WWE Wrestlemania 38: Night One’ PPV Results & Review
Welcome to this review of night one of WWE’s Wrestlemania 38 pay per view which emanated from the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas in front of a crowd of apparently 77,899 people!
Match #1: Smackdown Tag Team Championship – The Usos def. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Usos opened the most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in history looking to set the tone for The Bloodline and spoil Boogs’ first-ever appearance on The Grandest Stage of Them All. The guitar riffing herald thrilled not only his partner Nakamura, but the WWE Universe in attendance at AT&T Stadium as well with stunning feats of strength. This included going down to one knee while vertical suplexing Jey Uso, but the Usos didn’t become the longest-reigning SmackDown Tag Team Champions in history without taking a few punches. As Boogs attempted to squat both Usos, his injured knee gave out, leaving Nakamura to fend for himself. After a few precision strikes, Nakamura lined up for a Kinshasha but ran right into a superkick. Jimmy and Jey Uso capitalized on the 2-on-1 turn of events and tagged Nakamura with another superkick before dropping The King of Strong Style with a 1-D to score the pinfall.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Drew McIntyre def. Happy Corbin
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Drew McIntyre was chomping at the bit to get his hands on Happy Corbin, paying back months of torment and “jokes” at The Scottish Warrior’s expense with a pair of huge clotheslines seconds into the match. As McIntyre looked to continue the punishment, Corbin sent McIntyre flying into the ring post to stun the former WWE Champion. The undefeated Corbin and his partner Madcap Moss gloated as he began to roll, but the lapse in concentration gave McIntyre time to recover, popping up to launch Corbin across the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex and a spinebuster. After Moss helped Corbin escape a Claymore, McIntyre flew over the ropes to take out the prankster pair. Somehow, Happy Corbin was able to take McIntyre by surprise as he went for another high-risk maneuver and planted him with an End of Days for a two-count that left Corbin in complete shock. As Corbin tried to figure out what he could do to keep The Scottish Warrior down, McIntyre caught him with a Future Shock DDT and a massive Claymore in quick succession to earn the 1-2-3.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: The Miz & Logan Paul def. Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After making this match extremely personal, the father-son duo of Rey & Dominik Mysterio took it straight to The Miz & Logan Paul as Dominik took out both The A-Lister and the social media megastar in one fell swoop with an acrobatic move off the ropes. The momentum shifted shortly afterward as Miz & Paul dug into their bag of dirty tricks for a pair of cheap shots to leave The Mysterios reeling. Despite the boos raining down on him, Paul impressed in the ring pummeling Dominik with a running powerslam and a bulldog off the top ropes. The newly formed pair isolated the younger Mysterio in their corner, hitting every cheap shot they could while the ref wasn’t looking, until Dominik reached his father who flew in to flatten Miz with a moonsault off the ropes. As Rey paid homage to his late friend, Eddie Guerrero, with a Three Amigos, Miz countered and shoved Mysterio into the ring post before Paul added insult to injury with a Three Amigos of his own to the former WWE Champion. Paul continued to mock Guerrero with a splash off the top rope but Dominik slid in to prevent the pin wiping out Miz with a dive through the ropes and chasing Paul into the ring for a thunderous double 619. After The Mysterios landed back-to-back splashes, Miz snuck into the ring and powerslammed Dominik onto his dad as he went for the pin, picking up Rey for a Skull Crushing Finale and the victory. As Miz and Paul celebrated their win, The A-Lister turned on his partner and planted him with a Skull Crushing Finale, laughing as he left the ring.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Raw Women’s Championship – Bianca Belair def. Becky Lynch
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Sporting a brand-new hairdo thanks to the actions of Bianca Belair, a furious Becky Lynch slapped The EST of WWE after the bell rang before delivering a huge Manhandle Slam looking to recreate her 26-second win from Summerslam, but only earned a two-count. After a flurry of reversals, action spilled outside the ring where Big Time Becks took control after tossing Belair into the steel steps, rolling her back into the ring for a pair of Becksploder Suplexes. The Raw Women’s Champion targeted Belair’s injured throat, answering every attempt Belair made at building any momentum until the former SmackDown Women’s Champion powered Lynch up for a vertical suplex outside the ring. Belair kept her foot on the gas, planting Lynch with a Glam Slam before dropping her onto the turnbuckle and landing a 450 Splash from the second rope for a shocking nearfall. The two heated rivals continued to trade blows until Lynch used Belair’s braid to pull her into the ring post, lifting her up for a Manhandle Slam on the steel steps and a near count out. Frustrated, Lynch pulled an exhausted Belair off the mat for another Manhandle Slam, but The EST of WWE flipped out of the attempt, hoisted Lynch up and drove her through the ring with a huge K.O.D. to earn the victory and become the new Raw Women’s Champion.
