Brock Lesnar vs. Omos

Background: On the February 20 episode of Raw, Omos and his manager MVP addressed the match between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley from Elimination Chamber. MVP called Lesnar a coward and claimed that Lesnar intentionally disqualified himself because Lesnar knew he could not break Lashley’s Hurt Lock submission. MVP then invited Lesnar to Raw the following week to accept Omos’ challenge for a match at WrestleMania 39. That episode, after MVP sold him on the match, Lesnar accepted.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two big men.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Brock Lesnar is 5-6, Omos is 1-1.

Match: Brock wastes no time going after Omos but Omos simply tosses Lesnar out of the way. Omos takes control with an elbow, headbutt, bearhug and powerslams. Lesnar finally gets some offence in with three German suplexes. Lesnar hits an F5 and gets the three!

Result: Brock Lesnar wins by pinfall.

Review: That wasn’t too long but was probably about the right length. It feels like it’s been a while since one F5 kept someone down. A big win over a big guy for Lesnar tonight. He sold well for Omos who has something but is also missing that x factor I think. He’s got it in him though ,he showed a bit of charisma tonight.

Rating: 3.5/10

Natalya & Shotzi vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

Background: This match was announced out of nowhere and teams were given the chance to qualify. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were the first team to qualify, beating Emma and Tegan Nox. Natalya and Shotzi then beat Xia Li and Lacey Evans before Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler announced that they had been added to the match. In the final qualifying match Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville defeated Mia Yim and Candice LeRae.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these four teams.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Natalya is 1-6, Liv Morgan is 0-2, Ronda Rousey is 1-2, Shayna Baszler is 1-2. Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville all make their Wrestlemania debut tonight.

Match: Sonya Deville and Liv Morgan kick off the match. There’s plenty of tags in this match as all the women look to get their offence in. Raquel, Natalya and Liv hit a triple powerbomb on Shayna as the two teams look to target Shayna and Ronda. Chelsea plays a great heel and dives to the outside on Natalya and Shotzi to get away from Raquel. Raquel then powerbombs her partner Liv into everyone else on the outside. All hell has broken loose if that isn’t clear. Sonya is impressive with her strikes against Rodriguez. Natalya and Shotzi hit a Hart attack on Deville. Natalya then applies a double sharpshooter on Sonya and Chelsea which is broken up by Liv Morgan. Shotzi hits a nice double underhook tiger suplex on Morgan. Liv hits oblivion on Shotzi but Baszler, who has lost one of her boots, tags herself in, as does Ronda Rousey who applies an armbar to Shotzi and Shotzi taps out.

Result: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler win by submission.

Review: This match was ok, it was quite fun. The girls all got their spots in but at the end of the day there was only ever going to be one winner. Ronda and Shayna get a big Wrestlemania win over three makeshift teams. The winners were in the match a lot less than the others and I do wonder whether Shayna hurt herself which was why her boot was off. A good but predictable win none the less.

Rating: 5/10

GUNTHER (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre – Triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship

Background: On the March 3 episode of SmackDown, a fatal five-way match between Drew McIntyre, LA Knight, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, and Karrion Kross was announced for the following week, where the winner would face Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 39. On March 9, it was announced that due to an injury, Kingston’s New Day tag team partner Xavier Woods would replace him in the match. A double pinfall occurred in the match, with McIntyre and Sheamus named co-winners. It was then announced that the two would face each other the following week to determine the definitive number one contender, however, that match ended in a no-contest after Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci) attacked both men. WWE official Adam Pearce then decided that Gunther would defend the championship against both McIntyre and Sheamus in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 39.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time triple threat match between these three men.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Sheamus is 4-6, Drew McIntyre is 3-4. Gunther wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Imperium and The Brawling Brutes join Gunther and Sheamus on the stage but don’t accompany them to the ring. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre club away at each other in the early going before Gunther gets involved and it doesn’t get any less stiff. The chops from Gunther to Sheamus are stiff as hell. Gunther applies a Boston crab to Sheamus which McIntyre breaks up. There’s a super stiff chopfest from McIntyre and Gunther. Sheamus and McIntyre double team Gunther, beating and chopping the hell out of him before Sheamus turns his focus to McIntyre. Gunther hits Sheamus with a German suplex and clothesline for a two count. Drew hits the futureshock on Gunther and then looks for the claymore but Gunther avoids it. Gunther hits McIntyre with a powerbomb for a near fall.

Sheamus hits Gunther with white noise off the middle rope and then a Celtic cross for a near fall. Sheamus hits Gunther with as brogue kick but McIntyre breaks up the pinfall. Drew hits a diving plancha out to Sheamus and then looks for a claymore but Sheamus hits him with a brogue kick for a near fall. Drew hits Sheamus with claymore for a near fall. This is some match. Sheamus hits Drew with another brogue kick but he’s slow to make a cover and Gunther breaks it with a big splash. Gunther then powerbombs Sheamus onto McIntyre before powerbombing McIntyre for the win!

