For the second year in a row, WWE’s biggest event of the year returned to Las Vegas. Wrestlemania 42 looked to top last year’s extravaganza, hosted by the “Greatest of All Time” John Cena.
The Night One match card was filled with matches made for the grandest stage of them all including Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan for the WWE Women’s World Championship and Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Here’s a recap of the matches that took place in Allegiant Stadium Saturday Night:
Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight vs. The Vision (Logan Paul and Austin Theory) and IShowSpeed:
Right at the bell, Speed was left alone with LA Knight after the Usos superkicked both members of The Vision. Speed used his athleticism early, but Knight shut him down with a clothesline. A distraction from Logan Paul helped Speed rally briefly before tagging out.
The Usos controlled the pace until Austin Theory entered and hit a rolling dropkick on Jimmy Uso. Speed tried to capitalize but was quickly suplexed. Paul tagged himself in, but a Whisper in the Wind from Jimmy swung momentum back to the Usos.
Jey Uso and Theory tagged in, with Jey winning the exchange. Chaos broke out as everyone entered the ring, eventually leaving Speed and Jimmy. Speed then hit a hurricanrana, but accidentally took out Logan Paul. Theory urged Speed to attack Knight, but hesitation cost them. Knight would then counter with a BFT on Theory for the win.
Winners: Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight
After the match, Paul turned on Speed and attempted to put him through the announce table. The Usos and Knight stopped him with a “1D,” then placed Paul on the table. Speed climbed the top rope to hit a frog splash through the table to a huge reaction.
Unsanctioned Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre
Before the match began, Fatu dove through the ropes to take out McIntyre on the outside. He then pulled out tables, chairs and a toolbox from under the ring. McIntyre halted the momentum by catapulting Fatu into the steel ring post, then mocked being “bored at work” by tweeting mid-match and striking Fatu with his phone.
Back in the ring, Fatu regained control with a hip attack and a pop-up Samoan drop. A chair shot attempt was countered by a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre followed with a tope dive and set up for a Claymore, but Fatu avoided it, sending McIntyre into a chair in the corner before landing a moonsault.
McIntyre turned the tide with a wrench to the face and suplex onto the steel chairs. Fatu fired back with a belt shot. McIntyre countered a toolbox attack with a Claymore, but it wasn’t enough.
Fatu went for a splash through a table, but McIntyre threw a chair and knocked him off the top rope through a table outside. Back in the ring, two superkicks and a toolbox shot left McIntyre laid out on a table, allowing Fatu to hit a final moonsault for the win.
Winner: Jacob Fatu
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Brie Bella and a returning Paige w/ Nikki Bella vs. Lyra Valkyria and Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair vs. The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) (c) :
Originally, Nikki Bella had been scheduled to compete. But due to injury, the returning Paige took her place to a thunderous applause – marking her first WWE match in nine years.
Each team started with one competitor, but the Irresistible Forces took early control. Brie Bella fought back, landing a series of “Yes Kicks” on Charlotte Flair and Lyra Valkyria. Legend cleared the ring with multiple big boots, but Bayley and Valkyria regained momentum with strong tag-team offense. A chaotic moment saw three women on the top rope, ending with Legend powerbombing two of them and leaving Brie Bella open to land a dropkick.
With everyone down, Brie Bella finally tagged in Paige, who stormed through the competition and nearly won with a Paige Turner. Paige and Flair briefly teamed up to send Legend outside before turning on each other in a tense exchange.
Bliss and Flair appeared close to victory, but Nikki Bella interfered, pulling Flair out of the ring and attacking her with a crutch. The distraction allowed Paige to counter the Twisted Bliss with raised knees, then finish Bliss with a Rampage to secure the win and become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Winners and New Women’s Tag Team Champions: Brie Bella and Paige
Women’s Intercontiental Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs AJ Lee (c):
AJ Lee entered her first WrestleMania in 11 years, looking to retain her title. Early on, she stayed one step ahead of Becky Lynch, even mocking her with her signature rope-sit pose. Lynch responded by throwing Lee into the barricade and aggressively took control, attempting to expose the turnbuckle steel before being stopped.
Lee regained momentum with a top-rope dropkick and looked to finish the match with a Shining Wizard, but Lynch countered with a powerbomb. Lee transitioned into a Black Widow submission, but Lynch escaped and hit a Manhandle Slam only for Lee to kick out.
Frustration got the better of Lynch, who argued with and shoved referee Jessika Carr. As tensions rose Lynch charged at Carr but Lee intercepted her with a Manhandle Slam of her own and reapplied the Black Widow, but Lynch reached the ropes to break the hold.
While Carr checked on Lee, Lynch secretly removed the turnbuckle pad. In the chaos, Carr was knocked aside, allowing Lynch to send Lee face-first into the exposed steel and hit another Manhandle Slam to win back the championship.
