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Pre-Show
After a chaotic mess trying to get into AT&T Stadium, we're coming to you live from Arlington!
There is an absolutely massive crowd here, but right now they are still slowly filing into the stadium. There was tons of confusion among the crowd trying to find the correct parking and entrance, and huge lines at every gate with people walking through the security lines, causing more frustration among fans.
But, now that we're here, the stadium is set up beautifully and the Wrestlemania 32 preshow is under way!
Remember, you can take a look at my picks and all the matches here:
United States Champion Kalisto is defending his title against Ryback in our preshow opening match:
Kalisto (c) v. Ryback
As the title match got underway, the stadium was maybe 30 percent full. Ryback opened the match well in control, leading to Ryback holding up Kalisto for a superplex and holding him in mid-air for nearly 15 seconds before Kalisto countered into a cross body.
The much smaller Kalisto continued a reversal-based offense, with a punishing DDT and a hurricanrana on Ryback as he was on his knees recovering, until the big man was able to put him down hard with a spinebuster.
Kalisto exposed the turnbuckle and ran Ryback into it before hitting the Salida del Sol and getting the clean pin, 1-2-3!
Kalisto retains his U.S. Championship via pinfall.
The crowd is now closer to 50-percent full, but probably safe to say more than a few fans will be upset they missed this one.
Next up, 5-on-5 Divas action. Not much a response for the entrances.
The Total Divas vs. B.A.D. & Blonde
All 10 women took to the ring for a shoving match before Eva Marie took to the ring to hearty boos from the crowd. She soaked it in before roughly tagging in Natalya. She got in some offense before Paige came in and took a rough wheelbarrow suplex from Emma. Emma tagged in Lana, for her in-ring debut.
Lana didn't show too much, but did hit a nice kick before tagging in Tamina. She the kept Paige down with a chin lock before whipping her from corner to corner. Naomi joined Tamina, setting up for a double superplex before Natalya stepped in and saved her.
Paige then hit a flying cross body on the three Divas at ringside from the top rope, but Tamina kept her from tagging out. Finally, she made the tag to Brie Bella as Naomi tagged into.
Brie hit Yes! kicks on Naomi before the women quickly traded finishers in the center of the ring. No idea who is legal at this point. Brie went for Naomi, but took a kick to the midsection. She then hit a split-legged moonsault on Brie, and Lana interfered to hang Brie on the top rope.
Naomi went to go back to work on Brie, but she quickly countered it into a the Yes! lock on Naomi. She tried to drag Brie to the ropes, but to no avail -- Naomi tapped and the Total Divas get the win.
Team Total Divas wins via submission.
After the match, Nikki Bella joined her sister to celebrate in the ring and soak in some "Yes!" chants from the crowd.
We're still about 40 minutes from the main Wrestlemania show on the WWE Network, and AT&T Stadium is now about 60-70 percent full. We should have one more match on the pre-show, I believe -- the Usos vs. the Dudley Boyz.
The preshow is now hyping up Shane McMahon vs. the Undertaker in Hell in a Cell. If Shane wins, he gets control of Raw. If Undertaker loses, this will be his final Wrestlemania match. The cell is hanging among the speakers and lights in the superstructure above the ring.
WWE Hall of Famer Lita took to the ring for an announcement. She standing next to something that looks a lot like a new title belt under a tarp.
Lita spoke at length about the history of the women's division, and how the women in tonight's Divas title match are taking it to new heights. She then announced that the winner of that match tonight will win the new WWE Women's Championship, which is white but beyond that just looks like a smaller version of the WWE Championship belt.
There was a nice pop from the crowd for the new belt and the announcement! It's another step forward for a women's division that has matured in many ways over the last five years. Dropping the "Divas" title will that them be taken that much more seriously, It ought to be a huge triple threat title match tonight, and with this, I imagine they'll give it a lot of time.
The Usos were out next with their haka entrance, followed shortly by the Dudley Boyz.
The Dudley Boyz vs. The Usos
The Dudleys came out firing offensively. They isolated one of the Usos in the ropes and Buba Ray was yelling "Just like your father" at the downed Jimmy Uso. Bubba kept jawing at the fans and the Usos until Jimmy nailed a superkick and both sides got to the hot tag.
Jey Uso got a little bit of offense before the Dudleys pull their "Whassup" bit. The Usos came back with double superkicks before the Dudleys hit a death drop and set up for the 3D. Jey Uso took out Bubba Ray, then Devon and got the quick pin.
