by Thabang Smata
The WWE franchise is one of the biggest wrestling sports entertainment productions ever. It is truly remarkable and stands out from its competitors. What gives it its distinctive features are its different pay-per-views. Pay-per-views are wrestling events with different gimmicks, they spark life into the show.
The best pay-per-view event would be WrestleMania. WrestleMania is a professional wrestling promotion where the biggest stars lock horns and is hosted annually in different grand finale stages with exquisite set ups. WrestleMania has always delivered until the most recent one.
WrestleMania 36 was set to commence on March 25 2020. It was supposed to be amazing because of all the storylines that had been leading up to the event. We had Roman Reigns versus Bill Goldberg, which had the WWE universe really excited. It was quite thrilling with these two titans going head to head, they all were extreme brawlers and big dogs in the WWE roster.
The Undertaker would be returning to face off with the phenomenal AJ styles and Brock Lesnar would be going against Drew McIntyre in a title match. Now this was absolutely epic, each of these superstars was legendary.
The Undertaker had a huge reputation and had only lost a single match since WrestleMania 18. He had a winning streak that was only broken by Brock Lesnar. Both these men were a big deal. Goldberg was the first man to beat Brock Lesnar for the universal championship. These men were extraordinary wrestlers who deserved some great respect even from the script writers. In honest terms WrestleMania 36 was a degradation of their names.
The biggest failure about WrestleMania was an external factor, the Covid-19 pandemic. There were no fans in sight as the event took place in some small gym that had very little to work with. The set up was so disappointing. It seemed like WWE did not make much out of the situation.
Another disappointing occurrence was that Roman Reigns had pulled out. He was not going to compete due to the virus as he had battled cancer recently. So instead we got Goldberg versus Brawn Strowman which was honestly a joke. Braun pinned Goldberg within two minutes. Two silly minutes!
It was extremely disheartening because the match lacked enthusiasm, it was like bitter coffee and was poorly done. Goldberg should have been a tough nut to crack and this was a primary example of how the WWE doesn't care anymore.
Just as many thought they were done disappointing for the night, Brock Lesnar lost to Drew McIntyre in the most ridiculous way ever. The only breathtaking moment was when Drew McIntyre pinned Brock so easily. This was WrestleMania! They were supposed to put on an incredible show with heart-stopping, not heartbreaking, moments.
After all that build up on Raw, it amounted to nothing . Lesnar fans were not disappointed with the outcome of that match, they were dissatisfied with the lack of authenticity given the fact that Brock was supposed to be a big deal.
The Undertaker’s match with AJ style was not a match, it was a short film which was honestly decent. The WWE went all out in that match, they ensured that we were entertained. The downside though was the fact that the match was too unrealistic. The WWE is obviously fake but they just blew it out of proportion this time around.
It packed a punch. The Undertaker clapped the living daylights out of AJ styles. From burning buildings and fights on rooftops it had the WWE universe on the edge of their seats. When the match ended that’s when WrestleMania ended.
The other matches were too casual. None of them had an unforgettable moment, which was what everyone was looking for in a WrestleMania match.
Overall WrestleMania 36 was a failure compared to its predecessor. It was not completely WWE's fault in every aspect. They originally had planned an astonishing set up with astounding effects on a grand stage. The franchise wasn't entirely responsible for WrestleMania’s poor execution but it was a failure nonetheless.
The writers did not do any good in trying to make the most out of the situation. There were no fans live so they could have done something special. Yet the WWE universe is still looking forward to some more pay-per-view, the majority still believe that the WWE can still redeem itself.