WWE Wrestlemania Night 1: 3 Must-See Moments, Full Results
WWE Wrestlemania 38 kicked off with Night 1 at the AT&T Stadium just outside of Dallas, Texas. The show was an all-timer from top to bottom with nearly 78,000 fans in attendance. Steve Austin went out on his own terms with a No Holds Barred victory over Kevin Owens. Cody Rhodes made his return to the WWE after six years in an instant classic with a win over Seth Rollins. Charlotte Flair picked up a surprising win over Ronda Rousey, and much more. Here are three must-see moments from Night 1 of Wrestlemania, plus full results from the show.
WWE Wrestlemania Night 1: 3 Must-See Moments
Stone Cold sendoff
It was 19 years ago when Steve Austin was defeated by The Rock at Wrestlemania 19 as he walked off into the sunset. For nearly two decades, Austin insisted that he was done in the ring and officially retired. Fast forward to present day and Stone Cold made his return in front of his hometown Texas crowd. Kevin Owens welcome Austin to a KO Show interview but it was clear that wasn’t going to be the plan.
HELL YEAH!@steveaustinBSR and @FightOwensFight are throwing DOWN in a No Holds Barred Match at #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/nqIQhYxhGh
— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2022
Kevin Owens mocked Austin and Texas, before challenging the Hall of Famer to a No Holds Barred match. Austin quickly accepted and the fight was on. Austin put the boots to Owens as the fight shifted into the crowd. Owens grabbed Austin and hit a suplex on the floor as the crowd continued to pop. The action went back and forth as Austin made sure to drink beer throughout the brawl. In the end, Owens had the upper hand but missed on a chair shot and ate a stunner to give Austin the win.
Returning Home
Cody’s classic return
All the signs pointed to a Cody Rhodes return to the WWE after it was announced that he was leaving AEW. At the same time, Seth Rollins needed an opponent for WWE Wrestlemania and was desperate to find out. With Rollins in the middle of the ring with 77,899 fans cheering on, the rumors became reality as Cody returned home. The roar of the crowd was electric as both men put on an all-time classic for over 20 minutes. As the match came to a close, Cody hit two Cross Rhodes, followed by a Dusty Rhodes flip-flp and fly elbow. With one more Cross Rhodes, Cody got the 3 count and WWE Wrestlemania victory.
Bianca regains her throne
Bianca Belair won the Smackdown Women’s Championship at last year’s Wrestlemania and kicked off a new era. Belair’s title run was questionable and she lost in 26 seconds to a returning Becky Lynch at Summerslam. Since then, Belair and Lynch have been building towards a rematch that culminated at Night 1 of Wrestlemania. After a back and forth battle, Belair hit the KOD and regained the title from Lynch.
WWE Wrestlemania Night 1: Full Results
Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs, Skim It, **
Drew McIntyre def. Happy Corbin, Worth a Watch, ***
The Miz & Logan Paul def. The Mysterios, Worth a Watch, ***3/4
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (New Champion) def. Becky Lynch, Must-Watch, ****
Cody Rhodes def. Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Must-Watch, *****
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair def. Ronda Rousey, Worth a Watch, ***1/4
No Holds Barred: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin def. Kevin Owens, Worth a Watch, ***3/4
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