The Usos win via pinfall.
But the Dudleys weren't finished -- they laid out both Usos and went for two tables. The each grabbed an Uso, but the Usos fought out with another set of superkicks. They laid the Dudleys down on the tables, then hit double splashes off the top rope to drive both Dudleys through the tables.
The fans were upset they didn't get the 3D through a table, but the splashes will sent them into the main Wrestlemania show happy. We've got about 10 minutes now until the pre-show ends and we get the full pyro to start Wrestlemania 32.
Wrestlemania 32
"America the Beautiful" was performed admirably by Fifth Harmony to open the show, and the crowd was finally about 95-percent full. The ladders were being set up around the ring as the opening video package aired.
The crowd is pumped, and after the fireworks, we've got the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match!
7-Man Intercontinental Title Ladder Match
Big pop for Sami Zayn's entrance, and a huge one for Kevin Owens, the champion and last man to enter.
Your competitors are the champion Owens, the fan favorite Zayn, Stardust, Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler, Sin Cara and The Miz. Zayn and Owens went straight after each other trading punches until Ziggler broke it up. Ryder hit a painful-looking neck breaker on Stardust, then Miz was the first to try to climb the ladder.
Miz was thrown down with the ladder on top of him before Owens and Zayn got back into it. Owens hit a huge backdrop on Zayn on the ladder.
Ziggler and Ryder each climbed the ladder before Stardust pushed it over, hanging them both on the top rope, then Stardust got the same treatment from Sin Cara. Zayn pulled off a crazy suicide dive through the ladder and out onto four men on the outside, then he dove back through the ropes to deliver a tilt-a-whirl DDT on Owens.
Sin Cara climbed the ladder and Zayn pushed it over, by Cara landed on his feet on the top rope before flipping onto the men outside the ring. Crazy spot that got a huge reaction.
Ziggler cleared the ring with superkicks, the biggest of which went to Ryder, before setting up the ladder. He was pushed off by Owens, and then they hit simultaneous super kicks on one another, knocking each other out.
Stardust pulled out a ladder covered in yellow polka dots, matching his ring gear and paying homage to his dad. He cleared the ring with it until Owens cleared it out again.
Zayn and Owens again faced off, with Owens laying out Zayn across the ladder and hitting a frog splash from the top rope onto him. That is going to hurt.
Miz then took on Owens and got a pop-up powerbomb for his trouble. Ryder climbed a ladder in the corner and hit a huge flying elbow on Miz. Ryder and Ziggler each climbed a side of the ladder until Ziggler took them both down hard with a facebuster.
Ziggler limped to the ladder in the middle of the ring and started climbing with one leg. Owens grabbed him by the bum leg and hit him with a powerbomb. Stardust and Sin Cara got involved with Goldust getting laid out on a ladder balanced between the barricade and ring. Cara jumped off the ladder and onto Stardust with a splash, breaking the ladder in half.
Owens suddenly was on the ladder alone, high enough to grab the belt, but Zayn raced up and they began trading punches. Zayn had a hand on the belt, but Owens put a thumb in his eye. Zayn pulled him down and hit him with a suplex out of a sleeper hold position onto a ladder. It looked brutal.
The Miz quickly ran to the top of the ladder, and stopped from grabbing the belt to soak it in. It cost him big, as Zack Ryder snuck up behind him and threw him off. Ryder waited for the belt to swing his way then grabbed it and pulled it down to win the match in a surprise the crowd ate up.
Zack Ryder wins the Intercontinental Championship.
That was one hell of a way to kick off the show. Awesome match with as many painful spots as you'd expect from the stipulation.
Up next, we've got Chris Jericho and A.J. Styles in what should be a wildly different match from what we just saw.
Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles
Jericho's pyro hit, and he began his slow walk to the ring, complete with LED-covered jacket. Styles got a solid reaction for his Wrestlemania debut.
The bell rang and both men paced around the edges of the ring before locking up. Competing "A.J. Styles" and "Y2J" chants started up. Styles hit a hurricanrana from the mat, then threw Jericho over the top rope. Jericho ran away and back into the ring. Styles hit a shoulder block, then they traded arm drags.
Styles and Jericho swapped spots on the ring apron as they each went for Jericho's corner-dropkick spot. Styles connected, then dove over the top rope into a dropkick from Jericho as he was in mid-air.
