Roman Reigns defeats Cody Rhodes to retain undisputed universal title
Roman Reigns has been champion and the top star in WWE for years and in the past year was the catalyst for the biggest uptick in WWE business in decades. He is the manipulative leader of the Bloodline faction, using his family members to keep hold of power and holding off all challengers. Cody Rhodes is the son of the legendary “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. After an underwhelming first stint in WWE, he left to prove himself outside the company and thrived. He eventually helped to found All Elite Wrestling, the WWE’s strongest competitor in decades. He then returned to WWE looking to hold the title his father never held.
This was another fantastic match, a dramatic back and forth classic demonstration of professional wrestling at its best. Prior to the match, Cody took a moment with his family, his daughter, and presented his belt to the son (known as Negative One in AEW) of the late professional wrestler Jon “Brodie Lee” Huber. After a staredown, Reigns smiled and backed off. Reigns slammed Rhodes on the ramp but Rhodes turned the tide and slammed Reigns on the ramp. Solo Sikoa, Reigns’ cousin and heavy, interfered twice attacking Rhodes behind the referee’s back. Reigns went after Rhodes’ ribs.
Reigns tried to put Rhodes through an announce table but Rhodes back dropped Reigns through the other announce table. He hit a cutter in the ring for two and a suicide dive. The referee ejected Sikoa from ringside for interfering and Rhodes hit his finisher crossroads. Reigns kicked out at two. Reigns hit a uranage (the finisher of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who has been interested in doing a match with Reigns for years) but Rhodes kicked out of the pin. Rhodes countered a spear into the pedigree (Triple H’s finisher, that Rhodes has used at times as something of a shot at Triple H) but Reigns kicked out.
Reigns hit a superman punch but Rhodes again kicked out. Reigns went for the spear again but Rhodes countered with a sunset flip for two. Rhodes then applied the figure four leg lock, the finisher of his father’s most famous rival Ric Flair. Reigns got to the ropes. Reigns finally hit his signature spear but Rhodes kicked out. Reigns applied a guillotine choke but Rhodes popped his head out and came out punching. Rhodes went for a kick but accidentally hit the referee.
Rhodes went for the crossroads but the Usos, Reigns’ other cousins, came in with a double superkick on Rhodes and hit 1D on him. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn came in for the save. Owens gave Reigns the stunner and Zayn gave him the helluva kick. Owens and Zayn then fought with the Usos out into the crowd. Rhodes covered as the referee came to but Reigns kicked out. After a back and forth fight, Rhodes hit two crossroads. As he went for a third, Paul Heyman distracted the referee. Solo Sikoa came back out and hit Rhodes with the Samoan spike. Reigns covered Rhodes and got the pin.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Edge defeats Finn Balor in ‘Hell in a Cell’ match
Edge is an accomplished multiple time world champion who came out of retirement in 2020. Finn Balor is a former champion in his own right, both in WWE and in other companies including New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Edge and Balor have been feuding since last year since Balor and the Judgment Day faction turned on their former leader Edge. It’s a storyline that has never really clicked and will likely finally come to an end with a ‘Hell in a Cell’ match, one of WWE’s most well-known stipulation matches.
They worked hard and had a brutal match that was different than anything else on the show. Balor was dressed up in his elaborate demon attire and went after Edge aggressively. Edge quickly gained control.
He attacked Balor with a kendo stick and threw him into the cage. Edge trapped Balor with kendo sticks against the cage and hit a dropkick into the cage. He followed with an impaler DDT. Balor retaliated with a sling blade and dropkick into the cage. He then dropkicked Edge through a table and began throwing chairs at Edge.
Edge answered back by throwing a ladder at Balor and the doctors went to check on Balor. Balor recovered and hit a double foot stomp then countered the spear and sent Edge into a ladder. He followed with the coup de grace but Edge kicked out of the pin attempt.
Edge hit an edgecution off the ladder but Balor then began hitting Edge with sticks and ladders. Balor dove off a perch on the cage with a double foot stomp through a table but Edge moved and Balor crashed and burned. Edge hit a spear but Balor kicked out again. Edge followed with a series of chair shots and the concerto for the pin.
Winner: Edge
Snoop Dogg beats up The Miz after Shane McMahon appears to suffer injury
Miz and Snoop Dogg announced an attendance figure for the event when Miz began berating Snoop Dogg for Miz getting beat up by Pat McAfee last night.
