Rhea/Charlotte and Cena/Wyatt made me have an emotional reaction. Nothing else on night two did. The Boneyard Match was the best overall thing on either show. From a pure entertainment standpoint, Undertaker/Styles was the best thing that’s been on any Wrestlemania show in a few years. Rollins/Owens was well laid out. Nothing else stuck out on night one. The Raw tag title match was the clear laggard of the entire card but it was still decent and necessary to introduce Bianca Belair to the main roster. The Smackdown Women’s title match was a little better than expected. The Raw Women’s title match was a little less intense than expected but still well fought. Edge/Orton tried to be a calmer version of Moxley/Omega. Just like that match, it was 15 minutes and 10 spots too long. Goldberg/Strowman felt like a match that didn’t need to occur.
WWE tried to salvage its premier event in any way possible, which is both admirable and morally questionable given the world’s current circumstances. The cinematic stories worked and strayed from the norm. Unfortunately, most of the empty arena stuff felt like matches sticking to clear formulas built with spots that would normally get a huge pop from a large rowdy crowd. Instead, they got silence which is tough for the performers. It was a welcome distraction but also a situation that warrants concern about the safety and risk for all performers involved. Editing it down to a one night, three-hour show featuring only standout segments and filtering out forgettable contests would’ve been the better option.