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Match #5: Cody Rhodes def. Seth “Freakin” Rollins
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Visionary did not see the return of Cody Rhodes coming as Seth “Freakin” Rollins stood in the middle of the ring stunned yet determined as the former two-time Intercontinental Champion made his way into a WWE ring for the first time in six years. “The American Nightmare” looked right at home going toe-to-toe with Rollins as the two felt each other out in a very methodical and technical opening few minutes. As Rhodes went for a crossbody off the top rope, Rollins caught him in mid air with a dropkick to the ribs, proceeding to target the injured midsection with multiple knees. Undeterred, Rhodes rallied to send Rollins flying over the announce table with a dive through the ropes, before moving back into the ring for a huge crossbody and a two-count. After Rollins rolled outside the ring, Rhodes looked to continue the punishment, but the former WWE Champion launched Rhodes into the barricade with a Buckle Bomb before delivering a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Rollins tuned up the band looking for a stomp but stepped on air twice as Rhodes slipped out of the way and surprised Rollins with a Cross Rhodes for another shocking nearfall. The action continued to pick up from there as the two Superstars pulled out all the stops, trading knockout blows to leave the WWE Universe wondering what it would take to win this match. After kicking out of a Pedigree, Rhodes decimated Rollins with back-to-back Cross Rhodes before paying homage to his late father with a Bionic Elbow and hitting a third Cross Rhodes for good measure to earn the victory in his return match to WWE.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #6: SmackDown Women’s Championship – Charlotte Flair def. Ronda Rousey
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The intensity of the rivalry between Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey was apparent from the onset as the two Superstars held nothing back in the opening minutes with Flair dropping Rousey onto the ring apron before promptly tossing her to the arena floor. Flair and Rousey grappled and exchanged submission attempts as both made it abundantly clear leading up to the match that they wanted to tap the other one out. After a devastating spear, The Opportunity hung Rousey up in the ropes for a submission attempt until Rousey sat up and launched Flair off the top rope with an arm drag. Rousey nearly locked in the armbar after a Piper’s Pit, but the SmackDown Women’s Champion rolled out of it and responded with a big boot. After multiple submission attempts and reversals, Rousey finally cinched in the ankle lock, dropping to the mat and only relinquishing her grip after a few swift kicks to the head. Flair answered in kind with a Figure Eight, but somehow Rousey was able to reverse the pressure and roll out of the ring to break the hold. After both Superstars were nearly counted out, Rousey thought she had the match won with another Piper’s Pit as the referee counted to three, but he then noticed Flair’s foot on the rope. Flair went for the Figure Eight again but was kicked off and sent flying into the referee. Rousey jumped in and locked in the armbar forcing Flair to tap, but the ref was knocked out and didn’t see it. As Rousey attempted to revive the official, Flair caught her with a second big boot to score the pinfall and retain her title.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Kevin Owens
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Kevin Owens began the most stupendous “KO Show” in history by apologizing to the state of Texas for speaking the truth over the past few weeks before continuing to berate The Lone Star State and one of its proudest citizens, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, drawing the ire of The Texas Rattlesnake who drove down to the ring on an ATV. After kicking over the “KO Show” signs, Austin sat down and verbally cut down KO as only the WWE Hall of Famer could. Owens took the insults in stride before revealing the real reason he wanted “Stone Cold” to join him on the “KO Show,” challenging him to a No Holds Barred Match right then and there. Austin accepted the challenge with an emphatic “hell yeah” and called for a referee. The two men teed off on one another until Austin backed Owens into a corner and proceeded to stomp a mudhole through him, pausing only to take a quick sip of beer. As action spilled outside the ring, Austin flipped Owens end over end with a clothesline before KO tossed the six-time WWE Champion into the ring post. Owens went to put Austin through a table, but The Texas Rattlesnake reversed it and sent KO flying through it instead before pummeling him throughout AT&T Stadium. Despite being 19 years removed from in-ring action, Austin looked like he’d never left, taking a suplex onto the concrete in stride and dumping Owens onto the announce table and spitting beer into his face. After escaping Austin’s wrath, Owens attempted to flee on his ATV, but was instead driven up onto the stage by Austin where he was promptly suplexed twice onto the hard surface. The two made their way back to the ring where Owens caught Austin in the middle of a beer break for a stunner and a nearfall. Irritated, Owens grabbed a steel chair but missed as Austin ducked out of the way, hitting the ropes and bouncing back onto his own head before “Stone Cold” stunned KO for the victory, adding one more for good measure as he celebrated the win with a few Steve-weisers.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Well, that was better than expected given WWE’s weekly product. But then it’s Wrestlemania and the companies biggest show of the year. This was a card that built more and more as the card went on and really turned a corner at the Women’s Raw Championship match where Bianca Belair and Backy Lynch showed just why they’re two of the best in the business and in pro wrestling. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins put on a cracking match too, though I’m not going to lie even now he’s moved back to WWE, Cody’s schtick still seems tired. Instead of taking all his gear, logo and entrance music to WWE how about he gave himself a refresh? But no. We got old Cody, which just reminded me of his AEW run and how badly received that became towards the end. But night one ended on a HUGE match, with Stone Cold coming out of a 19(!) year retirement to take on Kevin Owens; and both men delivered. Stone Cold took and gave bumps galore and whilst he looked like he was protecting his knees at one point, by the end of the match he was moving around like back in the day. Good on Owens for selling so well too. There was a LOT to love about night one’s closing match. A lot.
