 Jey Uso def. Gunther to Win the World Heavyweight ChampionshipI never thought we'd get a five-star mat classic from these two, but I was looking forward to it for the story and drama elements alone, so in that respect, this definitely delivered as a hot opener. Uso proved he could hang with Gunther, which made for several suspenseful nearfalls and the crowd was super behind Uso throughout. I could've done without Gunther immediately tapping out to Uso, but that's merely nitpicking. Otherwise, this was what it needed to be and I'm happy Uso got his moment, including his post-match celebration with his brother Jimmy. The New Day def. The War Raiders to Win the World Tag Team ChampionshipI can almost guarantee you that the sole reason this made the WrestleMania card over the Triple Threat TLC match for the WWE Tag Team Championship is because this was a branded matchup and these teams fit more of the Clash of Clans theming than the SmackDown teams would have. That's the only thing I can think of. Despite the quiet crowd, this was a very good match, but it could've happened on an episode of Raw. New Day had to win to salvage whatever heat they have left. Jade Cargill def. NaomiI'm stoked WWE actually gave the women a non-title singles story at WrestleMania for a change (that didn't have some sort of stupid stipulation). Hopefully this encourages the company to do more of this in the future and on other pay-per-views, too. To their credit, they worked well together and had a very enjoyable outing. My only issue with this was that Cargill won clean. I would've liked to see Naomi get something, but perhaps they'll find another way to keep the feud going. Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight to Win the United States ChampionshipFor a match put together on such short notice, this really exceeded my expectations. Then again, considering who was involved, I should've had higher expectations to begin with. These two had a real undercard gem that I liked a lot. Fatu is fantastic, but Knight deserves credit for the performance he had, too. That BFT out of nowhere was especially awesome. I assumed Solo Sikoa would get involved in some form or fashion, but I'm happy to have been wrong and that they gave Fatu his first of many singles titles in WWE. El Grande Americano def. Rey FenixIt's unfortunate that Rey Mysterio had to be bumped due to the freak injury he sustained on SmackDown, but it was an incredible opportunity for Fenix to step up and make his 'Mania debut on such short notice. The match lacked heat because they aren't in the middle of a formal feud, but from an in-ring standpoint, this was a ton of fun. Americano had to win before he does eventually face Mysterio, but Fenix was made to look credible in defeat. WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton def. Charlotte FlairI've noticed a pretty polarizing reaction to this match online: You either loved it or hated it, with a few falling somewhere in between. Personally, I fell in the former category. It felt like they were playing up their animosity for each other based on the "shooting" they were reportedly doing in their promos several weeks ago on SmackDown, hence why this wasn't always smooth. There were better bouts on the card, but this was still a strong effort on the whole. Above all else, Stratton retaining the title clean was key. I don't know how you resume the rivalry after that, but you don't necessarily need to. I assumed Flair would win, so I was relieved by that result. Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns and CM Punk in a Triple Threat MatchThey saved the best for last. I was worried that this may underwhelm given that there was nothing tangible on the line, but in the end, it didn't even matter (yes, that was an intentional reference). Not only that, but the action was excellent and the storytelling was spectacular. Paul Heyman was also wonderful in his role at ringside. The finish was fantastic with Heyman betraying both Punk and Reigns and establishing his alliance with Rollins. Most of us expected it, but the execution was flawless. I'm much more excited by the idea now than I was a month or two ago, and more importantly, it should give Reigns the character development he desperately needs. Overall ShowI don't think it's a stretch to say that the main event saved this show. There wasn't anything bad about Night 1, but outside of the opener, there wasn't anything that stood out as special either until the main event and its ending. This would've been remembered (and still could be) as average (most of the matches could've happened on an ordinary episode of Raw or SmackDown), but the terrific main event gave it a big boost. That said, Night 2 has the potential to easily outshine it.
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