WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas played host to the most important weekend of the year for WWE, beginning with Night 1 of WrestleMania 42.

After the most controversial build of the year, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton collided for the Undisputed WWE Championship, with Pat McAfee playing a supporting role in The Viper's corner.

Stephanie Vaquer defended the Women's World Championship against Liv Morgan, and Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu looked to settle their dispute in an Unsanctioned match.

These contests and more set the stage for a night that needed to deliver true spectacle. Could WWE live up to the expectations for The Show of Shows?

The Vision and IShowSpeed vs. The Usos and LA Knight

Last Time in Action: LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso defeated The MFTs (Raw, April 13); Austin Theory and Logan Paul defeated The Usos to win the World Tag Team Championships (Raw, March 30).This was the debut match for IShowSpeed.

The guest host, John Cena, opened the show to talk about the controversy around WrestleMania 42 and promised the talent was ready to deliver for the fans.

The match started with Knight and Speed, who tried to show out with his athleticism but could rattle The Million Dollar Megastar.

Down the stretch, Theory grew more annoyed with Speed, accidentally hitting him followed by running into a BFT from Knight for the face win.

Afterward, The Maverick bullied Speed and threatened to put him through the announce table. The faces helped Speed and encouraged him to Frog Splash Paul through the table then Yeet with The Usos.

This was a terrible opener for WrestleMania, not because the match was bad but rather that it was not interesting. This came off as a TV tag team match that lost half its time.

Somehow, this lasted only seven minutes, lacking any real near-falls or pace pushing moments. It was bland forgettable action outside of its one narrative.

Speed was the star of the match from start to finish and got the only interesting spots throughout, particularly working well as the inexperienced athlete next to a veteran Knight.

The Million Dollar Megastar alongside the post-match with The Maverick put over Speed better than many active members of the WWE roster.

However, beyond this possibly setting up Speed vs. Paul at Backlash, that serves no long-term purpose to WWE. This was a forgettable match for a moment that served only to put over a one-off celebrity.

Result

Knight, Jey and Jimmy def. Theory, Paul and Speed by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments and Observations

Cena questioned whether he might have been picked to host because of the polarizing build to 'Mania this year.

It is a good thing that WWE tested the new Usos theme and reverted back to Jey's theme before 'Mania to get a proper Yeeting at the big show.

It would have been more effective for The Usos and Knight to come out together to show they are as cohesive a trio as the heels.

Unsanctioned: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Jacob Fatu picked up his biggest win to date at WrestleMania 42.

Last Time in Action: Jacob Fatu defeated Tama Tonga (SmackDown, April 10); Drew McIntyre lost to Cody Rhodes to lose the WWE Championships (SmackDown, March 6).

Fatu jumped onto McIntyre during his entrance to start this match hot. It did not take long for the two to start pulling out weapons to get more violent.

The Scottish Warrior mocked The Samoan Werewolf as he turned the tide, even pulling out his brother's cellphone for his latest "Bored at Work" tweet.

Fatu hit the Mighty Moonsault for a near-fall as Michael Cole questioned if this was the first time anyone had kicked out of it.

McIntyre caught The Samoan Werewolf with a suplex that bent a steel chair followed by a Claymore for a near-fall.

After sending Fatu through a table outside, The Scottish Warrior thought he had an easy opening to win. Fatu fought back with a tool box to the face and hit a second Mighty Moonsault through a table to win.

This may have been the strongest story build of any match at 'Mania, so it was not surprising that it landed so well in the ring.

It was obvious that the two were somewhat restricted from the full violence typically expected in an Unsanctioned setting, but they delivered on what was allowed to them.

In particular, the athleticism of both big men made them look like nearly unstoppable warriors going to war.

Especially since Unsanctioned match results do not technically count in the record books, the result could only go one way.

The Samoan Werewolf needed this win and gets a huge 'Mania rub that should put him in the world title picture in a post-Mania world.

Cody Rhodes or Randy Orton would be intriguing next rivals for The Samoan Werewolf, though WWE should revisit this rivalry at some point with bigger stakes.

Depending on how Rhodes vs. Orton lands, there will be strong arguments to be made that McIntyre vs. Fatu would have been a better WWE Championship match.

Result

Fatu def. McIntyre by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

The Samoan Werewolf set the standard for special WrestleMania entrances with a fantastic fire-juggling routine. His camo werewolf attire was also fantastic.

Fatu pulled out the tool box, causing McIntyre PTSD from Hell in a Cell.

The most brutal looking spot in this match was The Scottish Warrior trying to poke out Fatu's eye with a wrench.

McIntyre bullied the referee throughout, stealing his belt and knocking him around when he got a near-fall.

WWE rarely has blood in matches, but this could have used some, particularly for Fatu down the stretch to sell the damage.