Photo credit: WWE.com

WWE WrestleMania 2021 Results: Ranking the Biggest Surprises of 2-Day PPV

Philip Lindsey

WrestleMania 37 is officially in the books. The two-night event certainly had its high and lows as WWE made its triumphant inaugural appearance at Raymond James Stadium to perform in front of a live audience for the first time in over a year.

Straight away, it was refreshing to see a massive set worthy of The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment again. Last year's edition of the event was a much-needed escape from the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 for many fans, but seeing the biggest pay-per-view of the year in the empty Performance Center was also surreal. Last weekend's proceedings proved just how integral the usual pageantry and crowd participation are to the WrestleMania experience.

The fans in attendance helped elevate this show and remind us that professional wrestling is dependent on immediate feedback. To that end, WWE delivered a strong show on the first night on Saturday that welcomed back its fanbase and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. The second night was a bit uneven, but some surprises and two fantastic main events on Sunday made it worth the price of admission.

Here are some of the most shocking moments from The Showcase of the Immortals.

Bobby Lashley Retains

Heading into WrestleMania 37, Bobby Lashley lost some of the momentum that he gained in his pursuit of the WWE Championship. The All Mighty Superstar seemed almost unsure of himself as he disbanded The Hurt Business and enlisted the help of the locker room to deal with Drew McIntyre.

So, it seemed like The Scottish Psychopath was destined to return to The Show of Shows and regain his title. After all, McIntyre enjoyed a dominant run as champion, and Lashley never actually beat him to secure the top prize.

However, the third Black WWE champion shocked the Tampa crowd in the opening match when he used the Hurt Lock to win via technical submission. It was a stunning visual after McIntryre succinctly defeated Brock Lesnar last year.

Tamina's WrestleMania Moment

This year, several deserving stars obtained their moment on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Cesaro finally got the opportunity to compete in a one-on-one match at the event as he defeated Seth Rollins, and Sheamus won the WWE United States Championship after weeks of incredible showings on Raw.

However, Tamina's victory in the tag team turmoil match and warm reception on the following night was a pleasant surprise. The second-generation wrestler and Natalya outlasted four other teams to become the No. 1 contender for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.

The match itself wasn't much to write home about, but it was hard not to get emotional as Natalya paused as she went to lock in the Sharpshooter. Instead, she tagged in her partner so she could deliver the Superfly Splash that her father, Jimmy Snuka, popularized to secure the win.

The pairing unfortunately lost on the following night, but it was great to see someone who has been around as long as Tamina get her moment in the sun.

Bad Bunny's in-Ring Debut

Bad Bunny has been a welcomed addition to Monday Night Raw this year following his performance at Royal Rumble. The multiplatinum reggaeton artist even won the 24/7 Championship.

So, many fans were curious to see how he would perform in his in-ring debut this weekend at WrestleMania. Surprisingly, the Puerto Rican star was one of the highlights on Saturday night as it became quickly apparent that he worked hard to prepare for this. It paid off as he worked the majority of his tag match with Damian Priest, and he pulled off several impressive moves, including dueling suplexes with his partner, a flying crossbody and even a Canadian Destroyer.

This was easily the best celebrity match in recent memory and, it will go down as one of the most memorable moments from WrestleMania 37.

Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's Relationship Takes a Dramatic Turn

Sunday night’s show opened with Randy Orton vs. The Fiend. WWE has been building toward this showdown since The Viper burned Bray Wyatt’s demonic alter ego alive at TLC in December.

The results were about as bizarre as you would expect after weeks of cryptic segments and copious amounts of black goo. The Fiend made a captivating entrance as he regenerated himself and emerged from a giant jack in a box.

Most fans will undoubtedly be disappointed that the match was largely forgettable because this storyline has been going on for so long. Nevertheless, the twist will be one of the most talked-about moments of the night.

It seems like Alexa Bliss is controlling The Fiend now as she distracted him long enough for Orton to sneak up and land an RKO to win. This is an interesting development as it seemed like the former Raw women’s champion was enthralled by the strange figure since he attacked her on the July 31 episode of SmackDown. For better or worse, it created a striking image.

Dabba-Kato Aligns Himself with Apollo Crews

No one knew what to expect from Nigerian Drum Fight on Sunday night, and the result was a hardcore match with kendo sticks and several African drums surrounding the ring.

The Big E and Apollo Crews delivered an entertaining match for the most part. It looked like the intercontinental champion would retain after the challenger missed a frog splash and went through a table below. This left the Nigerian star open for the Big Ending, but before the Tampa native could obtain the winning pin, Dabba-Kato emerged to interfere.

WWE fans haven't seen the 6'9" prospect, who is also of Nigerian descent, since his appearances on Raw Underground. It appears that we will see more of him in the weeks to come.

   

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