Right now, with everything going on in the world everyone could use a little entertainment. Things like Netflix, Hulu and Youtube have become essential. The WWE decided that it would not cancel Wrestlemania, but instead hold in within the Performance Center with no fans. Fans are still watch some of the best performers in the world put on some of the best wrestling for two straight nights.
It was definitely a spectacle, to say the least. In my opinion, the first night was very unique in its own way but failed in comparison to what night two had in store. Not to say that it was a bad night of wrestling, as proven by the first match of the whole card. The match saw the Kabuki Warriors defending the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. This match was a perfect opener to the show, fast-paced, great story and exciting victory for Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
One of the things about this show is, there are times when you don’t notice that there aren’t any fans in the stands, but there are times when it stands out like a sore thumb, and these matches are very different with no noise.
One of the most jarring moments was the Triple Threat Ladder Match between Kofi Kingston of The New Day, John Morrison from Iz and Morrison, and Jimmy Uso from The Usos for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. Hearing the sounds of ladders impacting off the Performers was painful to watch.
The two Matchs that caught my attention the most were AJ Styles and The Undertakers boneyard match, and John Cena vs The Fiend. These were both very compelling because both of these matches use the fact that there would be no fans to their advantage.
Styles vs The Undertaker played out like an 80’s action movie. A young gun looking to prove himself, and an old veteran—who people wonder if he has anything left in the tank. With the obvious difference being that the loser of this fight gets buried alive. The ability to prerecord the fight and edit to give the match more mysticism mad it feel like you were watching a very real fight in a movie rather than a wrestling match.
Of course, the best match out of both days would be John Cena vs The Fiend. This story has been building since Wrestlemania 30 in 2014 when John Cena beat Bray Wyatt who was turned into The Fiend because of said loss. Again the match played to the strengths of being prerecorded and edited, and it felt less like a match and more like a dive into the psyche of John Cena. It was interesting to see all of the different callbacks that this match provided. Showcasing John Cena’s career throughout the years, and all of the different routes he could have taken. To put it simply, John Cena vs The Fiend is the reason why I still love watching wrestling to this day. This was Storytelling at it’s very finest.
I really commend WWE for putting on this show. While still putting the health of their talent first. They gave the freedom to the roster to not have to take part in the show if they didn’t want to. They did things that they wouldn’t normally have been able to do during the regular show, which in turn provided us with one of the most unique Wrestlemanias of all time.