Shane McMahon then came out to wrestle Miz. He landed some punches but appeared to injure his leg legitimately on a leap frog and was helped out of the ring. Triple H told reporters in a post-WrestleMania news conference that McMahon sustained a torn quad.
Appearing to improvise, Snoop Dogg came back in the ring and punched Miz twice. He then hit a people’s elbow and covered Miz for the pin.
Winner: Snoop Dogg
That was bizarre.
Bianca Belair defeats Asuka to retain RAW women’s title
Bianca Belair has held this title for a year. A former track star at the University of Tennessee, Belair has been a success story of the WWE’s developmental system and turned into one of their top female superstars. Asuka was a star in Japan before heading to America and thriving there as well. She earned this title shot by winning the elimination chamber match in February.
This was another excellent match and worked well despite having an exceedingly tough act to follow. Asuka came out strong and got the Asuka lock early but Belair escaped to the ropes. Belair briefly turned the tide with a power bomb on the floor but Asuka regained control with a series of kicks. Belair muscled Asuka up for a superplex, then a blockbuster and moonsault for two.
Belair grew frustrated at her inability to put Asuka away. Asuka hit a code breaker for two. Belair responded with a hard glam slam into the turnbuckle. Belair went for her finisher KOD but Asuka held onto the ropes. Asuka blew mist at Belair but missed. Belair went for KOD again but Asuka reversed into an arm bar. Belair countered that into the KOD and finally got the pin. Belair has consistently delivered in her biggest matches and this was another success for her.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Gunther defeats Sheamus and Drew McIntyre to keep title
After a long and successful career on the independent scene in Europe and elsewhere, Gunther joined WWE in the United States and has been very successful. The powerful and technically proficient Austrian has held the Intercontinental title since June, part of a trend of longer title reigns under current creative head Paul Levesque. The challengers Sheamus and Drew McIntyre are longtime friends, having come up together on the European scene as Sheamus is Irish and McIntyre Scottish.
This was an exceptional match, one of the best matches in WrestleMania history. The match started as a hard hitting slug fest, with all three men taking turns pounding on each other. Sheamus and Gunther’s chests in particular were discolored and bruised. Sheamus at one point hit 28 consecutive punches to the chest of McIntyre. Gunther power bombed McIntyre for a two. Sheamus hit white noise off the ropes and a Celtic cross on Gunther for another two.
Sheamus hit knees on both and a Brogue kick on Gunther and had Gunther covered, but his old friend McIntyre pulled Sheamus out of the ring. Sheamus facially sold being shocked by McIntyre doing that, which is likely to be a story coming out of the show. Sheamus and McIntyre then fought each other for most of the remainder of the match. Sheamus hit a Brogue kick on McIntyre but McIntyre kicked out. McIntyre hit his claymore but Sheamus kicked out of that. McIntyre and Sheamus fought back and forth. At the end, Sheamus hit a Brogue kick and covered but Gunther flew in off the top with a splash. He then power bombed Sheamus onto McIntyre, power bombed McIntyre and covered McIntyre for the win.
That’s a match that is likely to further elevate Gunther during a year where he has really emerged as a star.
Winner: Gunther
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler triumph in tag-team brawl
This, like the men’s four way tag match last night, is largely about getting wrestlers on the card. Ronda Rousey is by far the biggest star in the match, one of the biggest attractions in the history of the UFC. She teams with longtime friend and fellow former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler. The other teams are more makeshift.
Raquel Rodriguez is a young wrestler with good size and a lot of potential while Liv Morgan is a popular midcard wrestler. Chelsea Green has shined on television recently, playing a Karen like entitled character while Sonya Deville is another former MMA fighter who has a strong sense of fashion. Natalya is one of the WWE’s longest tenure female wrestlers and a member of the famed Hart family while Shotzi stands out for her green hair.
The match was OK, probably on the high end of expectations. They kept a fast pace but the execution was hit and miss. Green hit a missile dropkick on Rodriguez that Rodriguez did not register early. Shotzi hit a suicide dive to the floor, followed by a Green crossbody to the floor and Rodriguez power bombing Morgan onto the assembled group on the floor.
The crowd was largely quiet. Natalya used a double sharpshooter on Green and Deville. In the end, Rousey submitted Shotzi with an armbar.
