In this WrestleMania 39 Night 2 review, Cody Rhodes challenges Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal title, Asuka squares off with Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s title, and much more.
Let’s jump in!
- Show: WWE WrestleMania 39 Night 2
- Date: April 2, 2023
- Location: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (w/MVP)
This wasn’t the pairing that most expected for Lesnar at WrestleMania. Still, the formula was similar to other hoss matches involving him. Lesnar showcases his power, and it all works to the predictable F5 on Omos for the win. A match straight out of Vince McMahon’s 1980s playbook. If you enjoy that kind of thing (I do at times), then this was for you. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that Lesnar could’ve had a more noteworthy match on the biggest show of the year.
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville vs. Natalya and Shotzi – WrestleMania Showcase Match
The women’s tag team division is a lot of thrown-together teams trying to prove themselves. It’s hard to get invested in it since the chemistry and experience just aren’t there for most of the duos. Rousey is clearly injured since she only factors into the decision, as she locks on the armbar to force Shotzi to submit. Rousey and Baszler are your champions.
Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. Gunther – Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Title
What a hard-hitting affair here. These three men, as expected, beat the shit out of each other for 16 minutes. On paper, this looked like a match of the year candidate if all came together, and that’s what it did. I pondered whether Triple H would give his longtime friend Sheamus his long-awaited shining moment as Intercontinental Champion, but Gunther winning is the right call. He’s been presented as an unstoppable beast, and his championship reign is what WWE needs in terms of a regular fighting champion. (****1/4, Must-See)
Asuka vs. (c) Bianca Belair – Raw Women’s Title
Speaking of booking predictions, this is another that seemed like a possible title change given Triple H’s approach to building Asuka in NXT. However, it wasn’t to be, and Belair’s run continues as Raw Women’s Champion. This wasn’t on the level of her matches with Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks, but it at least showcased the strengths of both women. While some complain about Belair’s grasp on the title, the bigger issue could be the lack of strong challengers. Asuka is one of those, but she comes up short again at WrestleMania. (***1/2, Recommended)
Snoop Dogg vs. The Miz
This earns the title of an infamous WrestleMania match since, well, it wasn’t supposed to be a WrestleMania match. I’m also not sure it actually is a WrestleMania match since Snoop Dogg was never in the match. Confusion aside, Shane McMahon’s brutal injury (seems like a knee or quad) quickly forces a change of plans, and Snoop seemingly transforms himself into The Rock to drop the People’s Elbow on Miz for the win. Hey, it turned out way better than it had any reason to be.
Edge vs. Finn Balor – Hell in a Cell Match
As if one injury isn’t enough, another puts a damper on this match. Edge nails Balor with the ladder, leading to Balor bleeding profusely. The doctors have to stitch him up on the spot, so that certainly hurts the flow of the match a bit. After all, fans aren’t accustomed to Hell in a Cell matches being stopped due to blood. You know, since a man got thrown off of a cell back in 1997. But it’s a different era, and I understand the approach when it comes to possible head injuries. There’s zero question that it was the right move. Edge winning hopefully wraps up the feud between these two so they can move on to other things. Probably not a memorable Hell in a Cell match though.
Cody Rhodes vs. (c) Roman Reigns – WWE Undisputed Universal Title
Where to begin? Let’s start this way: Cody should’ve won. Simple enough, right? The entire story was built to have Cody win this match. The return to WWE, the injury setback, the triumphant return to win the Royal Rumble, and the intense character promos setting the stage to achieve the ultimate dream of winning the WWE title. Even the video package leading into the match and Cody’s exchange with his family (and Brodie Lee’s son Negative One) ringside was masterfully done. But yet, WWE did not pull the trigger on the end of Reigns’ reign as champion, and for a second straight month (Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber), there was an audible change in the crowd once another top babyface fell to Reigns and the Bloodline.
Sami’s story was different. He was never going to be put in the position of being the face of WWE, especially not a month out from WrestleMania in Hollywood. Cody, meanwhile, checked all the boxes. He was the right guy at the right time, and that’s what fans had been waiting for – a truly believable conquering hero who had every motivation to down the unstoppable antagonist. But the conquering hero came up short. He lost. He didn’t finish the story. Instead, the bad guy won again, in what figured to be the combination of a company afraid of change and a ridiculous need to have a champion hit the 1,000-day mark.
Here’s the problem with that. If the story is to continue (how could it not after Solo Sikoa’s interference), will WWE be able to capture that atmosphere, that moment, and that build again? I’m not sure. They did with it McIntyre in Cardiff, Zayn in Montreal, and now Cody in Los Angeles. However, the common theme is all three babyfaces lost. McIntyre hasn’t reached that level since. Zayn earned a meaningful consolation prize by winning the Tag Team titles with Kevin Owens, but he took a step back as a world title contender. And now, there’s Cody, who joins a long list of Reigns’ challengers who came up short.
I find it hard to believe that Cody won’t eventually become “the guy.” But the time to make him “the guy” was now, and where things go from here will decide whether this was one of the biggest booking blunders in WrestleMania history. (****1/4, Must-See)
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WRESTLEMANIA 39 NIGHT 2
Top Matches
- Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. Gunther (Must-See)
- Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (Must-See)
- Asuka vs. Bianca Belair (Recommended)
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Thoughts: Matching WrestleMania 39 Night 1 was going to be a challenge, and even with a Cody win, this edition wouldn’t have been as a good. But the finish to the main event dropped this lower than it should’ve been. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great match that’s worth watching. However, the finish ruins everything that came before it. The IC title triple threat was a thing of beauty, but everything else was pretty standard for a WrestleMania.
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