WWE Day 1 2022 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights
Day 1 proved to be stressful for those in WWE as Universal champion Roman Reigns announced prior to the event that he tested positive for COVID-19, rendering him unable to defend his title against Brock Lesnar in the main event.
As a result, The Beast Incarnate was added to the WWE Championship match, joining Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley in challenging Big E for the top prize on the Raw brand.
What did the massive shift in the card mean for the anticipated pay-per-view, the company's WrestleMania plans and the WWE as a whole as it entered a new year?
Find out now with this recap of the first-time-ever WWE presentation.
Match Card
1 of 8- Fatal 5-Way for the WWE Championship: Big E vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins
- Raw Women's Championship Match: Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch
- SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: New Day vs. The Usos
- Raw Tag Team Championship Match: RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits
- Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss (with Happy Corbin)
- Edge vs. The Miz (with Maryse)
- Kickoff Show: Cesaro and Ricochet vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland
Cesaro and Ricochet vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland
2 of 8
The product of the ongoing rivalry between former tag team partners, Cesaro and Ricochet battled Sheamus and his protege, Ridge Holland, as part of Saturday night's Kickoff Show.
An early injury suffered by Holland—indications being that it's a broken nose—left Sheamus to go it alone. The Celtic Warrior dominated the action, isolating The One and Only and cutting him off from The Swiss Superman.
A hot tag to Cesaro sparked a comeback for the babyfaces, fueled by uppercuts from the wrestling machine. Cesaro executed the swing and then the Sharpshooter, but a gutsy Sheamus just made it to the rope to force the break.
He then evened up the odds, delivering White Noise to Ricochet on the floor. Back inside, Sheamus did the seemingly impossible, rocking his former tag partner with the Brogue Kick for the win.
Result
Sheamus and Holland defeated Cesaro and Ricochet
Grade
C+
Analysis
For a match that had to adjust on the fly because of the injury to Holland that led to his exit early on, this was solid. Sheamus is a pro's pro, proving an ability to shift on the fly and ensure the quality of the match was not hurt to a great degree.
With that said, the booking left a lot to be desired.
Could things not be switched up when it became apparent Holland would not be able to compete, if for no other reason than preserving Cesaro and Ricochet's credibility? Why beat them both to prop up a guy who is already a multi-time world champion?
Still, that is a small complaint about a Kickoff Show match with low stakes. In a tough spot, and faced with a difficult situation, the wrestlers made the necessary adjustments to ensure the match went on seamlessly. Kudos to the veteran competitors for making the opener work as well as it did.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. the Usos
3 of 8
The legendary rivalry between The Usos and The New Day continued in the opening match of Saturday's pay-per-view as Kofi Kingston and King Woods battled Jimmy and Jey Uso for the SmackDown tag team titles.
The champions dominated the action until a counter into a tornado DDT by Kingston and a hot tag to Woods sparked a late comeback by the challengers. Woods delivered a side Russian leg sweep to Jimmy, followed by a modified version of the Future Shock, popularized by Impact Wrestling's Chris Sabin, but could not keep him down.
Jey halted Woods' momentum, but Kingston regained it for the babyfaces with a cross-body block for two. Jimmy answered with an Uso Splash for a dramatic two-count. Turning his attention back to the injured knee of Kingston, Jimmy applied the Tequila Sunrise. The former WWE champion fought to the ropes to necessitate the break.
The action broke down. The champs sent Woods to the floor and delivered stereo superkicks and then stereo splashes, but the 2021 King of the Ring broke up the fall. Moments later, the twins again deposited Woods to the floor and delivered a 3-D to Kingston for the win.
Result
Usos defeated New Day to retain the titles
Grade
A
Analysis
Say it with me: There is no such thing as a bad New Day-Usos match.
Arguably the best in-ring chemistry of any two teams since the golden age of tag team wrestling in WWE in the 1980s, they can be counted on at the drop of a hat to deliver in a big way, regardless of how many times we have seen them work together.
This was evidence of such.
To say the heat for the feud was nearly nonexistent, thanks to an uninspired creative team, would be an understatement. Yet, the two all-time-great teams got the crowd to invest in the roller coaster ride. The drama down the stretch was fantastic, the focus on Kingston's knee provided some nice in-ring psychology and the finish protected Woods.
