WWE WrestleMania 39 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights of Night 1
Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap of Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 from Hollywood.
This is the most important event on the WWE calendar, so we can expect some big moments, shocking results and a few surprises along the way at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Here is a look at the complete lineup for Saturday night:
- Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (SmackDown Women's Championship)
- The Usos vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship)
- Austin Theory vs. John Cena (United States Championship)
- Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
- Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
- Damage CTRL vs. Lita, Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch
- Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. Alpha Academy vs. The Street Profits vs. The Viking Raiders
Let's take a look at what happened on the first night of WrestleMania weekend.
Austin Theory vs. John Cena (U.S. Title)
1 of 8After Snoop Dogg and The Miz welcomed us to the show and gave a rundown of the card, Austin Theory came out to defend the U.S. title against John Cena.
They tested each other early on just to get their balance, but once he had a chance, Theory took over and hit a suplex for the first near-fall of the match.
For the next several minutes, A-Town put on a dominant performance against the 16-time world champion.
When Cena made a comeback and locked in the STF, the referee had been knocked down, so nobody saw Theory tap out. A-Town nailed the veteran with a low blow before hitting his finisher for the pin and the win.
This was a decent match, but it didn't really feel like a WrestleMania performance. They didn't do anything out of the ordinary. This could have been a match on any episode of Raw.
Winner: Austin Theory
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- The stage for this show looked amazing.
- Cena had some Make-A-Wish kids on the stage for his entrance. It was a nice moment.
- The way Cena grabbed Theory for the first AA attempt made it look more like he was going to hit a GTS.
- Cena looked a step slower in this bout than he has in his last couple of matches.
Men's WrestleMania Showcase Match
2 of 8The second match of the night was the men's WrestleMania Showcase featuring Ricochet and Braun Strowman, The Viking Raiders and Alpha Academy.
Chad Gable and Ricochet began the match as the legal men. They had a nice exchange with a quick pace before both tagged out.
After a huge brawl broke out with everyone, the rest of the bout was pure chaos. It was hard to keep track of who was legal at times, but we saw some fun double-team spots from every duo.
The crowd was hot for this match, and it delivered some fun moments. After Strowman came close to winning, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins were able to score the pin.
The result was somewhat unexpected, but it was the right call.
Winners: The Street Profits
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- The big brawl spot felt too forced, but the spots the Raiders hit during the scuffle looked great.
- Gable being able to perform a rolling German suplex on a guy the size of Strowman is one of the most impressive things we will see all night.
- Ivar attempting a moonsault was awesome. He missed his target, but he looked good doing it.
- We can retire the Tower of Doom spot now.
Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins
3 of 8The third bout of the night was the grudge match between Logan Paul and Seth Rollins. There may not have been gold on the line, but both men were fighting for their own pride.
Both had huge entrances, so it took several minutes for the match to get started. They were slow to lock up and get going, but once they did, Rollins took control. He used his edge in experience to put Paul down on the mat a couple of times.
The social media star was able to make a comeback and got a handful of near-falls. He hit a few impressive moves before The Visionary regained his composure and started on a roll.
Rollins always brings it, especially in big-match situations, but we again find ourselves noting how good Paul did in his performance. He sold well, he hit all of his big spots, and he had great facial expressions.
KSI revealed himself to be in the Prime costume when he pulled Paul out of the ring to save him from a Stomp. Rollins pulled KSI into the path of a dive from The Maverick before he hit the Pedigree to get a two-count.
After a few more exchanges, Rollins scored the win to make the stadium happy. For what this was, it was pretty great. It was a little on the overbooked side at the end, but that is a minor complaint.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Paul did a zipline entrance and someone was dressed as a bottle of his Prime energy drink on the stage, who was later to be revealed as KSI.
- Having a conductor lead the crowd in singing Rollins' theme song was a great way to do his entrance.
- Paul's slingshot lariat looked better in this match than it did the last time he hit it.
- Paul's gear had '90s X-Men vibes.
- Jumping straight to the top rope to hit a moonsault was the most impressive thing Paul did in the whole match.
Damage CTRL vs. Lita, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus
4 of 8Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai were out first for their match against Lita, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus.
They got into a brawl at first, but once it settled down, it was Lynch in the ring for her team while Damage CTRL kept her isolated.
It took The Man a long time to get enough breathing room to be able to make a tag to Lita. The co-tag champ took it to Sky with a series of takedowns.
Both teams had a chance to run the match for a little while, but when it was time for it to come to a close, The Man scored the win with a Manhandle Slam on Bayley from the middle rope.
This match had some good moments, but as a whole, it felt kind of clunky. Stratus and Lita haven't been full-time wrestlers in years, so they can't be expected to perform at the same level they once did.
Winners: Lita, Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Bayley may have looked slightly more like an anime villain during her entrance than Rollins.
- It was a little surprising that Lynch's outfit wasn't more outlandish.
- Lita looked a little out of practice in some spots. She seemed to hesitate at times, too.
- Lita having a fake thong string as part of her gear was kind of funny because it was obvious it wasn't real.
- Stratus still takes bumps really well.
- The exchange between Lynch and Bayley was the best part of the whole contest.
Dominik Mysterio vs. Rey Mysterio
5 of 8For only the second time, father and son did battle at WrestleMania when Rey and Dominik Mysterio fought in a singles match.
