Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 aired tonight on the WWE Network. Goldberg defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Undertaker battled AJ Styles in a Boneyard match in the main event.
WrestleMania 36 Results (Night 1)
- Cesaro def. Drew Gulak (Kickoff Show)
- Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross def. Kairi Sane & Asuka to capture the Women’s Tag Team Championships
- Elias def. King Corbin
- Becky Lynch def. Shayna Baszler to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
- Sami Zayn def. Daniel Bryan to retain the Intercontinental Championship
- John Morrison def. Jimmy Uso & Kofi Kingston in a Ladder match to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
- Kevin Owens def. Seth Rollins
- Braun Strowman def. Goldberg to become Universal Champion
- The Undertaker def. AJ Styles in a Boneyard match
Here are 8 takeaways from Night 1 of WrestleMania 36:
Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss Are The New Women’s Tag Team Champions
Stephanie McMahon kicked off the show with a taped message. Stephanie said this will be the most different WrestleMania of all because there will be no fans. She stated that it was WWE’s commitment to the fans to provide a diversion during these hard times.
WrestleMania host Rob Gronkowski said he knows how to start a party Saturday night and end it 30 hours later. Mojo Rawley joined the party in a ridiculous suit and Gronk hit him with four chops to the chest. The Women’s Tag Team Championship match was the first bout of the night. JBL joined Cole on commentary.
Match Recap: Alexa Bliss and Asuka started things off. Asuka quickly marched to the corner and tagged in Kairi Sane. Kairi shoved Alexa down and taunted her by playing with the bow in her hair. Bliss got pissed off and slammed Kairi to the canvas. Alexa danced in front of Asuka before tagging in Nikki Cross.
Asuka tagged in and Nikki quickly sent her out of the ring. Cross tripped up Kairi on the apron and Alexa followed it up with a Baseball Slide Dropkick. Alexa then leveled Asuka with a Cannonball off the apron. Nikki hit Kairi with a Crossbody before getting back into the ring to share a hug with Alexa.
Kairi tagged in and Cross quickly threw her to the outside. Kairi hit Nikki with a chop as Bliss once again connected with a Baseball Slide on Asuka. Sane hit Cross with a Hurricanrana and the action returned to the ring. Asuka and Sane isolated Nikki in the corner and beat her down.
Cross battled back and rolled up Kairi for a near fall. Bliss tagged in and hit Kairi with a couple of Clotheslines. Bliss hit another Dropkick as Asuka pleaded for a tag. Alexa went for a Splash in the corner but Sane escaped to the apron. Asuka hopped up for a distraction and Sane capitalized by tying up Alexa in the Tree of Woe.
Sane connected with a Double Stomp and went for the cover but Alexa was able to kick out at the last moment. Asuka tagged in and continued to beat Bliss down in the corner of the ring. Asuka hit Bliss with the Hip Attack and went for a Bulldog but Bliss blocked it. Asuka connected with a kick to the face and went for the cover but Alexa kicked out at two.
Asuka went for another Hip Attack but Bliss got her knees up. Asuka shrugged it off and knocked Bliss back down with another boot to the head. Nikki and Sane tagged in and Cross hit a couple Clotheslines. Nikki hit a Splash and followed it up with a Bulldog.
Nikki screamed and made her way to the top rope. She then leveled Kairi with a Crossbody for another two count. Sane raked Nikki’s eyes and Asuka tagged in. Asuka hit Cross with a few jabs but Nikki battled back and hit a Neckbreaker. Cross went for the cover but Kairi broke it up with the Insane Elbow.
Asuka trapped Nikki in the Asuka Lock in the middle of the ring but Alexa broke it up with Twisted Bliss. Sane then leveled Alexa with a Spear and all four superstars were down. Sane tagged in as Asuka hit Nikki with a Codebreaker. Sane climbed to the top rope but Nikki got up and joined her on the turnbuckle. Asuka went for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb and Sane hit her Cross with a Clothesline at the same time for a near fall.
Nikki planted Cross with a Neckbreaker and tagged Alexa in. Alexa hit Sane with the Twisted Bliss for the victory. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: I thought this match was solid and wish WWE would feature the Women’s Tag Team Championships more on RAW and SmackDown. It is hard to be invested in the women’s tag team division in it’s current state.
Elias Defeated King Corbin
King Corbin came down to the ring and claimed that Elias wasn’t going to be here tonight. Corbin demanded that he be awarded the victory but Elias showed up attacked Corbin. Elias bounced Corbin’s face off the ring apron and rolled him into the ring. The match then officially started.
Match Recap: Elias connected with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Corbin kicked out at two. Elias stayed on the attack and hit Corbin with a chop. Corbin sent Elias tumbling out of the ring to buy himself some time to recover from the pre-match attack.