All of that made for a dynamic opener to the event and a banger of a match to kick off 2022 for WWE.
Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss
4 of 8
Drew McIntyre and Madcap Moss battled in the night's second PPV match, the culmination of a feud no one asked for.
Moss held his own, surprisingly enough, but The Scottish Warrior fought back following a blind charge into the turnbuckle. The former WWE champion downed Moss, hulked up and set up for the Future Shock DDT. Moss countered but walked right into the Lo-Down.
The dad-joke-loving Moss answered with a fallaway slam, but McIntyre fought back, brought him off the ropes and delivered the Claymore for the pinfall victory.
Result
McIntyre defeated Moss
Grade
C+
Analysis
There is no reason this had to be on PPV. There is no reason it was as long as it was.
With that said, Moss is a solid wrestler who hung in there with a former WWE champion and never looked out of place. He belonged and showed some great veteran awareness, particularly as he readjusted during the fallaway slam spot, preventing a potential disastrous botch.
He showed up and showed out, leaving one to wonder how much more of an asset he would be without the horrendously bad Madcap persona as part of the unfunny Happy Corbin act. Both he and Corbin have made the best of bad creative and performances like the one Saturday only accentuate how handcuffed they are by this gimmick.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: RK-Bro vs. Street Profits
5 of 8
Award-winning rap group, and Atlanta's own, Migos accompanied Raw tag team champions Randy Orton and Riddle as RK-Bro defended against The Street Profits' Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford.
A hot start by Orton and Riddle early was negated by a focused attack by Ford and Dawkins, who teed off on The Original Bro and cut him off from The Viper. Orton eventually did receive the tag and exploded into the match, unloading on the opposition with a flurry that included a double-draping DDT.
The action broke down, climaxing with Ford diving over the ring post and wiping the champions out. Back inside the ring, Riddle popped Ford up in the air, and Orton delivered a devastating RKO for the win and successful title defense.
After the match, Migos joined the champions in the ring. Street Profits engaged in a display of respect with the champions and everyone stood tall to close out the segment.
Result
RK-Bro defeated The Street Profits to retain
Grade
C+
Analysis
The closing minutes of the match were fantastic and helped elevate it to above-average status. Prior to that, though, there was a strange dynamic to the bout.
With both teams being babyfaces, one of them had to play de facto heels, and in this case, it was The Street Profits. Ford and Dawkins are natural babyfaces and have filled that role their entire careers on the main roster. The fans in Atlanta had no interest in booing them, which hurt the heat portion of the bout.
It recovered, the finish was cool and the post-match gave all four competitors the photo-op with Migos.
No harm, no foul, but one cannot help but think about how much better the match would have been had the roles been reversed and Orton had been tasked with building heat for the challengers.
Edge vs. The Miz
6 of 8
Edge controlled the opening moments of his match with The Miz, stunning him with his Brood-themed entrance and kicking considerable ass early on. A distraction by the heel's wife, Maryse, allowed Miz to drive Edge into the ring post and seize control of the bout.
Miz repeatedly bashed Edge's head in the announce table and then set him up for the Skull Crushing Finale. Edge countered and drove Miz's face into the table, which did not break. Back inside, a series of pinfall attempts ended with Miz sending the Hall of Famer into the ring post. He added a chop block and applied the Figure Four, further damaging the left knee.
More counters and reversals ensued before Edge applied the crossface. Miz rolled across the ring to reposition himself, allowing Maryse to put her husband's foot on the bottom rope and force the break. Miz ramped up the aggression, but Edge delivered a hip toss from the top rope.
Maryse hit Edge with her pocketbook, allowing Miz to deliver the Skull Crushing Finale for a dramatic near-fall. Maryse argued with the referee until Beth Phoenix returned and made a beeline to the squared circle. She chased Maryse around ringside, distracting Miz and allowing Edge to deliver the spear for the win.
Result
Edge defeated Miz
Grade
C+
Analysis
Edge is an all-timer. Miz is criminally underrated.
Together, though, their clashing styles prevented them from having the match they deserved. The crowd, quiet for the majority of it, did not help matters. Edge could have had this match with Seth Rollins, but Miz is a different worker and the teased finishes and submission holds didn't work for the talent involved.
Even Phoenix's comeback was met with apathy by an audience that disappointingly did not meet the effort put in by the performers.
