On April 1st, 2023, WWE kicked off its biggest annual show of the year, WrestleMania. This year, which is the 39th installment of the show, is being held at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Similar to the past 3 years, the Showcase Of Immortals is now a 2-night event, which puts performers on the first evening under major pressure as they have to hold down their fort, while the company saves the big World Title bout for night 2.
RELATED:8 Hidden Details Most Fans Missed From WWE WrestleMania 39, Night OneHowever, this did not stop Triple H from loading the night with some marquee names, such as John Cena, Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Seth Rollins only to name a few. While some of the 8 matches on the card blew it out of the park, some unfortunately could not. With that let's take a look at how each bout performed in the Hollywood-themed event.
8 Pat McAfee Vs The Miz
Before the main event of the night, The Miz, in a segment with Snoop Dog, issued an open challenge. This was answered by a returning Pat McAfee.
The two then went on to have a 3-minute bout, which the former NFL star won after an assist from George Kittle, who was in the crowd. While a fun breather for the live audience, this shouldn't have been a Mania match.
7 Austin Theory (c) Vs John Cena - United States Championship
In the opening bout of the night, John Cena had what was his first in-ring bout at the big stage since WrestleMania 34 as he challenged Austin Theory for the United States Championship. While the two stars only barely interacted throughout the Road to WrestleMania, those segments where more than enough to get the fans invested.
The match had immense heat, with the crowd fully behind the veteran Cena and booing Theory out of the stadium. The young champion eventually retained after a bout fell short of feeling WrestleMania worthy, but Theory retaining following a low blow was indeed the right call. The match had one purpose; of making Austin a star, and it was certainly achieved.
6 Trish Stratus, Lita, and Becky Lynch Vs Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, & IYO SKY)
This match, even though not the best in terms of in-ring action, is one which certainly surprised a lot of fans. This is because even though Lita and Trish, both who retired from full-time wrestling long ago, were able to not only hang with the current crop of wrestlers, but were able to have an engaging bout.
The match, while relatively short, had the fans in the palm of its hand as the capacity crowd was massively behind the team of Becky and the two legends, who eventually won. The only question here is the booking of Damage CTRL, who have taken loss after loss in this 4-month long rivalry.
5 The Street Profits Vs Braun Strowman & Ricochet Vs Alpha Academy Vs The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar)
The WrestleMania Showcase matches announced by the WWE were perhaps the only critiqued bouts online, since the matches lacked any proper build or story. However, the men's match between the Street Profits, Braun Strowman and Ricochet, Alpha Academy, and The Viking Raiders certainly proved why management wanted this on the big card.
The bout was a 2000s PWG-themed multi-men match, with every team getting their own spots to shine. The Street Profits eventually won it all, with Montez Ford, Chad Gable, and Ricochet winning over the crowd massively.
4 Dominik Mysterio Vs Rey Mysterio
The eventual father versus son clash between Rey and Dominik Mysterio was just a perfectly told story from start to finish. Dom's entrance with the police, while Rey having a tribute entrance to Eddie Guerrero was just an amazing contrast of what the two characters stood for.
RELATED:10 Biggest Wrestlers That Rey Mysterio Wrestled In His Career, Ranked By SizeThe match relied more on story bits rather than in-ring action, which was a smart way of hiding the inexperience of Dom which might have been exposed at such a big stage. After a number of ringside interactions between the Mysterio household and Judgement Day, Rey won after Bad Bunny, who was the Spanish guest announcer, stopped Dom from using the chain. This was a very satisfying conclusion to the story while making the young star seem like a massive villain for the years to come.
3 Seth Rollins Vs Logan Paul
Just like all his previous outings, this match was yet again solid proof that Logan Paul truly belongs in the wrestling business. After both stars made their extravagant entrances, they went on to have a good high-paced display in the ring.
The finish was a unique yet fun one, which saw KSI being revealed as the Prime Energy Drink Mascot. KSI was eventually crippled by Logan's frog splash before Seth won via a stomp to a huge reaction. Yet again, this was a perfect mix of mainstream catering and professional wrestling by WWE.
2 The Usos (c) Vs Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens - Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
The main event of the night was the unfolding of a long-term story, which saw Sami Zayn, who is perhaps the hottest act in all of WWE today, finally get his revenge on the Bloodline and end the record-long title reign of Jimmy and Jey Uso. The match had everything, from jaw-dropping action to a story with attention to detail, and most importantly a satisfying climax.
RELATED:10 Things You Didn't Know About Kevin Owens And Sami Zayn's FriendshipHowever, a few things stop this match from being the match of the night, such as the crowd seemingly being tired and not as loud as it was for the bouts prior. Moreover, towards the end, the near falls became a bit too numerous, which is something that could have been avoided.
1 Charlotte Flair (c) Vs Rhea Ripely - SmackDown Women's Championship
The SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and the winner of the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble Match Rhea Ripley seemingly came for this match with a huge point to prove, with both openly talking during the weekend how they feel they deserved the main event spot of the Night 1.
This match was just jaw-dropping from start to finish, with the story of the champion's speed against the challenger's power being told. Moreover, the callbacks to their Mania 36 match provided extra context as the match went on. Ripely eventually won after hitting Flair with the Riptide from the top rope which got what was the biggest pop of the night. Rhea was indeed cemented as the face of Women's wrestling in WWE through this match.
