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Jelani Scott

‘WrestleMania 39’ Night 1 Recap: Results, Highlights, Analysis

WrestleMania 39 WWE WrestleMania John Cena Calif Inglewood Peacock (Organization) SoFi Stadium

UPDATE: The first night of WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles is in the books. It was a thrilling night of action that met the lofty expectations fans had before it began. 

Below you will find our live analysis of the show, as it unfolded. 

For the first time since 2005, WWE will take over the city of Angels, as the company hosts the 39th edition of the grand spectacle that is WrestleMania.

Boasting a grand total of 13 matches, WrestleMania 39 will offer many of the WWE’s best a glorious opportunity to decide champions and settle long-held grudges on the biggest stage in the world. WrestleMania 39 will take place inside SoFi Stadium—the home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers—in Inglewood, Calif., marking the company’s first WrestleMania in Los Angeles since hosting WrestleMania 21 inside the formerly-named Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena).

The widely-anticipated showcase will again feature two nights of action for the fourth-straight year, with Night 1 set to kick off on April 1 followed by Night 2 on April 2. Both nights will begin with a two-hour kickoff show that will feature interviews and backstage segments, set to air on Peacock beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

The main card of WrestleMania 39 will begin at 8 p.m. ET (Peacock), with singer Becky G set to open Saturday night with a live performance of “America The Beautiful.” This year’s slate of action, hosted by The Miz, will kick off with a United States championship match for the ages, as champion Austin Theory defends his belt against the iconic John Cena—a match happening 19 years after Cena won his first U.S. title at WrestleMania 20.

A pair of vicious grudge matches stand out among the highlights on the card, with The Usos taking on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the undisputed WWE tag team titles and Rey Mysterio facing his son Dominik Mysterio. Also slated for Night 1, SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair will defend her title against 2023 Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins will take on Logan Paul in a possible show-stealer and Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will team up with WWE women’s tag team champions Becky Lynch and Lita (Stratus’s fellow HOFer) to face Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky).

With the big event just hours away, check below for a recap of the full match card for Night 1 of WrestleMania 39:

WrestleMania 39 Night 1 full match card:

  • Austin Theory vs. John Cena for the United States championship
  • The Usos vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens for the undisputed WWE tag team titles
  • Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the SmackDown women’s championship
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Becky Lynch & Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Becky Lynch, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
  • Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
  • Men’s Fatal Four-Way Showcase: The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet & Braun Strowman

And, here. we. go!

Becky G Sings “America The Beautiful,” The Miz & Snoop Introduce Night 1

The broadcast opened with a beautiful rendition of the iconic song from Latina Grammy-nominated recording artist Becky G. The 26-year-old singer and Inglewood native is now the 26th person in WrestleMania to open the show with “America The Beautiful,” joining a legendary group that includes Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Willie Nelson.

A pre-show hype video narrated by Kevin Hart followed Becky G, and then it was time for WM39 host The Miz and the legendary Snoop Dogg to welcome fans around the world to Night 1. The “awesome” duo ran down a few of the night’s standout matches and did a terrific job riling up the already amped crowd. 

As entertaining as The Miz and Snoop’s segment was, however, their good time was abruptly interrupted by Austin Theory as the United States champion made his way to the ring for the opening match of the night.

Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena: United States Championship Match

With Theory anxiously awaiting his challenger, a group of kids from the Make-A-Wish foundation were brought onto the stage before John Cena could make his grand entrance. Cena then came onto the stage with the kids to bask in the moment before making the long jog down the ramp and to the ring.

The match slowly got underway as Theory and Cena looked for an edge in the early going. At one point, Theory, who entered the night looking to show up his legendary challenger, resorted to dirty tactics by biting Cena’s ear in the corner. 

Theory maintained his momentum until Cena swatted him away on an attempted dropkick, and locked in the STF in center of ring. The plucky Theory again played dirty by biting Cena’s hand to free himself from the hold before regaining momentum. Theory took his time to pander around a fallen Cena, placing his foot on his chest and flexing for a half-hearted pin, which Cena quickly kicked out of. 

