In this WrestleMania 38 Night 2 review, Roman Reigns square off with Brock Lesnar in a Title Unification Match, Vince McMahon actually wrestles, and much more.
Let’s jump in!
- Show: WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 2
- Date: April 3, 2022
- Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. (c) RK-Bro – Raw Tag Team Titles
As if there was any doubt, these three teams work great together. They’ve reinvigorated the tag team division (on Raw, at least) and they delivered a fun sprint to start the second night of WrestleMania. It seems they are teasing a potential Street Profits heel turn at some point, but I’m not sure how well that would work. I did wonder if WWE would go the route of doing a Randy Orton/Riddle breakup angle here but opted to have them keep the titles. That’s probably the right move given how over they are as a team. Just a fun, well-worked match with all six men working hard.
The post-match angle with Gable Steveson suplexing Chad Gable was fine, but it’s way too early in Steveson’s career to have him doing anything substantial on the main roster. He could get there eventually though. (***3/4, Recommended)
Winner: RK-Bro via pinfall to retain at 11:30
Omos vs. Bobby Lashley
It’s hard to say this was a disappointment since it was about what most figured it would be. I thought maybe there would be some MVP involvement, but perhaps they’re saving that for an angle on Raw. The bigger question is what’s next for Omos after losing clean to Lashley? Is there really a point in having a rematch, and more than likely, these two trading wins for a few months? This was one of those matches where you book yourself into a corner, as you really can’t beat either man. Beating Lashley wasn’t the right move, but beating Omos removes a lot of the appeal from his push.
Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall at 6:35
Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville – Anything Goes Match
This has to be one of the best comedy matches WWE has ever done. And this is coming from someone who rarely watched Jackass in its prime. Just like the Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens match, if you were trying to dissect this from a workrate or technical wrestling standpoint, you were doing it wrong. This was an experience, and a hilarious one at that. Sometimes, I want to just have fun when I watch wrestling. This was so much fun. Zayn deserves every dollar of his new WWE contract, and Knoxville also deserves a lot of props for his role in this match. And get Wee Man a contract! (Recommended)
Winner: Johnny Knoxville via pinfall at 14:25
Naomi and Sasha Banks vs. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan vs. Natalya and Shayna Baszler vs. (c) Carmella and Queen Zelina – Women’s Tag Team Titles
Not much to take away from this match other than Sasha Banks finally winning at WrestleMania. Banks and Naomi rightfully won the titles, and there was no other finish that would’ve made sense. Would I have preferred a Banks vs. Naomi or Banks vs. Ripley singles match instead? Sure. But this was a way to get more people on the card, so I won’t complain about that. Ripley and Morgan are headed for a breakup, which could play into the rumors of Ripley being part of a possible Edge heel faction.
Winner: Naomi and Sasha Banks via pinfall at 10:50 to win the titles
Edge vs. AJ Styles
There was a lot of anticipation for this match, even if the build wasn’t perfect. I would’ve preferred a longer build to an Edge heel turn. The match itself was good, though probably not the best one they have in them. This was the type of match where a longer-built story would’ve added more to the presentation. They still told a good story, but it just seemed like it was missing something. Based on how it unfolded, they are inevitably headed to a rematch or two, which I’m fine with considering that it’s Edge and Styles. Maybe this is where Edge takes a step towards building a stable. Then again, if that’s the direction, wouldn’t Styles winning be the better choice? Nonetheless, it was an entertaining match. (***3/4, Recommended)
Winner: Edge via pinfall at 24:05
The New Day vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland
It’s wild to think WWE didn’t have time for this two-minute squash match on Night 1. Unfortunately, this was one of those matches that seemed like it never belonged on the WrestleMania card. Things were obviously altered due to Big E’s injury, so this was WWE putting it on the card to put it on the card without any clear idea of the direction for all parties involved. Easily the most meaningless match on either two nights of WrestleMania 38, and that sucks for guys like Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Sheamus.
Winner: Sheamus and Ridge Holland via pinfall at 1:40
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
McAfee was AWESOME. So was Theory. These two played very well off of each other, and the crowd absolutely loved McAfee. He was legitimately one of the most over stars on the card. I had no idea what to expect from McAfee (despite him doing great things with Adam Cole in NXT), so this delivered in a big way. McAfee winning was a surprise, but perhaps not given what it was setting up…. (***1/2, Recommended)
Winner: Pat McAfee via pinfall at 9:40
Pat McAfee vs. Vince McMahon
Yes, Vince McMahon, at 76 years old, wrestled a match at WrestleMania. In a way, it was perfect for the long-running Austin vs. McMahon storyline. Austin makes his triumphant return after 19 years away from the ring the night before, so what does McMahon do? He tries to one-up him by having his own match the next night. And just like Austin, Vince won. I wish they would’ve pushed that idea a little more, though we did get the inevitable showdown between the two after the match. That’s where McMahon took the worst Stunner in wrestling history, and it’s one that still has me laughing. I know some people will despise Vince wrestling at WrestleMania (especially considering what we said about the New Day match), but I’m fine with how it played out. It was a moment and a spectacle. That’s what WrestleMania is all about in this era, so why not?
Winner: Vince McMahon (!) via pinfall at 3:45
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar – Title Unification Match
This was billed as the biggest match in WrestleMania history. Nothing about this match said biggest match in WrestleMania history. It was nowhere near the WrestleMania 31 match between the two, and was pretty average for a WrestleMania main event. I’ve seen people speculate that an injury to either Reigns or Lesnar forced the match to finish earlier than planned, but either way, I’m not sure it would’ve ever hit the level of being a memorable main event. Reigns winning was predictable but fine. There was nothing else of note coming out of the match. In that regard, it was disappointing.
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall to unify the titles at 12:15
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WRESTLEMANIA 38 NIGHT 2
Top Matches
- Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
- Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. RK-Bro
- Edge vs. AJ Styles
- Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
Show MVPs: McAfee, Theory, Zayn, Knoxville (and friends), Orton, Riddle, Ford
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Thoughts: While Night Two didn’t match WrestleMania 38 Night One, it was still enjoyable enough. I thought we’d be talking more about the main event and Edge vs. Styles coming out of this one, but somehow, they weren’t as entertaining as matches like Zayn vs. Knoxville and the triple threat tag match. Yes, I actually put Zayn vs. Knoxville at the top of my match rankings for the show because, remember, enjoyment of any match and/or show is always subjective. For my money, it was the most fun thing on the card. Combine the two shows together, and this was one of the best editions of WrestleMania in years.
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