Result: Gunther retains the Intercontinental Championship by pinfall.

Review: Wow, that was a hell of a match, I loved it. It was one of the stiffest matches I’ve ever seen if not the stiffest. These three men beat the hell out of each other. I did think Sheamus might win it but in the end it was Gunther who has been a fantastic Intercontinental Champion. The crowd loved every minute of it. Gunther will be world champion sooner rather than later, take my word for it.

Rating: 9/10

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka – Raw Women’s Championship match

Background: Due to the women’s Royal Rumble match winner choosing the SmackDown Women’s Championship, an Elimination Chamber match was scheduled for the eponymous event to determine Bianca Belair’s challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39. The match was won by Asuka.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two girls.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Bianca Belair is 2-0, Asuka is 0-3.

Match: Asuka has some fellow masked dancers for her entrance whilst Bianca has the “Divas Of Compton”, a young dance troupe dance her out to the ring. Bianca starts the match quickly, getting the better of Asuka with dropkicks, right hands and suplexes. Asuka fires back with strikes. Bianca hits a big spinebuster and then fights out of a triangle hold. Asuka applies the Asuka lock but Bianca rolls out of the ring. Bianca hits a big powerbomb outside the ring which gets her a near fall. Asuka counters a glam slam and applies an ankle lock but Bianca powers out. Asuka hits more strikes and then a dropkick into the ringpost. Bianca suplexes Asuka back into the ring off the apron in a similar way that Cesaro used to. There’s a nice back and forth between the two but neither girl can finish the match. Bianca starts to get frustrated but gets hit with a codebreaker. Belair glam slams Asuka into the top turnbuckle and then looks for the KOD but Asuka hangs on to the top rope. Belair knocks unto the referee and Asuka looks for the blue mist but Bianca ducks it. Bianca then looks for a KOD but Asuka counters and applies an armbar but Belair picks her up and hits the KOD for the win.

Result: Bianca Belair retains the Raw Women’s Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a good match. The last match was a hard one to follow but this match by itself was still good. The finish was well thought out and I was suckered into thinking Asuka might win but this one was all about Bianca. A good win for her who has now held the Raw Women’s Championship for a year.

Rating: 6.75/10

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz

Previous PPV matches: Shane McMahon has previously defeated The Miz twice on PPV.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Shane McMahon is 4-3, The Miz is 4-7.

Match: The bell rings and Shane lays into The Miz with his trademark jabs. Shane leapfrogs Miz and doesn’t get back up. What the hell. Shane might have broken his ankle there. Shane is legit hurt. Snoop gets in the ring and lays out Miz with a right hand. Snoop nails Miz with another right hand! What the hell is going on. Snoop hits a people’s elbow and pins Miz for the three. Snoop wins? What the hell has just happened.

Result: Snoop Dogg wins by pinfall?

Review: What the hell have I just seen.

Rating: N/A

Edge vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor – Hell In A Cell match

Background: At WrestleMania 38, Edge won his match thanks to a distraction from Damian Priest. The two then formed a faction named The Judgment Day. Over the next couple of months, Rhea Ripley and Finn Bálor would also be added to the group. In June, however, Bálor, Priest, and Ripley turned on Edge, kicking him out of the group. In September, The Judgment Day recruited Dominik Mysterio. Edge continued his feud with The Judgment Day over the next few months, and he and his wife Beth Phoenix teamed up to defeat Bálor and Ripley at Elimination Chamber. On the following episode of Raw, Edge, who felt his feud with The Judgment Day was over, lost his United States Championship match after interference from Bálor. The following week, Bálor said their feud was not done and challenged Edge to a match at WrestleMania 39. On the following week’s episode, Edge interfered in Bálor’s match, causing him to lose, and Edge challenged Bálor to meet him alone on the next episode. There, the two agreed to a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 39 with Edge wanting to face Bálor’s “Demon” persona and Bálor agreed.

Previous PPV matches: These two men have wrestled one PPV only once before and it was Finn Balor who won that contest.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Edge is 8-5, Finn Balor is 1-1.

Match: It seems as though this match is in conjunction with the new exorcist film. There’s a trailer for the film and then a monologue for the match by (presumably) the priest in it. Edge then comes out up through fire to Slayer with some sort of metallic skull head and wings. Bit strange. I’d have preferred the Brood music. The bell rings and both men leave the ring a grab weapons. Edge grabs a chair whilst Balor finds a purple kendo stick. Edge takes control, managing to trap Finn in the corner of the cell using two kendo sticks. Edge goes a midsole dropkick to the trapped Baylor before going back into the ring and hitting an impaler DDT. The Demon no-sells a lot of the offence and puts Edge through a table outside the ring. Back in the ring and Edge hits the killswitch. That’s both Gangrel and Christian’s finishers he’s hit. Edge throws a ladder at Balor busting him open. That was a hell of a shot. A doctor comes into the ring to clean Balor up. Finn manages to take down Edge, looking for a coup de gras but Edge rolls out of the way. Finn avoids a spear and then hits a sling blade, dropkick and coup de gras for a near fall. Finn climbs the ladder but Edge goes up with him and hits an impaler DDT off the ladder for a near fall. Balor sets Edge up on a table and then climbs up the cell looking for a coup de gras but Edge rolls off the table and Finn goes through it! Edge hits a spear for a near fall. Edge hits a con-chair-to and pins Balor for the three.

