Sami Zayn And The Winners, Losers Of Night 1

WWE WrestleMania 39 Night 1 will be a tough act to follow.

Had tonight been a one-night WrestleMania, it would have stood the test of time and competed with all-time classics like WrestleMania 17, 19, 30 and 31 as one of the best.

Night 2 has a chance to add to its already impressive legacy, and I fully expect it to do so. However WWE would essentially be playing with house money on Sunday night after a first night that was kept pace with what has been a very effective Triple H Era.

WWE WrestleMania 39 Winners

Austin Theory

Austin Theory picked up the biggest win of his career against John Cena to kick of WrestleMania, but it remains to be seen if this will be his peak. Theory almost had to win after John Cena’s scathing promo against him on the March 6, 2023 broadcast of WWE Raw. Cena’s promo almost got too real in his criticisms of Theory, including claims of WWE piping in crowd noise during Theory’s matches.

During Cena’s infamous takedown of Theory, Cena also suggested that even if Theory defeated Cena he would still fail when he had to face a ruthless crowd the Monday after WrestleMania. Perhaps I’m reading too much into the tea leaves, but WWE doesn’t script its top babyfaces to make bold predictions that don’t come true. I wouldn’t be surprised if Theory fulfilled Cena’s proclamation on the Raw after WrestleMania by losing the United States Championship in an open challenge.

Tag Team Fatal 4-Way

On a stacked WrestleMania card, the tag team Fatal 4-Way was a throwaway match that nobody had any expectations for. But the participants worked hard in a spectacle match that all but stole the show. This WrestleMania card was too good for its big matches not to be among the best of the night, but the tag team Fatal 4-Way set a tone that every match had to work hard to follow.

Logan Paul

Seth Rollins picked up the win, but in five WWE matches, Logan Paul continues to become a human highlight real. Paul was excellent as a heel, and even incorporated former foe and Prime Hydration mascot KSI as part of the festivities en route to losing to Seth Rollins.

It’s time for WWE to seriously consider Logan Paul for a world championship run down the road, as his heat is unlike any full-time heel on the roster. Seth Rollins was elite as always, but Paul continues to do nothing but churn out memorable performances in a big match setting.

Rey and Dominik Mysterio

Rey and Dominik Mysterio lived past their lofty expectations in a match that paid off every piece of storytelling leading up to the emotional father-son feud. Angie Mysterio got her comeuppance, Rey Mysterio (not Dominik) entered in a Low Rider alongside Snoop Dogg to pay homage to Eddie Guerrero and Mysterio even used his belt to whip Dominik Mysterio amid Dom’s disrespectful actions.

Though Dominik could have benefited immeasurably with a win, he was still able to solidify himself as arguably WWE’s best heel with an exceptional performance at WrestleMania 39. Bad Bunny’s involvement suggests the WrestleMania Backlash host will get involved in the Mysterio family drama when WWE travels to San Juan Puerto Rico in May.

Rhea Ripley

Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair did not deserve to main event Night 1 of WrestleMania, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a main-event-level wrestling match, which they predictably did.

Charlotte Flair continues to build up her WrestleMania resume as the greatest big-match performer in the history of women’s wrestling, while Ripley rode the wave of babyface reactions to finally beat Charlotte for a championship. The massive reaction for Ripley’s big win was a testament to the quality of the match. In another example of congruent storytelling in the Triple H Era, Charlotte was seen smiling approvingly on the outside of the ring similar to Sasha Banks when Bianca Belair snatched the torch from up under Charlotte’s fellow horsewoman at WrestleMania 37.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

The Bloodline storyline was a winner before this match started as they rightfully main evented Night 1 of WrestleMania. In a potential foreshadowing of WrestleMania Night 2, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn finished the story in a highly emotional main event against The Usos.

All the principles of this match were great. Given the talent and story involved, this showdown had no choice but to be. With Sami and Kevin as Undisputed Tag Team champions, the stage is set for Roman Reigns to fall to Cody Rhodes and the Bloodline to follow suit.

WWE WrestleMania 39 Losers

Ring Entrances

It may be nitpicking, but WWE seemed to balk at epic ring entrances despite its epic set design. The majority of special entrances were kept backstage and cinematic, with limited on-stage production for WWE’s larger-than-life athletes.

I liked the idea of Seth Rollins’ entrance, which incorporated an orchestra conductor, but there was no orchestra. Instead, the conductor leaned on fans to sing Rollins’ song which they were going to do anyway when the song began. Hopefully Night 2 contains more pageantry in its entrances for top stars like Bobby Lashley, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes.