheamus and McIntyre are bona fide stars who can slot in and challenge Roman Reigns for the top title. They would not have benefited from beating Gunther nearly as much as another guy on the roster who could stand some momentum and a shot at dethroning a dominant champion.

This was the right call until Triple H can build a challenger whom fans genuinely get behind and can make a sizable jump on the card by dethroning the Austrian-born champion.

Worst: Shane McMahon Returns

In absolutely no universe did Shane McMahon ever have to return to WWE television.

His last appearance, at the 2022 Royal Rumble, was an unmitigated disaster that led to his father booting him out of the company and off TV for over a year. He should have stayed off television, too.

Sure, his surprise appearance generated a big pop Sunday, but he was instantly blown up. From there, he was set to battle The Miz in an impromptu match before he attempted a leapfrog and tore his quadriceps, as Triple H would reveal in the post-show press conference.

It is never OK to wish harm on anybody, nor is this the intent, but McMahon was one surprise return that no one needed.

Especially when Bobby Lashley was right there and did not have a match on the card. The All Mighty had deserved a spot on the show and easily could have benefited from standing side-by-side with Snoop Dogg after beating up Miz.

Instead, we got a short-lived return for a guy who was way overexposed the last time he was a regular character on the show and had no real redeeming quality for being a staple of programming in 2023.

Best: Bianca Belair Retains

The rivalry between Bianca Belair and Asuka was one of the more lackluster entering WrestleMania. For whatever reason, it took entirely too long to get going, and once it had, the latter felt underwritten as if there were plans for her that did not develop until late.

Like a heel turn that dragged its feet until there was no time to properly execute it.

For that reason, and the fact that The EST is an elite performer, the Raw women's champion successfully retaining against The Empress of Tomorrow was the right call.

Asuka losing sets up a scenario that she has already teased on social media in which she can avenge the loss by bringing chaos to the women's division and ultimately defeat Belair once she is better established in her role as a top villain.

For Belair, the victory allowed her to close out one year as champion during which she evolved into one of the best wrestlers in the division and a legitimate star for the flagship brand of WWE.

Using her victory to propel the story forward is the right call and allows more time to properly convince fans to invest in this incarnation of Asuka.

Worst: The Demon Loses

The Demon is one of the few real attractions left in WWE.

Finn Balor carefully cultivated a persona for himself that fans love and whose presence reflects a big-match environment. It also has been protected by those in charge, who recognize the specialness and uniqueness of the character and how beating it down only serves to diminish it.

That is why it was so surprising when The Demon was announced for a Hell in a Cell match with Edge on Sunday when it was fairly obvious that The Rated-R Superstar would be going over.

It was the culmination of a 10-month rivalry, after all, and the babyface was due.

So why bother breaking out The Demon and dealing him a loss, especially since the last time we saw him, he was dropping his first match to Roman Reigns?

It was a questionable decision and if it was not WWE Creative's, then it should have been on Triple H or someone in a similar position to talk Balor out of inserting that persona into the match.

Now it is an attraction that has lost some of its luster, thanks to consecutive losses in matches that did not need its involvement in the first place.