Cena eventually attempted an Attitude Adjustment but Theory escaped and hit DDT for a near count. After taking a short victory lap, Theory charged Cena as he stood in a corner, but Cena avoided the move, leading to an exchange of right hands between the two, with the pro-Cena crowd loudly booing Theory. Cena gained an edge after a brief exchange and managed to hit his signature spin-out powerbomb and five-knuckle shuffle FU. However, Theory ended up grabbing the ropes as Cena hoisted him for another AA, resulting in the ref getting knocked down by Theory. With the ref down, Cena trapped Theory in the STF and got him to tap out but the match still continued.  

As Cena tried to wake the ref, Theory recovered and hit him with a low blow before planting Cena with an A-Town Down for the win.

Result: Theory retains (via pinfall)

Men’s Fatal Four-Way Showcase: The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet & Braun Strowman

It didn’t take long for the four teams to get this match going, as the action went from 0 to 100 en route to a fast and furious finish. Each superstar was given an opportunity to shine, leading to few big spots, including a tremendous german suplex from Chad Gable to Braun Strowman and an insane Tower of Doom sequence that saw Ricochet leap off the top rope to take down the entire field of competitors. 

After an exchange between Strowman and Angelo Dawkins outside the ring, Ricochet, still riled up from his big crossbody, thrilled the crowd again with a springboard shooting star press to Dawkins on the outside. Ricochet brought Dawkins back into the ring and went to the top rope for another shooting star press but this attempt was blocked by Dawkins’s knees. Dawkins then held Ricochet over his knees as Montez Ford crashed down on his opponent with a “From the Heavens” to help his tag partner secure the win.

Result: The Street Profits (via pinfall)

Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

After weeks of antics, the time finally arrived for Rollins and Paul to settle their differences in the squared circle at WrestleMania 39. Out first to the ring was Paul, making his second ‘Mania appearance after debuting with a tag team win over The Mysterios alongside The Miz last year.

Already building a reputation for being a risk-taker, Paul, flanked by a mascot of his drink Prime Hydration, lived up to that persona with his entrance. “The Ultimate Influencer” glided in from the roof of SoFi Stadium a la Shawn Michaels’ memorable entrance at WrestleMania 12 in Anaheim, an admittedly impressive entrance for Paul on his 28th birthday. After Paul’s theatrics, Rollins, certainly not one to be undone, was ushered to the ring by a conductor who masterfully conducted the crowd in singing the intro to his “Burn it Down” theme song.

The match began with some traditional mat wrestling, but Rollins tried to take advantage with an early attempt at The Stomp which the less-experienced Paul swiftly dodged. A brief face-off gave way to more back-and-forth, until the two superstars started to pick up the pace. A missed Paul moonsault gave Rollins an opening, and helped set “The Visionary” up for a wild sequence that included three suicide dives and a stomp to Paul’s notorious right hand on the steps. Rollins next attempted a pedigree but Paul held it off, causing his opponent to slide down his back for a pinfall attempt and a crafty pinfall attempt exchange.

Shortly after the two stood to their feet, Paul connected with his right hand but Rollins would barely kick out. After planting Paul with a sit down powerbomb for another near-fall, Rollins found himself in a 2-on-1 fight as the drink mascot pulled Paul away, and was soon revealed to be Youtube star KSI. Paul and KSI took a part the announcer’s table to set up a Paul frog splash but the influencer ended up taking out his buddy after Rollins pulled him in the way at the last second. 

Rollins capitalized on the high-flying spot with a pedigree for another near-fall, but Paul again found an edge with a GTS and frog splash that didn’t put his opponent away. Sensing a win could be near, Paul set up to deliver a coast-to-coast (like he did at the Royal Rumble), only for the dive to be countered by a nasty superkick from Rollins in mid-air. Rollins then hit Paul with The Stomp for the 1-2-3.

