🐻If Night 1 of WrestleMania serves as an appetizer for what could be a historic Sunday, then ꧟WWE did its job.
All the right notes were hit, outside of Austin Theory beating John Cena to retain the United States championship the way he did in the opener on Saturday night at 🌟SoFi Stadium.
Though the surprises left something to be desired, WWE delivered the proper conclusions to its biggest stories, an emotional main event and solidified its new women’s star.
Here are five takeaways from Night 1 of 🦋WrestleMania.
Part I Complete
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn ending The Usos’ 622-day reign as Undisputed tag team champions just dripped with emotions.
From the two best friends becoming tag champs for the first time in WWE in the first tag title main event in WrestleMania history to having the logos from Los Angeles-based PWG promotion on their shorts to Zayn’s wife crying at ringside when it was over.
The clash wasn’t a technical classic, but it didn’t need to be.
This was abou🀅t the ride and a year of emotions being let out.
The 1-D and stereo Uso splash weren’t enough to put Zayn and Owens down, just as the initial Stunners and Helluva Kicks weren’t.
Late in the match, Zayn thwarted an Avalanche 1-D 𒆙a𒅌ttempt and eventually got the tag from Owens.
Zayn, after a long pause, Helluva kick♐ed Jey Uso three times.
Owens Stunned Jimmy prior to the third before pinning his rival-turned-brother-turned-friend to ✅win the match.
At oꦍne point, Jimmy and Jey double slammed Owens through the announce🐲 table.
Zayn somehow kicked out of a 1-D, the✃ first time anyone has.
Jey asked Zayn why he won’t quit before delivering a Helluva Kick to the former Honorary Uce.
Zayn, almost out of instinct, followed 𝕴with an exploder to the turnbuck🐟le before tagging Owens — now a grand slam champ — back in.
🧸Helluva Kicks, Pop-up powerbombs and a Stunner followed, but Jey kicked out. Both teams gave each other their best shots until Zayn and Ow♉ens prevailed.
Cody Rhodes didn’t come up to celebrate with his friend but his Undisputed WWE Universal championship match with Roman Reigns on Sunday loomed over it all.
The Bloodline already has lost some gold,💞 will Rhodes finish the job now and sent them into chaos?
Stomp and Circumstance
Logan Paul and Seth Rollins turne𓃲d in a show-stealing performance.
Paul entered by taking a zipline halfway down the ramp, where he was met by his ꧋PRIME drink mascot.
Rollins, wrapped in a lavish red robe, got a full choir singing his theme and some fire pyro off the top of the stage in one of the ꦆcooler entraꦚnces of the night.
Rollins turned around Paul’s early advantage by avoiding a moonsault, then telling him, “you want to play with the big boys, bitch,” before three straight suicide dives.
The Visionary then stompe🔯d Paul’s right h🧜and on the steps.
After a number of fun mat reversals between the two, Paul did land his knockout right h𒉰a🦂nd.
But the stomp to made him slow to cover⛦ and allowed Rollins to kick out.
KSI, Paul🌜’s buddy and business partner, ended up being in the PRIME mascot suit. He෴ pulled Paul out of the ring to swing the momentum at one point.
Paul would set Rollins up on the table, but Rollins pulled KSI on the table instead leaving Paul to landed the splash on his friend stead. Rollins hit a Pedig🧜ree in the ring, but Paul kicked.
Paul countered a Stomp attempt iꩵnto a GTS and then took too long🍷 to attempt a Frog Splash. Rollins kicked out.
As Paul tried to go Coast to Coast, Rollins countered with a superkick. A Stomp later and Rollins ﷽got the win to a huge crowd reaction.
The dude is way over and deserved this win, but feel like we may see this 🍰again soon.
Family Pride with some Bunny Business
I full🥀y expect Bad Bunny to be added to The Judgement Day vs. LWO feud in some way for Backlash in Puerto Rico next month after the artist helped Rey Mysterio defeat his son Dominik in a very story-driven, but emotional match.
Dominik distracted the ref by taking the turnbuckle cover off and attemp꧙ted to grab a chain Damian Priest left under his jacket in the rin༺g.
Bunny, who was on Spanish commeꦗntary, grabbed the chain ဣfrom Dominik before he could use it.
It allowed Rey to trip his son up and deliver the 619 and Frog Splash to get the win. This was a ve🗹ry fitting end to the story on Rey’s Hall of Fame weekend.
Rey a🎃nd Dominik got tremendous entrances. Dom was shown being taken out of handcuffs from prison and arrived at SoFi Stadium – dressing with his dad’s purple mask – in a Corrections van flanked by officers.
Rey paid homage 🤡to Eddie Guerrero by being driven out by Snoop Dogg in a low-rider car and with Eddie’s music blared first𝓰.
After Rey thre🍬w Dominik into the post, he actually took off his belt and whiꦏpped his son’s hide after months of torment.
Dominik then jawed at this mom🦩 and threw a drink into his sister Aalyah’s face to get the upper hand in theไ match.
Dom’s mom would slap him later in the match.
Priest and Finn Balor ev🧸entually made their way to ringsi🌠de.
Dom flip🦋ped Rey in 🔯the bottom rope before attempting the Three Amigos.
