WrestleMania 38

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WrestleMania 38
WrestleMania 38 poster.jpg
Promotional poster featuring Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
DateApril 2–3, 2022[a]
CityArlington, Texas
VenueAT&T Stadium
AttendanceNight 1: 77,899[1]
Night 2: 78,453[2]
Combined: 156,352 (disputed)[3]
Tagline(s)"The Most Stupendous Two-Night Event In WrestleMania History"
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WrestleMania 38 was the 38th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling live event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event aired on pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and was available to stream through Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network internationally. It was held as a two-night event, taking place on April 2 and 3, 2022, at the AT&T Stadium in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex city of Arlington, Texas.

The event was the fourth WrestleMania to be held in the state of Texas (after X-Seven, 25, and 32) and the second in AT&T Stadium after WrestleMania 32 in 2016. It was the third WrestleMania to feature Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns in the main event (after 31 and 34). WWE build the match as "The Biggest WrestleMania Match of All-Time", which was a Winner Takes All match for the promotion's two world championships, Raw's WWE Championship and SmackDown's Universal Championship, which were held by Lesnar and Reigns, respectively, going into the event.

The card comprised a total of 16 matches, with seven on the first night and nine on the second. In an impromptu match that served as the main event for Night 1, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeated Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match, marking Austin's first match since WrestleMania XIX. This had originally been advertised as a special edition of Owens' talk show, the "KO Show". Other prominent matches saw a returning Cody Rhodes defeat Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Charlotte Flair defeated Ronda Rousey to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship, and Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch to win the Raw Women's Championship. In the main event for Night 2, SmackDown's Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated Raw's WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to win both titles and become recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. In other prominent matches, Johnny Knoxville defeated Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match and Edge defeated AJ Styles. Night 2 also featured WWE chairman Vince McMahon defeating commentator Pat McAfee in an impromptu match after McAfee had defeated Austin Theory, marking McMahon's first match since WrestleMania XXVI.

Production

Background

WrestleMania is considered WWE's flagship live event, having first been held in 1985. It is the longest-running annual professional wrestling event in history and is held between mid-March to mid-April.[4] It was the first of WWE's original four pay-per-views (PPVs), including Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which were originally dubbed the "Big Four",[5] and as of October 2021, it is one of the company's five biggest events of the year, along with Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five".[6] WrestleMania is ranked the sixth most valuable sports brand in the world by Forbes,[7] and has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment.[8] WrestleMania 38 featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions.[9] The official theme songs for the event were "Sacrifice" by The Weeknd and "I Feel Good" by Pitbull, Anthony Watts, and DJWS.[10][11]

On January 16, 2021, in addition to announcing the date and location change of WrestleMania 37, which had to be rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion revealed the dates and locations of the next two WrestleMania events. WrestleMania 38 was announced to be held at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.[9] It was originally scheduled to be held solely on April 3, 2022; however, on October 25, 2021, it was revealed that like the previous two WrestleMania events, WrestleMania 38 was expanded to take place over two nights: Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, 2022.[12] It was the fourth WrestleMania to be held in the state of Texas (after X-Seven, 25, and 32) and the second to be held in this venue, after WrestleMania 32 in 2016, which set the attendance record for a WrestleMania event at 101,763,[9] which was, however, disputed.[13] Travel packages became available on November 8, 2021,[14] while general tickets went on sale on November 12.[12]

Broadcast outlets

WrestleMania 38 was available on traditional pay-per-view. It was also available through the online streaming services Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in international markets.[9] Additionally, WWE partnered with Fathom Events to air both nights of WrestleMania 38 in movie theaters across the United States.[15]

Celebrity involvement

See also: List of celebrities involved with WrestleMania

As is tradition at WrestleMania, celebrities from the entertainment field took part in the event in various capacities. Social media personality Logan Paul, who appeared at WrestleMania 37, participated in a tag team match on WrestleMania Saturday, teaming with The Miz against Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio,[16] while Jackass actor and stuntman Johnny Knoxville competed in an Anything Goes match against Sami Zayn on WrestleMania Sunday.[17][18] The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders also appeared on stage to cheer Pat McAfee to the ring for his match against Austin Theory on WrestleMania Sunday. Additionally, country music singers Brantley Gilbert and Jessie James Decker performed "America the Beautiful" to open the event on Saturday and Sunday night, respectively,[19] while DJ Valentino Khan had musical performances on both nights.[20]