Jericho took control with a neckbreaker on the side of the ring, a back elbow off the top rope, and a suplex. Jericho went for a cover with one foot as he flexed for a one count. Jericho held down Styles with a submission hold until Styles battled out and the two traded strikes.
Styles hit Jericho with a running forearm then a dropkick in the center of the ring. Jericho rolled up Styles, then rolled it through into the Walls of Jericho in the center of the ring. Jericho locked it in deep, but Styles was able to get to the ropes.
Jericho gave Styles a boot in the corner, but missed as he tried to follow him to the opposite corner. Styles and Jericho jockeyed for position in the corner before Styles threw Jericho face first onto the mat from the top. Both men were very slow to get up before Styles rolled up Jericho for a two count.
Styles went for a Pele kick, but Jericho reversed it into the Walls of Jericho for a second time. Styles again slowly fought to the bottom rope, but Jericho pulled him away. Styles then locked in the calf crusher on Jericho in the center of the ring. Jericho teased tapping before reversing it into a pin attempt for a two count.
The two continued to battle back and forth until Styles was thrown over the top. He held on and used the top rope to springboard back in, but quickly got caught with a Codebreaker for a very close two count.
Jericho sold the frustration of not being able to end it. He then set up Styles for his own finisher, the Styles Clash. Styles was able to fight out into a modified facebuster, but it was only good for a two count.
Both men got up dazed, and Styles was able to hit the Styles Clash. The crowd chanted along with the 1-2... But wait! Jericho barely kicked out and we're not done yet. Great near fall.
They traded forearms in the center of the ring until Jericho went down, but Jericho countered as Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm. Jericho tried for the Lionsault, but Styles got his knees up. Styles again springboarded off the top rope for a front flip splash, but only got a two count once more.
A.J. Styles went back to the ouside of the ring and got the crowd behind him. Styles again went a Phenomenal Forearm off the top rope, but Jericho turned it into a Codebreaker and got the 1-2-3.
Chris Jericho wins via pinfall.
The camera panned the crowd to show Arrow star Stephen Amell and former ESPN personality Bill Simmons. They cut to backstage for an interview with Zack Zyder where he talked about winning the title and celebrating with his father in the ring.
A giant box of "Booty-O's" sat on the stage. It fell over as the New Day's music hit, and giant pieces of cereal fell out. Shortly behind the cereal, the New Day stumbled out of the box dressed in a Dragonball-Z like get up. They made their way to the ring, and the crowd dug it.
The League of Nations was next, and the crowd very much did not dig their usual entrance.
The New Day v. The League of Nations
Kofi Kingston of New Day opened up against Sheamus of League of Nations. The New Day made quick tags in the corner and they worked over Sheamus and grooved to Xavier Woods' trombone skills.
Sheamus hit a powerslam and tagged in Rusev, the Bulgarian Brute. Rusev quickly tagged in Alberto Del Rio to work on Woods. Del Rio put Woods into a submission move until Woods was able to free himself and hit a back elbow. Woods went for the hot tag to Big E, but Del Rio cut him off with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
A short time later, Sheamus was tagged in and began beating out a "New Day Sucks" chant on Woods. Rusev came by in and hit a somersault onto Woods before jawing at Kofi and Big E. Woods remained a target for punishment in the corner as Del Rio came back in and began punching Woods. Woods was finally able to throw Del Rio over the top and crawled on his stomach towards his partners. Sheamus again cut him off.
Woods was able to hit a DDT and finally got a tag to Kingston. He dropped Sheamus and Rusev, then hit leg drops across both. He went for Trouble in Paradise, but Sheamus caught him and Rusev delivered a huge kick to Kingston as Sheamus held him up.
Big E came in and threw Sheamus and Rusev onto the ring apron, then speared through both on them and onto King Barrett, the final member of the League of Nations. Kofi jumped from the top rope for a stomp on Sheamus, then Del Rio his a backstabber on Woods. Del Rio then hit a big stomp on Kingston from the ring apron to the floor.
Woods quickly took a Bull Hammer from King Barrett and a Brogue Kick from Sheamus and that was all she wrote. 1-2-3, Sheamus gets this pin.
The League of Nations wins over The New Day via pinfall.
Barrett grabbed the mic and began cutting a promo about the power of the League of Nations, and how the WWE has never seen a team as tough as them. Suddenly, Shawn Michaels' music hit! He walked out, took his shirt off and posed -- he looks ready to wrestle!
