WWE WrestleMania 40: Night One (2024)

It's finally that time of year, when the show is bigger and better than ever, and the lights shine brighter than they do all year long. It's WrestleMania season! I have been more excited for this year's show than I have been for a long time, thanks in no small part to a vast improvement in writing and storylines for the company as a whole, particularly in the last six or so months.

Starting off the night was the Women's World Championship match between defending champion Rhea Ripley, who had Motionless In White play her to the ring, and Becky Lynch, the six-time champion and now New York Times Best-Selling Author. The match was exciting, and showcased two of the very best female talents in the industry. They created jeopardy, intensity and excitement - the crowd loved it, and so did I - plus, the right woman won.

This was followed by the total chaos that was the 'Six Pack Challenge' Ladder Match for both the Raw and Smackdown TAG Team Championships. The match was utterly insane, with six teams vying for two sets of titles hung high above the ring. It was so much fun! The expectation was for two new pairs of champions, and that's what we got. It was a little bit messy towards the end, but I loved it.

The third match saw the team of Rey Mysterio and Andrade take on the duo of Santos Escobar and Rey's son Dominik Mysterio. I wasn't really sure what to expect here. The match was a tiny bit rushed, and maybe a tad sloppy, but it still had some really solid spots. The ending was strange, with a twist that was really random, but not awful. It was definitely a crowd-pleaser moment, but, as I said, completely out of left field.

Speaking of matches with family fueds, the next match featured the brother versus brother match; Jimmy Uso against Jey Uso. This is one I was highly anticipating, because of the high stakes and higher drama. Jey Uso's entrance was a little odd, as Lil' Wayne decided to rap kinda terribly over his music. The actual match began with a fast and furious pace, but soon fell into a strangely slow and inconsistent rhythm. It was odd to witness - there were times where it felt almost improvised. The match just did not work for me, and I can't help but feel like it was very underwhelming.

Next up was the six-woman tag team match, pitting the devilish trio from Damage Control; Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane and Asuka, against the electrifying Jade Cargill, Naomi and Bianca Belair. I felt like this one could steal the show, and I was excited to see Cargill in action. I loved the entrances of both teams, which definitely got me more excited for the match. The match itself was a fast-paced and thrilling affair, my only criticism really being that it felt a little short. That said, it did what it was supposed to, which was to showcase some of the company's biggest female stars.

The Intercontinental Championship was on the line next, with the villainous GUNTHER defending against the underdog from the underground Sami Zayn. I adored the backstage through to the stage shot that took Zayn to the ring - it was emotional and looked awesome. The match was intense, riveting and engaging. Zayn played the role of underdog perfectly, and did brilliantly to get the crowd behind him. GUNTHER too, played the role of dominating antagonist masterfully. The two have great chemistry, which was on full display. The ending surprised me a little, but I'm not disappointed by it.

The main event saw high stakes and all the majesty of WrestleMania when World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes took on Dwayne The Rock Johnson and the Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The atmosphere was incredible, the crowd was invested and I was extremely hyped up. Everyone in the match did well to create drama and intrigue, as well as protecting an older and less ring-ready Rock. The match was an epic. Everyone involved looked great and performed masterfully. The climactic moments where full of drama and false finishes, and the crowd, and myself for that matter, ate it up joyfully. When the match ended I wanted to stand and clap the effort of all four men. What a way to end the night!

Overall, despite some shakiness here and there, along with one massive dud, I thought Night One can be counted as a success. My highlights were, of course, the epic main event, as well as the Intercontinental Championship and Women's World Championship matches, which were all top tier wrestling. This leaves me absolutely buzzing for Night Two, with even more drama and pageantry to come, as well as the consequences of this first night's huge main event.