Salutations, Henchmen!
Well, Night One certainly did not disappoint, eh?! Forgetting the matches themselves for a minute, simply the return of a live crowd to WrestleMania (however ill-advised, ahem, no pun intended) was enough to make everything about the event seem extra special. After some time away, it felt like everyone suddenly appreciated everything anew again, and even the little things felt huge. I randomly got goosebumps out of nowhere when the thunderous sound of thousands of people yelling “FEEL THE POWER” rang through the stadium. Last year, that would’ve been just another part of the show we took for granted. It seemed like Night One of ‘Mania was truly for the fans and nothing showed that more than the opening match. The fans have been riding hard for Lashley since his title reign began and it was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise to see him retain. I know I’m not the only one who thought that they were going to plough through with round two of the post-‘Mania McIntyre media tour, despite Lashley’s talent and popularity. It was the perfect open to the show and probably my favourite moment of the night. It left me feeling more excited for a new era of the WWE championship than I have since #KofiMania. There are so many fresh matchups to be had with Bobby as champion! However, (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) there is a tiny part of me that hopes that this ultimately leads to an insanely physical and heated build with Brock Lesnar. Yep. Bobby Lashley makes me feel all right about the Beast returning. That’s really says it all, doesn’t it?
Nothing could really top Lashley’s moment for me during the rest of the show but there were still plenty of excellent moments throughout. It was great to see two veteran workhorses in Natalya and Tamina getting some recognition and a well deserved ‘Mania moment. As expected, Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins was an absolute treat to watch from start to finish. I mean seriously, IT WAS SO DAMN SMOOTH ALL AROUND! Omos showed us all that he was the next intimidating big guy, while Shane O’Mac got to have his insanely dangerous high spot (that he somehow thinks is still a cool thing people want to see?). I’ll admit that the juvenile antics during the steel cage match had worn me out so by the time the ring was flooded with bunnies, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Well, all of that changed after seeing Bad Bunny in the ring. He fearlessly and enthusiastically put it all on the line to deliver for the crowd! It was an outstanding performance for a celebrity guest and more than any of us could have expected. Finally, the historic women’s main event lived up to its hype. As I said yesterday, stars are born at WrestleMania and last night Bianca Belair was that star. You also have to hand it to Sasha Banks for her performance as she yet again missed out on a win at WrestleMania in order to pass on the keys to the SmackDown women’s division that she herself has held up so well throughout the pandemic. Ultimately, the show both started and ended with title changes to usher in a new year of wrestling full of exciting new prospects for matchups. Hopefully we can expect the same kind of shakeup from Night Two. On that note, let’s see what’s in store!
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Tamina (Women’s Tag Team Championship Match)
We knew Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler would be a tough mountain to climb for whoever ended up winning the tag team turmoil match but if anyone stands a believable chance against them, it’s the powerhouses that are Natalya and Tamina. This is the perfect opportunity to remove the seemingly unbeatable obstacle of Nia and Shayna and make the women’s tag team titles more accessible for other, smaller teams in the coming year. It’s also a chance to continue the feel-good story of the oft-overlooked Natalya and Tamina getting a moment to shine (for once) on the grandest stage of them all. Just look at how happy and proud Natalya was last night and tell me you don’t want to see more of it tonight:
Winners: Natalya & Tamina give a much-needed refresh to the women’s tag team division.
Riddle vs. Sheamus (United States Championship Match)
Realistically, Riddle is the fresher meat here and could benefit more from a win at ‘Mania but I don’t care; I have to go with my guy, THE FELLA, for this one! Sheamus hasn’t held a title since early 2019 when he was tag team champion as one half of the Bar (man, do I miss my favourite tag team! *sniffles*). So yeah, that is a crying shame! A title run is overdue for the Fella. Seeing as Drew lost the championship last night, it would make sense to put the title on Sheamus so they could run back the hot Sheamus/McIntyre feud that we got a taste of at Fastlane. Why not run it back at this point? There is so much potential and backstory to unravel there and now that Drew is free from the WWE championship scene there is room to explore it.
Winner: Sheamus.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (with Logan Paul)
This is the match I have been most looking forward to on the entire card across both nights. I’m sorry but no matter how much it’s been done, the clash of the Canadians never gets old for me. Together they’re like a well-oiled machine, just cranking out classic after classic after classic. They know each other so well and have proven that they can tell a great story together no matter the gimmicks they might currently have. If you’ve been reading these prime(r)s all along then you already know how much I love and appreciate Sami Zayn, especially his current gimmick, so I’ll hold back on the gushing here. I’ll simply say that I’m very excited to see how Sami’s new paranoid personality will affect their dynamic in this match. Oh I almost forgot that Logan Paul was going to be there. Why is that, exactly? Whatever, hopefully he just stays out of the way.
