While the beginnings of ‘Night 1’ would hit a couple early bumps, it’d rebound right away with an emotionally intense match for the RAW Women’s Championship that would see Bianca Belair finally put away “Big Time” Becky Lynch and end her seemingly eternal stranglehold on the red brand belt. Mania 38’s first night would continue to ramp up the emotion with the long-awaited, well-received return of “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes to the WWE fold, as he would be the mystery opponent to combat, and subsequently defeat, Seth Rollins. It wouldn’t stop there, as the “main event” saw the return of the legendary “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in his home state of Texas, and the intense face-off with Kevin Owens would somehow turn into an unforgettable “No Hold Barred” match that brought back the beer-swilling, mudhole-stomping “Texas Rattlesnake” many fans had been clamoring about and missing for years.
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WrestleMania 38’s ‘Night 2’ had some high marks to reach for, but managed to reach some of them with solidly-done matches like Edge vs AJ Styles and the RAW Tag Title triple threat, as well as Pat McAfee’s surprising, shocking and rollicking Mania debut. While there were some low points, to be sure, things picked up right on time for the true WrestleMania 38 main event, which saw Reigns finally overcome Lesnar to not only shake off the biggest demon of his WWE career, but become a truly “acknowledged” undisputed Universal Champion, sending the Mania audience home buzzing on a relatively high note.
1. SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs
WINNER: The Usos (6:58, via pinfall - Jey Uso pinned Nakamura following the 1D)
THOUGHTS: This wasn’t exactly the hottest opener for a WrestleMania event, but that’s not the fault of either team here, as the match itself was shaping up to be pretty good. Boogs’ legit injury off the “lifting two men at once” spot midway through the match, however, led to the finish being rushed and Nakamura having to take the fall. That’s a shame, as he and Boogs have developed a fun, cohesive chemistry as a team in recent weeks, and they could’ve been “the ones” to finally dethrone the Usos. Alas, that is not the case. Early reports indicate Boogs suffered a torn quadricep patellar tendon and will be requiring surgery within the next week.
GRADE: C-
2. Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin w/Madcap Moss
WINNER: Drew McIntyre (8:41, via pinfall - McIntyre pinned Corbin following the Claymore)
THOUGHTS: McIntyre purportedly being the first superstar to kick out of Corbin’s “End of Days” finisher did get a decent pop, but even that felt like a waste as one would think they would save that sort of crucial spot for a more important match down the road, but hey, “what a WrestleMania moment” and all that. Hopefully this means the end to their feud and McIntyre can make his way back into the championship picture.
GRADE: C-
3. The Mysterios vs. The Miz & Logan Paul
WINNER: The Miz & Logan Paul (10:57, via pinfall - Miz pinned Rey following the Skull-Crushing Finale)
THOUGHTS: Paul certainly held up well on his end of the match, not unlike Bad Bunny in his Mania match with Miz last year, pulling off some impressive moves like a blockbuster neckbreaker and even doing a fun riff on the late Eddie Guerrero’s “Three Amigos” suplexes and Frog Splash to get heat from Eddie’s home state of Texas. The only real critique here is that he bounced back too quickly from taking a couple big moves, but if he plans on staying with WWE in the long term (which he may well do given Miz’s post-match betrayal), some more training and in-ring polishing will take care of that. A solid match all around from both teams.
GRADE: B-
4. RAW Women’s Championship Match: “Big Time” Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
WINNER: Bianca Belair (19:08, via pinfall - Belair defeated Lynch with the KOD)
THOUGHTS: A great match between two well-established competitors in Becky and Bianca that told a fun story from beginning to end. They both had stunning entrances, with Lynch doing everything she could to put Belair away early on and becoming increasingly unhinged and desperate as the match wore on.
Belair did what she does best by powering through Lynch’s blitzing onslaught, countering her assault with style and athleticism and hanging in until she could find her opening, capping off her pursuit of Lynch with a slick flipping counter to the Manhandle Slam and a definitive KOD to cinch the victory and put an end to Lynch’s stranglehold on the RAW Women’s Championship.
GRADE: A
5. Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes
WINNER: Cody Rhodes (21:27, via pinfall - Rhodes defeated Rollins with the Cross Rhodes)
THOUGHTS: It’s great to see Rhodes back in the WWE after hitting the proverbial “brick wall” in his career six years ago. While he may have had a loose end or two in AEW, Rhodes himself has made it clear in post-match interviews he has nothing left to prove and didn’t want to be spinning his wheels in the company he helped found, departing for WWE to the start the “next loop” in his career by facing Rollins at Mania.
The match itself certainly did not disappoint, with Cody coming out to his trademark “Kingdom” theme to a raucous ovation. It started off as a smooth technical encounter between two well-versed wrestlers in Rhodes and Rollins. Then it became a tense exchange of holds and suplexes before escalating into a bevy of dives, strikes and counters, with several call-backs to Rhodes’ previous stint in WWE sprinkled in, including a tribute to his father, the late Hall of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, with a Bionic Elbow, before finishing off Rollins with a Cross Rhodes to cap off his tremendous comeback. A great match and a big win for Rhodes in his WWE return.