Winner and new Women’s Intercontinental Champion: Becky Lynch
Seth Rollins vs. Gunther:
Before the bell rang, Gunther opened with a shotgun dropkick and powerbomb on Rollins. The fight spilled outside, where Rollins gained control by hurling chairs. The two then squared off and charged at each other as the match officially began.
Gunther dominated with his signature chops and grounded offense, but Rollins countered a superplex attempt into a buckle bomb. Gunther avoided a Stomp, and the two traded German suplexes and clotheslines, laying each other out. Rollins fired back with a flurry of strikes, but Gunther shut him down with another powerbomb.
Momentum shifted back and forth until Rollins hit a Pedigree and a Stomp, yet Gunther still managed to kick out. Gunther transitioned from a roll-up pin into a sleeper hold, nearly putting Rollins away until he escaped by biting his hand. A missed strike left Rollins open to a clothesline, but he rebounded with a superplex and Falcon Arrow. He followed with a sleeper of his own, but Gunther reached the ropes.
Rollins stayed in control until Gunther caught him on a dive, powerbombing him on the apron and through the announce table. As Gunther went for another, Rollins countered into a Pedigree and a Stomp on the table.
Just as Rollins seemed poised to win, a returning Bron Breakker speared him in half at full speed while the referee was distracted. Breakker threw Rollins back into the ring, allowing Gunther to lock in the sleeper hold and put Rollins to sleep for the victory.
Winner: Gunther
Post match, Breakker sprinted down the entrance ramp and speared Rollins again as hard as he could. Afterwards he was embraced by Paul Heyman on the stage.
Women’s World Championship Match: Liv Morgan vs Stephanie Vaquer (c):
The hatred the two women have for each other showed right away as the match opened up with a brawl. Morgan ended up getting the upper hand of the brawl with a powerbomb off the top rope and then three amigos suplexes. Vaquer quickly turned things around with a back suplex, the Devil’s Kiss and butterfly longblower double knees.
Morgan mocked Vaquer by attempting to use her own Devil’s Kiss against her but Vaquer turned it around into a package backbreaker. Vaquer returned the favor by trying to put Morgan away with her own move, the oblivion. Morgan’s Judgement Day stablemates, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez, ran out to cause a distraction allowing Morgan to land oblivion but Vaquer kicked out.
Vaquer then had to fight all three women and took the two out with a spring board cross body. As Vaquer stood tall, Morgan came from behind and shoved her into the steel steps. Morgan then threw her back in the ring to end the match with Oblivion and become a three-time women’s world champion.
Winner and New Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton w/ Pat McAfee vs Cody Rhodes © :
The former friends were set to face off but before the bell, Pat McAfee struck Cody Rhodes in the back of the head with a microphone. Rhodes quickly recovered and dropped McAfee with a Cross Rhodes. He then placed McAfee on the announce table, where country music star Jelly Roll emerged from the crowd and delivered an elbow drop off the English announce table through the Spanish announce table. McAfee was then taken out of the arena in a stretcher.
Once the match began, Rhodes and Orton locked up and traded control early. Rhodes landed a powerslam, but Orton countered a Cody Cutter into a backbreaker. Rhodes regained momentum, targeting Orton with a single-leg Boston crab, but Orton responded with his signature draping DDT.
On the outside of the ring, Rhodes busted Orton open and mocked him with his signature stomps, a Disaster Kick and even a draping DDT back in the ring. He attempted an RKO, but Orton avoided it and hit a Cross Rhodes of his own.
The two traded counters, with Rhodes hitting an RKO after a backslide pin attempt. Outside, Rhodes slammed Orton onto the announce table, but Orton fired back with an RKO out of nowhere. Rhodes still kicked out.
Orton RKO’d the referee after he was poked in the eye by Rhodes. He then attempted a low blow, but Rhodes countered with one of his own. Rhodes went for a Cody Cutter, only to be caught midair with another RKO. With the referee still down, McAfee returned in a neck brace and referee shirt to count the pin, but Rhodes kicked out again.
Moments later, Orton shocked everyone by hitting McAfee with an RKO. As he turned around, Rhodes caught him with a Cross Rhodes to secure the win in the WrestleMania main event.
Winner and still Undisputed WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes
Post-match, Orton grabbed the title from Rhodes’ hands and struck him in the face with it. Standing over him, Orton lined up in the corner and delivered a devastating punt kick to Rhodes’ head, the first time the signature move was used since 2020. The night ended with Orton standing tall over a fallen Rhodes, holding the championship.
Night One of WrestleMania was full of surprises, and if Night Two is anything like it, it won’t disappoint.