Winner: Kevin Owens. Sami descends even deeper into his rabbit hole of conspiracies and paranoia but gets some good footage for his documentary along the way.
Big E vs. Apollo Crews (Nigerian Drum Fight for the Intercontinental Championship)
I have no idea what a Nigerian Drum Fight is but so long as it means we get to see Big E and Apollo tango on the grandest stage of them all then I am here for it. I’m honestly not too sure where they are going with this one. You would think that Apollo would scoop up a win to prove that his heel-turn was worthwhile and meaningful but that’s exactly what I said before Fastlane and it didn’t happen there. Maybe they were just saving that title change for a big moment at ‘Mania? I hope so. As fun as it has been to see Big E on his solo run, it seems like a shakeup is in the forecast after ‘Mania and the New Day will probably be reunited, especially after the reaction the mini New Day reunion got last night as Big E brought them down to the ring. Yet, I’m sure the temptation is still strong to give Big E a glorious win at ‘Mania in the same vein as his partner Kofi once had. It really could go either way but I’ll stick with Apollo as the ultimate choice to move forward with the IC title in the new year.
Winner: Apollo Crews.
The Fiend vs. Randy Orton
I’m not sure it’s worth speculating about anything in this match. Welcome to the Fiend’s world, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter! (Yeah, I still very much enjoy reruns of Whose Line, WHAT OF IT?! EH?!) So, let’s just hope it’s a cinematic match? I low-key miss having those every once in a while.
Winner: Is this even a match that will have a winner or loser?
Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley (Raw Women’s Championship Match)
The build for this match seemed a bit rushed but it’s not like that really matters when you’re dealing with a literal DREAM MATCH. This is a clash between two badasses who were QUEENS of their respective NXT eras. That’s it, that’s the story. No other hype or build required. I already have chills just thinking about it. Asuka has had a long title run that has reinforced her status as one of the most dominant forces, if not THE dominant force on the women’s roster. She took the opportunity that arose from Becky’s vacating the championship and ran with it incredibly well, besting all of the other horsewomen along the way. What’s left for her to do if she retains? Well, if Shayna and Nia lose the tag titles that would present two big obstacles for her to take on next. That might even occupy her long enough until Becky returns. So that’s one way to go. On the other hand, the invincible image that Asuka has built up presents the perfect opportunity to instantly make a star out of whoever can stop her. *Insert a capable and hungry Rhea Ripley here*. Asuka has proven her greatness time and time again; it’s time to use that to launch another star to greatness.
Winner: Rhea Ripley. She may have been buried at ‘Mania last year but I don’t think that mistake will be made twice.
Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan (Universal Championship Match)
I’ll admit it- I couldn’t help but feel a tad disappointed when it was announced that the main event would be a triple threat match. Reigns vs. Edge was building up so well. Too well, I guess. So much so that they decided to take the cheesy way out and throw Daniel Bryan in there to absorb the pin and turn this into a long-game feud. Although, I’d like to think that the plans for the main event of WrestleMania wouldn’t be that overtly transparent, so hopefully I’m wrong and the world is shocked as Daniel Bryan sneaks out of ‘Mania with the Universal Championship…. You know what? Fuck it. I’ll run with that possibility. Actually, the more I think about it the more it really starts to seem like the most likely outcome. One of my golden rules is to never bet against Vince’s golden boy, Roman Reigns, but this might be the one and only time that I confidently can so I’m going for it. In terms of WrestleMania moments, Reigns has had far too many to count, while Edge is still riding high from his Royal Rumble moment. As for Daniel Bryan, for all we know this could very well be his last chance for a championship ‘Mania moment or maybe even his last WrestleMania in general (hey, he is getting up there). In terms of storytelling, Reigns and Edge come in as the relative heels, while Daniel Bryan comes in as the last-minute babyface and total underdog. It’s quite possible that they will opt for an unlikely victory for the lovable underdog, an outcome they know will be well received by the fans as they close out the show. After all, as I said earlier, this WrestleMania has truly been all about the fans.
Winner: Daniel Bryan.
With the energy running high after Bianca Belair’s win last night, tonight promises to keep up that energy as it comes packed with championship matches and the culminations of several major storylines. Based on the card alone, I can easily see it topping Night One. When all is said and done, I’m really looking forward to seeing where the bow of the ship is pointing as we sail into the upcoming year of wrestling. Again, you can catch me live on Twitter (@vesperofevil) throughout the show.
ROUND TWO BAY BAYYYYY WE’RE READY! LET’S GOOOOO!