WrestleMania 42 returns to Allegiant Arena for the second consecutive year, with the first match lasting four hours. It ended with a bloodied Randy Orton standing tall over an equally bloodied Cody Rhodes, even after losing the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Prior to Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, no match had been longer than 15 minutes, with the longest being Seth Rollins vs. Gunther. There are wrestlers entering the rankings, great returns, championship titles, and several new champions.
advertise
It was night one of WrestleMania and here are the results from the event:
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton and Pat McAfee for the WWE Championship
Many fans questioned the decision to add McAfee a few weeks ago, but WWE was quick to rule him out before the event. Rhodes had Jelly Roll put McAfee on the announce table and as he was being stretchered out, the bell rang and the match began.
Seeing Orton hit a crosshair on Rhodes and Rhodes complete the RKO was awesome, especially considering the history between the two.
This was a tight contest between two elite players.
Late in the game, things started to go wrong. Rhodes teased a heel turn, stole a finisher, borrowed moves, and even poked Orton in the eye. The glare caused Orton to accidentally hit the referee with an RKO.
advertise
That moment proved costly. McAfee came back in a referee shirt, but as his hand was about to hit the mat for the third count, Rhodes was kicked out. A frustrated Orton dumped McAfee with an RKO, which opened the door for Rhodes to exploit. Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes to seal the victory. The crowd booed the result loudly.
This game is popular: As McAfee was carried out on a stretcher, the crowd chanted “You deserve it!” but he gave a thumbs up and then a middle finger.
The competition really caught on: Rhodes was booed as he celebrated the title, but the crowd erupted when Orton grabbed the title and dropped Rhodes.
grade: one
advertise
Both wrestlers were at their best, and the showdown between Cody Rhodes and John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 41 was even more exciting. Although Rhodes was eventually booed, this did not affect the strong performance of both players.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan for Women’s World Championship
Wacker looked very strong in the match, especially with her ability to counter some of Morgan’s offense.
The crowd went wild when she performed the Devil’s Kiss on Morgan midway through the match. Morgan then looked like he was going to try it himself, which got fans even more excited, but Vacker fought back.
advertise
At one point, Vacker seemed about to finish Morgan off with a top rope moonsault, but Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez interfered.
Morgan took advantage of Vacker’s distraction near the ropes and hit her with an ObLIVion. She then defeated Vaquer and became the WWE Champion again.
This game is popular: When Morgan scored three points and lifted the title. Morgan is supposed to be a villain, but she has an Edge-like quality where she gets emotional whenever she wins the title, and that’s exactly what happens after the bell rings.
grade: Second
It was a perfect decision, especially since Morgan is a top star in WWE. Wacker won’t appear weak because the only reason Morgan defeated her was because of outside interference. The game was going well, but it started to take a turn for the better due to interference from Perez and Rodriguez.
advertise
Seth Rollins VS Gunther
The two were immediately chasing each other, inside the ring, outside the ring, and even near the commentary box. They bickered here and there for several minutes.
When they finally returned to the ring, the referee rang the bell and the match officially began.
This is the kind of physical confrontation the two wrestlers have come to expect. Gunther powerbombed Rollins and punished him multiple times. Rollins hit Gunther with two curb stomps, one in the ring and another in the commentary box.
After stepping on the curb, the crowd suddenly started barking. When Rollins turned around, he was stabbed by Bron Breakker, who had been out of action for months.
advertise
After a while, Gunther put Rollins to sleep and the match ended.
As Rollins walked up the ramp, Blake ran down and stabbed him a second time, and the barking started again.
Match Highlight: Breaker stabbed Rollins for the second time, which really got the fans excited. Then Paul Heyman walked out and hugged him, which only made the reaction even more intense.
Grade: A-
Rollins and Gunther both performed well and the result didn’t hurt the Iowan. This shows that Gunther is on a tear, especially after the retirements of John Cena and AJ Styles. Additionally, it gives everyone what they want in Seth Rollins versus his prodigy, Bronn Destroyer.
advertise
Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee for the Intercontinental Championship
Both Superstars were strong throughout the match, with AJ hitting Lynch with a few of her signature moves.
The biggest moment came when Becky got upset with referee Jessica Carr and got in her face, leading to a shoving match between the two. Lynch rushed towards Carl and tried to elbow her, but Carl moved out of the way and Lynch ran straight into AJ’s arms. AJ hits Lynch with her own move, the Man Handle Slam, and tries to hit the pin, but Lynch kicks it out.
