6 little-known tidbits from WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania. The Grand Daddy of Them All. The Showcase of Immortals. Whatever your feelings towards WrestleMania 32 might be, it’s impossible to ignore the sheer spectacle of it all. After all, it set the record gate for any event in pro wrestling at 17.3 million in 2016. With a total run time of around five hours, WrestleMania 32 seemed to drag on at points with a lot of forgettable moments interspersed with some true WrestleMania Moments.
Here are six little-known tidbits from WrestleMania 32:
#6 Zack Ryder wasn't planned to win the Intercontinental Championship
FROM OUTTA NOWHERE!!! @ZackRyder HAS DONE IT! #WrestleMania #ICTitle #LadderMatch https://t.co/ESZaQrOL0T
One of the most surprising moments from WrestleMania 32 was Zack Ryder winning the seven-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. The former United States Champion wasn't having the best of runs before the event, and wasn't even a part of the match originally.
Yes, you got that right. While it might not be surprising, Ryder was not supposed to be in the ladder match. The match was originally scheduled to be a 6-man ladder match, with Owens retaining the title. However, with Neville getting injured before the pay-per-view, the Man That Gravity Forgot was replaced by Ryder and Sin Cara, and the rest is history.
#5 Beer comes first, comradeship is for later
One of the most iconic moments in this year’s WrestleMania was the presence of three Hall of Famers. After The League of Nations boasted that there wasn’t a trio that could outclass them present in WWE, fans were given a lifetime moment as Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, and Mick Foley graced them with their presence.
On an exciting note, after Xavier woods received a stunner from Stone Cold, the rest of the members were tending him as the three legends celebrated inside the ring. Ah! But is that true? As seen above, Big E is seen drinking a beer as Kofi tends their fallen partner.
#4 Tatanka was in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
never forget Tatanka made is return at Wrestlemania 32 https://t.co/qyZ6sQwToo
Before the Battle Royal began, fans were sure that the surprise entrant at the end would be Cesaro. The only individual entrances at the Battle Royal were for Big Show, Kane, DDP, and Shaq. Then as the Battle Royal began, the WWE Universe noticed someone amongst the 21 Superstars in the ring whom I couldn’t place from either the main roster or NXT.
As the match wore on, fans eventually realized that it was Tatanka! Tatanka, the man who made his then-WWF debut in 1992 was in a match at the Grandest Stage of them All in 2016. Fans can be forgiven for not noticing him in the match because he was barely mentioned on commentary. He barely did much other than brawl with DDP before being heaved out of the ring by eventual winner Baron Corbin.
#3 Dean Ambrose barely used barbed wire or chainsaw
DEAN AMBROSE (JON MOXLEY) VS BROCK LESNAR from WrestleMania 32 should have been a chaotic war. They should’ve told the story of this rabid lunatic who takes everything from Brock and will not stay down nor quit. Would’ve been magic https://t.co/3Shxdjcr05
Two hardcore legends Mick Foley and Terry Funk endorsed Dean Ambrose in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania. They handed him a barbed-wire baseball bat and a chainsaw respectively to help him in his street fight with Brock Lesnar.
Despite weeks of buildup and Dean's repeated promises of one of the most brutal fights in recent years, WWE failed to deliver. Dean barely used either of the weapons in a relatively underwhelming match. Even though we all knew Dean using a chainsaw on Brock Lesnar was never going to happen, Dean didn’t even turn the chainsaw on after taking it out (Finn Balor used the chainsaw for a longer time during his entrance at NXT: TakeOver Dallas).
As for the barbed-wire baseball bat, Dean kissed it before Brock swatted his weapon away and suplexed him for the umpteenth time to end the match with an F5 on a pile of chairs.
#2 Charlotte’s robe was made with pieces of Ric Flair's WrestleMania 24 robe
@MsCharlotteWWE @NatbyNature @BretHart @RicFlairNatrBoy WrestleMania 32 best entrance ever https://t.co/kvqVL1xezO
As Charlotte walked down the aisle to defend her title, anyone who thought that her robe was strikingly similar to those worn by her father was correct in their assumption. Charlotte’s robe was made from pieces of her father’s robe from his WWE retirement match against Shawn Michaels.
An interesting side note here is that Charlotte was ringside during Ric’s retirement match at WrestleMania 24. With this being Charlotte’s first in-ring appearance at the Showcase of Immortals, it was an excellent way for her to honor her father’s legacy.
#1 WWE mixes out boos during Triple H vs. Roman Reigns
If you watch the show again, notice that the volume instantly went down as soon as Roman Reigns' entrance music hit. It was clear to anyone who knew the basics of sound mixing that WWE was trying to mix out the boos from the live crowd to protect The Big Dog’s status as the face of the company for viewers watching at home.