For the first time since Covid has began WWE has allowed in person attendance for the show of all shows, Wrestlemania. Starting the night Vince McMahon as well as the roster came out to thank the fans and the world watching for sticking through these troubled times.
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley with MVP (c)
Opening the event was oddly enough the World Heavyweight title match. McIntrye who has had a hell of a time being champ to empty arenas during these times had the crowds full support as did Lashley however. It was a really good match between the two going back and forth both showing off why they are in the title picture. The distraction finish was a bit lame however and is over done though I feel it didn’t hurt Drew and likely sets up future bouts or getting Lashley vs Lesner down the line.
#1 Contender’s Tag Team Gauntlet Match
Carmella and Billie Kay vs. Lana and Naomi vs. Tamina and Natalya vs. Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott (Riott Squad) vs. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke
(Winners advance to tag title match on Night Two of Wrestlemania.)
What a mess this match was. That is honestly the best way to put it. It felt way too long for what it was and having teams come out after an elimination just made the match feel like it was progressing even slower. Sadly it was filled with numerous botches from every team and even the commentary table who announced the wrong team being eliminated.
Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
Cesaro is a man who has always had the charism the in ring skill along with the love of the fans but just never has gotten that push. So to see him come out and put in a great match alongside a former Wrestlemania main eventer and win clean on top of that was great. Both men here put it in all and had the crowd eating out their palms, if anything this shows Cesaro deserves that push the same as he always has.
Omos and AJ Styles vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods) (c)
This match was fine to begin with but the end just took it completely out. New Day and Styles did okay starting it off before they introduced Omos as Styles tagged him in. For a man who never wrestled a match before WWE must have big hope for him. Outside of his size he didn’t present anything in ring other than running corner to corner so his size presence seems to be all he has going for him. In the end this match was only there to get the belts on Omos and Styles and thankfully didn’t last too long.
Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman
Shane vs Braun in a cage is something else. Considering the story line seems to be just Shane bullying Braun which I find odd because of WWE’s anti-bully stance set this match up to be everything you’d expect. Braun gets attacked at the beginning to give Shane the upper hand for the majority of the match. When Braun tore the cage apart to pull Shane in was fun though and of course Shane has to take a massive bump in a match but this was just bland overall and felt long even when it wasn’t.
The Miz and John Morrison vs. Bad Bunny and Damian Priest
Celebrity matches always get hit with doubt or as a PR stunt because we are being given someone usually not trained or into pro wrestling but are expected to believe them in ring. Bad Bunny might be the true exception after this though. As a life long fan and someone who since starting his angle in WWE has been training constantly he did show true form here in ring. Mixed partially with confidence and the amazement of a fan getting to live his dream in ring he carried most of his teams action in this match (since we later found out Priest was coming off an injury). It was a fun match and made sense for them to put Bad Bunny against someone like The Miz who is widely regarded as possibly the safest person to be against in ring. It’ll be interesting to see if we ever see Bad Bunny in ring again.
Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
Our main event for Night 1 and for the first time ever in WWE history as Michael Cole announced was headlined by two black women in the form of Banks and Belair. With a phenomenal in ring story of Belair giving it her all to achieve her dream and be here was great along with Banks giving it her all to keep what she has fought so hard for was great. Both looked amazing and put in a back and forth filled match that never felt too slow or like it went on for too long. You could truly feel the emotion build as the match on and Belair played off actions she had when she lost the chance for the NXT belt as well to help bring this story full circle. This match was proof of what Belair will bring to the table and that Banks is a top star for the long run. It was a fantastic main event.
