Night one of WrestleMania 40 was a pretty good show overall. Lots of stuff to like, and plenty of newsworthy events taking place.
Even before night two begins, it has already been a newsworthy day for WWE when it comes to free agency. Independent wrestling star Jacob Fatu is reportedly under WWE contract now, and he’s in Philadelphia, so people are already speculating that we could see him during tonight’s Bloodline Rules main event.
Whether we see Jacob Fatu tonight or not, it’s a huge moment in WWE history. It’s WrestleMania, and it is about to begin, so let’s do this.
Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre – World Heavyweight Title Match
Before the match, Stephanie McMahon makes her return to the company and handles the show opening hype promo. It gives the Ulster Scottish Pipe Band enough time to set up on stage for Drew’s entrance. There are bagpipes, drums, and dozens of people dressed as Highlanders and holding swords. It’s a cool look, and very fitting for Mr. McIntyre.
The Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association are out to play music for Seth’s entrance. They’re a String Band Association, and I see a bunch of saxophones and accordions, as well as some other non-string instruments. THE LIES!
CM Punk is on commentary for this match. I still find it hilarious that the idea for Punk being the Referee here was teased on Raw, and the crowd ate it up, only for it to be an okey-doke, giving us Commentary Man Punk. It’s almost like WWE misread the room.
The opening bell for the first match takes place 22 minutes into the show. AEW would’ve had two matches and a backstage segment by this point. If there’s one thing WWE is going to do, it’s add a bunch of filler and make WrestleMania longer than it probably needs to be.
I have a feeling we’re going to see some mixed reviews for this one. It was a lot shorter than a lot of people probably expected it to be, but they fit a lot into what time they had. It was your usual modern day World Title match, with both men kicking out of big move after big move. It took four Claymores to put Rollins down, but Drew McIntyre is the new World Heavyweight Champion. It was fun while it lasted, but yeah, I’m not even sure that went ten minutes. 3.5 Stars
Seth, with tears in his eyes and what looks like one eye in the middle of swelling shut, looks back at Drew and says “you deserve it, man” to Drew before he leaves.
I was about to start forming the next portion of the column, but we weren’t done yet. As Drew McIntyre celebrated atop the announce table, taunting CM Punk, Punk tripped him and then attacked him with his arm brace. With McIntyre prone on the floor, Damian Priest runs a 4.3 40 and makes his way to the ring to cash his title shot in, and just like that, we have a new World Heavyweight Champion… again. Damian Priest is the top guy on Raw. Wow. Priest leaves to celebrate with The Judgment Day on the stage. Drew is crestfallen in the ring and he looks over at Punk, who is laughing and mockingly applauding. This show is insane already.
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs Karrion Kross & The Authors Of Pain – Six Man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight
Snoop Dogg is brought out to be a guest commentator for this one, and then, Bubba Ray Dudley is brought out to be the guest ref. They’re really loading the show up.
Remember what I said earlier about adding filler and making WrestleMania longer? 50 minutes in, we get the opening bell for the second match.
If you thought it was going to be like the Street Fights of old, you would be sadly mistaken. We got a couple minutes of domination from the heels, but then Kross had to go ahead and put his hands on the Referee. Bubba reached into his pocket and pulled out the old taped eyeglasses, putting them on, and that’s when everything turned. Angelo Dawkins hit a WAZZZUP headbutt from the top. Bubba, Lashley, and the Profits took turns hitting each other in the chest and asking for tables. Lashley and the Profits pick up the win. Kross and AOP, on the other hand, are just about dead in the water. I’m not sure how much of a future they have in WWE. Snoop was very entertaining on commentary, and you could tell he was having the time of his life.
If we’re grading the quality of the match itself, there isn’t much to go on. However, I am also fully aware that WWE’s ideal scenario for WrestleMania isn’t five-star match after five-star match. Instead, it would be a little bit of something for everyone. This wasn’t for me, but the live crowd really enjoyed it when the faces were on offense. I’m in a good mood, so let’s just say 3 Stars and move on.
LA Knight vs AJ Styles
AJ hinted at some new entrance music, and he debuted it here. I don’t like it. Looking at social media quickly, it doesn’t seem like anyone else likes it, either.
You can come up with whatever reasoning you want for this, but this is the quietest the crowd has been so far tonight. It’s weird that it is taking place during an LA Knight match, but this wasn’t exactly the most spectacularly put together feud we’ve ever seen.
Fitting… as this wasn’t exactly the most spectacularly put together match we’ve ever seen. It wasn’t bad. I’ve said it before, though… LA Knight’s in-ring work doesn’t come close to matching up to LA Knight’s mic skills and character work. Even when he’s in the ring with someone considered an all-time great worker, his matches don’t quite reach that level. 3 Stars. I’m interested to see where LA Knight goes from here. Does he move back up to the main event scene? Is he penciled in for a midcard title? We shall see.
Logan Paul vs Kevin Owens vs Randy Orton – Triple Threat Match for the WWE United States Title
The match starts as something of a Handicap Match, with Owens and Orton teaming up to beat the hell out of the champion, including slamming him on the announce tables multiple times.
LMAO @ a loud “Gatorade” chant breaking out when Logan goes on offense. That is incredible work by the live crowd. The people at Powerade must be seething right now.