Elias got back into the ring and Corbin sent him into the ring post for a two count. Corbin followed it up with a massive Clothesline and went for the cover but Elias powered out at two. Corbin went to work on Elias’ shoulder and shouted at the announce table to tell everyone how good he is.
Corbin slammed Elias’ shoulder into the ring post for another two count. King Corbin got pissed off and demanded that the referee count faster. Elias regrouped and sent Corbin flying into the ring post. Elias beat the hell out of Corbin in the corner before the referee finally broke it up. Elias planted Corbin with the Drift Away but Corbin was able to kick out at two.
Elias climbed to the top rope and went for a Splash but Corbin got out of the way. King Corbin planted Elias with the Deep Six for another near fall. Elias hit Corbin with a knee to the face for a two count. Corbin held onto the ropes to try and avoid Elias. King Corbin then hit Elias with a right and went for the cover using the ropes for leverage but the referee caught him. Elias then rolled up Corbin and grabbed his tights for the pinfall victory. Corbin flipped out after the match and shouted at the referee.
Becky Lynch Retained The RAW Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch put her RAW Women’s Championship on the line tonight against Shayna Baszler. Becky Lynch arrived to the Performance Center in her custom truck and marched to the ring.
Match Recap: Baszler and Lynch exchanged punches to start the match off. Shayna went for the Kirifuda Clutch early but Becky escaped out of the ring. Baszler followed her out there and hit her with a few body shots before bouncing Becky’s face off the ring apron. Baszler dead lifted Becky but The Man countered into a Hurricanrana on the floor.
Back in the ring, Lynch climbed to the top rope and leveled Shayna with a Dropkick. The Man followed it up with a forearm to the face and then stomped away on Shayna in the corner of the ring. Becky went for an Exploder Suplex but Baszler blocked it by hanging onto the ropes. Shayna hit Becky with a knee to the face and went for the Kirifuda Clutch but Lynch countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Baszler planted Lynch with a Spinebuster and followed it up with a Cutter for a two count. The Man and Shayna traded punches on the ring apron. Becky got the better of the exchange and slammed Baszler with a Uranage on the apron for a near fall. Lynch climbed to the top turnbuckle but Shayna caught her with a boot to the face.
Shayna hit a Backbreaker and then immediately locked in an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Lynch countered into a cover for a two count and then Baszler applied the Dis-Arm-Her for a moment. The Man escaped out of her own finisher but walked right into a knee to the face for a two count.
Becky then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her across the top rope before Baszler escaped and applied the Kirifuda Clutch on the ropes for a few seconds before the referee broke it up. Baszler swung Becky into the announce desk and rolled back into the ring to reset the count. Back in the ring, Shayna caught Becky in the Kirifuda Clutch but Becky countered into a cover for the victory.
Opinion: This match was very underwhelming and I don’t understand why WWE would have Shayna dominate the Elimination Chamber match for this result. There really isn’t a credible contender for Becky Lynch on the main roster now.
Sami Zayn Retained The Intercontinental Championship
Sami Zayn defended his Intercontinental Championship against Daniel Bryan tonight at WrestleMania. Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew Gulak were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Sami Zayn spent the first couple minutes of the match running around in an effort to avoid Daniel Bryan. Cesaro and Shinsuke kept getting in Bryan’s way as Zayn would return to the ring. Drew Gulak took out Shinsuke and Cesaro with a Crossbody. Gulak sent Cesaro and Nakamura over the barricade. Bryan then told Zayn he can have a countout victory if he wants it and Sami started walking up the entrance ramp.
Bryan sprinted after him and dragged Zayn back into the ring. Daniel beat him down a bit before sending him back outside. Bryan hit a Suicide Dive and rolled Sami back into the ring. Daniel connected with a Dropkick and then smacked Zayn in the face. Bryan shouted that Sami hasn’t earned anything and knocked him to the canvas with a kick to the face.
Sami caught Bryan with an elbow to the jaw and unloaded some punches to his face. Zayn followed that up with a Clothesline before taunting Bryan by shouting “giant mistake” over and over. Bryan battled back with a Clothesline and a few Yes Kicks. Gulak started up a “yes!” chant but Cesaro and Nakamura attacked him from behind.
Bryan took them out with a Suicide Dive and made his way to the top rope. Daniel leaped in the air and Zayn caught him with a version of the Helluva Kick for a pinfall victory. Sami Zayn is still the Intercontinental Champion.
John Morrison & The Miz Are Still The SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Kofi Kingston, Jimmy Uso, and John Morrison competed in a Triple Threat Ladder match to determine the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Morrison & Miz were the champions but The Miz was not cleared to compete in the match.