GRADE: A-
6. SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey
WINNER: Charlotte Flair (18:47, via pinfall - Flair defeated Rousey with a big boot)
THOUGHTS: Despite that this was technically the “cool off” match sandwiched between Rhodes and Austin’s big returns, fans’ expectations were high going into what should have been a hard-hitting, submission-fueled exchange between Flair and Rousey. What they got, however, was a rather middling affair with some sloppy holds, submission spots that tended to drag on for too long, referee Charles Robinson legitimately missing Flair’s boot on the rope and counting three in a blown kickout spot, and a cheaply-done finish where Rousey had the victory with the ref knocked out, only for Flair to come back with a big boot and the ref “miraculously” coming to and counting Rousey down for three. The match honestly felt more like mere set-up for a rematch than any sort of barn-burner the fans were hoping for.
GRADE: C
7. No Holds Barred Match: Kevin Owens vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
WINNER: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (13:53, via pinfall - Austin defeated Owens with the Stone Cold Stunner)
THOUGHTS: What was originally supposed to be a tense war of words between Austin and Owens on the ‘KO Show’ ended up turning into a truly surreal “WrestleMania moment” with Austin making his in-ring return 19 years after his final match versus Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania 19 in 2003.
The “No Holds Barred” aspect of the match was obvious, given Austin’s advanced age and physical limitations, but the aggression from both men and the absolute excitement from the Dallas crowd more than made up for it. Austin sent Mania 38’s ‘Night 1’ audience home on a happy note with a “stunning” victory over Owens, followed by a customary Austin-style beer bash with his brother Kevin Williams, a seemingly appropriate bookend to Austin’s vaunted wrestling career that he started in Dallas, Texas 33 years ago.
GRADE: A-
8. RAW Tag Team Championship - Triple Threat Match: RK-Bro (c) vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy
WINNER: RK-Bro (11:42, via pinfall - Randy Orton defeated Chad Gable with a mid-air RKO)
THOUGHTS: Given that this was the opener for Mania 38’s ‘Night 2’ (aside from a very touching “retirement” promo by Triple H), it had to be expected that the tag rules would get thrown out the door pretty quickly with triple threat (i.e. no DQ) rules in place and the action would be quick and intense. The three teams did not disappoint, Alpha Academy with their mix of Gable’s smooth grappling and Otis trucking through others like a new-gen Vader, Street Profits with their high-flying antics, and the continually amazing chemistry between Orton and Riddle for RK-Bro. It all added up to a fun match, although it seemed like they could have ended it right after Riddle’s crisp-looking top-rope RKO to the Profits’ Montez Ford, as the RKO shortly afterwards to Gable felt a little tacked on, to be honest.
GRADE: B
9. “The All Mighty” Bobby Lashley vs. “The Colossus” Omos
WINNER: Bobby Lashley (6:21, via pinfall - Lashley defeated Omos with a Spear)
THOUGHTS: There was never any sort of expectation for this to be anything resembling a “wrestling” match, especially given that Omos is still green and in the fledgling stages of his singles career and Lashley is coming off of a shoulder injury that was previously thought to have kept him off the Mania 38 card. It wasn’t “bowling shoe ugly”, per se, as the match did its job in showing glimpses of the monster Omos is capable of being while also helping to reestablish Lashley with the WWE fans and hopefully move him back into the World Title picture.
GRADE: C
10. Anything Goes Match: Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
WINNER: Johnny Knoxville (14:25, via pinfall - Knoxville pinned Zayn using a giant mousetrap)
THOUGHTS: There were certainly a few awkward spots (Pontius dancing without “Party Boy” music is just plain weird), but it’s understandable given that so many stunts on the show required multiple takes to pull off, so it makes sense that a couple of them, like the giant mousetrap, wouldn’t work right away in a live environment like PPV. This is certainly a divisive match in terms of those who liked it and those who aren’t exactly fans or followers of Knoxville and company. All that said, it was a fun, harmless match and Zayn loses nothing in the loss other than a little dignity.
GRADE: B-
11. WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship - Fatal 4 Way: Queen Zelina & Carmella (c) vs. Liv For Brutality vs. “The Boss” Sasha Banks & Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler & Natalya
WINNER: Sasha Banks & Naomi (10:41, via pinfall - Banks pinned Carmella after a sit-out facebuster/Codebreaker combo)
THOUGHTS:This was a feel-good moment for Banks and Naomi, particularly Banks, given her less-than-stellar record at Mania. That said, this match was a little too fast-paced for my liking, especially with eight women in the ring at once and a lot of moving parts and potential miscommunication. There were some fun spots, including the double “Tower of Doom” superplex, but a slower pace would’ve helped sell some of those big spots better.