Result: Rollins (via pinfall)

Becky Lynch & Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Becky Lynch, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)

A historic tag match featuring a pair of Hall of Famers was up next on the card, as Trish Stratus and Lita teamed with Becky Lynch for their first ‘Mania appearances since 2005. Stratus, a 2013 HOF inductee, joined women’s tag team champs Lynch and Lita, a ’14 HOF inductee, reprising the exact same ring gear she wore in her WM 21 in a match that saw Lita as a manager in the opposite corner.

The heels took control of the match from the onset and did their best to wear down Lita.

Eventually, Lita, Stratus and Lynch fought their way back to level the playing field A Dakota kick to the back of Lita’s head as she stood on the top rope temporarily halted momentum but that soon changed when Stratus tagged in. 

Stratus unleashed all of her signature moves, including a devastating Stratusfaction and an absurd Stratusphere (with Lynch and Lita’s help) from outside the ring to send Dakota Kai plummeting on top of her team. Eventually, the match broke down into chaos as all six competitors hit their big moves, with Lynch going for a Disarm-her and Bayley hitting a Bayley-to-Belly. But the match’s biggest highlight, arguably, came courtesy of Sky, who hit a moonsault to the outside of the ring onto the other five competitors. 

After all six rushed into the ring to break the count of 10, both teams fought in the middle of the ring for a few moments. Suddenly, Damage CTRL lost control of the match, as Lita hit Sky with a Twist of Fate and a moonsault, Stratus hit Kai with a Chick Kick, and Lynch took out Bayley –the two legal opponents–with a manhandle slam from the top rope for the win.

Result: Lynch, Lita and Stratus (via pinfall)

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Up next was the intensely personal showdown between father and son, as Rey Mysterio, a night after his Hall of Fame induction, took on Dominik Mysterio in a match decades in the making. The highly-anticipated contest was preceded by a special appearance by global pop star and part-time WWE superstar Bad Bunny, who joined the spanish commentary team at ringside.

Both Mysterios brought their own unique flair to their entrances, with Dominik, minus The Judgment Day, made his entrance sitting in the back of a police van. Interestingly, the young Mysterio’s attire resembled the gear (mask and all) worn by his father when he took on Eddie Guerrero–whose legacy has played a central figure in the Mysterios feud–at WCW Halloween Havoc in 1997. Of course, Dom flung his mask off before hitting the ring to a chorus of boos.

The SoFi Stadium crowd quickly reverted back to a more upbeat energy for Rey’s entrance, as the new HOFer was driven out to the stage in a sweet lowrider by, none other than, Snoop Dogg. Needless to say, the San Diego native, who also paid tribute to Guerrero by playing his music before his own, was excited to be back in his homestate with the world (and the Mysterio family) watching.

As expected, both competitors took their time in the early going, with the elder Mysterio controlling the pace as only he can. With fans eagerly waiting to see him teach his son a lesson, Rey implemented a measure of revenge against the brash Dominik after pulling out a belt and spanking him with it as he was crouched over in a corner.

After getting embarrassed by his father, Dom slid out to rinsgide and began barking at his mom Angie and sister Aalyah as they sat ringside before throwing his sister’s drink in her face. Dom took advantage of a distracted Rey as the match continued, but he made sure to turn his attention back to his mom. Unfortunately for Dom, that decision would prove to be foolish as Angie slapped him in the mouth, allowing Rey to pushed him into pole before turning to give his wife a kiss. 

A signature springboard crossbody from Rey led to a near-fall, until Dom regained momentum with a reverse powerbomb that sent his father into the bottom turnbuckle. Rey eventually recovered and set his son up for a 619, but the sequence was soon interrupted by Dom’s stablemates Damian Priest and Finn Balor. The Judgement Day’s interference prompted Legado Del Fantasma to hit the ring in Rey’s aide, though Dom would again seized the opportunity created by the distraction. After leveling Rey with a clothesline, Dom hit him with the 619 and a frog splash but came away with a close two-count. 

All of a sudden, Dom, clearly frustrated by the near-fall, brought out a steel chain he had previously concealed and proceeded to wrap it around his fit. The dastardly tactic wouldn’t work in Dom’s favor, however, as Bad Bunny snatched the chain to allow Rey to hit a 619/frog splash combo to defeat his son and stand tall with Angie and Aalyah.

