Here are the biggest controversies from WWE's Wrestlemania 36. Without a doubt, Wrestlemania 36 will go down as one of the most memorable and historic events in the company's lifetime, if not the entire timeline of professional wrestling. The spread of coronavirus has slammed the brakes on modern life across the world and with lockdown active in many countries, the world of entertainment has been mostly cancelled. Sporting events, TV production, even the juggernaut of Disney's MCU has been forced to slow its theatrical domination. But like a Brock Lesnar title reign, wrestling rumbles on unaffected.
Both WWE and AEW have continued to run pre-recorded shows in empty venues with only a skeleton staff, and remain one of the only industries still airing and producing new content in this unprecedented climate. The worldwide crisis just so happened to coincide with WWE's biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania 36, and many expected the annual extravaganza to be delayed or cancelled altogether. In a remarkable move, however, Wrestlemania 36 didn't budge from its scheduled date. Moved from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to WWE's own performance center and extended from one night to an entire weekend, Wrestlemania was recorded in advance and aired as planned.
Generally speaking, Wrestlemania 36 has been well-received online, but just like any other WWE pay-per-view, has managed to attract a certain degree of controversy thanks to divisive results, odd guest appearances and bad creative. Here are the 6 most controversial moments from WWE's Wrestlemania 36.
Becky Lynch Retains The WWE Raw Women's Championship Against Shayna Baszler
For so long, it appeared that Shayna Baszler was set to be the next big thing in WWE's women's division. Having already enjoyed one solid reign with the NXT Women's Championship, Baszler picked up the title for a second time in October 2018 by dethroning Kairi Sane at the all-female Evolution event and embarked on a mammoth stint with the belt, remaining champion for over a year with the help of fellow MMA horsewomen Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. A central role on the main roster beckoned and Shayna enjoyed a strong showing at the Royal Rumble back in January, eliminating 8 fellow competitors on her way to second place. Following the Rumble, reports emerged that Shayna was originally touted to win the match, but the decision changed due to Vince McMahon having reservations over Baszler. Those rumors appeared quashed when Baszler dominated at Elimination Chamber, and glory beckoned on the grandest (fan-free) stage of them all against Becky Lynch.
And then Shayna lost. There are several angles of controversy to this decision; Shayna's own momentum is killed, and her trouncing of WWE's women's division now looks wasted in hindsight. By keeping Lynch as champion, WWE are also doubling-down on a character many fans have cooled on over the past 12 months, and who has no obvious challenger on the horizon. The manner of Becky's victory has also ruffled some feathers, coming via another sudden pin similar to last years's main event victory at Wrestlemania 35.
Charlotte Flair Defeats Rhea Ripley For The NXT Championship
Wrestlemania 36 delivered a second controversial women's championship result as Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley for the NXT belt. Even before the bell rang, some fans were irked that Flair had won the Royal Rumble and taken a spot away from another NXT talent such as Bianca Belair or Io Shirai. Most skeptics, however, conceded that all would be forgiven if Charlotte put Rhea over at 2020's Showcase of the Immortals.
There's absolutely no denying the quality of Flair and Ripley's match, which can confidently stake a claim as one of the weekend's best from an in-ring perspective, but the result has already courted derision. With Charlotte's place in the match already a sore point, her victory has emboldened those who believe Flair is booked too strongly by WWE and furthered the belief that Charlotte is following in the tradition of Triple H, John Cena and Roman Reigns by routinely stopping new stars from emerging.
The NXT women's result hasn't proved quite as controversial as Becky's retention of the Raw belt. Aside from pointing out that Rhea came out of the bout looking good in defeat, some have countered the naysayers by suggesting Charlotte's presence on the NXT brand will not only help boost ratings against a growing AEW, but will allow Flair to take on a host of exciting new competitors. While this is certainly true, that excitement will soon fade if Charlotte continues to roll over NXT's finest.
