Wrestlemania...The Showcase Of The Immortals!!
Well...at least it used to be.
Source: Bleacher Report
This event is the culmination of more than a year of storytelling. Most of the feuds have been built up in recent months, but Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns have been fighting on and off since The American Nightmare won the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match.
He came up short last year but managed to win the Rumble for a second time in January to earn another shot at the Undisupted WWE Universal Championship.
Before Rhodes takes on The Tribal Chief one-on-one on Sunday, he competed in a tag team match alongside Seth Rollins against Reigns and The Rock.
Here is a look at the full card for Saturday's show:
Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch (Women's World Championship)
Gunther vs. Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship)
The Judgment Day vs. DIY vs. Awesome Truth vs. New Catch Republic vs. The New Day vs. A-Town Down Under (Tag Team Championships)
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai
Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio
The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
Let's take a look at everything that happened during Night 1 of WrestleMania 40.
Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch (women's World Championship)
After Coco Jones sang The National Anthem, Triple H came out to welcome us to the 40th WrestleMania. Lynch had a special entrance with her narrating select quotes from her book. Ripley was played to the ring by the band Motionless in White.
They got to work after the bell and The Man scored the first major takedown with a flying dropkick that sent the champion out of the ring. The Eradicator took control and began beating on Lynch in the corner, but it never felt like either woman had the upper hand for too long.
These two are known for being willing to have physical matches that push their limit, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that they made this feel like a highly competitive fight.
We saw a lot of great individual moves and sequences. Lynch focused a lot of her attention on the arm Ripley had in a cast until Friday to set up for her finisher, but Ripley locked in her signature standing reverse cloverleaf before Lynch could apply her trademark armbar.
This was the perfect match to put in the opening spot if it wasn't going to be in the main event. Both Superstars did an excellent job making every near-fall count and selling every big move.
After countering the Manhandle Slam from the middle rope, The Eradicator hit the Riptide into the turnbuckle before hitting another in the middle of the ring to score the win and retain her title. Mami will continue her year-long reign of dominance after an outstanding match with Lynch. Bravo to both women.
Notable Moments and Observations as
a two-hour pre-show with zero matches is unnecessary, but they had some cool videos to fill the time.
Both women had incredible entrances and amazing gear. Ripley also had long extensions in her hair for a new look.
The way the camera was showing everyone during their entrances was interesting. It might have been an 8K camera.
Ripley hit a really nice Northern Lights suplex followed by an awesome sequence with Lynch countering a suplex into an inside cradle only for Ripley to power her back up for a suplex anyway.
Six-pack Ladder Match (Tag Team Championships)
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, R-Truth and The Miz, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, Autin Theory and Grayson Waller, and Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods challenged Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the tag titles in a Ladder match.
Ladder matches are already chaotic in most cases, but when you have 12 men fighting over two sets of belts. you are going to have something that can be a bit hard to follow but a lot of fun at the same time.
Truth had some great comedy spots, including a moment when he thought he won by pinfall. Theory and Waller took the SmackDown tag titles down to win those titles not too long into the match, but other teams stopped them before they could take down the Raw belts.
We can argue until the cows come home about whether the right teams won, but the important thing is that the titles are finally split and each brand will have its own set of championships again.
We saw some fun spots and moments, but this won't stand out among the long list of Ladder matches in WWE. It was a lot of fun and the crowd was being vocal, but it was mostly just a series of big spots with only a little bit of storytelling thrown in.
After years of being a beloved goofball, R-Truth finally got his WrestleMania moment when he won the Raw Tag Team Championships to end an enjoyable Ladder match.
The Miz climbed the ladder and hugged him to celebrate their victory as the crowd cheered.
Result: A-Town Down Under won the SmackDown tag titles, Awesome Truth won the Raw tag titles
Notable Moments and Observations as
Gargano had Shawn Michaels-inspired gear and Ciampa looked a bit like Triple H. was channeling his days as Consequences Creed a bit with his gear. Priest and Balor had cool masks for their entrance.
Michael Cole calling out an entrance video mistake for Dunne and Bate was kind of funny.
