WWE Wrestlemania

Randy Orton officially accepted Edge's challenge for a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36.

Orton and Edge were headed for a WrestleMania battle the moment The Viper RKO'd his former tag team partner and hit him with a one-man Con-Chair-To.

He antagonized The Rated-R Superstar further in a segment with Edge's wife Beth Phoenix during the March 2 edition of Raw. Orton defended his actions by saying he wanted to put Edge out to pasture for his own good.

When Phoenix took exception to the comments, she received an RKO.

Two weeks later, Edge raised the stakes and demanded Orton face him in a Last Man Standing match.

The extraordinary circumstances surrounding this year's WrestleMania provide an added level of intrigue about the stipulation.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE moved the show from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to its Performance Center in Orlando. Not only will the arena be empty, but PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson also reported the promotion will tape WrestleMania 36 on Wednesday and Thursday to later air April 5 and 6.

That could allow WWE to experiment with things that simply aren't feasible on a live program with fans in attendance. Edge and Orton could brawl throughout the Performance Center, not unlike The Rock and Mankind during their clash in an empty arena on Halftime Heat.

Given the level of animosity between the two stars, Edge and Orton are bound to hold nothing back when they step inside the squared circle.

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WWE Reportedly Preparing Unique WrestleMania Presentation

With WWE announcing that WrestleMania 36 will emanate from the WWE Performance Center and other undisclosed locations without fans on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5, the company is reportedly planning on getting creative.

According to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), a company source said WWE has some "really cool" and "outside the box" plans for WrestleMania.

WrestleMania is usually the biggest show of the year and is often staged in front of 70,000 or more fans, but without the luxury of a live crowd, WWE has no choice other than to shake things up in order to entertain those watching at home.

While WWE could have opted to postpone WrestleMania, the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and when large public gatherings will once again be permitted would have made that extremely difficult.

Instead, WWE is going forward with an altered version of the show and giving fans some much-needed entertainment over the course of a two-day period.

The fact that there are no fans in attendance means WWE can pre-tape some things and hold matches at unusual locations, which may be what the source was referring to when mentioned "outside the box" ideas for WrestleMania.

WWE Reportedly Planning to Tape Raw, SmackDown, WrestleMania

With more and more restrictions being put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE is reportedly looking to get ahead of the game.

According to John Pollock of Post Wrestling, multiple sources said WWE is planning to tape the remaining episodes of Raw and SmackDown before WrestleMania soon. One source said WWE is going to tape both parts of WrestleMania over the next week as well, while another source was unsure if that is the case.

Since the state government in Florida or the federal government could put a halt to WWE putting on shows at any time, even without fans in attendance, it would behoove WWE to work as quickly as possible to ensure that it will have enough programming in the can over the next couple of weeks.

There won't necessarily be a ton of new content needed for Raw or SmackDown since video packages and even past matches can be used to fill time, but getting the WrestleMania matches done is likely the primary concern.

Taking away the live element of WrestleMania could be disappointing to some, but waiting until April 4 and 5 to do the matches would be a risk and could put the show in jeopardy of getting canceled or postponed.

One advantage WWE would have if it tapes the matches ahead of time would be having more control over the overall production and being able to make it more of a cinematic experience than WWE usually is.

WWE is working under less-than-ideal circumstances, but the report suggests that the company is determined to get some version of WrestleMania 36 out to its viewing audience.

ESPN to Air Past WrestleMania PPVs

WWE and ESPN announced Friday that past WrestleManias will air on ESPN over the next three Sundays:

WrestleMania 30 will air March 22 at 7 p.m. ET, WrestleMania 32 will air March 29 at 7 p.m. ET and WrestleMania 35 will air April 5 at 3 p.m. ET in the hours before Night 2 of this year's WrestleMania 36.

While those with a WWE Network subscription can watch the aforementioned WrestleManias whenever they want, ESPN and WWE are providing those without a subscription an opportunity to view them.

It benefits ESPN in terms of giving some programming during a light time due to nearly every sport suspending operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it helps WWE since it could convince some viewers to subscribe to WWE Network for WrestleMania 36.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Ryan Droste of ComicBook.com) reported last month that WWE was in talks with ESPN to sell its pay-per-view rights, which would have resulted in the pay-per-views airing on ESPN+.

