Kickoff Matches/Segment
United States Championship Match
Kalisto (c) def. Ryback
This was the first official WrestleMania match for Kalisto. Going into this match, Ryback claimed over and over again that size does matter. At one point during the match, when Ryback pulled a stretched-out Kalisto out of the corner, Kalisto inadvertently pulled the padding off the middle turnbuckle in the process. While Ryback dominated most of the match, in the end, Kalisto was able to rally back. After Ryback ended up running headfirst into the exposed middle turnbuckle, Kalisto hit Ryback with his finishing move, “Salida del Sol”, to get the victory. Kalisto, once again, proved that it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog in this match of “Power vs. Speed”.
10-Diva Tag Team Match
Total Divas (Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, Paige, Natalya and Eva Marie) def. B.A.D. & Blonde (Lana, Team B.A.D. (Naomi & Tamina), Emma and Summer Rae)
In this match, it was the current stars of WWE’s reality show “Total Divas” against both halves of Team B.A.D. and three blondes in Lana, Emma and Summer Rae. This was not only the first official WrestleMania match for Lana, but also Lana’s first official wrestling match in her career. Going into this match, everybody was wondering whether or not either one of these teams would be able to co-exist with each other. The biggest flaw for Total Divas was the fact that Eva Marie was the only heel on the team. Fortunately, Total Divas were able to co-exist long enough to get the victory when Brie forced Naomi to submit to her submission finishing move, the “Yes! Lock”, which is shades of her husband Daniel Bryan, who recently retired as a competitor. After the match, fellow “Total Divas” star and Brie’s older identical twin sister Nikki Bella, who is currently recovering from a neck injury, came out to celebrate with her fellow stars as they all gave a group hug to one another and hoisted Brie up onto their shoulders. Due to the fact that Eva Marie took part in that group hug, she has turned face. The only thing that would have made this moment sweeter is if the other two “Total Divas” stars Rosa Mendes and Mandy Rose would have come out to join in the celebration as well. This would turn out to be Brie’s last match because she has put her career as a competitor on hold to start a family with her husband. Also, other than the show “Total Divas”, this would turn out to be the last time that the term “Diva” would ever be used in WWE.
WWE Hall of Famer Lita unveiled brand new Championship for WWE
Lita discussed how women over the years have fought tooth and nail to prove that they are just as worthy as the men are of competing inside a wrestling ring. She also discussed how women have fought over the retired original Women’s Championship and Divas Championship over the years. She would then reveal that the Divas Championship would be retired on this night and that current Divas Champion Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks would be competing to become the first-ever WWE Women’s Champion in history later on in the night instead. She announced that the women would no longer be referred to as “Divas”, but as “Superstars”. Therefore, it is no longer called the “Divas Division”, but the “Women’s Division”. I totally agree, these women have proven for the past few years now that they are more than just pretty faces, so this was a great idea by WWE.
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) def. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von)
For the past few weeks, these two decorated tag teams have been at each other’s throats. In the end, it would be The Usos who got the victory. The Dudleys, however, would not walk away quietly. The Dudleys gave a post-match attack and despite their claims of never using tables as weapons again, they grabbed a couple of tables and were about to put The Usos through them. Fortunately, The Usos countered and placed The Dudleys on the two tables and then went up to the top rope and double-slashed The Dudleys through the tables. So, The Usos won both the battle and the war in this one.
Pay-Per-View Performance/Matches/Segment
Fifth Harmony performed “America the Beautiful”
The Pay-Per-View kicked off with one of today’s hottest girl groups in Fifth Harmony performing “America the Beautiful”. They have joined the list of many famous music artists to perform this at WrestleMania, such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, Reba McIntyre, Little Richard, Boyz II Men, Ashanti, Michelle Williams, John Legend, Nicole Scherzinger and Fantasia.
Zack Ryder won a 7-Man Ladder Match that also featured Kevin Owens, Sin Cara, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Stardust and The Miz to become the brand new Intercontinental Champion
Just like last year at WrestleMania 31, there was a 7-Man Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match, which was won by Daniel Bryan last year. This year at WrestleMania 32, the champion going into this match was Kevin Owens. This would mark the first official WrestleMania match for both Owens and Sami Zayn. Owens did not have the champion’s advantage in this match because the only way to win is by setting a ladder up in the ring, climbing it and grabbing the championship belt hanging from above and walk out as champion. This match was all-out chaos; there were bodies and ladders flying around everywhere. In the end, just when it looked like The Miz was about to grab the belt, Zack Ryder pushed Miz off the ladder at the last moment, grabbed the belt and became the brand new Intercontinental Champion. After the match, Ryder’s father came from the crowd and hopped into the ring to celebrate with his son. As much as I wanted Sin Cara to win, I am very happy that Ryder finally got his WrestleMania moment and is once again back in the championship picture; I have been waiting for this for a long time now. I hope that this match becomes a WrestleMania tradition because it is a definite show-stealer.