Result: Rey Mysterio (via pinfall)

Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley: SmackDown women’s championship

What. A. Match.

In what will likely go down as one of the best women’s title matches ever, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley tore the roof of SoFi in a match that packed all of the physicality and emotion worthy of the WrestleMania stage. The heated matchup also served as an impactful follow-up to their WrestleMania 36 encounter for the Ripley’s NXT women’s title, which Flair won by submission. 

Flair and Ripley methodically moved through the start of the match before both competitors began pulling out all the stops. Charlotte floored Ripley after countering a Riptide into a nasty DDT, only to get taken out herself after the two delivered simultaneous boots to the face following a brief stalemate.

Ripley crushed Flair with a release german suplex off the top rope and nearly forced the champion out with a injury after launching her shoulder first into the ring post at ringside. After viciously landing on the back of her head via another Ripley suplex, Charlotte, somehow, fought back and landed a big boot to garner a two-count.

Ripley attempted to avoid Flair by going to the outside but didn’t get fair as “The Queen” flew off the top rope with her signature moonsault to the ringside area. Flair followed her sensational dive with a figure-four leg lock, but Ripley countered the move and a subsequent spear to headbutt Flair and hit her with a Riptide for another near-fall. A stunned Ripley couldn’t believe Flair kicked out to continue what had been an increasingly emotional and physical match. 

Eventually, Ripley went for the kill after locking Flair in the Prism Trap, but the 14-time champion escaped to hit a spear for another near fall. The fierce competitors exchange big blows as they stood to their feet, with Flair gaining enough of an edge to knock Ripley down with a boot and put her in the figure 4. Ripley, somehow, managed to grab the ropes to get Flair to break the hold, as the two next took the fight to the top rope. 

The exchange resulted in Flair appearing to be knocked unconscious after her face fell on to the top turnbuckle, allowing Ripley to hit her with a super Riptide for the pin and the first SD women’s title reign of her career. 

Result: Ripley becomes new SmackDown women’s champion (via pinfall)

The Miz’s Attendance Announcement Leads to Impromptu Match Against Pat McAfee & George Kittle

Yup, you read that correctly.

On the heels of the classic SD women’s title match, The Miz and Snoop Dogg came to the ring to announce the show’s official attendance of 80,497 before the Night 1 main event. Snoop then randomly told Miz the only thing better than the turnout would be if Miz had a match, to which he, naturally, agreed. 

The Miz’s impromptu open challenge drew a response from fan favorite Pat McAfee, who teased The Miz before Snoop made the match official after his co-host tried to back out. McAfee proceeded to take The Miz a part in a hurry, only for the veteran superstar’s night to go from bad to worst. After trying to walk away from a supportive Corey Graves at ringside, The Miz got into it with 49ers star George Kittle after he booed him from ringside.

The Miz then shoved Kittle, who leaped over the guardrail to deliver a clothesline. Kittle’s help allowed McAfee to hit a swanton from the top rope onto Miz on the outside. After Kittle tossed Miz back into the ring, McAfee hit him with a punt to score the pinfall.

Lil Uzi Vert Performs “Just Wanna Rock”

Shortly McAfee’s glorified squash of The Miz, WWE fans were treated to a surprise performance of the hit song “Just Wanna Rock” from Lil Uzi Vert. The Grammy-nominated rapper also stayed behind to join The Usos for their entrance ahead of their tag team title defense against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the main event.

The Usos (c) vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the undisputed WWE tag team championships

Sami Zayn has his WrestleMania moment.

Zayn teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat The Usos in the main event of WrestleMania 39. The match was well paced and told a great story, with Owens and Zayn forced to overcome the dominance of Jimmy and Jey Uso.

The finish saw Zayn knockout Jey Uso with three Helluva Kicks, and he earned his redemption against The Bloodline by getting the pin. This is either the setup for the fall of Roman Reigns—or Reigns further illustrating his dominance by accomplishing what Jimmy and Jey could not and defeating Cody Rhodes in the main event of Sunday night’s show.

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