Then, Mick Foley's music hit and he joined Michaels. THEN, Stone Cold Steve Austin's music hit and he joined the other two and they made their way to the ring to face the League of Nations. Business is about to pick up!
Then New Day pulled Barrett to the outside as Michaels, Foley, and Austin grabbed the others. Sheamus took a Mandible Claw from Mr. Socko and Foley, Shawn Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music on Del Rio, and Austin hit a Stunner on Rusev sto clear the ring of the heels. Barrett jumped back in, and got a Mandible Claw, Sweet Chin Music, and a Stunner in quick succession and rolled out of the ring as Austin's music hit.
The New Day entered the ring and tried to get the legends into their dancing bit. Michaels played along. So did Foley. Austin started to, dancing with Woods until he turned around and got a middle-finger salute and a Stone Cold Stunner of his own. The crowd was the loudest they've been all night for that one.
The New Day got out of the way as Austin called for beers. He crushed a couple, saluted the fans, and handed beers to Foley and Michaels as the crowd ate it up. That's the Wrestlemania moment this crowd was hoping for.
Austin bowed to his home state crowd, and the legends made their way to the back.
A video package aired, setting up Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose.
Brock Lesnar v. Dean Ambrose in a No Holds Barred Street Fight
Brock Lesnar was out first and looked all business. He and manager Paul Heyman didn't flinch as his pyro hit and they made their way into the ring. Heyman grabbed the mic from the ring announcer and began his introduction for Lesnar.
Ambrose might have received an even bigger pop than Lesnar when his music hit. He made his way to the ring in his usual jeans/T-shirt/leather jacket.
When the bell rang, Lesnar drove Ambrose into the corner then hit three BIG German suplexes as the crowd counted along. Lesnar took a moment to pose as Ambrose rolled to the side. When Lesnar rolled out, Ambrose began striking Lesnar over and over with a kendo stick.
They moved back into the ring, and Lesnar pulled the stick away from Ambrose and hit two more back-to-back German suplexes. That;s five now. Lesnar grabbed tow kendo sticks and broke them over his knee before a sixth suplex. Ambrose was struggling to get up when Lesnar delivered No. 7.
Ambrose struggled to pull a kendo stick out from under the foot of Lesnar and ate suplex No. 8. Ambrose began fighting back with his fists, but Lesnar cut through him for suplex No. 9. Lesnar released him in mid-air for that one.
Lesnar tossed a kendo stick between he and Amrbose and waited. Ambrose went for it, and Lesnar again put his foot on it. But Ambrose hit a low blow that finally brought Lesnar down for some kendo stick shots. Lesnar rolled to the outside and Ambrose dove out onto him through the ropes. Ambrose found a chainsaw under the ring, but couldn't get it started before suplex No. 10 -- this one on the floor.
A short time later, Ambrose went to the top rope with a chair. Lesnar ran to the top, cut off Amrbose and delivered a big belly-to-belly suplex from the top rope. Lesnar went to chase Ambrose outside, but Ambrose was waiting with a fire extinguisher. Ambrose ran in with a chair and started damaging the monster as best he could.
Ambrose went to the top with a chair and dove onto Lesnar with it for a two count. Ambrose threw about 10 chairs into the ring. He swung at Lesnar, but Lesnar ducked and suplexed Ambrose again -- over the charis he was likely aiming for.
Lesnar went for an F-5 on the pile of chairs, but Ambrose reversed it into a good near fall after a DDT. Ambrose pulled off his shirt and went back under the ring to retrieve a barbed-wire baseball bat. Lesnar ducked the bat and delivered suplex No. 13 onto the chairs. He followed that with an F-5 on the chairs and got the pin, 1-2-3.
Brock Lesnar wins via pinfall.
Lesnar sold the beating he took after the match, as Ambrose stayed down in the ring. Lesnar mockingly sprayed the fire extinguisher in the direction of Ambrose and walked to the back.
I've gotta say, my predictions are getting killed tonight. After Lesnar's win, I'm now 3-4 overall (including preshow picks).
We cut to a Snickers commerical with Ric Flair trying to teach Zack Ryder how to properly "Woooooo!" He couldn't, ate a Snickers, turned into Charlotte Flair and she delivered a solid "Woooooo!" Funny.
Onto a recap of the Hall of Fame ceremony last night and the inductees. The inductees took to the stage to soak in cheers from the 100,000-plus in attendance. Sting was the only inductee to get a full intro with music on the night after he announced his official retirement from wrestling. He came out with no face paint and gave a couple howls that were reciprocated by the fans.