Lynch then goes to the turnbuckle and uncovers it as Carr checks on AJ. Moments later, AJ charges at Lynch, but Lynch grabs Carr and AJ ends up clamping Carr on the turnbuckle. With Carr distracted, Lynch threw AJ headfirst into the exposed turnbuckle and then hit her with a handlebar slam, pinning her down for the win.
advertise
This game is popular: Lynch pinned Lee to regain her Intercontinental Championship, although Karl pushed Lynch down and followed.
grade: C+
This was an overall good match and it would be wise to let Lynch win a little dirty. When heels win this way, it always works, and Lynch is one of the best in the business. It will be interesting to see who she faces next.
The Bellas Twins (Paige) vs. Irresistible Force vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Tag Team Championship
This was supposed to be a standard fatal four-way match for the Women’s Tag Team Championship, but the biggest pop of the night so far happened.
advertise
Nikki Bella ended up walking out with her sister and announced she wouldn’t be able to compete on Saturday night, but said she had called “an old friend” to help. Allegiant Stadium went crazy when Page’s music played.
The competition itself was fast paced and all contestants looked strong and had a chance to showcase their skills.
After five minutes, the crowd grew restless and began chanting “We want Paige.” When she was finally tagged, they went crazy. Minutes later, Page stood across the ring from Charlotte Flair, adding to the excitement.
Flair set up Page to attack with Alexa Bliss’s Twisted Bliss, but Nikki Bella intervened and took Flair out of the ring. Bliss kept going anyway, but Paige blocked it with a knee and then hit her with Paige the Ram, sealing her victory and the Tag Team Championship the night she returned. Page was emotional after the victory.
advertise
This game is popular: Page returns after leaving in 2022. No matter what she does in the game, the crowd goes crazy for her.
Grade: B
Paige’s return to WWE will naturally make this achievement even higher, especially since she has been warmly welcomed by fans. Tagging her and Brie Bella was the right choice for her return. The big question now is how long this championship reign can last.
Jacob Fatou vs. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match)
The build-up to this match was intense, which is why playing it without sanction was the right decision.
As McIntyre was walking to the ring, Fatu jumped out of the ropes to start the fight early.
advertise
Both wrestlers threw everything they had at each other – literally. They use tools, chairs, and anything else they can get their hands on.
The biggest scene happened when Fatu was sitting on the turnbuckles preparing to attack McIntyre, but McIntyre ran over and pushed him away, sending Fatu crashing through a table.
Later, Fatu put McIntyre on a table, ran to the turnbuckles and hit him with his signature moonsault before pinning the Scottish star for the win.
This game is popular: After the moonsault, Fatu pinned McIntyre. People love Fatu.
grade: one-
This has the right amount of violence and big action, which is exactly what WWE fans want at WrestleMania. For Fatu, this is a huge victory. He’s a rising star in WWE, and beating someone like McIntyre is a big step for him.
advertise
The Uso Brothers & Los Angeles Cavaliers vs. Vision & iShowSpeed
It was a brief match with the Usos superkicking The Vision and Speed ​​and the LA Knights squaring off.
Both teams had great moments, including Jey Uso hitting Austin Theory with a spear and Jimmy Uso taking a shot at Speed.
At the end of the match, with Logan Paul standing at ringside, L.A. Knight grabbed Speed ​​for a BFT, but Speed ​​pushed Knight onto Paul, knocking him off the apron. Theory then attacked Speed ​​in the face before putting LA Knight in a headlock in an attempt to force Speed ​​to attack Knight. Instead, when Theory was in trouble, LA Knight tossed him into Speed, then hit Theory with his signature BFT and pinned him for the win.
advertise
After the game, Paul punched and kicked Speed. He then sent Paul splashing off the turnbuckle onto the announcer’s table, but the Usos and LA Knight came to the YouTuber’s aid by attacking Paul. They then helped Speed ​​get his revenge when he hit Paul with a turnbuckle splash from the announcer’s table.
This game is popular: Speed ​​jumped off the turnbuckle onto Logan Paul’s announce table. He performed Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature “SIU” celebration beforehand, which got the crowd excited.
grade: B-
The game felt a little rushed. The speed experiment worked because he was athletic and looked similar to Paul when he first joined WWE. Speaking of Paul, his ability to get fans to cheer for him is hilarious because as soon as he turns on Speed, the crowd erupts.