Winners: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler
Brock Lesnar suplexes his way to victory over Omos
Brock Lesnar is the former NCAA wrestling champion, WWE champion and UFC champion. With his massive look and explosive power, he is one of the biggest combat sports drawing cards of his generation. Omos is a former college basketball player who has not proven to be an effective pro wrestling performer nor connected with the WWE audience but he continues to get some promotional push because of his height.
Omos blocked a takedown attempt, took a couple of shoulder blocks and blocked a German suplex attempt. Omos hit 3 body slams, applied a bear hug, and used a choke slam. Lesnar kicked out and hit 3 German suplexes. He tried for an F5 but couldn’t get Omos up. He then tried again and hit it for the pin. That was exactly what one would expect.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Roman Reigns talks about the Bloodline and how leukemia changed him
His name is Roman Reigns. Acknowledge him.
That’s what thousands of fans in arenas across the country have been doing the last three years, after Reigns won the WWE Universal title on Aug. 30, 2020. When Reigns enters the SoFi Stadium ring on the second night of WrestleMania on Sunday, he will have been champion for 945 days, the fifth-longest reign (no pun intended) in WWE history. You have the go back to the glory days of Hulk Hogan in the mid-1980s to find a longer tenure as champion. He even added the WWE title during that span, unifying the two most important titles in the organization.
And when he grabs the microphone Sunday and says “Los Angeles, acknowledge me!” well, just open a window if you aren’t at the event and you will likely hear the chorus of boos and cheers. It has become one of the best promo openers of all time.
“All the greats, they all have that opener,” Reigns told the Los Angeles Times. “And I was like, ‘Man, if I can get that out of the way and get some sort of hook, I won’t ever have to worry about how to start a promo or segment.’ At one point I just figured it was never going to happen. And then it just happened out of nowhere as I’m beating up Jey [Uso], I was just yelling, ‘Acknowledge me,’ at him, and it just stuck.”
Night 1 recap: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens take undisputed tag-team titles
The Usos are identical twins who have been one of the best tag teams in the world for over a decade. Owens and Zayn are friends from Quebec who first gained notoriety working for the PWG promotion in Los Angeles over 15 years ago. They have teamed and feuded off and on since for many promotions.
This storyline has been expertly told and is one of the best WWE storylines in years. Zayn was friends with the Usos as part of Roman Reigns’ Bloodline faction. Jimmy warmed to Zayn early while Jey was more hesitant. When Jey finally embraced Zayn, they became close friends. When Reigns, Jimmy and Solo Sikoa turned on Zayn, Jey at first didn’t want to accept it because of his loyalty to Zayn. However, he eventually chose his family members and attacked Zayn. Zayn then sought to talk his old friend Owens into joining him. Owens at first was reluctant but eventually joined Zayn and they will try to capture the tag titles from the Usos together.
This was a fantastic match and a strong conclusion to an excellent show. The crowd chanted ole for Sami Zayn at the start. The Usos worked over Zayn for a while, before he got the tag to Owens. Owens hit a frog splash for two. Zayn hit a brain buster on the apron and Owens hit a swanton for another two. Zayn then hit a top rope splash for another two. The Usos regained control on Zayn. They gave Owens a double choke slam through the announce table. They hit 1D on Zayn but Zayn kicked out.
Jey trapped Zayn in the corner, talking trash and smacking him. Jey hit a helluva kick on Zayn but Zayn responded with an exploder suplex and made the tag to Owens. Owens hit a pair of pop up power bombs and the stunner for two. The four men squared off, with the Usos getting the better of it and working over Owens. They hit a double splash but Owens kicked out at two. Finally, Owens got the tag to Zayn. Zayn hit two helluva kicks on Jey. Owens cut off Jimmy with a stunner and Jey hit one last helluva kick on Jey for the pin. This was a feel good ending to a great story.
Winners: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Night 1 recap: Pat McAfee and George Kittle make life miserable for Miz
Miz and Snoop Dogg came to the ring. They announced an attendance of 80,497, which is a fake number. Miz said he wanted to have a match but he issued an open challenge and no one would accept. Former football player and media personality Pat McAfee came out to accept the challenge against a reluctant Miz.
McAfee caught Miz with a superkick coming off the ropes. Miz went to leave and shoved San Francisco 49er star George Kittle on the way out. Kittle jumped the barricade and gave Miz a clothesline. McAfee hit a swanton off the top to the floor on Miz and hit a punt for the pin.