The belts being hung separately made it almost too obvious how this would end.
Priest took out Dunne and Bate in a brutal way by using Bate as a missile to take Dunne off a ladder.
Waller took a powerbomb out of the ring and through a ladder that looked great.
McDonagh took a big bump from a ladder through some tables outside the ring.
Andrade and Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio
Angel, Berto and Elekta Lopez may not have ben competing, but they all had new gear and some cool looks to accompany Escobar and Dom to the ring. Rey, Andrade and the LWO also got decked out in special gear.
As expected, this was a fast-paced and exciting match. Rey Andrade and Escobar are celebrated veterans, and Dom has made big improvements since joining the main roster. All four men wanted to mix some classic lucha style with WWE's signature style of wrestling.
While it would have been nice for everyone who was at ringside to be in a bigger match, it was probably a good idea to keep this as a two-on-two contest so these four Superstars could shine.
LWO and LDF eventually got involved at ringside and Wilde did the same slingshot move he has done a few times before. Two men in masks prevented Dom from using a chair and allowed Rey to hit a 619 followed by a splash to Escobar for the win.
Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson from the Eagles were revealed to be under the masks and celebrated with a victorious Papa Mysterio and El Idolo. This was a bit overbooked at the end, but it was an enjoyable match with a couple of cameos to pop the local Philly fans.
Result: Rey and Andrad defeated Dom and Escobar
Notable Moments and Observations
Escobar's poncho was really cool. WWE needs to sell those for him, but maybe not as elaborate as this one. That would be too expensive.
Andrade's spinning elbow caught Dom square in the jaw. It looked really good and Dom sold it well.
The double crossbody spot from Andrade and Rey was awesome.
Andrade's dragon screw had a little extra spice on it.
Vega almost completely missed the moonsault she tried to hit on Lopez.
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
WrestleMania has hosted brother vs. brother matches before with Bret vs. Owen Hart and Matt vs. Jeff Hardy, but this was the first time in history two twins fought at WrestleMania. Nikki and Brie Bella fought on PPV, but never at 'Mania.
Jey hit a suicide dive before Jimmy even got to the ring to get the action started early. It took a bit for Jimmy to regain his footing, but once he did, he hit a few running hip strikes to channel their father, Rikishi.
The majority of this match was about telling a story, not putting on the most exciting sequences. In some moments, it worked. In others, it felt like they were moving too slow and the crowd was beginning to check out.
Jey and Jimmy did a good job selling most of the emotional moments, and the crowd woke up quite a bit when Jimmy started begging Jey for forgiveness. Jey picked him up and hugged him before Jimmy popped him with a superkick and hit an Uso splash for a two-count.
Once Jey recovered, he hit his own Uso splash and got the pin. Not having Solo Sikoa get involved was the right call. This was decent, but for WrestleMania, it didn't quite measure up. On any other PPV, this might have been received better.
Notable Moments and Observations
The video package for this match was incredible. The WWE production team rarely misses with these videos.
Lil Wayne came out to play Jey to the ring.
One of Jey's superkicks looked like it connected a bit more than planned, but Jimmy was fine.
Damage CTRL vs. Jade Cargill, Naomi and Bianca Belair
Belair, Cargill and Naomi had an epic entrance for their match against Kai, Asuka and Sane. They had a special elevator and introduction.
Six-person tag matches usually follow a pattern designed to give all six competitors some time in the ring and at least one moment to shine, so there is usually a predictable flow.
However, none of that matters if the action is good, and with these six athletes, there was plenty to enjoy. Belair was as impressive as ever with her displays of power and agility.
When Cargill finally tagged into the match, the crowd lit up and she went after everyone on the opposing team. She easily caught Sane in midair and hit a backbreaker.
She picked up the win for her team in a match that was good, but shorter than expected. With a few more minutes, this would have been much more memorable.
Cargill's WrestleMania debut was a big success for her. The future of women's wrestling in WWE looks very bright with competitors like these six women.
