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Both the nights of WrestleMania 36 are finally in the books and overall, this year's 'Mania was incredible, given the current circumstances and the situation WWE was in. The event will be talked about for years to come, especially the two unique matches that may have very well changed the landscape of the company.
Several championships changed hands and we saw the return of one of the coolest characters in WWE history. History was made as the first British WWE Champion was crowned. While the Show of Shows has given us a lot of memorable moments over the years, this year's extravaganza created memories that many fans will never forget.
While some of the matches were underwhelming, several surprises took place at the event that we didn't anticipate. Here's a look at the five things we didn't expect to see at WWE WrestleMania 36 as a whole.
#5 What happened during the Firefly Fun House match?
Wow. Just wow!
When WWE announced that John Cena, one of their biggest stars ever, was going to face 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match, many fans were left confused as to what a Firefly Fun House match was.
After the match ended, many fans were still left confused. We have never seen a match like this in WWE before, and it certainly wouldn't have been possible in front of over 70,000 people at Raymond James Stadium.
The match was different from the WWE style, and as it turns out, people out there actually enjoyed it. This wasn't your average wrestling match. Cena and Wyatt were acting silly throughout the whole thing.
John Cena made an appearance as his old gimmick 'The Prototype', the Doctor of Thuganomics and he even dressed up as a member of the New World Order. We certainly did not expect any of this, but then again, they don't call him 'Unexpected John Cena' for nothing.
#4 Charlotte Flair winning the NXT Women's Championship
Charlotte Flair has been dominant on RAW and SmackDown where she became a 10-time Women's Champion. Rhea Ripley is one of the fastest rising stars in WWE, and she's currently one of the top Superstars on the NXT brand.
She started feuding with Charlotte Flair after the latter won the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble match and the two were scheduled to clash at 'Mania for the NXT Women's Championship. All of that was fine, as many people believed that The Nightmare was going to win the match since Charlotte is on RAW and a win over her would've benefitted Ripley.
However, WWE pulled out yet another shocker by handing the NXT Women's title to Charlotte, who already is the most decorated female Superstar in the history of the company. The biggest question here is what's next for Charlotte Flair? Will she move to NXT?
What happens to Rhea Ripley and how does this loss affect her? The two stars put on a good match anyway and the answers to all these questions could be answered very soon, so stay tuned.
#3 Otis getting the win and the girl
A few weeks ago, Otis had no chance of going out on another date with Mandy Rose. After he showed up late during his Valentine's Day date with God's Greatest Creation, it looked like Dolph Ziggler had Mandy all to himself.
Otis, Ziggler, and Mandy became involved in a love triangle that led to a feud between Dolph and the Heavy Machinery member. All hope was not lost, when a mysterious hacker exposed Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose's best friend, proving the innocence of Otis.
At WrestleMania, Rose showed up and attacked both Ziggler and Deville, allowing Otis to win the match. After that, the two stars embraced in the ring, giving us all the happy ending we deserve.
Normally in cases like this, the heel goes over and gets all the heat. But this time, the right man won and although this may not be the end of the storyline, WrestleMania was a huge payoff and it put a smile on a lot of people's faces.
#2 Braun Strowman defeating Goldberg in 2 minutes to win the Universal Championship
Braun Strowman finally did it. The Monster Among Men defeated Goldberg to capture the Universal Championship, bringing the title back to SmackDown on a full-time basis. In Goldberg's entire career, only a handful of people have beaten him clean.
He defeated The Fiend at Super ShowDown to win the title, giving the latter his first loss in WWE. The main reason for this was because Goldberg was a transitional champion, meaning the sole reason he was given the title was so that he could drop it to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Reigns, however, pulled out from the match due to health concerns and WWE had to go on with Goldberg dropping the title, but to another Superstar. Strowman lost his credibility a long time ago due to WWE's failure to make him Universal Champion when the time was right.
The best time for him was back in 2017, so him winning the title now after not being involved in anything significant lately is a bit of a surprise. WWE also never announced the reason why Strowman was chosen to replace Reigns, and the match didn't have any build to it at all.
The two stars exchanged only one move each and Strowman won the title in two minutes and ten seconds after delivering several powerslams to Goldberg. Now that he's the new Universal Champion, it's left to be seen who the Monster Among Men will feud with next.
#1 The Undertaker returning as the American Badass
The Undertaker and AJ Styles received rave reviews for their Boneyard match that occurred on the first night of 'Mania. Everything about the match was enjoyable. What made it all the more special was the return of biker 'Taker or the American Badass. Undertaker looked great in the gimmick and AJ Styles' performance was also praiseworthy.
This was no doubt that it was the best match of WrestleMania 36, and it's already a contender for match of the year. WWE legend and Hall of Famer Mick Foley even asked WWE if he could be in a Boneyard match next year.
Many wrestlers, including those from AEW, expressed their thoughts on the match on Twitter. Styles was literally buried by The Undertaker, and although he lost, he will still be remembered for his role in this legendary match.
The feud between Styles and 'Taker was personal, which could possibly be the reason why the latter decided to bring back his old biker gimmick.
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