Best and Worst of WrestleMania 39 Night 2: WWE's eventual replacement for Roman Reigns possibly revealed, Grand Slam Champion loses fifth 'Mania match in five years (April 2nd, 2023)
Welcome to the best and worst of WrestleMania 39 Night 2. It's safe to say that, like last year, Night 1 was far superior in terms of overall quality. However, each match still had a big fight feel to it, and there is a lot left to talk about in the end.
We have one worst for sure - No LA Knight or Bobby Lashley on the card.
With WrestleMania 39 officially wrapped up and in the books, our focus going forward will shift towards RAW after WrestleMania as well as WWE programming going forward.
A lot of things were set up for the remainder of the year, and we're going to look at the biggest ups and downs from the second night at Inglewood at the SoFi Stadium:
#3. Best: The incredible Intercontinental title match at WrestleMania 39
It’s TIME for a BANGER! 🔥
#WrestleMania #WMGoesFilmy https://t.co/e6fjd05jbH
The Intercontinental title match between Gunther, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus was highly-anticipated and fully expected to be the most physical match of the weekend. Thankfully, the match lived up to every bit of expectations.
The hope for many fans was that Sheamus would be able to complete his Grand Slam achievement, while McIntyre was somehow the outlier despite being the most popular of the three in 2023.
Gunther, however, was the man who rightfully walked out with the title intact. He put on an incredible performance, as did the other two, and he will now be reaching 300 days as champion by the time SmackDown airs this Friday.
It seems clear that WWE is quietly grooming The Ring General to replace Roman Reigns as the company's top heel. Even wrestling legend Dutch Mantell predicted this, and we have to say that he is spot on.
#3. Worst: Asuka losing again at WrestleMania
Rate Bianca Belair vs Asuka on a scale of 1-5.
#WWE #WrestleMania https://t.co/N6KZLwNiUz
Fans on Twitter were not happy with the fact that Bianca Belair defeated Asuka at WrestleMania 39 to retain the RAW Women's title. While Belair is now a perfect 3-0 at The Show of Shows, Asuka is on the opposite spectrum at 0-5.
This marked her fifth WrestleMania defeat in five years, and it's a shame that WWE seemingly refuses to give her the win even after changing her character. Belair's run has hit the one-year mark, and there was no detriment to her in losing to Asuka.
The match itself was fine, but the result was disappointing. We understand WWE wanting to push The EST because of the influence she has on the younger female demographic, but the outcome was just wrong.
#2. Best: The Shane McMahon trainwreck
.@shanemcmahon IS HERE!!!
#WrestleMania #WMGoesFilmy https://t.co/t4a9EVqxyS
Just to be clear - we are not celebrating the fact that Shane McMahon blew his knee up when doing a leapfrog. We are simply highlighting the comical aspect of his return.
Snoop Dogg was on the verge of booking The Miz for another match and brought out Shane McMahon - a man who Vince McMahon vowed would never return to WWE under his watch. It happened, and a WrestleMania 35 rematch against The Miz was booked.
It began, and while Shane was overwhelmed by the reaction he received, things went awry when he hit a leapfrog and busted his knee. The match had to be stopped immediately, and Snoop Dogg - in a completely brilliant impromptu moment, channeled his inner Rock to finish The A-Lister and take over.
No mention of Shane McMahon was made again, which made it all the more hilarious. The madness of it all cracked us up, which is why it is the "best" in our books - although that time could easily have been utilized for a Bobby Lashley open challenge.
#2. Worst: Right result, bad tag team match
Rate the Women's Showcase on a scale of 1-5.
#WWE #WrestleMania https://t.co/bceqGTKcJV
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler won the Women's Exhibition match at WrestleMania 39, and we aren't going to debate the result. They won as they should have, especially given how WWE has teased them going for the Women's Tag Team Titles.
Apart from the result being right, the match did nothing and had zero importance - just like the Men's Showcase match on Night 1.
We wish that WWE attached some sort of stipulation to make it feel important, but it seemed like a clear tactic to get eight female stars on the card.
#1. Best: A high-drama main event
ACKNOWLEDGE HIM! ☝️
#WWE #WrestleMania https://t.co/Nv0osWev9s
We're not going to get into the details about whether it was right or wrong for Roman Reigns to win against Cody Rhodes. We understand the deflated feeling that most WWE fans feel, especially since it has now been three consecutive WrestleManias that Reigns has walked in with the Universal title and walked out with it intact. WrestleMania 39 is now another one.
WrestleMania 39's main event, however, was high drama and of the highest caliber. We only wish that plain interference wasn't the cause of the win, but it is what it is.
For The American Nightmare fans, we urge you to have this one takeaway from WrestleMania 39 - his chase for the Universal title isn't over. Roman Reigns is the final boss, and it sometimes takes more than once to do so. Just remember the number of attempts it took Reigns to dethrone Brock Lesnar between 2015 and the summer of 2018.
Don't be surprised to see this getting run back for SummerSlam 2023 - as Reigns will have crossed 1000 days by then.
#1. Worst: Wrong outcome for the Hell in a Cell match
.@EdgeRatedR has slayed The Demon at #WrestleMania! What a match! 🔥 https://t.co/jRa7RyGMI7
Edge vs. Finn Balor was another great match at WrestleMania 39, but we felt that The Demon should have been the one to win. There was a freak moment when Edge threw a ladder at Balor's head, causing him to get busted open.
It was a high-intensity match, but Edge didn't need the win. Even if he is the babyface, it would have served better to establish The Judgment Day as a more dominant force. So far, only Rhea Ripley has thrived in that regard.
What did you think about WrestleMania 39? Voice your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!