Rey countered, hit a 619 but Judgꦜement Day’s interference cut the momenꦺtum short.
Eventually the new𒈔ly formed LWO came out to even the oღdds, but Dominik was still able to land 619 and a frog splash but Rey kicked before the end sequence played out.
Tide Has Turned
Rhea Ripley was striving for a star-making performance, and she and Charlotte Flair worked their 𝐆way to one.
It took Ripley slamming Flair’s head into the top of the ring post anඣd hitᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚting a Riptide from the middle rope to finally put her nemesis away and become SmackDown women’s champion, avenging her WrestleMania 36 loss.
The win officially stamps her as a main-evꦏent talent and got one of the bigger pops of the night.
The crowd got into this match about midway through as the two really began putting their athleticism and power on display. Ripley ro𓆏lled up and lifted a leaping Flair, who would then counter a Riptide into a big DDT. Flair stepped over Ripley and went to the top rope.
Ripley ran up ⭕and suplexed Flair, flipping her over face first in the proc🐲ess, but could not score the pin.
Flair took a second suplex, flipped and landed face-first to the mat later on as she went the extra mile to make Ripley look g𒈔ood.
A secon🐈d Riptide attempted got count🌄ered into a German suplex, but Ripley landed the third and Flair kicked out to a gasp of disbelief from the crowd.
A Ripley kick-out brought out rage as both dug de🏅ep.
Ripley got to the bottom rope before Flair could even ge🧔t the Figure 8 on, and you c🅷ould see the frustration on Queen’s face before she took a risk on the ropes that led to her defeat.
Flওair sitting outside the ring sad but clapping as Ripley stood over he with the belt was a cool visual.
Opening Plight
John Cena domin🦩ated early and mocked Theory a bit leading to the champ resorting to biting his idol and hitting him from behind in frustration.
A super-cocky Theory tried a second rolling drop kick, but Cena countered into an STF that forced his opponent to have to bite him to break t🐠he hold.
Theory countered a first Atౠtitude Adjustment into 🥃a DDT.
𒀰Cena was later able to land a Five Knuckle Shuffle, but the ref was knocked out as Theory countered an AA attempt꧙.
The ref was unable to see Theory tapp๊ing out to the STF.
It opened a door for a low blow and an A-Town Down that allowed the champ to꧋ retain.
I gu𝔍ess cheating puts more heat on Theory and furthers the idea he is willing to cut corners.
But this was a basic match and a pretty anticlimactic start to the show. Cena’s last win at Wrestl🦩eMania came with Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33 in 2017. He is overdue.
Other matches
Becky Lynch, Lita Trish Stratus over Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Sky
Lynch did the m🍸ajorit♔y of the work early, but Damage CTRL kept keeping her from making a tag.
Eventually, Lita got involved and mixed it up with Iyo Sky, but got isolated by Damage CTRL before finallyﷺ tagging Stratus in. She had a cool bulldog and half-hurricanrana on Sky and Bayley.
She also flipped Kai off the top rope to the outside with her legs after a boost up from her💟 teammates.
Sky delivered her signature ꦰmoonsault t🌸o the outside leaving everyone down.
The two teams regrouped in the ring after that.
Stratus hit a Chick Kick and Lita landed a Lita-s🐼ault to take care of Sky and Kia.
It left Lynch to counter Bayley’s Bayley to Belly attempt from🐎 the top rope into a Manhandle Slam for the win.
Stratus and Lita did an excel♐lent job playing the hits, and this match was abo🐻ut as good as you could expect.
No sign of any pꦓotential Stratus turn on Lynch, and Damage CTRL feels aꦆ bit rudderless after this.
We will see what happens on Monday.
Street Profits over Chad Gable and Otis, The Viking Raiders, Braun Strowman and Ricochet
Chad Gable did an insane rolling German suplex on Braun Strowman, who🐬 later d🐠id a big splash of the top rope.
We also got a nuts six-man super-plex and Ricochet leapt into it to finish off. Angelo Dawkins cut off the Strowman Express with a viciou🐷s shoulder block.
R🎐icochet hit a smooth Shooting Star press to the outside, but Dawkins🧸 got his knees up on one in the ring.
It opened the door for Montez Ford to hit a F🎃rog Splash for the win.
The Street Profits migꦆht be next in line for a tag team tiဣtle shot after this.
Credit to all eight men for a c✱ompelling performance.
Pat McAfee over The Miz
McAfee made a surprise appearance to beat the Miz in an impromptu matc♍h.
Miz tried to leave but attacked the 49ers’ George Kittle, who was sitting ringside. Kittle jumped the barricade and clotheslined Miz before McAfee leaped from the top rope on to him and beat Miz with high Punt Kick to minimal crowed reaching.
Corey Graves’ exceptional commentary was the only thing that made this worth watching.
He called McAfee 𒀰“Aaron Rodgers’ propaganda machine” and railed on him just showing up the whole time. We need a Graves-McAfee match at some point, for real.
Bigger Winner: Rhea Ripley
Biggest Loser: Damage CTRL
Best Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley, SmackDown women’s championship
Best Entrance: Dominik Mysterio
Predictions: 5-2
Grade: B+
