 LA Knight and The Usos def. World Tag Team Champions The Vision (Austin Theory and Logan Paul) and IShowSpeedThis was a completely inoffensive, dare I say enjoyable opener. It wasn't a barn burner by any means, and I can name you many other WrestleMania opening matches that were better, but for what this was, I thought it worked. IShowSpeed got some shine and did well, including afterward when he put Paul through the table. I don't know that I need to see Speed vs. Paul now, but I wouldn't be shocked if WWE goes in that direction. More importantly, Knight scored the win for his team. I thought I was seeing things. Jacob Fatu def. Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned MatchAs the second Unsanctioned match in WrestleMania history (the first one being Seth Rollins vs. Triple H from WrestleMania 33), this was a bit tamer than I was hoping for. I can't say I was too surprised considering most hardcore matches in WWE tend to blend together regardless of what they're called, but it didn't feel like there was as much urgency as there should have been given the nature of the feud. Despite all of that, I thought they put forth a commendable effort and had a good match. Fatu winning was obviously the correct outcome as well. Paige & Brie Bella def. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair, Bayley & Lyra Valkyria, and The Irresistible Forces in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team ChampionshipIt's a bummer the news of Paige returning was spoiled online beforehand (not by WWE but by wrestling media). It was still a super cool moment, though, and that was easily the highlight of what was an otherwise average match. It sucks that Bayley was robbed of a WrestleMania moment for two straight years, but maybe she and Valkyria will be the ones to take the titles from Paige and Brie. Speaking of Paige and Brie, I would have rather seen Paige on her own upon being brought back, but this is a fine role for her in the meantime. Becky Lynch def. AJ Lee to Win the Women's Intercontinental ChampionshipI loved the entrances for both women (even though the lead singer was clearly lip-synching while Lynch was walking out). I also liked the match more than most. I thought it was mostly on par with their encounter from Elimination Chamber with Lee once again having a solid showing and Lynch doing an excellent job of carrying her through some stuff. Referee Jessica Carr getting physical with Lynch popped the crowd, so hopefully there is eventually a resolution to that story they've been telling for many months. Gunther def. Seth RollinsThe build to this bout was nearly nonexistent, but we all knew that they'd deliver an absolute banger if afforded the opportunity. Every match up to this point didn't get a ton of time, so I was worried, but they did not disappoint. They made every minute matter and went out there with the intention of stealing the show, which they did. My only nitpick with it was the finish. Yes, I'm glad Gunther won, but did he really need an assist from Bron Breakker to do it? I know it furthered the feud between Breakker and Rollins, but I would've rather seen Gunther win clean with the Breakker angle being saved for afterward or Monday's Raw. Liv Morgan def. Stephanie Vaquer to Win the Women's World ChampionshipMorgan's entrance eclipsed the entire match. It may have been longer, too. I'm only half kidding. What we got from Morgan and Vaquer was decent, but it felt rushed and not special at all. The excessive interference from the rest of The Judgment Day didn't help, either. If nothing else, Morgan becoming champ was the right move. It gave her a much-deserved 'Mania moment and puts Vaquer back in chase mode. Bianca Belair Revealed Her PregnancyJohn Cena's attendance announcement was what you'd expect... until Belair randomly returned. I was wondering why she wouldn't be saved for Night 2 where she could've aided Rhea Ripley against Jade Cargill and her minions, but it quickly became clear that she was pregnant based on what she was wearing. Congrats to her and Montez Ford on the amazing news. Of course, this delays her return even further, but perhaps she's far enough along that she'll be back before WrestleMania 43. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. Randy OrtonMan, what a mess of a match this was. Pat McAfee's role in the rivalry was toned down coming into the event, but he was definitely the focal point early on when this started. Even when Jelly Roll emerged to put him through one of the commentary tables, I figured he'd be back and that's exactly what happened. The match Rhodes and Orton were having in between the chaos was actually entertaining, except for the fact the psychology was weird with Rhodes coming across like the heel even though that wasn't the point. The finish was way too overbooked, and if Orton was going to stand tall with the title afterward, why not just have him win? Needless to say, it was an underwhelming ending to the show. Overall ShowI saw a ton of flack for Night 1 online and I can understand the criticisms, but I honestly didn't have any major issues with it outside of the main event, the shorter match times and the constant commercials. WWE desperately needs to work on improving those last two things because they kill the flow of the show. Such little emphasis on the in-ring action on WrestleMania of all events is inexcusable. Thankfully, they have a chance to rebound with a stronger second night.
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