WWE WrestleMania 37: Night 2 Review - April 11, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Randy Orton def. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt

What a weird choice for the opener. I was hoping WWE would make this a cinematic match at the last minute, but no such luck. At the very least, we got to see The Fiend make his first WrestleMania entrance, but it was all downhill from there. Okay, so the match could have been way worse and I'm glad it didn't go longer than it needed to, but all people are going to remember is that awful finish. Alexa Bliss betraying The Fiend and costing him the win was insanely stupid. I don't know why you'd break them up at this point, not to mention Orton didn't need the win after already beating The Fiend at TLC. No matter the character, Wyatt just can't escape bad booking it seems.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler def. Natalya and Tamina

So, WWE chose to follow that opener with this match? I can totally understand why some fans are calling this one of the worst first openers in recent WrestleMania history (if not ever). That isn't to say this was terrible, but I honestly have zero desire to see Natalya and Tamina in the tag title picture. Good on them for "reinventing" themselves and getting a push, but they just aren't interesting to me. Unfortunately, the duo of Baszler (who is being criminally wasted in this role) and Jax aren't much better. Tamina was over here for whatever reason and it was a decent match, but I didn't need to see nearly 15 minutes devoted to this.

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn

This is where business started to pick up on this show. I was hoping they'd be given some time to go all out on the grand stage. The fact the women's tag title match went longer is mind-boggling to me, but the near-10 minutes this lasted were a ton of fun as their chemistry is obviously amazing. You can tell it meant a lot to them and so it made me happy to see them get that opportunity. Better yet, the Logan Paul stuff was kept limited and he ate a Stunner afterward courtesy of Owens. This was everything it needed to be.

Sheamus def. Riddle to Win the United States Championship

Sheamus and Riddle have had a handful of matches against each other since Riddle's move to the main roster last year and they've killed it every time. This encounter was no exception. Much like Owens and Zayn, they made the most of the time they were allotted and had a hell of a sprint. Riddle's character is a goof, but his matches never cease to deliver while Sheamus has been an MVP in the ring during WWE's pandemic era. That Brogue Kick out of nowhere finish was just fantastic. The U.S. title feels like a consolation prize of sorts for Sheamus after failing to win the WWE Championship earlier this year, so at least he got something for his efforts.

Apollo Crews def. Big E in a Nigerian Drum Fight to Win the Intercontinental Championship

How the hell did this only get five minutes? To their credit, they packed a lot into that time frame and it didn't even feel that short. I've been waiting to see them have that one defining match in this feud, but they're constantly being cut for time. That said, they kept it energetic with the pace they were working and beat the crap out of each other with the weapons at ringside. Crews winning the Intercontinental title had to happen after losing so many times to Big E. I didn't mind the interference from the former Dabba-Kato/Babatunde as his pairing with Crews could have potential. It gets him back on TV now that Raw Underground is no more, if nothing else.

Rhea Ripley def. Asuka to Win the Raw Women's Championship

Ripley got the WrestleMania moment she should have gotten last year. Even Asuka, whose booking I have been critical of during her reign as Raw Women's Champion, had the chance to compete at the biggest show of the year and drop the title properly to someone who can (hopefully) help shake up a stagnant Raw women's division. The match itself was very good. The crowd was quieter than I was expecting, but that's likely because WWE didn't do the best job of establishing a real issue between these two women coming into the event. Nonetheless, Ripley winning the title was the correct outcome. Her losing last year was not, so thankfully they had her bounce back this year in a big way.

The Bella Twins Attacked Bayley

Titus O'Neil and Hulk Hogan were out on the stage one more time (they appeared several times throughout Night 1 and Night 2) when they were interrupted by Bayley. If she wasn't going to have a match either night, at least she also appeared a bunch and had a pretty big presence on the show in a non-ring role. There were rumblings that Becky Lynch or Ronda Rousey could appear, but instead we got... The Bella Twins. I realize they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this past week, but that was a letdown. I assume this was designed to plant the seeds for them coming back soon, which has been rumored recently.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Daniel Bryan and Edge in a Triple Threat Match

This was the match I was looking forward to more than any other on either night of WrestleMania, not only because I knew it would be a show-stealer but also because the build has been so great. Plus, the outcome was unpredictable as any one of these guys could have realistically walked out as Universal Champion. We've seen top-tier Triple Threats at WrestleMania over the years and this was among my favorites (though being there live of course makes me biased). They told a stellar story, produced exciting action, and had the crowd engaged from start to finish. In the end, Reigns retaining his title was the right call. He's doing the strongest work of his career right now and has plenty more to do as Universal Champion. I could have done without all of the interference from Jey Uso, but that was my only nitpick. Reigns pinning Bryan and Edge as decisively as he did likely means he's moving on to new challengers. Cesaro, anyone?

Overall Show

In addition to Night 1, I was in attendance for Night 2 of WrestleMania as well and had a blast. It may not have been a full capacity crowd, but it definitely sounded like it from where I was sitting. I'd probably rank Night 1 slightly over Night 2 (the first hour of this show was subpar), but it was an excellent event on the whole and it was so great having fans back in the building for the first time in a year. Definitely seek out that Triple Threat if you haven't seen it, and the middle of the card had a few above-average matches as well. Finally, I can't stress enough that WWE should make WrestleMania two nights every year. It's so much nicer for not only for everyone in attendance but also for those watching at home.