GRADE: C
12. Edge vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles
WINNER: Edge (24:26, via pinfall - Edge defeated Styles with a mid-air Spear)
THOUGHTS: This is one of the more difficult matches to go over. Some fans and critics will say that it was the intense, technically-sound dream match between two veterans that it was advertised and anticipated to be. Others will say that it was plodding, lethargic, and that there was too much rest time between certain parts of the match where it was clear that Edge and Styles were breathing heavy.
Personally, I’m of the mind that while it wasn’t the blow-away match I’d been hoping for, and it could’ve stood to lose about five or six minutes, it told the story that needed to be told, that Edge used his veteran mind games to emotionally undermine Styles, to have him make mistake after mistake and soundly pick apart his hurt shoulder and ribs until a timely distraction by Damien Priest allowed Edge to counter the Phenomenal Forearm with a Spear and pick up the win. A good match overall, and it should be interesting to see where the Brood-esque combination of Edge and Priest go from here.
GRADE: B
13. The New Day vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland w/Butch
WINNER: Sheamus & Ridge Holland (1:41, via pinfall - Holland defeated Woods with Northern Grit)
THOUGHTS: This match was apparently cut for time from ‘Night 1’, which begs the question of why it ended up here if it wasn’t even going to get two minutes. Why not just put the match on the TWO-HOUR preshow to give the four men more time instead of watering it down with match promo after match promo? It’s a shame to see Kofi Kingston going from his big WrestleMania moment of winning the WWE Title a few years ago to barely two minutes on the undercard in 2022.
GRADE: D
14. Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory / Pat McAfee vs. Mr. McMahon
WINNER: Pat McAfee (9:40, via pinfall - McAfee defeated Theory after countering A-Town Down into a roll-up pin), Mr. McMahon (3:41, via pinfall - McMahon defeated McAfee after punting a football into his ribs)
THOUGHTS: Could everyone tell McAfee was excited, getting to come out to dancing Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”? I’d be pumped too, and so was the Dallas crowd (also Michael Cole, almost the point of having a stroke). Theory played his role as the smarmy heel being backed by the boss very effectively, while McAfee more than held his own, including the breathtaking springboard superplex seen above. A solidly done match on all accounts.
GRADE: B-
That is, until they HAD to have Mr. McMahon come in to try and undermine McAfee’s big win with an impromptu “match” where McAfee was made to look absolutely stupid not being able to get his hands on a 76-year-old man AND lose to him, violating one of the few “unwritten” rules in WWE, in that the “Mr. McMahon” character is never supposed to win at WrestleMania. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin coming out one more time to lay waste to everyone with Stunners (McMahon once again proving he can’t properly sell a Stunner to save his life) and have another beer bash helped bring it back a little, but it was still a very unnecessary “sports entertainment” moment by McMahon.
GRADE: F
15. Winner Takes All Championship Unification Match: Brock Lesnar (WWE Champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Champion) w/Paul Heyman
WINNER: Roman Reigns (12:12, via pinfall - Reigns defeated Lesnar with the Spear)
THOUGHTS: This was a match that had been lauded for its more-than-effective buildup in the last few months, telling an emotionally intense, driven story about Reigns gaining the acknowledgement he’d been seeking for years, Lesnar becoming more of a present and clear danger to Reigns and his family with each passing week, and the internal struggle of Paul Heyman as he would pathetically dither over which prolific client to side with, ultimately siding with his “Tribal Chief”. All in all, WWE did a great job getting everyone excited about a match that the company has never quite gotten down right in the past seven years.
Ultimately, the match did the job it was supposed to do in giving Reigns the definitive victory over Lesnar that he hadn’t been able to achieve throughout their storied rivalry. It’s a victory that was never really in doubt, as Reigns has evolved into the most consistent, dominant entity in WWE since his 2020 return, and Lesnar, for all his newfound enthusiasm and more regular appearances, is still a “special attraction”. Admittedly, there wasn’t a whole lot of material between the two clashing titans that fans hadn’t already seen in past years, but they more than brought the intensity and hard-hitting action to send the ‘Night 2’ crowd home on a good note.
GRADE: B
Final Thoughts
WWE is a company that knows how to make things work when they put in the effort. Night 1 was an effective example, from Belair’s climactic victory over Lynch to finally win back the RAW Women’s Title, to Rhodes’ “surprise” return and barnburner match with Rollins, and to the triumphant return of the “Texas Rattlesnake”. It had its bumps to be sure, like Boogs’ unfortunate injury and a lackadaisical affair between Flar and Rousey, but all in all it turned out to be a solid Saturday night that would get the crowd pump for the next part of the show.
Sunday night, ‘Night 2’, was more of the same, with fun matches like Knoxville versus Zayn and the RAW Tag Title triple threat, as well as McAfee’s rocking Mania debut. There were some well-done performances from Edge versus Styles and Roman versus Brock. While the pacing was off at times and there were some unnecessary diversions like the shortened tag team grudge match and Mr. McMahon doing his best impression of an over-tanned windsock, it was nonetheless an overall good show put on by WWE. The two-day event for Mania seems to be working and is probably for the best at this point and time, as a way for the fans to truly enjoy what should be WWE’s biggest event without getting burned out in the process.
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