Pantoja’s WWE WrestleMania 38 Night One Review

WWE WrestleMania 38 Night One

April 2nd, 2022 | AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas | Attendance: 77,899

As I pointed out in my TakeOver review, I am watching these shows with friends so they won’t be all that detailed. I can say that the margaritas I had during this show were 10/10.

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Usos [c] vs. Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura

This was an odd choice for an opener as it wasn’t really what you’d call a hot opener. It doesn’t even feel like it should be on any PPV, let alone the biggest of the year. It’s a show of how poor this division is. A lot of this was really basic and kind of uninteresting. The hot tag went to Boogs and he did a decent job but didn’t really grab me outside of a sweet stalling vertical suplex where he dropped to one knee and back to a standing position. Things went badly when he attempted a double fireman’s carry on the Usos and his knee gave out, which was apparently legitimately. Nakamura fell to The Usos’ version of 3D in 6:54. It was inoffensive but nothing I’d ever want to watch again. [*¾]

Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin

Speaking of matches that don’t feel like they belong on the biggest show of the year. Commentary said that Corbin was unbeaten in singles matches since becoming Happy, which I had no idea about. Clearly, it doesn’t really matter. This was another match that I just couldn’t really get into. Corbin is a good heel who I actually like at times but they keep giving him angles that don’t work, go on forever, and drag down everyone involved. The action was mostly fine but again, no connection to it. Drew made the expected babyface comeback and the only standout moment was him kicking out of End of Days, becoming the first person in history to do so. He then won with the Claymore in 8:34. After the match, he went after Madcap Moss with his sword and actually cut the ropes of the ring in half. Rude. [**]

Logan Paul and The Miz vs. The Mysterios

Last year, The Miz was in there on the biggest stage with Bad Bunny, who is one of the best celebrities in wrestling history. Logan Paul wasn’t quite on that level but I did come away impressed. He had a few athletic spots in there though some other bits looked off, which is understandable. By the way, Dominik wore gear inspired by his real dad, Eddie Guerrero. I thought it was funny that Rey got Three Amigos cut off but then Logan Paul managed to successfully hit it. WWE loves to troll. The Mysterios nearly won with a pair of 619s and frog splashes but things got cut off as Miz snuck in with Skull Crushing Finale on Rey, winning in 11:20. Odd booking here as I expected the faces to win. Then, Miz turned on Logan Paul anyway, so it’s all odd. A fine match with some weird calls. [**½]

WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Bianca Belair

Here is where the show turned things around. I was one of those people who questioned Bianca losing in 26 seconds last year though Bianca’s redemption would make it worth it. I still think they could’ve had it still be a fluke back then though. Bianca had a marching band as part of her entrance which was cool. Their PPV match last year was good but this was lightyears better. You could tell they were saving some really cool shit for here. They teased the SummerSlam finish early on but Bianca had it scouted and got herself going. She and Becky had some fantastic exchanges and close calls throughout where you legitimately believed Becky would retain. Seeing Bianca do a Bret’s rope 450 splash was impressive as hell. Bianca took a shot to the face on a Becky attempt of a Molly Go Round that looked rough. I liked the closing stretch with the Glam Slam counter, as well as Bianca doing the Dis-Arm-Her. The actual finishing sequence was fantastic and should be seen online. It wrapped with a KOD, making Bianca the first person to beat Becky for the title in THREE YEARS. It went 19:03 and was a tremendous piece of business. Great wrestling and Bianca is cemented as THE GIRL who feels like the division’s biggest star and that’s including Charlotte and Ronda. [****¼]

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

As expected, Seth’s opponent was the returning Cody Rhodes, who got a massive entrance and a huge pop. Side note but I absolutely LOVE how over the top Seth is. He’s just out there being a total goon and it’s the best. I want him to beat Roman but they might’ve missed the boat on that. Onto the match itself, it was pretty phenomenal. I’m a guy who liked Cody a lot for the most part and this was one of his best singles matches. These two traded some interesting stuff early on and we even got to see Cody do a Stardust taunt. As this progressed, it built and built to bigger stuff, with each guy surviving big offense. I don’t like many finisher kickouts but thankfully, this was more just guys kicking out of signature moves like Cody’s moonsault and a Pedigree. Seth survived a Cross Rhodes but that’s it that I can remember. Seth’s reverse superplex into a Curtain Call was one of the coolest spots of the night. In the end, Cody hit two Cross Rhodes, a series of Dusty-inspired strikes, and a third Cross Rhodes to win after 21:34. More fantastic wrestling and for at least one night, Cody feels like a big deal. [****¼]

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Ronda Rousey

The “main event” that nobody was excited for. Their match at Survivor Series a few years ago rocked but this has little to no heat. Ronda also looked extremely unmotivated, while Charlotte has never really been someone to raise others to her level. Anyway, I legitimately don’t remember the majority of this match. I remember that it wasn’t awful but it just kind of existed and was totally forgettable. So, I won’t say all that much about it. Ronda had it won after a ref bump but then as she picked the official up, Charlotte laid her out with a big boot to retain in 18:18. That was as heatless as the feud coming into it. They should just make Ronda and Shayna a tag team so Ronda can at least enjoy herself while she’s here. Plus, it would be better than this stuff. [**¼]

No Holds Barred Match: Kevin Owens vs. Steve Austin

So, it was time for the Kevin Owens Show. Austin got a monster pop, easily the biggest of the night. After some back and forth verbal stuff, KO said he wanted a fight and we actually got the bell ringing. I can’t believe I watched Stone Cold wrestle in 2022. That’s wild. They had a match filled with the rightful smoke and mirrors but Austin was putting in the work. He got hit with suplexes on the floor, stomped a mudhole, drank beer, and more. Austin kicked out of a Stunner and won with one of his own in 13:54. This was so much goddamn fun. Stop being annoying cynics and just enjoy how absurd this was. I didn’t recap it much but they made this work well. [***½]

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Goddamn, I had a blast here. The show was weak but mostly everything else worked well and the whole thing was a lot of fun. Plus, you got the Cody moment, Austin wrestling again, and Bianca at the top.