If Night 1 of Wre✱stleMania 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 beati๊ng John Cena to retain the United States championship the way he did in the opener on Saturday night𒆙 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 Nigh🃏t 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 about the ride and a year of emotions bein𓆉g 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 attempt and eventually got the tag from Owens.🌞
Zayn, after a long pause, Hell🙈uva kicked Jey Uso thr𒊎ee times.
Owens Stu♒nned Jimmy prior to the third before pinning his rival-turned-brother-turned-friend ༺to win the match.
At one point, Jim🌱my and Jey double slammed Owens through the announce table.
Zayn somehow kicked out of a 1-D, the first time a🍌nyone ha🌞s.
Jey asked Zayn why he won’t quit before delivering a Helluva Kick to the former Honorary Uce.
Zayn, almost out of instinc൩t, followed with an exploder to the turnbuckle before tagging Owens — now a grand slam champ — baꦗck in.
Helluva Kick♋s, Pop-up powerbombs and a Stunner followed, but Jey kicked out. Both teams gave each other their best shots until Zayn and Owens 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 Bl🌱oodline already has lost some gold, will Rhodes finish the job now and sent them into chaos?
Stomp and Circumstance
Logan Paul and Seth Rollins tur🔯ned in a show-stealing perf𒁏ormance.
Paul entered by taking a zipꦐline 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 topꦛ of the stage in one of the cooler entrances 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 stomped Paul’s right 𒊎h✃and on the steps.
After a number of fun⛦ mat reversals between the two, Paul did💙 land his knockout right hand.
But the stomp to made him slow to cover and🌸 allowed Rolli🧸ns to kick out.
KSI, Paul’s buddy and business partner, ended up being in the PRIME mascot suit. He pulled Paul out o𒆙f 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 Pedigree in the ring🎃, but Paul kicked.
Paul countered a Stomp attempt into 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 Rol🔯lins got the win to a huge crowd reaction.
The dude is way over and deserved🍰 this win, ဣbut feel like we may see this again soon.
Family Pride with some Bunny Business
I fully 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 Domiꦇnik in a very story-driven, but emotional match.
Dominik distracted the ref by taking the turnbuckle cover off ✃and attempted to grab a chain Damian Priest left under his jacket in🌠 the ring.
Bunny, who was on Spanish commentary, grabbed the chain from Do🃏minik before he could use it.
It allowed Rey to trip his son up൲ and deliver the 619 and Frog Splash to get the win. This was a very fitting end to the st🍃ory on Rey’s Hall of Fame weekend.
Rey and Dominik got tremendous entrances. Dom was shown being taken out of handcuffs from prison and arrived at SoFi Stadium – dressing witꦗh 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 first.
After Rey threw Dominik into the 𒀰post, he actually took off his belt and whipped his son’s hide after mon🔯ths of torment.
Dominik then jawed at this mom and threw a dri🍃nk into his sister Aalyah’s face to g♐et the upper hand in the match.
Dom’s mom would slap him later in the match.
Prie🅺st and Finn Balor eventually made t🌺heir way to ringside.
Dom flipped Rey in the bottom rope 💙before attempting the Three Amigos.
Rey countered, hit a 619 but Judgement Day’s interference cut the momen﷽tum s✱hort.
Eventually the newly formed LWO came out to even the odds, but Dominik was still abꦫle to land 619 and a frog splash but Rey kicked before the end sequence played out.
Tide Has Turned
Rhea Ripley was str🐓iving for a star-making perfoဣrmance, and she and Charlotte Flair worked their way to one.
It took Ripley slamming Flair’s head into the top of the ring post and hitting a Riptide from the middle rope to finally put her nemesis away and become SmackDown women’s champion, a𝕴venging her WrestleMania 36 loss.
The win officially stamps her as a main-evಌent talent and got one of the bigger pops of th💟e night.
The crowd got ꧙into this match about midway through as the two really began putting their athleticism and power on display. Ripley rolled up and lifted a leaping Flair, who would tꦓhen counter a Riptide into a big DDT. Flair stepped over Ripley and went to the top rope.
R༒ipley ran up and suplexed Fl𝓰air, flipping her over face first in the process, but could not score the pin.
Flair took a second suplex, flipped and landed face-first to the mat la🐼ter on as she went the extra mile to make Ripley look good.
A second Riptide attempted got countered into a Ger🍬man 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 ওboth 💦dug deep.
Ripleyℱ got to th𒉰e bottom rope before Flair could even get the Figure 8 on, and you could see the frustration on Queen’s face before she took a risk on the ropes that led to her defeat.
Flair sitting outside the ring 🦄sad but clapping as Ripley stood over he෴ with the belt was a cool visual.
Opening Plight
John Cena dominat🅠ed early and mocked Theory a bit leading to t𒅌he champ resorting to biting his idol and hitting him from behind in frustration.
A super-cock💖y Theory tried a second rolling drop kick, but Cena countered into an STF that forced his💧 opponent to have to bite him to break the hold.
The෴ory countered a first Attitude Adjustment into a D👍DT.
Cena was 🐬later able to land a Five Knuckle Shuffle, but the re🐻f was knocked out as Theory countered an AA attempt.
The ref was unable to see Theory tapping outꦡ to꧃ the STF.
It o♈pened a door for a low blow ꦿand an A-Town Down that allowed the champ to retain.
I guess cheating puts more heꦇat on Theory and furthers the idea he is willing to 🎐cut corners.
But this was a basic match and a pretty anticlima🧸ctic start to the show. Cena’s last win at WrestleMania came with Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33 in ꦏ2017. He is overdue.
Other matches
Becky Lynch, Lita Trish Stratus over Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Sky
Lynch did൩ the majority of the ꦉwork 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 fin🎉ally 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 t𒅌eammates.
Sky delivered heဣr signature moonsault to the ou😼tside leaving everyone down.
The two teams regrouped in the ring after that.
Strat♛us hit a Chick Kick and Lita landed a Lജita-sault 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 t♒he win.
Stratus and Lita did an excellent job playing the hits, ꦆand this match was about as good as you could expect.
No sign 🌼of any potential Stratus turn on Lynch, and Damage CTRL feels a 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 did a big spl🍸ash 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 𝓡Express with a vicious shoulder block.
Ricochet hit a smooth Shooting Star press to🔥 the outside, but Dawkins got his knees up on one in the ring.
It opened the door fo🦂ꦉr Montez Ford to hit a Frog Splash for the win.
The Street Profiꦺts might be next in l✅ine for a tag team title shot after this.
Credit to all eight men for a compelling performanc▨💫e.
Pat McAfee over The Miz
McAfee made a surprise𒆙 appearance💮 to beat the Miz in an impromptu match.
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 c꧟alled McAfee “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+