Result: Cargill, Naomi and Belair defeated Damage CTRL
Notable Moments and Observations
Everyone's gear, hair and paint looked incredible.
Belair hitting a moonsault on all three opponents was a fun spot.
Cargill's backbreaker to Sane looked great. Sane sold it like a pro.
Gunther vs. Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship)
Kevin Owens was there to wish Zayn luck before he made his way to the ring to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
Zayn struck first and hit several chops to corner The Ring General. He seemed to surprise Gunther with his aggression, but one German suplex completely killed his momentum.
Zayn is a natural babyface, but against a monster heel like Gunther, he becomes even more of an underdog. The crowd was heavily behind him and chanted several times to show support.
They structured this match exactly how you would expect. The champion would dominate for a few minutes at a time, Zayn would make a comeback, and then Gunther would find a way to counter him and begin the cycle all over again.
Both men had several visible bruises and bumps, but the surprising part was how much redder Gunther's chest was than Zayn's because The Austrian is usually the one giving out welts. This was just as physical as expected, and the inclusion of Zayn's family added to the emotion.
Zayn survived some of Gunther's biggest moves, including a massive clothesline and two brutal powerbomb. The champ just became more frustrated and started punishing Zayn while talking trash to his wife. He was toying with his opponent, but Zayn began showing signs of life.
He nailed Gunther with a Helluva Kick followed by a super brainbuster. He drilled Gunther with two more Helluva Kicks to get the pin and the win. Zayn is our new Intercontinental champion after a physical and emotional match. Gunther's epic reign was finally brought to an end by The Underdog From the Underground.
Notable Moments and Observations
Zayn was shown with his kid and wife backstage before heading toward the ring. Chad Gable wished him luck but said Zayn didn't need him at ringside.
The announcers made numerous references to Rocky 4, which was even funnier after Woods had gear that looked similar to Apollo Creed in those movies.
A small percentage of wrestlers chop so hard you can hear it no matter how loud the crowd is. Gunther is one of those people.
The Rock and Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
The main event of Night 1 determined the stipulation for Night 2 when The Rock and Reigns took on Rhodes and Rollins. It was more than 30 minutes between the end of Zayn's match and the beginning of this one.
All four men stood in a staredown after the bell for a long time before Rollins and Reigns decided to start for their teams. The Tribal Chief took Rollins down quickly and talked some trash about ending this match fast.
When Rhodes tagged in, he tried to take control but quickly found himself on defense. Rollins tagged back in and locked up with The Rock for his first match in 8 years. Rocky easily pushed him down, but The Visionary just smiled and outwrestled Rock for a quick moment to show off.
The first several minutes were quick exchanges and posturing, but things picked up a bit when Rhodes and The Rock were in the ring together. The Rock and Rollins ended up fighting into the crowd but Rocky told the ref he would fire him if he counted him out.
From that point forward, The Rock started cheating without worrying about any consequences. For a long time, this was all Rock and Reigns decimating Rollins and Rhodes.
This was all done in a way to make it seem like Rhodes and Rollins were in an impossible position, and it worked, but it also made for a match that wasn't as exciting as it should have been. Nobody expected a five-star classic, but they didn't do enough to make this feel worthy of being a main event.
This was enjoyable from a Sports Entertainment standpoint, but it was lacking in the pro wrestling department. After a long and overbooked match, The Rock pinned Rhodes to win and make it so Sunday's main event would be Bloodline Rules.
Result: Rock and Reigns defeated Rollins and Rhodes
Notable Moments and Observations
Billing this as the biggest tag team match of all time was a bit much.
Rollins' ring jacket was made from enough cloth to sail a medium-sized boat. The Rock's entrance was awesome. WWE made a big production out of it.
The video package made Rollins feel like a bit of an afterthought in this match because he has his own bout to worry about tomorrow, but he was included as much as possible. The video was on the long side but it was good.
The Rock used some F-bombs when saying he would fire the ref if he counted him out.
The Cody Cutter didn't connect very well.
Cody putting Rock through a table with a Rock Bottom right before Reigns Speared Rollins through the barricade was a good sequence.
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