Match Recap: All three superstars battled on ladders to start the match off. Kingston knocked Jimmy down and hit him with a Crossbody. Morrison hit Kingston with a knee to the face and then unloaded some right hands to Jimmy’s face. Kingston and Morrison made their way up the ladder and traded punches at the top.
Morrison knocked Kofi to the canvas and reached for the belts but Jimmy Uso dragged him down. Kingston leaped through the ladder but Jimmy and Morrison caught him and sent him out of the ring. Jimmy hit Morrison with a chop and set him up on the top turnbuckle. Jimmy placed a ladder in the ropes and bounced Morrison’s face off it.
John knocked Jimmy on top of the ladder and hopped on the ring post. Morrison hit the Starship Pain on Uso before booting him out of the ring. John made his way up the ladder but Kofi came out of nowhere and planted Morrison with a Hurricanrana. Morrison picked up a ladder outside the ring but Kingston took him out with a Crossbody.
Jimmy ran across the top of the barricade but Kofi launched a ladder onto him. Kingston set up a ladder from the apron to the barricade and put Jimmy on top of it. Morrison walked across the top rope and planted Kingston with a beautiful Spanish Fly. Jimmy hopped to the top turnbuckle and hit Morrison with the Uso Splash.
Kingston climbed the inside of the ladder as Uso climbed the outside. Kingston sent Jimmy to the canvas by slamming his head into the ladder. Kofi went to grab the titles but Morrison hopped up and prevented him. Kingston knocked Morrison off the ladder with a headbutt and followed it up with a Double Stomp off the ladder.
Another ladder was set up as a bridge from the ladder and the ropes. Jimmy slammed Kofi’s face into the ladder and knocked him out of the ring. Uso leveled Morrison with a Superkick and set him up on the ladder. Morrison got up and shoved the ladder and Jimmy crashed to the floor outside the ring.
Morrison made his way up the ladder but Kingston climbed up the other side. Kingston hit Morrison with a headbutt as Jimmy brought another ladder into the ring. Everybody unhooked the titles at the same time but nobody had the titles. Jimmy and Kofi hit Morrison with headbutt and Morrison fell on the ladder below. Morrison grabbed the titles during his fall and won the match.
Opinion: Kofi Kingston, Jimmy Uso, and John Morrison put in a hell of an effort in this match. This was the first match of the night that the lack of a crowd really hit me. The energy would have been incredible if this were in front of a live audience. Having said that, this was easily the match of the Night 1 so far.
Kevin Owens Got His WrestleMania Moment
The Monday Night Messiah Seth Rollins squared off against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 36.
Match Recap: Rollins controlled the action early and hit Owens with a couple jabs to the face. Owens chased Rollins to the outside and launched him into the barricade. Rollins hit a knee to the ribs and rolled back inside. Seth went for the Stomp but Owens dodged it and beat Rolins down in the corner of the ring.
Owens connected with a Senton and taunted Rollins as he made his way back to his feet. Kevin went for a Cannonball but Rollins retreated out of the ring. Owens followed him out there and threw him into the barricade once again. Kevin went for a Powerbomb on the apron but Rollins countered into a Back Body Drop.
Rollins followed it up with a Falcon Arrow on the apron and Owens crashed to the floor outside the ring. Rollins leveled Owens with a Suicide Dive the moment he got back up to his feet. Seth taunted Owens and claimed that he becomes a god when the lights are the brightest. Rollins hit Owens with another Suicide Dive while continuing to taunt him.
Seth called Owens a disappointment to his kids and went for another Suicide Dive but Kevin caught him with a punch to the face. Owens’ momentum was short-lived as Seth planted him with a Slingblade. Owens avoided the Stomp twice and hit Rollins with a DDT. Owens followed that up with a Superkick and a Cannonball in the corner.
Owens climbed to the top rope and connected with a Senton for a near fall. Kevin went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but Rollins escaped. Seth hit Owens with an Enziguri but Kevin bounced off the ropes and connected with a Clothesline as both superstars fell to the mat.
Rollins tried to catch a breath on the apron but Owens wouldn’t let him. Kevin brought Seth up to the top turnbuckle and set up for a Superplex but Rollins held onto the ropes. Seth raked Owens’ eyes and went for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb. Rollins then carried Owens across the ring and hit a Buckle Bomb.
Seth connected with a Superkick but Owens shrugged it off and planted Rollins with a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. Rollins rolled out of the ring and Owens chased him out there. Seth hit Owens in the head with the ring bell and the match ended in a DQ.
Kevin grabbed a microphone and said those weren’t the actions of a god, those were the actions of a little bitch. Owens demanded Rollins come back to the ring and finish the match with no disqualifications. Rollins accepted the challenge and marched down to the ring and the match restarted.
