WWE WrestleMania 2023 Results: Rey Mysterio and the Biggest Winners, Losers from PPV
On the heels of an explosive WrestleMania 39 that left fans contemplating certain booking decisions and questioning the direction of several Superstars moving forward, several men and women were able to be classified as either winners or losers
Who they are, what side they fall on, and why is the question.
In celebration of the annual Showcase of the Immortals and another hugely successful two-night broadcast, these are the men and women most memorable.
For better or worse.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
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It was clear from the moment Rhea Ripley took to the squared circle for her first Mae Young Classic match in 2017, against Miranda Salinas, that she was one of the faces of women's wrestling's future in WWE.
To get the fans to understand that and acknowledge her as such, she had to look within herself and figure out who she was.
It took six years, a bit of repackaging, and a heel turn that saw her join The Judgment Day but she accomplished that goal.
The only thing missing from there?
A defining victory over one of the standard-bearers in professional wrestling. After missing out on such a moment in 2020 at WrestleMania 36, she got it Saturday night in the form of a SmackDown Women's Championship win over Charlotte Flair.
Not only was it Ripley's coronation as one of the faces of women's wrestling moving forward, but it came in what was inarguably her best professional match to date; an instant classic to be recounted among the best in event history.
Most expected this year's Showcase of the Immortals to be Ripley's stage to shine on. Many expected a great match considering her dance partner was the best women's wrestler of her (or any) generation.
What few could have imagined was that Ripley would grab the event and make it her own by delivering an exclamatory five-star performance. She did and as a result, she will forever be one of the defining features of the 2023 show.
Loser: Austin Theory
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Austin Theory defeated John Cena.
That is how every match result will read in the wake of Saturday's show. The real outcome was less matter-of-fact.
Theory cheated, delivering a low blow and dropping Cena with A-Town Down for the win, despite tapping out after the referee had been bumped.
The young, brash, cocky United States champion celebrated as if he had earned a definitive victory, as all good heels do, but it was apparent fairly quickly that the win was not nearly the passing-of-the-torch moment both he and WWE officials likely hoped it would be.
Instead of a convincing win, fans watched Theory tap out, essentially losing to Cena, despite the lack of referee awareness. From there, he cheated to beat a guy whose prime is long behind him and whose major contributions to the contest were his name and his signature stuff.
Theory is no better off than he was entering the show. He is in the exact same spot as he was having beaten Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins in the months before the show, which begs two questions: why bring Cena back for that and, perhaps more importantly, who backstage does not believe in him enough to book a straight-forward win over the future Hall of Famer?
Cena is heading back to Hollywood to film movies and TV shows. He does not need to be protected by booking at this point so why not just put Theory over him cleanly? There is no follow-up, no revenge to be had for Cena. It is an open-ended finish rather than a definitive one that could have announced to the world that Theory is a guy to be taken seriously moving forward.
Now, he arrives at Monday's Raw essentially the same as he was when he left last week's broadcast.
Winners: The Usos
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For The Usos, WrestleMania 39 represented the culmination of a long journey to main event acceptance in WWE.
They exploded onto the scene in 2010 and spent years fighting for acceptance as more than just Rikishi's sons. They were consistent in their improvement as workers but the creative did not necessarily support that.
Then came the feud with The New Day, where they were allowed to show off their personalities and years later, The Bloodline storyline that showed just how great an on-screen presence they had.
Jey, in particular, was a revelation as the heart and soul of the faction. A phenomenal storyline with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, on top of years of hard work to legitimize tag team wrestling in WWE and establish themselves as the tops of that division, led to them to the main event of Night One of wrestling's most prestigious event.
Some 13 years into their main roster run, the twins proved to the world that they not only belonged in the top spot on the card but in every conversation regarding the best tag teams in wrestling history.
The main event of Saturday night's show was as much about them as it was Zayn and Owens and that is the beauty of what those four Superstars accomplished.
Loser: Finn Balor
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The Demon was a special attraction persona utilized by Finn Balor over the first half of his WWE career that, when introduced, enhanced the enormity of whichever match it appeared in. Balor suffered his first loss in the bodypaint in the September 2021 Extreme Rules main event, where he lost to Roman Reigns.
Otherwise, it has been remarkably protected, with Balor winning as The Demon.
Perhaps that is why expectations had shifted from a straight Edge victory to Balor scoring the upset and setting himself up to be a major factor on Monday nights post-WrestleMania.
Instead, Balor overcame a nasty gash on his head, only to lose to a con-chair-to at the hands of The Rated R Superstar.
As a result, The Demon has been watered down and Balor endured another loss he really could not afford if the intent was to keep Judgment Day a significant factor on Monday nights.
One of the most influential and historically relevant wrestlers on the planet today thanks to his creation of Bullet Club and revolutionizing of NXT, it never ceases to amaze how poorly utilized in the grand scheme of things Balor is.
Taking away the effectiveness of The Demon certainly will not help with that.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
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The utilization of Rey Mysterio by Triple H and Vince McMahon could not be more night and day.
The Game treats Mysterio like a true legend; a revolutionary and influential star that changed the business and forever altered the perception of who is and is not a star based on size.
McMahon treated him like an aging afterthought, keeping him off WrestleMania cards or booking him in throwaway matches, then cutting his time.
For whatever reason, the Chairman of the Board took Mysterio for granted, knowing he had been a major part of the company's creative and marketing opportunities but also acknowledging that he was no longer relevant in this current generation of Superstars.
Almost as if he knew there was value, but not enough to ever justify high-profile wins or increased television.
Triple H reaffirmed his belief in Mysterio, making him both the headliner in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023 and the centerpiece of a feud with his son, Dominik, ahead of WrestleMania.
A great deal of the weekend would be dedicated to him and that was certainly the case. First, he delivered a fantastic Hall of Fame speech, then went on to WrestleMania, where he was given a special entrance with Snoop Dogg and allowed to defeat his son for another signature victory on the grand stage.
Everyone already knew Mysterio was a legend but to see WWE treat him like one, in the same manner, it may for The Undertaker or John Cena, was reaffirming.
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