WWE is on the heels of their largest WrestleMania weekend since the event’s inception in 1985. WrestleMania 39 Saturday and Sunday delivered two nights full of grand entrances, cinematic storytelling, and career-defining performances.
A report from WWE corporate revealed that WrestleMania 39 in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California was the most successful and highest-grossing event in company history by a substantial margin.
Here’s every match from “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood” placed into tiers.
Bathroom breaks: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler def. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya and Shotzi, and Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green, and Snoop Dogg def. The Miz.
I mean no disrespect to any of the superstars featured in these matches, but we have to take a break somewhere. The purpose of the women’s match was in its name: to showcase talent. There was no story or build up to this match, as it was just a card-filler.
Give credit where credit is due. Shane McMahon returned and was supposed to have a match with the WrestleMania 39 host, The Miz. However, 53-year-old McMahon tore his quad less than a minute into the match. Snoop Dogg, having to improvise in front of a live audience, acted quickly and defeated The Miz with one of the goofiest people’s elbows of all time. The Rock would be proud.
Lackluster: Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita def. Damage CTRL, and Brock Lesnar def. Omos.
The six-woman tag match had a nice buildup and featured a few good spots, but it could’ve been bigger considering the names and the talent involved in the match.
Lesnar has been in huge matches in the past. His match with Omos was not one of them. While the match was fun for a couple minutes, it didn’t stack up to others on the card.
Room for improvement: Austin Theory def. John Cena (United States Championship), and Edge def. Finn Balor (Hell in a Cell match).
Cena’s first WrestleMania match since 2020 had all of the quips that we’ve come to know and love, from his ball cap and jean shorts to his “You can’t see me” gesture. Cena entered the stage alongside many Make-A-Wish children, making for a wholesome kickoff to WrestleMania 39 Saturday.
Despite Cena’s involvement, the match left more to be desired. The non-ceremonious nature of the match hints that this most likely wasn’t Cena’s last match at “The Grandest Stage of Them All”.
You can’t blame WWE for cutting the Hell in a Cell match short after Balor sustained an open wound on his head that required 14 staples to close. Had the injury not occurred, this match could’ve been special. Their demonic entrances, however, were a cool sight to see.
Did its job: Bianca Belair def. Asuka (Raw Women’s Championship).
Belair’s performance in last year’s WrestleMania was always going to be tough to follow. Asuka and Belair put on a great showing, though.
The highlight of the match was Belair’s entrance, which featured the Los Angeles-based dance group the Divas of Compton. It was revealed after the show that the lead contortionist of the group lost her mother that morning and still opted to go out and perform, making their appearance even more heartwarming.
Pleasant surprises: The Street Profits def. Braun Strowman and Ricochet, Alpha Academy, and The Viking Raiders, and Pat McAfee def. The Miz.
The men’s showcase match made the most of its 13-minute time slot. Spots such as Chad Gable delivering a rolling German suplex to a man triple his size, Angelo Dawkins derailing Strowman’s pain train and Ricochet hitting a perfect shooting star press from the top rope to outside the ring garnered great pops from the crowd.
McAfee is always a pleasant surprise in WWE. McAfee shocked the crowd when he interrupted The Miz and quickly defeated him with the help of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
Show-stealers: Rey Mysterio def. Dominik Mysterio, and Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Logan Paul.
The second match between father and son in WrestleMania history didn’t disappoint. Rey, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, honored the late Eddie Guerrero with his entrance and defeated his delinquent son Dominik with help from global musical artist Bad Bunny, the Latino World Order, and the rest of the Mysterio family sitting ringside.
From Rollins’ outlandish attire to Paul’s Shawn Michaels-esc zipline entrance, everything about this match was pure eye candy. Also, who didn’t enjoy rapper, boxer, and creator KSI getting frog splashed through a table while dressed as a bottle of Prime Hydration?
Instant classics: Rhea Ripley def. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women’s Championship), and Gunther def. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre (Intercontinental Championship).
We’ve gotten Ripley vs. Flair several times already, so this match needed to deliver. For nearly half an hour, the two traded big spots and near pinfalls, taking the breath out of the crowd with each one. This was easily one of the most incredible women’s matches in WrestleMania history.
How do you top Gunther and Sheamus’ hard-hitting match from WWE Clash at the Castle back in September 2022? You add 6-foot-5, 265-pound McIntyre into the fold. Some of the blows in this match were absolutely painful to watch, each one thundering throughout SoFi Stadium.
By the end of the match, there wasn’t a single person in attendance in their seat as the three men received a standing ovation for putting on a masterpiece.
Pure cinema: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens def. The Usos (Undisputed Tag Team Championship), and Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship).
One of the most compelling storylines in WWE history culminated with Zayn and Owens ending The Usos’ 622-day title reign. After Zayn’s year-long journey with The Bloodline, he and Owens finally were on top of the industry after WrestleMania 39’s Saturday main event.
Last but not least, in Sunday’s monster main event, Reigns entered the stage serenaded by an orchestra of pianists, while Rhodes had all 81,000 plus in attendance singing his music.
Reigns retained his titles in a heartstopping match, all but guaranteeing he will reach 1,000 days as champion. Even though the result wasn’t what most fans wanted, it put an emphatic bow on WWE’s biggest production of all time.