Dom was brought out in a paddywagon in handcuffs wearing one of Rey's masks for his entrance, while Rey was driven out in a low-rider by Snoop Dogg.
Once they finally got the match going, neither man was holding back. They immediately established a quick pace with an aggressive tone. Rey scored the first major takedown and it seemed to faze Dom a bit.
Dom threw a drink in his sister's face at ringside, and Rey had to hold her back. He took advantage of the situation to attack his dad from behind.
Damian Priest and Finn Bálor showed up at ringside as Dom began to take control. They interfered to help Dom with some distractions, but Legado del Fantasma ran to the ring to take care of The Judgment Day.
Bad Bunny stopped Dom from using a chain and allowed Rey to hit the 619 and score the win over his son.
Not only was this probably the best singles match performance Dom has given, but everybody who was involved also did a great job with the part they were given.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Bad Bunny was with the Spanish commentary team for this match.
- The video that tried to make Dom look like a hardened criminal was hilarious.
- There was a mascot for Cinnamon Toast Crunch at ringside for Rey's entrance. At least they didn't name the match after the cereal.
- Rey taking off his belt to spank his son was very funny.
- The way Rey hit the bottom rope when Dom countered a hurricanrana looked nasty.
Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (SmackDown Women's Championship)
6 of 8Rhea Ripley challenged Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the penultimate match of the night.
They were slow to lock up as they circled each other and tried to play mind games, but once they did make contact, they immediately started going at 100 mph.
Ripley was knocked out of the ring, so she had a minute to regroup as The Queen posed for the crowd. Once she got back into the squared circle, The Nightmare took over.
Flair unleashed a tirade of chops in the corner that popped the crowd before she began to focus on the challenger's leg to soften her up for the Figure Eight submission.
They traded control several more times throughout the bout. This was a physical battle between two of the strongest women in WWE, so we saw some power moves and big spots sprinkled throughout. They were throwing stiff strikes and putting everything they had into this performance.
They kicked out of each other's finishers as they began working toward the ending. Ripley was able to hit the Riptide from the middle rope to finally put Charlotte away to become the new SmackDown women's champion.
This was a great match that got better as it went along. Ripley absolutely deserved this moment after all of the great work she has done over the past couple of years.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ripley looked awesome. Her gear and ring jacket were all well done. However, the makeup she chose made it look like her black hair dye had leaked onto her face.
- Charlotte's ring jacket looked like it could double as a lifeboat in a pinch.
- The German suplex Ripley hit while The Queen was on the top turnbuckle was an awesome spot.
- Charlotte landed on her face when she rotated during a German suplex, and you could immediately see a rugburn on her nose.
- Ripley may have chipped a tooth. You could see it when she smiled toward the end.
The Miz vs. Pat McAfee
7 of 8The Miz and Snoop Dogg were there to announce the attendance for the show, and The A-Lister issued an open challenge that was answered by Pat McAfee.
The Miz tried to back out, but Snoop decided he had the right to make the match official. A referee magically appeared and the fight got going.
McAfee unloaded on The A-Lister and dropped him with a spinebuster. The former WWE commentator nailed him with a superkick. The Miz shoved George Kittle at ringside, so the San Francisco 49ers star hopped the barricade and shoved him to the ground.
McAfee jumped off the ring post and took The Miz down with a senton before he drilled him with a running kick for the win.
This was dumb and funny and exactly the kind of segment you should expect at WrestleMania. It was also a good opportunity for anyone in the arena to use the bathroom if they needed it.
Winner: Pat McAfee
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Michael Cole's enthusiasm for McAfee was hilarious.
- McAfee backflipping off the top rope was a cool moment. He has done that a few times in WWE and it's always kind of impressive.
The Usos vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens (WWE Tag Team Championships)
8 of 8The main event of the night was the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The SoFi Stadium crowd was fired up for the challengers.
Once everyone got settled and the match got going, Zayn and Jimmy started for their teams, but Jey tagged in before they made contact.
Surprisingly, they started with a relatively simple exchange of holds and counters, but Zayn eventually tackled Jey and started pounding on him with rights and lefts.
The Usos eventually took control and began to keep Zayn isolated in their corner with quick tags. The Underdog From The Underground made the hot tag to KO, who took out both brothers with a dive from the top rope to the floor.
The Usos almost hit the 1D on Zayn, but KO saved him by pulling Jey out of the ring. Jimmy and Jey ended up putting him through one of the announce tables. Moments later, they did hit Zayn with the 1D, but he kicked out to a huge pop.
The Prizefighter crawled back to the apron and tagged back in so he could hit Popup Powerbombs to both Usos. The tide changed a few more times before the match came to a close when Zayn tagged in and nailed Jey with the Helluva Kick three times for the win.
This match was great for both its in-ring action and storytelling. All four guys did a masterful job with everything, especially the selling of the big spots.
You could see people legitimately crying in the crowd as Zayn and Owens hugged with tears in their eyes. This was the perfect way to end Night 1 of WrestleMania 39.
Winners: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Grade: A+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Lil Uzi Vert performed for a minute before The Usos made their entrance.
- Not only did Zayn and Owens have matching gear, but they also had the PWG logo on it.
- Owens as a tag team wrestler is great because he has one of the best hot tag sequences in WWE.
- KO has such a clean frog splash. He should give Dominik Mysterio some lessons.
- Jey using the Helluva Kick against Zayn was a great moment.