Hopefully, the anticipation that will come with Maryse and Phoenix's involvement and the inevitable mixed tag match will give all involved a much hotter bout for them to show off in.
Raw Women's Championship Match: Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch
7 of 8
A driven, determined Liv Morgan wasted no time taking the fight to Raw women's champion Becky Lynch from the opening bell. She delivered a springboard Codebreaker, fought Big Time Becks around the ringside and had the champ reeling with the Rings of Saturn submission.
After a gorilla press slam from the top rope appeared to awaken her to the reality of her situation, Lynch downed Morgan and seized control of the bout. The challenger fought back and delivered a springboard dropkick that flattened the champion.
Lynch answered with a Disarmer, but Morgan fought out and delivered a DDT for a close two-count. She added a jaw-dropping springboard sunset flip powerbomb for another near-fall as the commentary team questioned what the challenger needed to do to win the match and title.
Lynch missed a leg drop from the top rope, and Morgan delivered a missile dropkick. The champ rolled to the floor, though, preventing a pinfall. When the challenger added a crossbody through the ropes onto the floor, Lynch again rolled to the sanctuary of the floor. There, she bashed Morgan's face in the commentary table.
Morgan recovered, stuck Lynch's arm in the stairs and stomped away on the limb. Back in, she caught the champion in a Rings of Saturn until Lynch rolled her up for two. The babyface set up for Oblivion, but Lynch countered and drove her into the mat for the clean pinfall victory.
Result
Lynch defeated Morgan to retain
Grade
B-
Analysis
Everything was in place for Morgan to complete her childhood dream and capture the Raw Women's Championship. The build was there, there was a clear groundswell of support for her to capture her first title and the match unfolded in a way that suggested the story would get the appropriate payoff.
Then it didn't happen.
Instead, WWE opted to further enhance a star who has been on top of the division since WrestleMania XXXV. Lynch won cleanly, without a single hint of cheating. She absorbed everything Morgan threw at her and still picked up the win.
While there is nothing wrong with a champion outwrestling her or his opponent en route to a win, the storytelling clearly set up something else rather than Morgan's latest failure. No stars will ever be made by constantly failing to win titles. By the time they do, people stop caring or grow bored.
Ask Lex Luger.
Morgan should have won, even if she dropped it back in short order. It would have preserved her popularity, freshened up Lynch's persona for a bit and set up one last showdown between the competitors before WrestleMania.
As it is, look for Bianca Belair to challenge for the title next.
Fatal 5-Way for the WWE Championship
8 of 8
WWE champion Big E knew he had to defend his title against Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley when he arrived at the arena earlier in the day. He did not know Brock Lesnar would be added to the fray following Roman Reigns' positive COVID-19 test.
The Beast Incarnate unloaded on everyone in his path, introducing Owens and Rollins to Suplex City. Lashley drove Lesnar through the timekeeper's position, though, only to be driven through the announce table by Big E.
Rollins and Owens delivered a double DDT to Lesnar, driving him into the ring steps as the unified front attempted to keep Lesnar out of the match. Moments later, Rollins attempted the stomp on Big E, only to be caught mid-run by Lesnar, who delivered the F-5 and then downed Big E with one. Then Owens. A spear from Lashley stopped the path of rage.
Big E saved Lesnar from the Hurt Lock but quickly found himself on the receiving end of the F-5. Three seconds later, there was a new WWE champion.
Result
Lesnar defeated Big E, Lashley, Rollins and Owens to win the title
Grade
A
Analysis
This was a fire match with no rest to breathe between spots. The action was nonstop, the fans were into all of it and each star had the opportunity to shine. Rollins and Owens were the glue that held it together, Big E showed increased intensity and Lashley maximized every second with Lesnar.
This brings us to the finish.
There had to have been a better way to get to Lesnar winning the title than to have Big E eat such a decisive fall. Could neither Rollins nor Owens afford the loss? Why diminish a guy who had the emotional title win last fall—and struggled through some rather uninteresting feuds but still proved to be a great ambassador for the company—by having him lose his title in this fashion?
Protect him. Let fans know he still figures to be a significant part of the main event scene. As it was, he looked like a guy steamrolled by an unstoppable force in Lesnar, who has a date with Roman Reigns, presumably at WrestleMania.
Where does that leave Big E and his main event prospects?