There was a recap of Lita revealing the new WWE Women's Championship that Charlotte Flair will defend tonight against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. That led into a full recap of the rise of the women in the championship from NXT to today. Here's their moment to show how much the women's division has changed.
Charlotte (c) v. Becky Lynch v. Sasha Banks in a WWE Women's Championship Match
Becky was out first, followed by Sasha -- but Sasha didn't come out -- Snoop Dogg did. Snoop got the crowd going with a Sasha-based rhyme and she made her entrance as confetti fell from the rafters. The announcers explained Sasha had chosen Eddie Guerrero-inspired ring gear.
Finally, it was Charlotte's turn. She came out with her father, Ric Flair, and the announcers said the robe she was wearing tonight was made from Ric's robe from his retirement match. Charlotte was still wearing the Divas Championship belt for her entrance, but that will be retired after this match.
The crowd had a nice, big pop for Lillian Garcia's announcement that the match would be for the WWE Women's Championship.
Sasha and Becky opened the match working together against Charlotte before the action moved to a series of quick, one-count pins. Sasha hit a big hurricanrana off the top rope.
The actions was smooth back and forth with Becky getting in most of the offense in the early going. Charlotte gave Becky the Rude Awakening from the top rope for a two count, then beat Becky's head into the mat before another pin attempt. Charlotte worked over Becky's legs, then went for the Figure Eight before Sasha entered and broke it up. Becky tossed Sasha over the top rope and went back to work on Charlotte.
Becky locked in the Disarmer on Charlotte, but Ric Flair got up on the apron to distract the ref. Eventually, Sahsa made in it back in to break up the submission. After Sasha was again cleared from the ring, Charlotte locked in the Figure Four on Becky. Things looks precarious, until Sasha flew in with a frog spalsh from the top rope.
The three fought back and forth before Becky put down Charlotte with a suplex. Sasha had a near fall, but Becky was able to break it up. The action then focused on Sasha and Becky. They went back and forth before Sasha dove between the ropes onto Charlotte on the outside. Ric Flair got involved with Sasha only to be taken out by Becky, who repeated Sasha's dive to the outside on Flair.
All three women made slow recoveries and Charlotte went to the top rope. She hit a HUGE moonsault from the top rope onto Sasha and Becky. Wow. Crowd went absolutely wild. Charlotte eventually grabbed bother her opponents by the hair and threw them in the ring. She hit a double Natural Selection on both women and went to cover each of them twice, only for Sasha and Becky to kick out at two each time.
Charlotte threw Becky into the ringpost, then lifted Sasha for a powerbomb. Sasha was able to wriggle behind Charlotte's head when Becky hit Charlotte with a missile dropkick to knock them both down.
Becky locked in the Disarmer on Sasha, who then turned it into a Bank Statement. Becky reversed out of that, but Sasha reversed the reversal back into the Bank Statement. Charlotee then came in and locked in the Figure Eight on Sasha, who was eventually able to fight to the ropes.
They all traded offense until Charlotte hit a big spear on Sasha. Becky then took Charlotte into the corner and up on the top rope. Becky was knocked of the ropes by Sasha, then Becky returned the favor, locking Sasha in the tree of woe before Becky hit a superplex on Charlotte.
Sasha locked in the Bank Statement on Becky, but Charlotte quickly came in to break it up. She threw Sasha from the ring, then Charlotte locked in the Figure Eight on Becky in the center of the ring. Ric Flair grabbed Sasha on the outside and prevented her from coming in to break it up as the ref watched the action in the ring. Finally, Becky couldn't hold on and tapped out.
Charlotte retained the WWE Women's Championship via submission.
Phew!! It was real hard trying to keep up my typing pace to the action towards the end their, but it's fair to say it blew the crowd away. After the match, Charlotte walked back up the ramp with her father as a big pyro display hit, celebrating the new belt. The WWE Network feed cut to the outside of the building, where pyro also shot off of the perimeter of AT&T Stadium. Nice move to make the new title look and feel like a big deal right off the bat.
A video set up Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon as the Hell in a Cell cage descended from the roof.
Shane McMahon's entrance music hit as dollar-bill shaped confetti fell from the roof. Shane stopped walking down to the ring and backed up to the entrance again. He called his three sons out to soak in the entrance with him. Really cute moment.
