WWE WrestleMania 36 Results: What Fans Are Marking Out for from Saturday's Card
April 5, 2020
Saturday was night one of the two-day WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view. Nobody had any idea what to expect when the show began, but by the end of the night, it's safe to say many fans were pleasantly surprised by how good it was.
In total, WWE aired nine matches Saturday, including one on the Kickoff between Drew Gulak and Cesaro that was not previously advertised.
The taped PPV had a few moments when you could see how it was edited together, but the first night of the show managed to surpass most people's expectations.
Many took a cynical approach heading into the PPV, which probably made it that much more exciting when almost every match ended up being a lot of fun. Here is a quick rundown of the results:
- Cesaro defeated Drew Gulak.
- Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeated The Kabuki Warriors.
- Elias defeated King Corbin.
- Becky Lynch defeated Shayna Baszler.
- Sami Zayn defeated Daniel Bryan.
- John Morrison defeated Jimmy Uso and Kofi Kingston.
- Kevin Owens defeated Seth Rollins.
- Braun Strowman defeated Goldberg.
- The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles.
Let's take a look at what fans are marking out for the most on Twitter.
The Boneyard Match
Nobody knew what a Boneyard match would be until it started, but a lot of people were right when they assumed it would involve a graveyard in some way.
WWE has done matches in other locations before like Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt and The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family, but The Undertaker vs. Styles was on a different level.
The production included a lot of practical effects, creative editing, sound effects, stuntmen, dialogue and a soundtrack. They even had film-like opening credits for the Superstars' intros.
This was the best Taker has looked in years, and fans online were going wild over how much fun this encounter was and how surprising it was to see WWE pull off something like this so perfectly.
Make no mistake about it: This was not a traditional match. Therefore, it should not be judged by traditional means. This was more like a short film, and it succeeded where past main events have failed.
The Phenomenal One was the perfect foe for The Deadman, and he will easily bounce back from this loss when he returns from the shallow grave in which Taker buried him at the end of the night.
The Ladder Match
Because of The Miz missing the PPV, WWE made the SmackDown tag titles ladder match into a Triple Threat with Jimmy Uso, John Morrison and Kofi Kingston representing their teams.
It's a shame we didn't get to see Jey Uso or Big E in some capacity. However, keeping this to a three-man contest ended up making it one of the most exciting bouts of the night. All three of the Superstars involved are comfortable flying through the air, and they hit some unique spots that WWE edited together to make an entertaining match.
Fans were praising them for specific spots and the overall performance. The ending was dramatic and kept fans guessing until JoMo fell from the ladder with both belts to claim victory.
Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens
The feud between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins has been going on for months and feels like it's lasted even longer. They have been going at it since the night after Survivor Series in November.
There is a reason WWE has kept this program going for so long: They have such good chemistry.
KO has been the perfect rival for Rollins as he has transformed himself into the Monday Night Messiah because he is great at calling out people when they are being ridiculous.
The fake-out DQ ending led to this bout becoming a No Disqualification match. They used plenty of weapons thereafter and even used the WrestleMania sign for a table spot.
Their insults throughout the match were easy to hear without the crowd and made for a more personal encounter.
The first night of WrestleMania 36 was a lot better than it had any right to be, but WWE has always been capable of delivering great programming. It just doesn't always follow through.
If night two is just as good, this could go down in history as one of the most important WrestleManias of all time.