WWE WrestleMania XL Night One is now over, and despite the frigid temperatures, it was a good to great night of wrestling. There were surprises, shock title changes and the 72,000 in attendance were hot throughout.
With 7 matches on the card, it was a stacked night of wrestling, but of course, there were some better than others. Let’s examine those matches.
Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso (2/5)
There is a great history of brothers going to battle at WrestleMania XL. Alas, this was not a match that lived up to that expectation. The brothers didn’t exhibit any chemistry. It was a listless match that didn’t do much to keep the crowd engaged.
It was hard to get invested in the match. The action was slow and the fake out by Jimmy was telegraphed by everyone in the stadium, except Jey. With Jey winning the match hopefully this feud could be put to bed.
Damage CTRL vs. Jade Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca Belair (2/5)
This was a thrown-together match that had little to add to WrestleMania XL. WWE has a penchant for trying to jam as many people onto the card as possible, and that’s what this was.
It was a shame that the action wasn’t better than it was. The six women involved are fantastic wrestlers and could have done something special. At 8 minutes they were given much time to develop and this was the only time the crowd was quiet throughout the night. Cargill getting her WrestleMania debut was the only shining moment.
Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs, Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio (2.5/5)
There was a lot of potential for this contest, only for it to fall flat. The drama that aided in the build-up was absent from the match. There were some cool spots in the match, but it didn’t look like anyone cared all that much. It was a far cry from the great father vs son contest that took place a year prior.
Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson’s interfering was great and got a good pop from the crowd, but that was the only highlight.
Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder Match for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships (3/5)
The tag titles are undisputed no more. Having the belts separated in the ring was an odd sight, and provided for some weird spots but the match was still entertaining.
The ladder match was a glorified car wreck. The action was frantic and fitting for a ladder match. There were some brutal spots that one would expect with a ladder match, Grayson Waller and Tyler Bate were the sacrificial lambs to that effect.
R-Truth was the MVP of the match. His hot tag segment was hilarious and seeing him get the win for his team was perfect. He got his moment in the sun on the Grandest Stage.
Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Roman Reigns (4/5)
This was hyped as the greatest tag match in WrestleMania history, and frankly, WWE wasn’t too far off. Despite the entrances and introductions taking far too long that match was exactly what it needed to be. There was a ton of drama throughout the contest and everyone was back and forth on who was going to talk away the winners.
Kudos to The Rock for working a legit match and turning in some great heel work. It was amazing how he was able to get the crowd against him.
Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch (4/5)
WrestleMania XL needed to open with a hot match, and they picked a great one here. Ripley and Lynch were both tremendously over with the crowd and they worked off that beautifully.
There was some wonderful storytelling throughout the match. Lynch working on Ripley’s arm highlighted a weakness in the champ that we haven’t seen before. It was a great way for Lynch to work especially when she was battling a fever. An angle that was wove into the match expertly by the announce team.
Ripley retaining was the correct call. She has been a dominant force in the Women’s division and her continuing reign only compounds this. Also, rumors could be true that Lynch is taking some time off.
Gunther vs. Sami Zayn (4.5/5)
For the second year in a row, the WWE Intercontinental Championship stole the show. Gunther and Sami Zayn put on an absolute master class in storytelling. Gunther was the unbeatable champion and Zayn was the underdog who had doubted his ability to get one over on the champion.
Any match with Gunther is going to be incredibly physical, this was no different. The chops echoed throughout Lincon Financial. That being said, Zayn got his fair share of offense in, just enough to sell Gunther as the unstoppable force he was.
The emotion throughout the match was palpable. Sami having his wife at ringside added to that and allowed Gunther to come across as more of an evil man. It was the best way to tell Zayn’s story and made his triumph even better.
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