WrestleMania Results of Night One and Reaction
WrestleMania XL event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, had several big matches on night one and will lead into night two on Sunday night. Here are the results and reaction of night one.
Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch.
There is no doubt that Ripley is the top female superstar. She had the "Motionless in White" band group perform her theme entrance and did not disappoint. On the other hand, Lynch attempted to tap Ripley but was not successful. After a few powerful riptides, Ripley was on top for the three-count.
Reaction: Rhea Ripley is the Slammy "Female Superstar of the Year" and the only female superstar at another level on Raw. With Smackdown stacked with Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Naomi, Damage CTRL, and Bayley, which superstars will transfer to Raw and challenge Ripley head-on? There will be a shake-up in the women's division soon.
The Undisputed Tag Team Division Split Winners
The Awesome Truth, The Miz and R-Truth (RAW) and A-Town Down, Austin Theory, and Grayson Waller (Smackdown) defeated The Judgment Day, #DIY, The New Day, and New Catch Republic in a six-pack ladder match. The split was unique, as the rumors for one tag-team championship were put to rest. Each brand will have its own champions.
Reaction: Expect Judgment Day to have a rematch against the Awesome Truth on Raw. On Smackdown, do not count out the New Catch Republic. But, night two features the United States Championship. Should Logan Paul retain in a triple-threat match, there could be a possibility for Randy Orton and Kevin Owens to pair together and become contenders for the Smackdown tag-team championship.
Rey Mysterio and Andrade defeated Santos Escobar and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio.
Andrade returned to the WWE from AEW. It was believed that he would have joined Judgment Day. However, he turned to fight along with his hero, Rey Mysterio. The move backfired Dominik, who had high hopes of expanding the faction. Rey is now 2-0 against his own at WrestleMania.
Reaction: It was not so much about Escobar and Mysterio against Rey. The question that needs to be answered is, "Who attacked Dragon Lee?" The odds for the answer are firmly in favor of Carlito. Replay the events leading up to the assault and the celebration in the ring at night one. Then, think about any other attacks in the WWE. Most of the time, the enemy would claim the attack. This time, there was no such word as to who did it. You always have to watch out for the quiet ones.
Jey Uso defeated Jimmy Uso.
Reaction: I was disappointed that the brothers did not make a truce in the middle of the ring and their dad, Rikishi, did not appear. Eventually, the twins will need each other, just as Roman Reigns's hoodie states, "Family Above All."
Jade Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca Belair defeated Damage CTRL
The trio were unstoppable in their victory.
Reaction: Did Damage CTRL make the right decision to dethrone Bayley? Will the trio be alongside Bayley during the Women's Championship on night two? Iyo Sky defends her title, and she is never alone.
Sami Zayn, the new Intercontinental Champion, defeated Gunther.
Zayn's storyline resembled the movie "Rocky." Of course, why not? WrestleMania is in Philadelphia, where the fictional character statue is at the Museum of Art, north of the Rocky Steps. Zayn defeated Gunther by believing in himself.
Reaction: Zayn may have a rematch with Gunther. However, Gunther may pass on and seek a heavyweight championship match—as he deserves. If you follow the movie series, Rocky, Apollo Creed helped train Rocky Balboa after their rivalry. Outside the ring, they would spar with each other.
But would Gunther's loss allow Ludwig Kaiser to go after the Intercontinental Championship?
The Rock and Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
The Bloodline win means that night two's main event will be the Bloodline Rules match. Anything can happen. But there is much more at stake.
Reaction: Seth Rollins is now injured, which has led to his match with Drew McIntyre. The odds for Rollins to retain the WWE Heavyweight Championship is a small percentage. Cody Rhodes may be outnumbered unless he plays his cards right. However, there is another factor. While many believe there will be outside help for these matches (CM Punk, John Cena, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and maybe more), Damian Priest still holds the money in the bank briefcase. Priest, along with Finn Balor, lost the undisputed tag-team championship belts. He is still looking for more gold.