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2020 WWE Wrestlemania 36 Night 2 Review: Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley

On the heels of Night 1 of Wrestlemania 36, there’s still a lot more in store. For the first time ever, WWE’s biggest annual show is taking place over two nights, without a live audience. All told, over 15 matches are being presented as part of this year’s showcase of the immortals.

The first installment of Wrestlemania 36 saw Braun Strowman win the Universal Championship, AJ Styles and the Undertaker compete in the first-ever Boneyard Match, and so many more memorable moments. If you missed the first half of the show, you should take a look at GameSpot’s results and review for Night 1.

Now, Night 2 is upon us. Brock Lesnar is defending the WWE Championship, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt is luring John Cena into his Firefly Funhouse, and finally fans will see Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley face off. There’s so much planned for Night 2, and chances are you aren’t going to want to miss it.

Whether you’re tuning in or not, though, you aren’t going to want to miss out on what happens during the second half of Wrestlemania 36–or whether it’s any good. Luckily, GameSpot’s Wrestle Buddies Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring are here for you. Follow along with the Night 2 live review below, and keep an eye on the show results, as well.

Wrestlemania 36 Night 2 kicks off with the preshow at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT on the WWE Network. You can check out the full card below, followed by the match-by-match review. Then, if you missed out on Night 1, take a look at photos from the event.

Wrestlemania 36 Night 2 Match Card:

  • Liv Morgan vs. Natalya (KICKOFF SHOW)
  • Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley
  • Street Profits (c) vs. Angel Garza & Austin Theory (Raw Tag Team Championship)
  • Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi (Elimination Match for Smackdown Women’s Championship)
  • Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler
  • Edge vs. Randy Orton (Last Man Standing)
  • John Cena vs. The Fiend (Firefly Funhouse Match)
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (NXT Women’s Championship)
  • Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Championship)

Kickoff Show

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1. Natalya vs. Liv Morgan

Winner: Liv Morgan via pinball

Chris: I’m too tired for how quiet this match is. Unlike Mat, I do care about these wrestlers. That said, neither of them have been invested in anything remotely interesting in…forever? Poor Liv only has that awful Ruvev/Lashley feud, while Nattie is probably on the show sometimes.

As for this match, I know this is the kickoff show and not the main card, but in a situation like this, Wrestlemania needs a hotter start. Drew Gulak and Cesaro had the same issue in Night 1. Filler matches like this work when there’s an audience, but not in the Performance Center.

Ultimately, Liv won after a round of dueling rollups, mercifully ending this one.

2/10

Mat: Oh boy! It’s a match I have zero investment in. I don’t care for either of these wrestlers. I don’t even know the story between them, beyond “Liv Morgan is no longer hooking up with Lana who divorced Rusev so she could squeeze Bobby Lashley’s glutes.” We’re 30 minutes into Night 2, and I’ve already referenced Lashley’s butt–remember that weird storyline with Lio Rush?

I really shouldn’t be starting off this jaded because last night was a ton of fun. Maybe there shouldn’t have been Kickoff Show matches. This feels pointless. Both of these wrestlers deserve to be involved in something better than a throwaway match with no story. It wasn’t a bad match by any means, but it wasn’t a good way to kickoff the whole event. It’s forgettable and bland.

3.5/10

Main show

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2. Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (NXT Women’s Championship)

Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission

Chris: I love Rhea Ripley. That needed to be said, first and foremost. I’m beyond excited she’s getting a Wrestlemania moment against Charlotte Flair, and it would have played amazingly in front of a stadium packed full of people. That said, for my money, they are not really losing much wrestling in the Performance Center. These two are among the very best WWE has and are making a statement by having one of the best matches we’ve seen from Wrestlemania 36 so far. It’s a very different match than Becky Lynch vs. Shayne Baszler because it’s not about hate, it’s about being the very best. These two out-maneuvering and out-wrestling each other, trading momentum back and forth, is just wonderful.

This match is just painful to watch in the best possible way. Watching Charlotte take her time picking apart Ripley’s knee was masterful–as was Ripley’s constant selling. I don’t necessarily agree with the decision to give Charlotte the win here, but at least Ripley more than held her own. It’ll be interesting to see what Charlotte being back in the NXT goal means for the brand once they resume regular programming.

8.5/10

Mat: We’re starting with this? Hell yeah. Here’s a match that doesn’t need an audience at all because it is what you would call one of those barn burners. Sure, the crowd would be going nuts for this one, but these two are killing it in the ring, and nothing else matters.

I really like matches where Flair taps into her brutal side and goes all-out on an opponent. She spent most of the match working Ripley’s knee, and it’s like something snapped inside her. Flair does a wonderful job at bringing her character into the ring, which is the icing on the cake for the match. On the flip side, Ripley isn’t a jobber being served to someone on the main roster. She’s just as brutal and can easily stand toe-to-toe with Flair. And she sold her knee throughout the match, incredibly well, leading to the finish.

Flair winning the championship was a big surprise. I did not expect it to go that way, but it works. And hopefully, we can see another match between these two. This was a real rad way to start the main card.

9/10

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3. Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Match is in progress…

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/2020-wwe-wrestlemania-36-night-2-review-charlotte-/1100-6475650/