Undertaker had his usual long, dramatic walk to the ring, surrounded by fog and with fire erupting behind him. Suitably epic.
The Undertaker v. Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell Match
The match began primarily with strikes inside and outside of the ring. Shane hit a big flurry of punches before he knocked down Shane with one punch. Undertaker hit Snake Eyes in the corner, but Shane bounced right by with a jumping elbow strike. Shane continued to avoid Taker, but was caught on the outside and thrown into the cage.
Shane continued to hide away as Taker took apart the steel steps. Taker pulled Shane out of the ring and threw him into the wall of the cage. He set up Shane with his head hanging off of the ring apron, then hit a huge legdrop across Shane's throat. He then picked up Shane for the Last Ride and delivered it from high in the air. Shane was able to kick out at two.
Undertaker went back and retrieved the steel steps. He pushed them in the ring, and paced around Shane. He reached for him, but Shane countered into a triangle submission hold. Taker sat in it for about a minute and began fading. Shane pumped his fist as it was locked in, but Taker was able to turn it into a pin attempt for two.
They separated briefly before Undertaker hit a big chokeslam on the steel steps. The ref counted to two on the steps before Shane kicked out. Meanwhile, Taker looked exhausted. He went for an elbow on Shane on top of the steps, but the younger McMahon rolled out of the way. Both men were slow to get to their feet.
Shane sat exhausted on the steps, and Undertaker walked into a DDT on the steel steps. Shane got a good near fall, but the match continued. He then hit Taker with an elbow for another two count, then both men sat up and traded punches. Undertaker was able to grab Shane's fist and counter it into the Hell's Gate submission.
Shane refused to tap, and wriggled free. He then turned the Hell's Gate into a sharpshooter. Shane held on for dear life, and Undertaker teased tapping, but powered free.
The two separated once again, with both moving very slowly. Shane left the ring and pulled out a trashcan from under the ring apron. He worked Taker over with kicks. he put the trash can over Undertaker in the corner, climbed to the top rope in the next corner over, and dove from corner to corner to hit a very long distance coast-to-coast dropkick into the garbage can and into Undertaker. He pulled himself over Taker for a pin, and got to two before Taker kicked out.
Shane rolled outside again, finding bolt cutters. He began cutting his way out of the cell. Before he could go anywhere, Undertaker caught him with more fists. He then picked up Shane and drove them through the section of cell where Shane had been cutting. Taker grabbed Shane by the shirt and slammed him again and again into the section of cage. He then went and cleared off the English announce table. Taker delivered a big boot, and went to the Spanish announce table and cleared it off. He hit Shane with a monitor twice and threw him into the barricade.
Shane was balanced on the barricade as Undertaker made the throat-slash gesture. He picked up Shane for a Tombstone piledriver, but Shane slipped out and locked in a sleeper hold while riding on Taker's back. Undertaker then threw them both through the Spanish announce table to free himself.
Shane picked up a toolbox and struck Undertaker with it. Both men were down. "Shane-O-Mac" chants started as Shane again blasted Undertaker with the toolbox. It broke open as Taker was laid out on the English announce table. Shane then looked up to the top of the cell, and struck Taker hit a monitor the keep him down. Shane looked up again and began climbing. Oh boy.
Shane reached the top, 20-something-feet off the ground. The crowd got silent with anticipation. The announcers cried for him not to. Shane made the sign of the cross over himself and dove off, just as Undertaker rolled out of the way. Shane went all the way down through the announce table, and after a "Holy S***" chant, they fell eerily silent (for 100,000+ people). Finally, the crowd gave both men a huge ovation as the two began to stir.
Undertaker stood over Shane, who looked up at him and motioned for him to bring it. Taker carried Shane back to the ring, and both men struggled to get up. Undertaker stood over Shane and told him to bring it. Taker patted Shane on the cheek and hit a Tombstone in the center of the ring for the 1-2-3.
The Undertaker wins via pinfall.
That was far more epic than I ever thought it really could be. The crowd bought into it completely by the end, and the spectacle was amazing, even if it was closer to a brawl than a match. Everyone stood on their feet in appreciation as Taker walked out of the cell victorious. I don't think a single fan could go home unhappy after that, but we'll see what the main event has to offer.
Shane stayed down in the ring while emergency medical staff put him on a backboard and rolled him up the ramp on a stretcher. He gave the crowd a thumbs up as he was feeling to another big pop from the crowd.
The crowd needed the time it took to move Shane out to recover. Next up, the battle royal.
