WrestleMania 38 came to a conclusion at AT&T Stadium Sunday night. The two-night event featured Roman Reigns beating Brock Lesnar in a heavyweight title unification match, new women's tag team champions Naomi and Sasha Banks and appearances by Vince McMahon (who had a match!
The Athletic Staff
Summary
WrestleMania 38 came to a conclusion at AT&T Stadium Sunday night. The two-night event featured Roman Reigns beating Brock Lesnar in a heavyweight title unification match, new women's tag team champions Naomi and Sasha Banks and appearances by Vince McMahon (who had a match!), "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Pat McAfee, Johnny Knoxville and others.
NIGHT 2 RESULTS
- RK-Bro def. The Street Profits and Alpha Academy to retain Raw tag team championship
- Bobby Lashley def. Omos
- Johnny Knoxville def. Sami Zayn
- Naomi and Sasha Banks def. Carmella and Queen Zelina; Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley; and Natalya and Shayna Baszler to win the WWE women's tag team championship
- Edge def. AJ Styles
- Sheamus and Ridge Holland def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
- Pat McAfee def. Austin Theory
- Mr. McMahon def. Pat McAfee
- Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal championships
RELATED LINKS
- Best matches, biggest surprises and more
- What happened on Night 1?
- Sasha Banks, from WWE to 'The Mandalorian' and beyond, won't be stopped
- Before he was a WWE legend, Ron Simmons was Bobby Bowden's cornerstone
- Corey Graves, voice of 'Raw,' more comfortable than ever with many hats he wears
- Damien Priest on WrestleMania week, Scott Hall, Bad Bunny and more
(Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)
A winning weekend
The ending was meh, but overall, it was a great two nights. Great matches, plenty of comedy and memorable moments. WWE reminded everyone that no one puts on a show quite like the leader in sports entertainment.
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Is that it for Brock?
I was down on the floor for the main event, and the energy was electric. The match was surprisingly short, which had everyone thinking The Rock would come out. Didn't happen. Brock Lesnar stayed around and acknowledged the crowd and got his music to play out. Could that be the end of his career?
Kind of a dull ending but overall one of the most fun WrestleManias ever.
Reigns retains
After a months-long feud, Roman Reigns finally beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. He'd come up short two previous times (WrestleMania 31, of course, featured Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank contract in the main event; three years later, Lesnar beat Reigns in New Orleans). Third time was the charm.
The main event had a big-fight feel, and the crowd was into it from the start. It'll be interesting to see where Reigns goes from here. On the "SmackDown" side, Drew McIntyre seems to make sense as a challenger soon. And the crowd does love Shinsuke Nakamura, who, after Rick Boogs' leg injury this weekend, could certainly see more time as a singles competitor.
A wild stat
I'm 99 percent sure Michael Cole just said Roman Reigns hasn't been pinned or submitted since December 2019. Did a little research, like the journalist I am.
Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2019. Reigns lost a TLC match to...
King Corbin.
More well-deserved Pat McAfee love
Pat McAfee did that! Every celebrity appearance this weekend has been a hit. From the Theory match to Mr. McMahon to eating a Stunner, he's made for this business. That segment had the perfect blend of action and comic relief.
You OK, Pat?
No, really ... are you?
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Sure, why not?
I'm fine with the creator of WrestleMania having his own match at WrestleMania anytime he wants. Whatever. Do you, Mr. McMahon!
Celebrity non-wrestlers go 3-for-3
Pat McAfee just beat Austin Theory. What does that mean?
All three celebrity non-wrestlers on the WrestleMania 38 card — McAfee, Johnny Knoxville and Logan Paul — left AT&T Stadium with victories.
Paul also left with his tag team partner The Miz giving him a Skull Crushing Finale. But, still, a win in a win, right?
High praise from chairman
Vince McMahon telling a WrestleMania crowd that Austin Theory is a future world champion is damn high praise. Feels like when he said the same about Drew McIntyre back in the day. That was a winding road out of the company, but Drew did get there.
Attendance for Night 2
The announced attendance for Sunday is 78,453. Add that to the 77,899 from Saturday, and WrestleMania 38 has ... carry the one ... 156,352 fans watching the "stupendous" show at AT&T Stadium.
One more appearance from The Undertaker
Saturday's crowd was graced with The Undertaker's presence. It's only right that Sunday's crowd sees the newly initiated WWE Hall of Famer in person, as well.
"Thank you, Taker" chants are all over AT&T Stadium.
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Edge-Styles match lives up to the hype
No shock that Edge and Styles put on a professional wrestling master class. I love Edge as a heel. He's one of the best in that role the business has seen.
The New Day's tribute to Big E
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are singlets and long jackets to honor their brother, Big E. Love it.
The New Brood?
Talked to Damian Priest earlier this week (see the article below), and he spoke very highly of Edge.
I felt something after Priest spoke about Edge. It was ... different, unlike the rest of the convo. It almost felt like he was ... telling me something without actually saying it.
Sunday night, he stood side-by-side Edge in the ring after Edge beat AJ Styles.
I'm here for this collabo.
Still surreal
Edge was out of action for nine years due to neck injuries. It's still wild to see him back in the ring. As he battles AJ Styles in a match many wrestling fans thought they'd never see, I can't help but think of all the matches we missed out on during his hiatus from 2011 to 2020. But I also can't help but think of what the future might hold (Edge vs. Lesnar, anyone?)
AJ's entrance
AJ Styles entered for his match against Edge with what appeared to be blood on the right side of his face. Not sure if it was mentioned on commentary, but it was definitely noticeable. Obviously assume it's nothing too serious if he's competing, but you couldn't miss it.
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Banks, Naomi triumph
Is this the first time Sasha has won at WrestleMania? Happy to see her finally get a triumphant moment. Same for Naomi, who had to suffer through that drawn-out Sonya Deville storyline. It's not her first win at Mania, but that story took forever and felt pointless at times.
New tag team champions
Naomi and Sasha Banks just captured the WWE women's tag team championship. Perfect time to bring this story from last week back to the table.
Chris Vannini: Sasha Banks willed the women’s tag team titles into existence with Bayley and once hid a separated shoulder from WWE out of fear the belts wouldn't happen, as I wrote last week. Now she's a three-time tag champ.
The Athletic Staff
Kudos all around
Chris Vannini: That Johnny Knoxville segment was incredible comedy, and everyone loved it. That's a celebrity segment well done.
Jason Jones: I enjoyed Sami and Knoxville. Hilarious. Sami was excellent, and the "Jackass" crew was outstanding. Everyone comes out of this looking good.
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