Chris Jericho def. AJ Styles
This marked the first official WrestleMania match for AJ Styles. This was the ultimate dream match between two great athletes. While these two recently faced each other a few other times, they have never met on the Grandest Stage of Them All. It was back-and-forth action between the two. This match could have gone either way, but in the end, it would be Jericho who hit Styles with his finishing move, the “Code Breaker”, to get the victory. This match was another show-stealer.
6-Man Tag Team Match
The League of Nations (Sheamus, Rusev & Alberto Del Rio) (w/ League of Nations cohort Bad News Barrett) def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston & Big E)
What I at least thought was supposed to be a WWE Tag Team Championship Match was changed to a 6-Man Tag Team Match. I definitely dug the entrance that The New Day made by coming out of a huge box of their sponsored cereal “Booty-O’s” and sporting “Dragonball Z”-inspired entrance gear. It was back-and-forth action between these two warring factions. Towards the end of the match, Xavier Woods was left on his own after his two teammates were taken out. Just when it appeared that Woods was going to pull off the miracle and get the victory for his team, it would be an interfering Bad News Barrett that would hit Woods with his signature move, the “Bull Hammer Elbow”, unbeknownst to the referee. This would allow Sheamus to hit Woods with his finishing move, the “Brogue Kick”, to get the pin and the win for The League of Nations. After the match, The League of Nations gloated over their tainted victory and would then claim that “no three men in history could go toe-to-toe” with The League of Nations; moments later, however, there would be three WWE Hall of Famers who had something to say about that. First, out came Shawn Michaels, who always seems to pay WWE a visit every time WrestleMania season comes around. Then, out came the General Manager of Saturday Morning Slam, Mick Foley. Finally, out came the man who arguably defined the Attitude Era, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Just when it appeared that The League of Nations had the numbers’ advantage over the three Hall of Famers, The New Day would drag Barrett out of the ring to even the odds. The three Hall of Famers then hit their respective finishing moves on the three guys who beat The New Day just moments earlier. Then, The New Day fed Barrett to the Hall of Famers, who would hit their respective finishing moves on him as well. Afterwards, The New Day encouraged the three legends to join them in celebrating. While they got Michaels and Foley to start dancing, it took some doing with Austin. Eventually, though, Austin started to bust a little bit of moves; however, Austin could not help but deliver his finishing maneuver one more time when he gave Woods the “Stone Cold Stunner”. The three legends then shared a toast with a few beers. While I do have mixed emotions about Austin stunning Woods, I thought it was great how these three icons put those young punks The League of Nations in their place.
No Holds Barred Street Fight
Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) def. Dean Ambrose
In the first main event of the night, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar battled in a match where there were no countouts and no disqualifications; the only way to win was by pinfall or submission. Coming into this match, Ambrose was given a couple of gifts by two WWE Hall of Famers. First, Mick Foley gave Ambrose his infamous barbed-wire baseball bat, which Foley named “Barbie”. Then, Terry Funk, whose alter ego at one time was Chainsaw Charlie, gave Ambrose his chainsaw. At WrestleMania, Ambrose put up a valiant effort, but in the end, Lesnar’s power was just too much for him to overcome as Lesnar walked out victorious. A couple things that I had wished happened in this match is Ambrose using the two weapons that were given to him, but unfortunately, Lesnar countered both of them.
WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel introduced the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016
The following are the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016:
- The Godfather
- Stan Hansen
- The late Big Boss Man
- Jacqueline
- Warrior Award Recipient Joan Lunden
- The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael “P.S.” Hayes, the late Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy, the late Buddy “Jack” Roberts & Jimmy “Jam” Garvin)
- Celebrity Inductee Snoop Dogg
- Sting
There are also members of the Class of 2016 who were not introduced, but should have been. This year, WWE introduced a new category for the WWE Hall of Fame called the “Legacy” wing. The following are the first-ever Legacy Inductees:
- The late Mildred Burke
- The late Frank Gotch
- The late George Hackenschimdt
- The late Ed “Strangler” Lewis
- The late Pat O’Connor
- The late Lou Thesz
- The late “Sailor” Art Thomas
Triple Threat WWE Women’s Championship Match
Charlotte (w/ her father and 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair) def. Becky Lynch in a match that also featured Sasha Banks to become the first-ever WWE Women’s Champion in history
This marked the first official WrestleMania match for all three of these Superstars. Each Superstar made a unique entrance. First, it was Becky Lynch who entered in a steampunk style. Then, it would be Sasha Banks, sporting some wrestling gear that paid homage to her idol, the late, great WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero. Sasha was accompanied by music artists Snoop Dogg, who is the cousin of Sasha, and Raven Felix as they performed a remix of Sasha’s theme music. Finally, it was Divas Champion Charlotte, accompanied by her father, sporting a scintillating blue-and-white robe, which was cut from the literal cloth of the iconic robe worn by her father while entering for his final match at WrestleMania 24. Before the match, Charlotte relinquished the Divas Championship which would then become retired, thus making Charlotte the last Divas Champion in history. Since this match is contested under Triple Threat rules, there are no countouts and no disqualifications; the only way to win is by pinfall or submission. There was a lot of back-and-forth action between the three Superstars. At one point in the match, Sasha hit Charlotte with Eddie Guerrero’s famous finishing maneuver, the “Frog Splash”. Then, as Becky dove over the top rope to the outside, Sasha pulled Ric Flair in her path, thus nailing him as Becky came down. Finally, it would be Charlotte who would execute a top-rope moonsault to the outside onto both of her opponents. In the end, it would be Charlotte who would lock Becky in her finishing submission maneuver, the “Figure-Eight Leglock”. Just as Sasha was about to get back into the ring to break up the hold, it would be Ric Flair who would prevent Sasha from doing so. Shortly after, Becky submitted to the hold and Charlotte would win and become the first-ever WWE Women’s Champion in history. This is another match that stole the show. Everything about this match was great up until Ric Flair played a role in helping his daughter get the victory.
Hell in a Cell Match
The Undertaker def. Shane McMahon
In the second main event of the night, there were no countouts and no disqualifications. The only way to win was by pinfall or submission. There was a lot at stake in this match. If Shane McMahon was victorious, then he would gain full control of WWE’s flagship show Monday Night Raw and The Undertaker would never get to compete at WrestleMania again. If Shane lost, however, then his father and WWE Chairman and CEO Vincent K. McMahon would write Shane out of his will – leaving everything to his daughter and WWE Principal Owner Stephanie, denounce Shane as his son and Shane would have to surrender a lockbox of family secrets. Shane McMahon made a special entrance as he was accompanied by his three sons, who did Shane’s famous dance, the “Shane McMahon Shuffle”, with their father. This match proved to live up to its name. At one point in the match, Shane grabbed a pair of cable-cutters from underneath the ring and removed the bolts on one of the cell’s panels. Whatever Shane had in mind was thwarted by The Undertaker when he grabbed Shane and threw him through the panel to the outside of the cell. Eventually, Shane managed to get The Undertaker on top of one of the announcers’ tables. Then, Shane did the unthinkable by climbing to the top of the cell and then delivering an elbow drop. Unfortunately for Shane, The Undertaker managed to move out of the way and Shane went crashing through the table. From this point on, it was all Undertaker as he would eventually go on to deliver his finishing maneuver, the “Tombstone Piledriver”, to Shane and get the victory. This brought The Undertaker’s WrestleMania win-loss to 23-1 and Shane McMahon’s to 2-1. After the match, Shane was carried away on a stretcher and as he was being rolled to the back, he gave a thumbs-up to the WWE Universe. While I am happy that The Undertaker won and that he will still be able to compete at WrestleMania, I was hoping that Shane would win and gain control of Raw, so that he could get control away from his corrupt family members. The fact of the matter is that no matter what the end result of this match would be, it was going to be bittersweet.