The 3rd Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The favorites received their own intros, while the filer was already in the ring. The crowd popped huge as Diamond Dallas Page's music hit! Then, not to be outdone, Shaq himself -- Shaquille O'Neal -- came to the ring with his own music!
Shaq opened the match staring down Kane and the Big Show. Kane grabbed both by the throat, then they each grabbed Kane for a double chokeslam. Cool moment. Shaq and Big Show continued to stare each other down, then put one another in a chokehold. Suddenly, all the other superstars in the battle royal came back in and worked together to eliminate Shaq and Big Show.
Out of nowhere, 90s WWE superstar Tatanka appeared in the match. Huh -- not sure why he didn't get an intro. DDP made his presence felt with a Diamond Cutter, then he tossed one of the members of the Ascension out for an elimination. The other member followed shortly behind, then DDP was also thrown out.
Tatanka and Jack Swagger were eliminated, as the Social Outcasts worked as a team on the remaining superstars. R-Truth and Goldust were tossed out next, as the Social Outcasts stood tall. They then ran smack into Kane and NXT superstar Baron Corbin. They began taking out the Outcasts, and Mark Henry joined in to finish the job.
Henry was eliminated by Kane and Darren Young, then Kane eliminated Young. As Kane was near the ropes, Baron Corbin ran up behind him and sent him tumbling over the ropes for the win! What a huge win for Corbin making his premiere on the main roster.
NXT star Baron Corbin wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The hardcore wrestling fans were all very pleased with Corbin's debut, and he posed next to his newly-won trophy before heading to the back.
A video package aired announcing Wrestlemania will be in Orlando next year. All we have left tonight is the main event!
Lillian Garcia introduced the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, who did their high-kick line before The Rock's music hit. He posed on the stage before bringing out a flamethrower! There was a giant "ROCK" sign on stage that The People's Champ lit up with the flamethrower. He walked to the ring, soaking in the cheers from the electric crowd.
The Rock opened his promo exactly as you would expect, and he gave some love to the cheerleaders, the crowd, and Wrestlemania. He dropped his "Millions... And millions," of fans line, then repeated it twice more for good measure.
He said records were made to be broken, and announced that tonight's crowd is officially the largest Wrestlemania crowd ever, at 101,763! The celebration was broken up by the Wyatt Family's theme music, and they made their way down to the ring as the fireflies lit the arena.
Bray Wyatt came down and told The Rock he chose him. He said The Rock represents a lie and that this is not his or the fans' moment. He said it was his moment and his was going to eviscerate him on the grandest stage of them all as the crowd watches.
The Rock looked concerned as he raised the mic: "So, let The Rock get this straight..."
He plugged the attendance record again, then mocked Wyatt and his eviscerate line, saying afterwards he was going to eviscerate some pancakes at Cracker Barrel. He made fun of the rest of the family, then returned his focus to Bray. Rock said Wyatt has it all -- the ability and charisma -- but he wastes it.
"You're knocking on a door you don't want to open," Rock said.
"I'm not here to knock on some door," Bray replied, "I'm here to knock one down."
The Rock stripped off his shirt and stood across the ring from the three Wyatts. He said they weren't having a fight -- they were having a match! He called for a ref and took off his tear-aways to reveal his ring trunks and stood face to face with Eric Rowan.
The Rock v. Eric Rowan
The bell rang, Rock hit the Rock Bottom, and got the pinfall in six seconds -- a Wrestlemania record.
The Rock wins via pinfall.
Rock then faced down Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, when John Cena's music hit! He received a huge reaction as he and Rock stood side-by-side. They took out Strowman with a Rock Bottom and Five-Knuckle Shuffle.
Then they turned their attention to Bray, who took an Attitude Adjustment and then The People's Elbow. The Wyatts walked to the back as Cena and Rock celebrated in the ring.
A video package began summing up the Triple H/Roman Reigns feud before we get to the main event.
A creepy video package ended with a tight shot of Triple H's crown with a skull mask under it. Stephanie McMahon pulled it away to reveal herself in a Mad Max-looking dominatrix outfit on top of a throne. She spoke for about two minutes pumping her husband as unbeatable and then Triple H made his entrance to "The Game." Triple H entered the ring with Stephanie and truly does look like he's in the best shape of his life. Not too bad for a 46-year-old. Or a 36-year-old. Or a 26-year-old.