Winner: Pat McAfee
Night 1 recap: Rhea Ripley outlasts Charlotte Flair for women’s championship
Charlotte Flair, the daughter of the legendary “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, has been one of WWE’s most pushed female wrestlers for years. She defends her title against Rhea Ripley, who has gotten hot as a heel calling herself “Mami” and in a storyline relationship with Dominik Mysterio. These two have significant history as they have had three high profile singles matches. Flair beat Ripley at WrestleMania 36, then again at Hell in a Cell 2021 by disqualification then again at Money in the Bank 2021. The question is whether WWE will finally pull the trigger on Ripley beating the older, more established star.
There were two stories to this match. The first was the unmistakable high quality, as the two women had a grueling, physical battle that built and peaked well. The other story was the crowd, which was quieter most of the way than any other match on the show by a wide margin and sided more with Ripley down the stretch. It was an excellent match but one undercut by the decision to make Flair a babyface going into it, a role she has never thrived in. However, there was the inherent problem that Ripley was firmly ensconced as a heel when Flair returned and this was the match they wanted.
The match was physical from the beginning with hard hitting strikes back and forth. Ripley used a German suplex off the ropes where Flair flipped in mid air. Flair hit natural selection but Ripley kicked out. Ripley’s riptide was countered into a German suplex, followed by another for Flair. Ripley hit a German of her own and Flair flipped again. She landed hard on her face and skinned her nose. Flair came back with a big boot and moonsault off the top to the floor.
Ripley hit a head butt and riptide but Flair kicked out. Ripley used a standing Texas cloverleaf but Flair got to the ropes. They traded hard forearms. Flair got the figure four but Ripley got to the ropes. Ripley knocked out Flair by sending her into the post and then hit riptide off the ropes for the pin. The crowd reacted very positively to Ripley as she scored the biggest win of her career.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Night 1 recap: Bad Bunny helps Rey Mysterio teach his bratty son a lesson
Rey Mysterio is a genuine professional wrestling legend, an ahead of his time flyer who revolutionized the business and changed the standards for who could be a wrestler in the United States. Dominik is his son, who appeared on WWE television as a young child and joined the company as a full time wrestler in 2020. Dominik turned on his father in storyline and became a surprisingly effective bad guy, drawing some of the most negative reactions in WWE. Rey refused to fight his son for months but after Dominik insulted his mother, Rey finally accepted the match. It is one of the best built up matches on this year’s WrestleMania.
Both father and son had elaborate entrances. Dominik came out in a police van with handcuffs, fitting his gimmick that he’s claiming to be a hardened criminal when fans know he’s not and is just a spoiled brat playing tough. Rey came out in a low rider with Snoop Dogg to Nuthin’ But a G Thang then Eddie Guerrero’s old Lie, Cheat, Steal entrance music before finally his own theme.
This was a story based match and it worked well for what it was. After Rey gained the early advantage, he spanked Dominik with a belt. Dominik went to the outside and threw a drink in his sister’s face and then sent Rey into the post. Dominik told his mother to shut her mouth and she smacked him. Dominik’s allies Damian Priest and Finn Balor came out to interfere but Rey’s friends Legado del Fantasma fought them off.
Dominik went to use a chain but Bad Bunny, who was doing commentary at ringside, took it from Dominik and Rey hit the 619 and frog splash for the pin. With Bad Bunny hosting an upcoming WWE event in Puerto Rico, it would appear Rey and Bad Bunny will wrestle against Dominik and Priest and/or Balor.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Night 1 recap: Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita defeat Damage CTRL
Trish Stratus and Lita were very popular performers, primarily in the 2000s, and they are returning for the big show here. Becky Lynch is one of the top female wrestling stars of all time, catching fire around 2018 and was the first woman to win a WrestleMania main event. She has cooled somewhat following an ill-advised heel turn. Bayley, Kai and Sky comprise the villainous Damage Control faction, which hasn’t clicked as hoped since being formed at SummerSlam of last year.
This match was set up by Becky Lynch and Lita winning the women’s tag titles from Kai and Sky in February. Bayley has teased tension with the other two members of her group while there have been rumors that Stratus will be taking additional matches following this one, so there are a lot of moving pieces in the match.
