WWE WrestleMania 37: Night 1 Review - April 10, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mr. McMahon Addressed the WWE Universe

Man, this was emotional. Say what you will about McMahon and WWE on the whole, but it was so surreal having fans back in the building and they did the right thing by opening the event with everyone on the stage while McMahon talked. Unfortunately, the rain delay caused the hot start to come to an abrupt halt, but the circumstances did allow the Superstars to cut some unscripted promos in the back while they waited. They weren't all amazing, but it was nice to see them get some freedom for a change.

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley def. Drew McIntyre

If this match wasn't going to be the main event, putting it on first was the next best thing. The fact they had to follow a rain delay was unfortunate, but that didn't seem to matter much as they quickly regained the momentum and had a very good match. It was a highly physical hoss fight and Lashley winning clean with McIntyre passing out to The Hurt Lock was a pleasant surprise. As someone who was there live, I can tell you that the crowd was split for McIntyre and Lashley. I appreciated that McIntyre wasn't entirely booed or cheered and that Lashley had his fair share of supporters as well.

Natalya & Tamina def. The Riott Squad, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke, Carmella & Billie Kay, and Naomi & Lana in a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tag Team Turmoil Match

In retrospect, WWE absolutely should have had the SmackDown Tag Team Championship on the WrestleMania card over this. I understand the point was to get as many women on both nights of WrestleMania as possible, but the women's tag team scene is so flat right now that it was difficult to care. Worse yet, the match was a total train wreck and easily the worst thing on the entire show. There was a ton of terrible spots, clunky moments, and no real flow. Natalya and Tamina winning didn't surprise me, but it was disappointing because I honestly would have taken any other team over them.

Cesaro def. Seth Rollins

I had high hopes for this and it didn't disappoint. They've done an extremely nice job of building up the feud over the last few months and I applaud WWE for successfully making Cesaro feel like a legitimate singles star for the first time in years. He had a hell of a showing here and Rollins also deserves props for making him look so good. They have wonderful chemistry together and this was one of my favorite matches of the night. Needless to say, Cesaro winning was the right call. He was over huge with the crowd and I hope WWE allows him to ride this wave of momentum into the Universal Championship picture.

AJ Styles and Omos def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) to Win the Raw Tag Team Championship

This marked Omos' official in-ring debut on the main roster and I thought he did well. I honestly assumed he'd be terrible because I don't believe he had many matches under his belt during his time down in developmental, but he was wisely kept limited here and looked great whenever he tagged in. He came across as dominant, Styles did most of the work, and they ultimately went over decisively as they should have. Raw's tag team division remains in a rut, but this at least switches things up a bit.

Braun Strowman def. Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage Match

This feud has done absolutely nothing for me over the last few weeks, and in fact, their segments have been among the absolute worst on Raw all year. That's saying something given the state of Raw in 2021. That said, this was harmless and exactly what it needed to be. The Steel Cage stipulation made it more interesting than it would have been otherwise, the interference from Elias and Jaxson Ryker on the outside wasn't overdone, and it was worth it in the end for that spot with Shane where he went flying off the structure. Now, let's all please move on from this feud and forget it ever happened.

Bad Bunny and Damian Priest def. The Miz and John Morrison

This couldn't have gone any more perfect if they tried. Seriously, this was way better than it had any right to be. There have been some impressive celebrity matches at WrestleMania over the years, but Bad Bunny might take the cake for being the best yet. There was no telling how or if he'd even deliver here, but it looks like all of his training at the Performance Center since February has paid off. He was the obvious star of the match, but Priest, Miz and Morrison also played their roles remarkably well. Priest gets a nice boost from the win, Miz and Morrison are pretty much in the same spot they were in before, and Bunny left a lasting impression on the audience that will absolutely lead to him being brought back eventually.

​Bianca Belair def. Sasha Banks to Win the SmackDown Women's Championship

Although WWE failed in the buildup to this bout in making this feel like a WrestleMania main event, I don't think it could be argued once it was over that this was worthy of the main event spot. It had a big fight feel to it, both women had fantastic outings, and the match was as excellent as I hoped it would be. Banks has been in her fair share of pay-per-view main events, but Belair is still fairly new to the spotlight and she didn't look out of place whatsoever. They went all out, captured the crowd, and made history. I honestly would have been fine with either of them winning considering Banks has never won at WrestleMania before, but Belair winning cements her status as a star. It also made for an amazing ending to the show as she celebrated her huge victory with her friends and family. To think Belair went from making her main roster debut at WrestleMania one year ago to now headlining the damn thing is wild and well-deserved.

Overall Show

I was extremely fortunate to be able to attend this event, but even if I wasn't there in person, I would still say that it exceeded expectations. I was always more excited for Night 2 than Night 1, but the main matches delivered, the crowd was hot for most of the night, the right booking decisions were made in almost every match, the rain delay didn't hurt the overall flow of the show too much, and it was over at a reasonable time. I can't stress enough how imperative it is that WWE keep the two-night format for WrestleMania moving forward. Belair vs. Banks was a blast, but I guarantee you it wouldn't been as hot as it was had the show ended around midnight like it has in years past. Night 1 was highly enjoyable all around.