WrestleMania 42 Night 1: 8 big takeaways for Cody Rhodes, Paige's WWE return, Randy Orton, Liv Morgan and more
As we wrap the first night of WWE WrestleMania 42, here are our eight biggest takeaways from a newsworthy night in Sin City.
WrestleMania 42 is back in Las Vegas for the second-consecutive year, with Night 1 taking place Saturday night from Allegiant Stadium . The opening night of WrestleMania had a little bit of everything, blending a standout celebrity moment , the long-awaited return of Paige , a show-stealer between Gunther and Seth Rollins , Cody Rhodes fending off Randy Orton and Pat McAfee, plus much more. As we wrap the first night of the two-night extravaganza, here’s our eight biggest takeaways from a busy night in Sin City.
1. Did we just get a double turn? After Pat McAfee’s unwelcome inclusion in WrestleMania 42's main event, his immediate removal from the match by Cody Rhodes allowed the attention to focus on the champion and Randy Orton.
The escalation of Saturday's headliner was reminiscent of Bret Hart’s WrestleMania 13 match with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, all the way down to a vulnerable opponent being bloodied (Orton) while the tension sat with the babyface (Rhodes) as the duo teetered in their standings with the audience. Rhodes turning up heel tactics, like poking Orton in the eyes, felt like an intentional playing to the crowd reactions. The end saw McAfee’s return as a substitute referee, Orton turning on him, and Rhodes completing a presumed heel turn by taking advantage of the opening to earn the pinfall.
Cody Rhodes is still the Undisputed WWE Champion. Ethan Miller via Getty Images But the post-match festivities, including Orton punting Rhodes and standing tall holding the belt, felt like a real turning point in establishing the direction for both men as we hit the summer. It’ll be interesting to see how far WWE leans in here.
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