I know I’m getting old because I never know who any of Logan Paul’s friends are. He keeps having people come to the ring with him, in or out of the Prime mascot costume, and commentary always acts like these people are huge names. Some streamer was there this time, but he was different than the other streamer and the other streamer and the streamer before that. *shrug*
This was fun. WWE Triple Threats generally tend to be. Logan Paul retains his title with the good WWE 2K strategy, sending one of his opponents out of the ring so that he could pin the other one. Lots of action in this one. Owens and Orton had multiple times where it looked like they would win, but it was not meant to be. Logan Paul continues to show that he is a future World Champion in this company if he decides to continue dedicating himself to the sport. 4 Stars
Iyo Sky vs Bayley – WWE Women’s Title Match
You know there’s a sizable non-American portion of the crowd there because Bayley is being serenaded with the “Hey Bayley” song that she always gets when she’s wrestling in places like the United Kingdom.
I wasn’t keeping track of exactly when this match began, but we’re only a handful of minutes in, and that “Hey Bayley” song has been heard at least five or six times so far.
This has been a slow match, but purposefully done. Iyo has been targeting Bayley’s knee, and it means that Bayley is moving slowly and deliberately. Sometimes that can affect the quality of a match, but this isn’t one of those times. It’s merely adding to the drama and the story. I dig it.
Bayley and Iyo killed it out there. 4.25 Stars. Like I said, it wasn’t very fast paced when Bayley was on offense, but the story told was great. Lots of hard-hitting action, and the well-earned and well-deserved victory for Bayley. The new WWE Women’s Champion truly is our Role Model.
Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes – Bloodline Rules Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title
Cody has a pretty cool mask on for his entrance, and he is met on the stage by his wife, Brandi. It is worth pointing out that, as of the moment I type this, just after the first “WHOA” in Cody’s entrance, there are about 75 minutes left in the show if it’s going to go as long as night one did. Now, I don’t think we’re getting that long of a match, but hey, would it surprise anyone at this point?
Roman has now officially broken the record for performing in the most WrestleMania events ever. This is his ninth such occasion, breaking Hulk Hogan’s record of eight. Helluva run for Roman, even if a good chunk of it was while he was pushed as a face that live crowds weren’t behind, but that’s not his fault. Vince McMahon was a fucking moron long before Roman joined the company. Roman is a little under two months shy of his 39th birthday, so he still has plenty of time to add to his record, which frankly, could very well put it out of reach forever.
This crowd is electric. It’s not as cold as it was last night, which probably helps, but they’re amped up for everything in the very early stages of the match.
lol @ Roman wanting this to be Bloodline Rules, and it is, but he still carefully put a table back under the ring after Cody pulled the table out… only for him to take a kendo stick out moments later and hit Cody with it several times.
I’m pretty sure the crowd has been standing for the entire match, and we gotta be about 15 or so minutes in by now. They’re invested, and it shows.
Jimmy Uso interferes in the match, but before it can go much further, Jey Uso comes out. The twins meet up on the ramp, where Jey takes his brother SMOOTH OFF THE FUCKING RAMP and through some tables below with a Spear. I don’t know exactly how far off the ground they were, but it was really high. Goodness gracious.
As Cody is attempting a third consecutive Cross Rhodes, Solo Sikoa gets in the ring and hits Cody with a Samoan Spike. Cody kicks out of a Roman pin attempt, though, and Solo goes back on offense, and Cody is dropped by a Spear & Samoan Spike combo… for a two count, but JOHN CENA is here, and the stadium is rocking on its foundation! Cena takes Solo out, then drops Roman with an Attitude Adjustment! HERE COMES THE ROCK! We’re going with the Avengers: Endgame shit here, and I love it!
Rock and Cena go face-to-face before Rock takes him out with a Rock Bottom. Then the familiar entrance music of The Shield hits, and Seth Rollins enters the ring in his Shield gear, only to be taken out by Roman. Then… THE UNDERTAKER arrives and attacks The Rock!
The ring is cleared, and it allows Cody to hit three straight Cross Rhodes! New champ! Samantha Irvin’s voice is trembling with emotion as she announces Cody as the new champion!
One of the most “extra” matches in WWE history, which is REALLY saying something, but at the same time, it was EVERYTHING it needed to be. The Marvel Cinematic Universe needed to come together to take Thanos out.
After the match, a bunch of faces show up to celebrate with Cody. Cody’s mom gets in the ring, and Cody does what he said he would do and drops to a knee to present the title to her. It’s a beautiful moment.
Cody gets on the mic and says that he wouldn’t be back in WWE if it wasn’t for two men, naming Bruce Prichard and Triple H, asking for them to come to the ring. Prichard looks emotional as he gets in the ring and embraces Cody, and Triple H embraces Cody, as well. Off-mic, Cody thanks his wife, and then goes to ringside, where Michael Cole is in tears as they embrace.
This was 5 Stars. It was already a great match before the Avengers stuff kicked things up several notches, and that only sealed the deal.
“DAMNIT, I LOVE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING!” – Michael Cole, on commentary, in the aftermath of the win.
“Pro wrestling is back.” – Corey Graves, on commentary, before the show went off the air.
“Pro wrestling is beautiful.” – Pat McAfee, on commentary, immediately thereafter.
Amen.