Wrestlemania 39 night one gave us spectacle, new champs, and moved at a brisk pace

Call it the granddaddy of them all or “the Super Bowl” of pro wrestling – but Wrestlemania 39 night one delivered in many ways. Firstly, the show kept moving quickly with a seven-match card. Chalk it up to being on the west coast for one of these (that time difference is a cheat code), but nothing felt like it overstayed its welcome.

Some obvious things happened – but it didn’t denigrate how big they felt when they did. That’s the key to the “end of the WWE regular season” working. Here are a few quick thoughts that I had from Sofi Stadium.

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The Coronation of Rhea Ripley

WWE

Rhea Ripley gets her Wrestlemania moment and grand slam moniker. Her character has hit the perfect apex with her involvement in The Bloodline. She and Charlotte Flair looked like they had something to prove, given their title match went on second to last. After the opening, they delivered a hard-hitting, close fall banger that hit its stride.

Some people have hinted at the Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair/Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair title matches and the “passing of the torch.” I believe the four horsewomen have plenty left to give to the sport. It’s beautiful to see them in their prime giving to the next generation of female superstars. Whenever you need a big match, Charlotte always delivers. They continue their storyline from Wrestlemania 36 when Charlotte beat Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s title. I would be all for a rubber match if they want to do a rubber match.

Best Friends Stand Tall

WWE

What better way to end the first night other than Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens winning the undisputed tag teams? There isn’t—a beautiful completion of a story that started so long ago where all four men look amazing. The end of The Bloodline's dominance is here, and Cody must finish it. One great moment was when Sami told Jey, “you chose this, Uce.”

Listen, Sami main evented Wrestlemania after all. I know that people wanted Sami to be in the match with Roman for the title here, but this is the story that best fits the payoff. That’s not to say you can’t have Sami challenge Cody down the line. However, seeing Sami and Kevin Owens be tag champs for a while is a plus.

Father Knows Best

WWE

It was a live discipline session that everybody was waiting for. Rey Mysterio vs. Dom Mysterio was one of the night's best matches. The entrances were grand – Rey giving the nod to the late, great Eddie Guerrero. The action was good – this was probably Dom’s best singles match to date. The interference from Judgement Day and Legado Del Fantasma didn’t take away from the match, but added to it. You didn’t think Rey would lose a day after he got into the Hall of Fame, did you?

Wrestlemania Seth vs. The Social Media Star

WWE

Say want you want about Logan Paul (there might be a lot to say); he’s a natural at this. Seth Rollins was a great dance partner for him because of their athleticism. They both complement each other in that respect. WWE has had a good run in finding celebrities who look like they belong. They integrated KSI into the match in a good way. I wouldn’t mind Logan sticking around and having a few matched. Looking forward to seeing what Seth Rollins does now.

You Can’t Fight Off Legacy

WWE

I can’t believe this is only Lita’s second Wrestlemania. I thought that Damage Control would have gotten the win here. That was not to be. This match was put in a tough spot, given what it had to follow. Lita has had to deal with many injuries and tried to manage that as best as she could. At times, she looked a little slow because of it. Becky and Bayley elevated the match with their interactions. There was no post-match angle, but that could be coming on RAW. Damage Control needs something to keep this group going.