Rob Gronkowski's Hosting
Moving away from match results, opinion on Rob Gronkowski's hosting has not been positive. Celebrity appearances are part-and-parcel of Wrestlemania, dating all the way back to Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T at the inaugural event, and fans have largely learned to grin and bear WWE's attempts to attract mainstream appeal. Gronk's presence in WWE might be lost on viewers outside of the U.S., but the NFL star's hosting duties certainly helped take Wrestlemania 36 beyond WWE's usual audience. Sadly, the general consensus is that Gronk's enthusiasm was an unnecessary side-show that failed to add anything to the night's festivities.
It's easy to decipher WWE's logic - in an empty room with no fans, find a larger-than-life, charismatic figure to fill the void between matches. In reality, however, Gronk's "hype" felt awkward without an audience to work with, and the late switch to Titus O'Neil was a welcome reprieve. As divisive as Gronk's hosting was, he looked liked he enjoyed himself, he walked away with the 24/7 Championship, and he didn't detract from the main action. Some might consider that a good night's work.
The No-Win Universal Championship Situation
In terms of matches, WWE's Wrestlemania plans largely proceeded without major disruption, even after the coronavirus pandemic took hold and the event was moved to an empty building. Where a change was deemed necessary, WWE somehow pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. For example, the Triple Threat for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship was forcibly altered at the last minute due to an issue with The Miz, but eventually became a contender for match of the weekend. However, there was one situation that not even WWE could navigate around: the Universal Championship.
Partly of their own making and partly pure bad luck, one of WWE's biggest titles was contended in arguably the lowest point of Wrestlemania 36. The problem began back in Saudi Arabia when WWE's hottest character, The Fiend, lost in convincing fashion to aging part-timer, Goldberg. This result sparked heavy backlash, and the door-bothering WCW star was lined up to lose against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 36 in a feel-good moment that would course-correct the Universal Championship. Through nobody's fault, that match was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak and Reigns' pre-existing health condition, but WWE didn't help themselves by announcing Braun Strowman as a replacement without any fanfare. This meant that, despite being the correct call, the biggest win of Braun's career felt notably shallow.
While the virus outbreak and Reigns' precautionary measures couldn't have been foreseen, WWE made the mistake of putting the belt on Goldberg in the first place, and then failed to build-up Braun Strowman as a viable contender, leading to a match that was destined to disappoint.
AJ Styles & The Undertaker's Boneyard Match
Making full use of Wrestlemania 36 being pre-taped, WWE opted for 2 cinematic, out-of-the-box matches, with one shown on each night of the event. While night 2's Firefly Funhouse match is being widely hailed as a weird and wonderful work of baffling brilliance, the Boneyard Match between AJ Styles and The Undertaker is splitting opinion. Undoubtedly, a sizable portion of fans enjoyed the over-the-top outdoors casket match that featured the long-awaited return of 'Taker's biker persona, and the Boneyard match certainly included some fun ideas, including druid henchmen, various eras of Undertaker, and a chokeslam from atop an outbuilding. WWE's first Boneyard match was also a welcome departure from the usual empty-arena shenanigans and provided much-needed break from regular programming.
For some, however, The Undertaker's latest Wrestlemania appearance just straddled the wrong side of the line between genius and insanity, proving comedic where drama was the intention and overselling the gothic mysticism of the match stipulation. The Boneyard match has been compared to Matt Hardy's famous "Deletion" series, but both they and the second night's Firefly Funhouse match had a self-awareness that Wrestlemania 36's Boneyard match lacked. The comparisons to Hardy's work also gave an added layer of controversy, given that Hardy left the company and joined AEW after being under-used.
The Event Actually Happened
By far the most controversial aspect of this year's Wrestlemania is that the event happened in the first place, given everything currently going on in the world. WWE are no strangers to controversy, and their plowing ahead with 'Mania is small potatoes compared to their decision to put on a show in Saudi Arabia in the immediate aftermath of the Jamal Khashoggi incident. Nevertheless, Wrestlemania 36 will always be looked at by some as the event that should not be. As WWE would explain it, they have a mission to entertain regardless of the circumstances, and the world could certainly use a fun distraction in the current climate. But while the commitment to putting on a weekly wrestling show could be commended, opting to go ahead with the industry's biggest event of the year at a time where social gatherings have been banned will always be looked upon as another occasion where "then, now, forever" wasn't necessarily on the right side of history.