Triple H shared a kiss with Stephanie as Roman Reigns' music hit. He entered on the main stage to a mixed reaction and pounded his fist into the stage as pyro hit inside and outside of AT&T Stadium.
Reigns strolled down to the ring for our main event, and received a ton of boos when his name was announced in the ring. Triple H received mostly cheers.
Triple H (c) v. Roman Reigns in a WWE Championship Match
The two circled each other as the opening bell rung. Triple H took Reigns down in a headlock, then Reigns knocked him down with a shoulder block before Triple H threw him from the ring. Reigns got back in slowly as the fans chanted "Roman sucks." The crowd is solidly against him.
Hunter worked over Reigns' arm, then took a big punch. Reigns made Triple H's own "Suck it" gesture at him in the corner. Triple H threw Roman in the corner, then struck him from behind. He kept working over Reigns, hitting him in his surgically-reconstructed nose.
The two put some space between each other and Reigns hit a flying clothesline on Triple H. He then hit a drive by as Triple H was draped on the ropes. Stephanie got on the apron and distracted the ref as Hunter kicked Reigns in the groin. He then gave him two inverted atomic drops -- still working the, uh, groin area (if you will). Triple H kept taking shots at Reigns' nose, but the fans didn't want heel offense from Hunter.
Triple H caught Reigns with a vintage spinebuster and tossed him through the ropes to the floor. He slammed Reigns face into the German announce table a few times before Reigns blocked it and returned the favor. Triple H threw Reigns directly into the German announcers and got back in the ring before going back out to retrieve his victim. The two traded punches and headbutts before Triple H gave Reigns a spinning neckbreaker.
Reigns was halfway through the ropes when Hunter delivered a double knee to the back of his head and neck. He hung Reigns over the top rope and went for another knee drop when Reigns answered with a big punch. Reigns hit a big boot then a clothesline in the corner. Reigns went for him again, but Hunter countered with a kick. Reigns then hit a Samoan drop for a two count.
Reigns called for the Superman Punch, but Triple H rolled out of the ring. They both went outside, where Reigns climbed the stairs and his a flying clothesline. He whipped Triple H into the stairs and rolled back in the ring only to go back out, where Hunter threw him into the stairs and then again over the German announce table.
Roman Reigns was able to recover and then ran the length of the ring for a spear into Triple H that plowed Hunter straight through the barricade. The ref started a 10-count and dragged Triple H back in the ring with one second to spare. Both men were slow to get up, and Reigns was selling some kind of hand or wrist injury. The ref asked him if he wanted to quit, but Reigns refused.
Triple H countered a Superman Punch into an armbar and then fought to the ropes, but Triple H dragged him back to the middle of the ring and reapplied it. Reigns again and again refused to tap out. Eventually, Reigns rolled away but wasn't able to free his arm. Triple H turned it into a Figure Four on Reigns' arm, but Reigns was able to lift him up for a sit-out powerbomb.
With both men down, Triple H went back to work on Reigns arm in the center of the ring. Once again, Reigns was able to lift him up for another sit-out powerbomb. Reigns was the first one to stand, and he went for a spear, but Hunter turned it into a Pedigree attempt. Reigns lifted up Triple H and dumped him over the top rope. Reigns went for a Superman Punch on the ring apron, but Triple H hit a punch of his own. Reigns went for the pin, but Stephanie pulled out the ref.
Stephanie then got into the ring and continued to argue with the ref. Roman went for the spear, but Triple H moved and Stephanie took the spear. It was the first time Reigns got a full cheer all night. Triple H then quickly grabbed Reigns and hit the Pedigree, but only got a two count.
Both men got up slowly and Triple H drove Reigns' face into his knee before Reigns fell into the ropes, steadied himself and hit a Superman Punch. He went for a spear only to run directly into a running knee from Triple H. Hunter covered him loosely and was again only able to get a two count.
At ringside, Stephanie handed Triple H a sledgehammer. The ref warned Triple H not to use it, then Reigns hit back-to-back Superman Punches. He hit the ropes and ducked the sledgehammer, when hit a spear and got the 1-2-3 to win the WWE Championship.
Roman Reigns wins the WWE Championship via pinfall.
Reigns got to his feet to boos from the crowd as pyro hit inside and outside the arena. He climbed the topes to raise the belt to a chorus of boos.
The show went off the air with Reigns posing and celebrating -- no more surprises tonight!
That's it for Wrestlemania 32 -- thanks to all of those who followed along.
