I'm a little late getting started here tonight, as I was enjoying the first half of the show with The Big Rybowski and Roman Zane... but here we go with the show thoughts for Night One.
The set was incredible. Kevin Hart's cold open gave the evening a very "Hollywood" feel. WWE is clearly making up for the lull of the past few years with some big moves tonight.
John Cena vs. Austin Theory had a lot of promise, but certainly didn't live up to it. Cena looks older (probably because he is older) and is need of a tanning machine. But even his trademark charisma didn't seem to come shining through, minus the opening segment with the Make-A-Wish Kids (which truly was a nice touch). This match disappointed on many levels, and definitely didn't feel like a Big Match John match at all.
The WrestleMania Showcase Match featuring Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. The Viking Raiders was highly entertaining, and in hindsight, this should have opened the show instead. Lots of fun moments here showcasing the best moves and work of each duo. Very happy that The Street Profits got the win here, as they needed a big WrestleMania-sized win.
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul delivered exactly what he'd hoped for. Tons of big, high-risk moves and big moments from both guys. I'm still not sure who was the man in the Prime bottle, but the splash through the table was an incredibly memorable moment. Rollins deserved the win here, but both guys gave it their absolute best.
Trish Stratus, Lita and Becky Lynch vs. Damage CTRL was fun for what it was. Great entrances by the face faction gave this a big-match feel. The match was a bit slow at times, but I'm just not going to say anything bad about a match with Trish Stratus in it. Not a highlight, but certainly not a lowlight either.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio overdelivered by a fair amount, and this was one with massively high hopes to begin with. You had fantastic entrances for both guys, family drama, faction drama and Bad Bunny at ringside. Yet despite the overbooking, the match itself was even better. Dom has arrived as a star, and he absolutely belonged in there with his father. Although I imagined the son should have won here, it tops off an incredible weekend for Rey.
It's kind of amazing that the Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley match was the first time the entire group were made of females (performers, referee, ring announcer) and like the two matches before it, this definitely had a big-fight feel. On top of that, it may have been one of the most physical womens matches I've seen in some time - you really believed both competitor was trying to maim the other. So many great false finishes there, such great storytelling... I defy you to find a better womens match in the history of WrestleMania.
Pat McAfee vs. The Miz was meaningless filler on a night where we probably didn't need it. And by the way, Michael Cole, McAfee LOST to Vince McMahon last year, so he's not undefeated...
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Usos was the main event we needed tonight. Such a roller coaster of emotions, such an easy to grasp story, and despite it approaching midnight (9 pm in LA), the crowd was still super-into every move. Yes, I had predicted KO turning on Zayn to give The Usos the win.... but this was absolutely the right way to go and no one can really debate that.
Overall, a really fun first night and quite a few WrestleMania Moments were provided.