Although that hasn't happened yet, the fact that past WrestleManias are being shown on ESPN could be a sign that talks are progressing.

At a time when the sports world has essentially come to a halt, WWE is one of the only games in town, and it could benefit over the long term from having a working relationship with ESPN.

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Without an audience in attendance, WWE WrestleMania 36 at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, simply won't be the same spectacle it normally is. However, the decision to turn it into a two-day extravaganza on April 4 and 5 with three-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski hosting is bound to lift the spirits of fans who weren't sold on the idea of the show's move from its original venue.

WWE also announced that WrestleMania will take place in multiple locations over the two nights. Each one will be a closed set featuring only essential personnel.

In short, this will be an unprecedented event for a number of reasons. While emanating from a large venue such as Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, would be ideal for the Show of Shows, the company deserves credit for doing the best it can to make the most of an unfortunate situation.

WWE's announcement Monday that WrestleMania would be moving from Tampa to Orlando with no live crowd was met with a backlash from some fans who were hoping it would be postponed for later in the year.

However, it's impossible to predict when things will be back to normal. Putting storylines on hold while WWE seeks a solution was a possibility, albeit an unlikely one given the way WWE runs its shows.

With WrestleMania so soon, the promotion might as well go ahead with the event, assuming it is allowed to by that point. The circumstances weren't what fans wanted or expected, but spreading what should be a stacked card over two days and getting creative with it was a bold yet brilliant move.

For years, WrestleMania has been criticized for being far too long and for ending after midnight on the East Coast (let alone elsewhere in the world). With all the festivities and events WWE typically runs over WrestleMania weekend, airing it on different days never seemed to be something the company was interested in doing.

Despite that format working wonders for New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom in recent years, WWE was hesitant to follow in the the rival promotion's footsteps because of how it broke away from tradition.

It's a different ballgame this year, and something needed to be done to keep WrestleMania special. The news it will transpire over two days doesn't make up for 'Mania being held at the PC, but it could be a major positive in the long run.

If all goes well on April 4 and 5, there is a chance WrestleMania could become a two-day event, which has its fair share of advantages.

WWE hasn't had anything less than 10-match card for 'Mania in nearly five years. With the Raw and SmackDown rosters constantly growing, there is virtually no chance the event will be that short again.

The smartest option is to embrace its abundance of Superstars to ensure every match receives an ample amount of time and, more importantly, to prevent the fans in attendance at future events and those watching at home from getting worn out too quickly.

There's no telling what WWE has in mind as far as the "multiple locations" are concerned, but it will obviously break up the monotony of everything occurring at the PC. Additionally, the always-electric Gronkowski serving as the host for the festivities will make matters even more interesting.

Gronk's WWE signing was revealed on the previous edition of SmackDown, and he has already been announced to appear on Friday's episode. Needless to say, it's way too early for him to be having his first official match, but hosting an event of WrestleMania's caliber is the perfect role for him.

That leaves the lineup for WrestleMania to deliver. On paper, there are several 'Mania matches that won't mean as much without anyone there, but perhaps WWE takes a page out of AEW's playbook and puts other Superstars in the crowd so it isn't completely quiet.

From a safety standpoint, splitting the card in two could also help to ensure fewer roster members are in one place.

If nothing else, WWE is adamant about entertaining the masses at a time when the world could desperately use an escape from reality, and that much should be commended.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

Edge raised the stakes as he prepares to face off with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 36 on April 5. 

The Rated-R Superstar challenged his onetime friend to a Last Man Standing match:

It wasn't enough for Orton to attack Edge on the Jan. 27 edition of Raw, one night after the former world champion made his shocking return to the ring at Royal Rumble. The Viper went a step further by delivering an RKO to Edge's wife, Beth Phoenix.

A Last Man Standing match will be a fitting way to end what has quickly become a personal feud between two legends.

The new setting for WrestleMania 36 could allow Edge and Orton to think outside of the box as well. WWE announced Monday the show is moving from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to the WWE Performance Center on a closed set because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Perhaps Edge and Orton could have something similar to The Rock and Mankind's empty arena match during Halftime Heat in 1999.