Result: Edge wins by pinfall.

Review: This was another fun match. It didn’t go too long, it was the perfect length and they got some cool spots in. It was a match that could have gone either way but in the end it was Edge who got the big win which will probably end this chapter for him. This was a good spot on the card for Finn Balor who has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months. A good match tonight.

Rating: 7.5/10

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match

Background: At WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes made a surprise return to WWE after having been away from the company for six years—during this time, he reestablished himself by wrestling in various other promotions and helped found All Elite Wrestling in January 2019. At the same event, Roman Reigns became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by retaining SmackDown’s Universal Championship and winning Raw’s WWE Championship. On the Raw after WrestleMania, Rhodes stated that he returned to win the WWE Championship, not only for himself, but also for his late father, Dusty, who never won the title. In June, Rhodes suffered a pectoral injury, which sidelined him for several months. At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Rhodes returned and won the men’s Royal Rumble match to earn a match against Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. While Rhodes simply wanted to win the championship to bring honour to his family, Reigns, by way of his special counsel Paul Heyman, made it personal, with Heyman stating that Dusty’s last words to him were that although Cody was his favourite son, Reigns, who Dusty trained, was the son he always wanted. On the March 3 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes confronted Reigns face-to-face for the first time. Rhodes claimed that throughout his career, he had always overcome the odds and would do it again at WrestleMania. Reigns reinforced what Heyman had said, and then told Rhodes that at WrestleMania, if there was anything that Dusty did not teach his own son, Reigns would.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV singles match between these two men.

Wrestlemania PPV Record: Roman Reigns is 7-2, Cody Rhodes is 2-5.

Match: Both men get a long, dramatic entrance. There’s a nice touch with Cody giving his belt to the late Jon Huber’s (Luke Harper) son. It’s a cagey start but Cody has the better of it. Roman soon takes control, slowly picking apart Rhodes. The fight goes outside the ring with Reigns throwing a Cody up the entrance ramp and slamming him on it. Cody hits a slam of his own but can’t maintain an advantage as Solo Sikoa hits him with a chair behind the referees back. Solo gets involved again which allows Reigns to keep control. Roman looks to powerbomb Cody through an announce desk but Rhodes counters, back body dropping the champion through the desk. Back in the ring and Rhodes hits a Cody Cutter got a two count.  Rhodes hits a suicide dive but Solo attacks him with a weight belt. The referee then ejects Sikoa from ringside. Roman grabs the weight belt but the referee won’t let him use it. Cody Rhodes then hits a superkick and cross-Rhodes for a near fall. Roman hits a urunage for a near fall.

Cody avoids a superman punch and hits a pedigree for near fall! Rhodes looks for a disaster kick but Reigns hits him with a superman pinch for a near fall. Rhodes counters a spear with a sunset flip and then applies a figure four! Roman manages to reverse it but Cody quickly gets to the bottom rope. Roman hits a spear for a near fall before locking on a guillotine. Rhodes beaks out and fired up but accidentally kicks the referee down. Cody and Roman both knock each other down before the Uso’s come out, super kick Cody and hit him with 1D but then Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn make the save. They dispose of the Usos and then Owens hits a stunner on Reigns and Zayn hits a helluva kick. The Usos fight with Sami and KO to the back. The referee gets back up and Cody gets a near fall. Rhodes and Reigns slug it out, Cody hits the jabs made famous by his father and then the uppercut as used by his brother. Rhodes them hits two cross-Rhodes but Paul Heyman distracts the referee allowing Solo Sikoa to get back in the ring and hit the Samoan spike! Reigns hits a spear and then hooks the leg for the three!

Result: Roman Reigns wins by pinfall.

Review: This was another really great match. Wrestlemania has truly been packed with amazing matches this year. The psychology was great in this one. I thought Cody Rhodes was going to win but what do I know? Reigns has become so good in the ring, in a similar vein to Randy Orton, slow and methodical. He’s having a great reign and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit 1000 days as champion. I’m not sure how I feel about Solo Sikoa essentially costing Rhodes the match, I would have preferred to have seen it end cleaner but I think we’ll get a rematch down the road. In fact, I’m pretty sure it will still be Cody Rhodes taking the titles form Roman. A great match tonight.

Rating: 8.5/10