Recap and Review of WWE Wrestlemania 37: Night One
Tonight, was Night One of the Showcase of The Immortals and The Grandest Stage of Them All. It’s WrestleMania and it’s the first time in over a year they have been in front of the WWE Universe. The crowd was electric, and everyone from the commentators, interviewers and wrestlers were so energized. Here is what went down on the first night of WrestleMania 37.
-Bobby Lashley defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Championship
-Tamina and Natalya win Tag Team Turmoil.
-Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins
-AJ Styles and Omos defeated The New Day to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions
-Braun Strowman defeated Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage Match
-Damian Priest and Bad Bunny defeated The Miz and John Morrison
-Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks to become the Smackdown Women’s Champion.
For the first time in history, WrestleMania had a weather delay, but props to WWE for improvising with interviews and backstage segments. The opening match of WrestleMania 37 was for the WWE Championship. Drew McIntyre has carried Monday Night Raw on his back for over a year now, but he came in tonight as the challenger and Bobby Lashley as champion. There was a lot of emotion going into this match because they were the first match back in over a year. This was a great WWE Championship match and it redefined what a heavy hitting WWE Championship match. In a match that could have gone either way, it was Bobby Lashley who walked still as the WWE Champion. I think this was the right decision because Lashley has only held the title for barely a month, but I will be super curious who challenges him now that his WrestleMania is over.
Next up, was the Tag Team Turmoil Match that would determine who would face Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler on Night Two for the WWE Women’s Championship. The first teams out were Lana and Naomi, and Billie Kaye and Carmella. Kaye and Mella eliminated Lana and Naomi. The Riott Squad then came in and eliminated Kaye and Carmella. They battled with Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose until eliminating them to face the last team of Natalya and Tamina The Riott Squad fought as hard as they could, but it was the team built on legacy who will look to cement their legacy with a win tomorrow night.
The match I was most intrigued the most by was Cesaro and Seth Rollins. I’ve often said when real life best friends fight, they end up having good matches. Hogan and Savage, Shawn and Hunter, and a few others. This was Cesaro’s first ever singles match on the main show of WrestleMania and he egged on Seth Rollins for the last month. This was a phenomenal match that many fans have waited for. For years, Cesaro has not had the opportunities that many have felt that he should have. Tonight, he proved once and for all that he is one of the greatest pro wrestlers of this generation. Going forward, I will be curious to see what they do with Cesaro and if he gets more big moment opportunities like he did tonight.
For weeks, I expressed how disappointed I was with AJ Styles placement and match at WrestleMania, but now I get it. The story has always been about about The New Day avoiding Omos and targeting AJ. The story and psychology of this match was really fun to watch. Kofi and Xavier tried everything to keep Omos out of the ring, but he eventually got there and on his first match in WWE, he and Styles captured the Raw Tag Team Championships. I will be curious to see how other tag teams to step up to this interesting dynamic. At the end of the day, my feelings changed about AJ Styles role at WrestleMania. He’s now a Grand Slam Champion in WWE, and that’s something a lot of people wouldn’t have guessed ten years ago.
There can’t be a WrestleMania these days without a Shane McMahon. This year he picked Braun Strowman as his target and they did it differently. It was Shane who was bullying Braun, which led to a Steel Cage Match. Shane got really creative in this match in order to stop Strowman. He even had help in in the form of Elias and Jaxson Ryker, but it wasn’t enough to put away the Monster Among Men. With Shane in his rear-view mirror, it’s time that Strowman is a legit to the WWE Championship again. With Lashley defeating McIntyre, The Almighty is going to need some challengers. He and Braun have great fights before. Let’s give them something to actually fight about.
Since the Royal Rumble, Bad Bunny has been a fixture on WWE programming. When most celebrities come in, it’s only for a one-time appearance. He’s remained dedicated and has been training at the WWE Performance Center. Teaming Damian Priest and facing off against The Miz and John Morrison is a great way to get noticed. I was really impressed with Bad Bunny during this match. You could tell he’s been putting in the work and putting a full effort into his training and the match. With Bad Bunny winning at WrestleMania, it really makes me wonder if he will be around for a while. If not, he definitely got a lot of eyes on Damian Priest. Even though Bad Bunny shined, I think this helped propel Priest into a bonified superstar. I think his direction post-WrestleMania is going to be a good one.
The Main Event of WrestleMania Night One was for the Smackdown Women’s Championship between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. I loved the emotion that both of these women. I cannot express how great this match was. Both of them brought their best and then some. I honestly think was better then the Triple Threat match that headlined WrestleMania 35. This felt organic and real, which is what made it so incredible. The scary thing is that Belair is not even in her prime yet. Now that she is the new Smackdown Women’s Champion, I expect her to continue to hit on all of her strides and get even better than she already is. I honestly hope Belair and Banks continue their rivalry for now.
WrestleMania 37 Night One in the books and it was a night where a lot of new stars shined and other stars finally got the recognition they deserved. Night One gets an 8 out of 10 for solid wrestling matches, great storytelling and psychology. The genuine emotions from the superstars and fans really made it a special night. Check back tomorrow night for the Recap and Review for Night Two.
