LOS ANGELES — Roman’s reign isn’t finished yet.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his championship before more than 81,000 people jammed into Sofi Stadium in L.A. for the second night of WrestleMania 39 on Sunday.
The main event featured Cody Rhodes challenging Reigns in a match that had genuine big fight feel thanks to a yearlong build that featured plenty of emotion, history and storytelling and the legitimacy surrounding Reigns during his historic run.
Rhodes, who had never main evented WrestleMania, came to the ring to a monstrous ovation, where he received a huge hug from his daughter at ringside, before he handed his signature belt that he’d inscribed with every wrestling promotion he’s ever worked for to the son of his late friend, Brody Lee.
Reigns, who had been champion for 945 days, almost unheard of in the modern WWE, came slowly to the ring as six pianists played live on stage. Reigns entered the contest as the first superstar in WWE history to have defended the same title at three straight WrestleManias.
The match itself did not disappoint, a back-and-forth affair that was filled with highs and lows, near falls and edge-of-your-seat action.
Reigns had plenty of help from fellow Bloodline members Solo Sikoa, Jimmy and Jey Uso and Paul Heyman as the action moved in and out of the ring and the odds stacked against the challenger.
Reigns dominated the first 10 minutes of the match, with help from Sikoa, who was ejected from ringside by the referee.
The match’s near finishes were many, with Reigns kicking out of a Crossroads and a Pedigree, while Rhodes kicked out of a Superman Punch and Spear, which left the more than 81,000 fans exasperated.
Rhodes mixed in tributes to his father and brother, using some of their signature moves, while Reigns also used his Guillotine, which Rhodes managed to survive.
The match reached its high point when Rhodes missed a kick, inadvertently striking the referee, who fell to the floor. As the match continued, Reigns’ Bloodlines members The Usos came out of the crowd, attacking Rhodes, which prompted Canadians Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to respond. Both teams fought inside and outside the ring.
Both Owens and Zayn hit Reigns with their finishers before the interferers disappeared into the crowd.
The crowd neared exasperation as the two men fought on for several more minutes before the big finish.
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Heyman climbed the apron and distracted the still woozy referee, while Sikoa returned to the ring and attacked Rhodes, opening the door for Reigns to hit his signature Spear and scored the pinfall win.
The pro-Rhodes crowd was shocked at the result, as Reigns extended his historic run.
Canadian Hall of Famer and legend Edge, in his Brood persona, took on Finn Balor, who resurrected his demon persona, in a Hell in a Cell match that featured incredible entrances for both.
Edge, who returned in 2020 following a nearly decade long retirement due to a neck injury, came into his 14th WrestleMania appearance doing some of the best work of his career.
As expected, the match was physical, with Edge delivering the finishers of both former Brood members Grangrel and Christian, while Balor suffered a deep cut that required staples during the match.
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The crowd exploded when Edge pulled a ladder from under the ring. The Canadian was a pioneer of the Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Balor was cut badly mid-match when Edge threw a ladder at him, striking him in the head. Officials scrambled and closed the wound ringside so the match could continue.
Both men delivered impressive bursts of offence in a match that featured the aforementioned ladder as well as chairs, tables and kendo sticks. In the end, Edge scored the pinfall win after delivering a Concerto, in which he laid Balor’s head on a chair and hit him with another chair from above, a fitting conclusion to a violent encounter.
The Raw Women’s Championship match, which featured champion Bianca Belair defending against former champion Asuka, featured amazing entrances. Asuka entered led by several other women dressed similarly to her, while Belair’s entrance featured several young girls sporting long braids like hers, culminating with a tiny youngster whose somersault ignited the crowd. It was revealed after the show that one of the young dancers had lost her mother that day, but still came to be a part of the event to honour her late mom.
The match itself delivered, as expected, with Belair showing offer her unrivalled strength and Asuka her unmatched in-ring skills.
The crowd was treated to a back-and-forth affair that finished with Belair surviving the Asuka Lock using her sheer strength, powering Asuka up on her shoulders and hitting her with the KOD finisher and the pinfall win, retaining her title.
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The first true surprise of the weekend came when Snoop Dogg created an impromptu match for WrestleMania 39 host The Miz, introducing his surprise opponent, Shane McMahon. The crowd exploded with delight when McMahon, who hadn’t been seen on TV in more than a year, appeared from the back.
Unfortunately, McMahon was injured while attempting a leap frog, tearing his quadriceps muscle, incapacitating himself. A quick-thinking Snoop Dogg stepped in, delivered a couple of hard hits to Miz, followed by a People’s Elbow, scoring the pinfall win while officials helped a clearly injured McMahon to the back. Following the event, Paul (Triple H) Levesque made a point to praise Snoop Dogg for recognizing that McMahon was unable to continue and stepping in without hesitation and finishing the match.
The evening’s third match, which proved a show stealer, featured the Intercontinental champion Gunther putting his title on the line against veterans Sheamus and Drew McIntyre, who were tag-team partners coming into the match.
Gunther, one of the best young talents in the company, set a Royal Rumble record for the longest time in the ring at an hour and 12 minutes and 35 seconds in January and came into the match having held his title for almost 300 days.
It was a rugged and brutal affair overall, with all three men sustaining prolonged and multiple chest chops, hard bumps and very little actual wrestling.
McIntrye, who stands six-foot-five and 265 pounds, also did a top rope reverse suicide dive, which completely ignited the crowd.
All three big men had the crowd eating out of their hands with several near three-counts and displays of athleticism and brutality. With all three spent, and the crowd exhausted from the action, Gunther powerbombed both of his opponents, scoring the pinfall victory.
The evening’s opening match featured Brock Lesnar, one of the greatest WWE stars of all time, facing seven-foot-three, 400-plus pound former Nigerian basketball star Omos.
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The match was a peculiar one to begin with, with Lesnar, one of the top draws in history, facing a relative newcomer who while impressive in size, doesn’t offer much in terms of experience or pure wrestling skill.
To no one’s surprise, the match was short, with Omos opening by displaying some of some of his decided size advantage before Lesnar delivered three German suplexes and an F5 finisher for the win.
The second match of the evening was the Women’s WrestleMania Showcase match, which featured four tag teams (Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green vs. Natalya 7 Shotzi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rosey & Shayna Bazler). Noteworthy going into the match was that Calgary native Natalya was making her 11th WrestleMania appearance, the most by a woman in WWE history.
Bazler and Rousey scored the victory via submission.
American country music star Jimmy Allen performed the national anthem to open the evening.
WrestleMania 39 Night 2 results
- Brock Lesnar def. Omos.
- Ronda Rosey & Shayna Bazler def. Natayla & Shotzi/Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez/Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green).
- Gunther def. Drew McIntrye and Sheamus to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
- Bianca Belair def. Asuka to retain the Raw Women’s Championship.
- Snoop Dogg def. The Miz.
- Edge def. Finn Balor in Hell in a Cell.
- Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
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