Rollins hit Owens with a knee to the face and sent him out of the ring while shouting “fat piece of crap!”. Seth grabbed the steel steps and bashed them on Owens’ head. Seth hit Owens with a steel chair a couple of times but Owens kept talking and called Rollins a little bitch.
Owens then hit Rollins over the head with the ring bell twice and Seth fell on top of the announce table. Kevin Owens then climbed on top of WrestleMania sign and leaped onto Rollins through the table. Owens rolled Rollins back into the ring as Seth pleaded for mercy. Kevin hit him with the Stunner for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I thought this was awesome. The constant trash talk between Owens and Rollins was hilarious and the final few minutes of the match were terrific. Owens finally has his WrestleMania moment after hitting Rollins with an Elbow Drop off the WrestleMania sign.
Braun Strowman Won The Universal Championship
Goldberg defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman tonight at WrestleMania 36. Goldberg was originally supposed to defend against Roman Reigns but he pulled out of the match.
Match Recap: Braun and Goldberg traded words before the bell rang. Goldberg booted Braun in the ribs but Strowman shrugged it off and went for the Running Powerslam. Goldberg escaped and hit three Spears in a row. Goldberg went for a cover but Braun kicked out at two.
Goldberg hit a fourth Spear and went for a Jackhammer but Braun countered into a Powerslam. Strowman hit two more Powerslams and shouted at him to get up. Strowman hit another Running Powerslam for the pinfall victory. Braun Strowman is the new Universal Champion.
Opinion: I couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of this outcome. Strowman versus Goldberg had zero build and was never explained why it was happening in regards to a storyline. Goldberg defeated The Fiend and took the title off of him, only to drop it to Strowman of all people. I figured WWE would just have Goldberg win this match and drop the title to Reigns at a later date.
The Undertaker Prevailed
AJ Styles battled The Undertaker in a Boneyard match in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 36.
Match Recap: AJ Styles arrived at the cemetery in a hearse and popped out of a coffin. The Undertaker arrived on a motorcycle and walked through fog. AJ said he took the liberty of digging Undertaker’s grave for him. AJ grabbed a rock but Undertaker caught him with a punch to the face.
Undertaker slammed Styles’ head off the coffin a couple of times and tried to hit him but AJ ducked. Taker hit the hearse window and cut his arm. Undertaker slammed Styles on the front of the hearse and took a seat next to him. Taker taunted AJ as he climbed on top of the hearse.
The Undertaker unloaded a bunch of punches to AJ’s face and told him to never talk about his wife again. Styles threw dirt in Taker’s eyes and booted him in the balls. Undertaker battled back but Gallows and Anderson showed up with a bunch of masked men.
Undertaker fought them all off one by one until Gallows & Anderson teamed up on him. Undertaker grabbed a shovel and beat Gallows down. AJ Styles bashed Undertaker in the back with a headstone and said Michelle never should have let Undertaker out.
AJ punched Undertaker in the face a couple of times but claimed to break his finger while doing so. Styles told Undertaker to give up and retire already. Undertaker slowly got up and Styles tackled him through a fence. The music got very somber as Styles stated that The Undertaker wasn’t the American Badass anymore, he is just a broken down old bitch.
Styles hit Undertaker with a shovel and he fell into the grave. AJ said “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” before hopping on a tractor. AJ went to pour the dirt on Undertaker but he somehow appeared behind Styles. The Undertaker and Styles then battled on the roof. Undertaker raised his hands and flames came out of nowhere. Gallows tried to attack Undertaker from behind but he threw him to the ground. Undertaker then planted Anderson with a Tombstone. The Undertaker Chokeslammed AJ Styles off the roof and then climbed down.
Undertaker told Styles that they were just getting started and picked him up. The Undertaker dropped him next to the grave and AJ apologized. Undertaker told Styles to go out like a man and grabbed him by the throat. Styles asked Undertaker not to bury him and he said he is not going to do that. Undertaker hugged AJ and said “you fought your ass off and you are good brother”.
The Undertaker then booted Styles into the grave and stared at him. Taker started the tractor and poured the dirt on top of Styles. He got off the tractor and revealed a headstone that read “AJ Styles 1977-2020”. The Undertaker put on his bandana and raised his fist and flamed erupted behind him. Undertaker then rode off on his motorcycle to end the show.
Opinion: I had no idea what to expect with this match but wound up loving every second. It was unique, and absolutely ridiculous but entertaining as hell. Overall, Night 1 of WrestleMania was a success in my opinion. The Universal Championship match was a waste of time, but there were several good matches tonight. I’m looking forward to escaping with some wrestling during Night 2 of WrestleMania tomorrow.