The match was pretty good. Damage CTRL worked over Lita in the early part of the match. Stratus got the tag and made a big comeback including a head scissors on Kai onto the floor. Sky later hit a moonsault off the top to everyone on the floor. A big brawl broke out. Lita hit a twist of fate, Stratus hit the chick kick, Lita hit the moonsault and Lynch used the manhandle slam on Bayley off the ropes for the pin. This was an emphatic win for the faces. Stratus looked very good in her return while Lita was shakier.
Winners: Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita
Night 1 recap: Seth Rollins defeats Logan Paul after KSI shows up ringside
Seth Rollins is one of WWE’s longstanding top stars. Since he broke in with the Shield faction in 2012, few if any WWE wrestlers have delivered strong in ring performances as consistently as Rollins. Logan Paul is the famed social media personality who once boxed Floyd Mayweather Jr. and has taken to wrestling exceptionally well. Paul has only wrestled four matches heading into tonight but he has delivered great performances every time and is a natural villain. The story of this match was Paul knocking Rollins unconscious with a punch twice on television. Rollins has vowed revenge.
This was a great match. Paul delivered again and Rollins was his typically strong self. Both men made big entrances, with Paul riding down on a zip line and Rollins being accompanied by a conductor conducting the crowd to sing along with Rollins’ entrance song. Paul dominated early with mat wrestling. Rollins came back with three suicide dives. Paul hit his knockout punch but delayed covering selling his hand and Rollins kicked out.
Someone dressed as Paul’s energy drink pulled Rollins out of the ring and it was revealed to be fellow social media figure and boxer KSI. Paul was going to do a frog splash onto Rollins through a table on the outside but Rollins pulled KSI on top of the table and Paul crashed through KSI accidentally instead. Rollins hit a pedigree back in the ring but Paul kicked out. Paul hit a go 2 sleep and frog splash but his springboard was countered into a superkick ala Shawn Michaels/Shelton Benjamin. Rollins then hit the stomp for the win.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Night 1 recap: Street Profits prevail in tag-team brawl
This tag team match is the lowest profile match of the evening, largely existing to get additional wrestlers on the card. Strowman and Ricochet are a classic big man/little man pairing with the monstrous Strowman and the agile high flyer Ricochet. Street Profits are a popular and charismatic team. Alpha Academy is comprised of Chad Gable and Otis. The rotund Otis is being recruited to be a model, testing his loyalty to his tag partner Gable. The Viking Raiders are a hard hitting team with long beards.
This was a spectacular sprint of a match, full of big spots from beginning to end. Chad Gable hit a German suplex on Braun Strowman early, an impressive feat of strength. Ivar missed a moonsault and then Strowman hit a top rope splash on Ivar. All the wrestlers did a tower of doom spot topped off with Ricochet hitting a crossbody off the top. Ricochet then hit an explosive shooting star press to the outside but when he went for another shooting star press in the ring, he was caught with Angelo Dawkins’ knees and Montez Ford soared with a frog splash for the win.
Winners: Street Profits
Night 1 recap: Austin Theory defeats John Cena
The show started with an introductory video featuring Kevin Hart. Hart starred alongside John Cena in Die Hart 2, released Friday, but that was not plugged.
Miz and Snoop Dogg then did an additional welcome in the ring.
Cena went after Theory at the beginning but Theory turned the tide by biting Cena’s ear. After Theory had some success, Cena got the STF submission but Theory broke it by biting Cena’s fingers. After some additional control by Theory, Cena made his final comeback. Cena hit a few shoulder blocks, a side slam, the five knuckle shuffle and went for the AA. This led to a referee bump but Cena applied the STF again in the process. Theory tapped and Cena released the hold, but the referee was still unconscious. Theory then hit a low blow and the A-Town down for the pin.
Winner: Austin Theory
WrestleMania Night 2: How to watch and match predictions
The long-anticipated WrestleMania concludes tonight at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with six matches on the card. Here’s how you can watch and a look at each of Sunday’s matches.
What: WrestleMania 39
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
When: 5 p.m. Pacific
How to watch: You must be a subscriber to Peacock TV to watch.
Matches
Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
Rhodes has never won the Universal title. His father, the great Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, never won the title. Ever since Cody returned to WWE at last year’s WrestleMania, his entire story has pointed to this moment. But will WWE actually take the title off Reigns, their consistently most popular wrestler who has carried the company the last three years? Will the Usos get involved, bringing out Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens? Will Jey Uso finally turn on Reigns? There are a lot of possibilities.
Will win: Rhodes
Should win: Reigns