Baron Corbin won the 3rd Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
This match has become a WrestleMania tradition. This match is in honor of the late, great WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant, who was known for being dominant in Battle Royals. All competitors in this match begin in the ring at the same time; the only way to be eliminated is by going over the top rope and both feet hitting the floor. Whichever competitor is the last man standing in the ring will be declared the winner and receive the Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy. The following 20 Superstars are the ones who entered this year’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal:
- Heath Slater
- Curtis Axel
- Adam Rose
- Bo Dallas
- Big Show
- Kane
- Tyler Breeze
- Mark Henry
- Jack Swagger
- Fandango
- Damien Sandow
- Darren Young
- Konnor
- Viktor
- Goldust
- R-Truth
- Diamond Dallas Page
- Tatanka
- Baron Corbin
- Shaquille O’Neal
This marked the first official WrestleMania Match for Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin and Shaquille O’Neal, as well as Shaq’s first wrestling match altogether. This Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was different from any other one because it featured returning legends Diamond Dallas Page and Tatanka, WWE’s developmental system NXT’s Baron Corbin and to top it all off, Shaquille O’Neal, who had talked about competing at WrestleMania someday, had joined the list of numerous celebrities who have competed at WrestleMania (e.g., WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T, Lawrence “L.T.” Taylor, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Maria Menounos). Shaq stood face-to-face with fellow giant The Big Show, both delivered a double choke slam to another giant in Kane and Shaq even managed to eliminate Damien Sandow. Eventually, the rest of the competitors used their combined strength to eliminate both Big Show and Shaq. In the end, it would be Baron Corbin who would pull off the upset by eliminating Kane last and winning the whole thing. The guy who I was hoping would win this was Tatanka since he has never held a championship from WWE, if not throughout his whole career. If Baron Corbin did not get moved up to WWE’s main roster going into this match, then he certainly did after winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The Rock def. Erick Rowan
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders came out and did an awesome dance routine to help welcome The Rock. The Rock then enters with a flamethrower in hand, lighting up his name in big letters. The Rock then enters the ring to address the WWE Universe. The Rock announced to the Dallas, TX crowd at AT&T Stadium that they had officially broken the WrestleMania attendance record with 101,763 fans in attendance. The WrestleMania attendance record prior to this was 93,173 fans in attendance at WrestleMania 3 in Detroit, MI at Pontiac Silverdome. Before The Rock could say anything more, out come Wyatt Family members Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman & Erick Rowan. After some verbal jabs between The Rock and Bray Wyatt, The Rock then removes his shirt and tear-away pants to reveal wrestling boots, trunks and elbow pads – challenging any one of the three members of The Wyatt Family to an impromptu match. It would be Erick Rowan who would step up. Unfortunately for Rowan, once the bell rang to officially start the match, The Rock hit Rowan with his finishing maneuver, the “Rock Bottom”, and pinned Rowan for the 1-2-3 to break the record for shortest match in WrestleMania history with the match lasting for six seconds. The record for shortest match in WrestleMania history prior to this was the first and only ECW Championship Match in WrestleMania history when Kane beat defending champion Chavo Guerrero to become the new ECW Champion in eight seconds at WrestleMania 24. After the match, The Wyatt Family surrounded The Rock; luckily, John Cena, who was making his return from an injury, came to The Rock’s aid. The Rock and Cena then hit The Wyatt Family with their respective finishing moves (Cena’s being the “Attitude Adjustment”) and sent The Wyatts packing. Rock and Cena then made their way to the entrance ramp and raised each others’ arms, which was reminiscent of what they did after their match against one another at WrestleMania 29. I was hoping that The Rock would compete at WrestleMania this year and I was hoping Cena would at least be at WrestleMania this year; neither man disappointed.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Roman Reigns def. WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H (w/ his wife Stephanie McMahon) to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion
This was the final main event of the night. Stephanie McMahon, who stood on a stone pillar with a skull mask on her face, introduced her husband, who was flanked by a debuting army of drones in skeleton hoods with replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship belts slung across their shoulders. Then, after Roman Reigns made his way to the ring, the match was officially underway. At one point in the match, with both men outside the ring, Reigns would hit Triple H with his signature move, the “Spear”, through the ringside barricade. Eventually, both men got back in the ring. Reigns would end up hitting Triple H with another Spear and then cover Triple H. Unfortunately, before the referee could make the 3-count; Stephanie pulled the ref out of the ring. Despite this, the ref did not disqualify Triple H. Then, Stephanie followed the ref back in the ring and both she and Triple H then had some choice words for the ref. Reigns then attempted to hit Triple H with another Spear, but luckily for both Triple H and the ref, they got out of Dodge. Stephanie, on the other hand, was not so lucky when Reigns inadvertently hit the Spear on her instead. Even though it was inadvertent, I think that many members of the WWE Universe have been waiting for something like this to happen to Stephanie for a long time now. Towards the end of the match, Stephanie still had enough energy to hand her husband a sledgehammer. When Triple H tried to use it on Reigns, Reigns would duck and then hit Triple H with one last Spear to get the pin and the win to become a 3-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Reigns then celebrated his victory with pyro going off both inside and outside of AT&T Stadium. Unlike last year’s WrestleMania, this one had a happy ending. While Triple H, Stephanie and her father may still be in control, at least Triple H lost his championship.