Other WrestleMania Week events

As part of the WrestleMania festivities during the week of the event, WWE held a number of events throughout the week. On the Monday before WrestleMania 38, WWE aired a special "WrestleMania Edition" of Raw.[21] The night before WrestleMania 38 on April 1, WWE kicked off WrestleMania Weekend with a special "WrestleMania Edition" of SmackDown, which hosted the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, won by Madcap Moss, as well as a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship.[22] Immediately after SmackDown, the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony commenced.[23] The day of WrestleMania Saturday, WWE's NXT brand held its annual WrestleMania Week event, Stand & Deliver, which aired at 1pm Eastern Time.[24] WrestleMania Week concluded with the Raw after WrestleMania on April 4. SmackDown, the Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT Stand & Deliver, and the Raw after WrestleMania all aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.[21]

Storylines

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[25][26] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[27]

Main event matches

For many years, Paul Heyman had been the advocate for Brock Lesnar. After Lesnar took a hiatus following WrestleMania 36 in April 2020, Heyman became the special counsel for Roman Reigns that August, guiding him to win SmackDown's Universal Championship.[28] After Reigns retained the title at the 2021 SummerSlam, Lesnar returned to WWE and confronted Reigns, also implying that Heyman was still his advocate.[29] Two months later at Crown Jewel, Reigns defeated Lesnar to retain the Universal Championship with help from The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso).[30] A rematch was scheduled for the New Year's event Day 1,[31] and Reigns fired Heyman as he believed Heyman was working with Lesnar behind his back.[32] The Day 1 match, however, was canceled as Reigns tested positive for COVID-19.[33] Due to his status as a free agent, Lesnar was instead added to Raw's multi-person WWE Championship match at Day 1 and won the title.[34] On the following SmackDown, Lesnar, who reunited with Heyman, challenged Reigns to a champion vs. champion match, but Reigns declined.[35] At the Royal Rumble, Lesnar lost his WWE Championship after interference from Reigns and a double cross from Heyman, who realigned with Reigns. Later that night, Lesnar entered into the Royal Rumble match and won to earn himself a world championship match of his choice at WrestleMania 38.[36] On the following episode of Raw, Lesnar announced that he would challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship. Still wanting it to be a champion vs. champion match, and also wanting a rematch for losing his title, Lesnar was also added to the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber,[37] which he won.[38] It was then confirmed that their WrestleMania match would be a Winner Takes All match for the WWE Championship and Universal Championship,[39] which was further stipulated as a championship unification match.[40]

After weeks of disrespecting the state of Texas, on the March 7 episode of Raw, Kevin Owens invited the "Texas Rattlesnake", Stone Cold Steve Austin, as a special guest on the "KO Show" at WrestleMania 38. A day later, Austin accepted and it was announced that the segment would occur on WrestleMania Saturday.[41]

Undercard matches

At the Royal Rumble, Ronda Rousey, in her first appearance since WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, made a surprise return and won the women's Royal Rumble match to earn a women's championship match of her choice at WrestleMania 38.[36] After pondering her choices due to having heated history with both reigning champions,[37] on the following episode of SmackDown, Rousey announced that she would challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.[42]

At SummerSlam in August 2021, Becky Lynch, who had been on maternity leave since May 2020, made a surprise return and defeated Bianca Belair in an impromptu match to win the SmackDown Women's Championship in 26 seconds.[29] Over the course of the next month, Lynch would continue to retain the championship against Belair using underhanded tactics before both were drafted to Raw in the 2021 WWE Draft; Lynch and Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, who was drafted to SmackDown, traded their championships to keep the titles on their respective brands, thus Lynch became the Raw Women's Champion. After Belair failed to earn a title shot at the 2022 Royal Rumble and also failing to win the women's Royal Rumble match, Belair won the women's Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber to finally earn a one-on-one match against Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38. This in turn scheduled the only two women to win in the main event of WrestleMania against each other at WrestleMania (Lynch at WrestleMania 35 and Belair at WrestleMania 37 Night 1, respectively).[38]

On the January 31 episode of Raw, The Miz defeated Dominik Mysterio.[37] The following week, Dominik and his father Rey Mysterio were guests on "Miz TV". Rey claimed that Miz cheated to defeat Dominik while Miz took issue that Rey had an opportunity to qualify for the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match while he did not and also that Rey was the cover star of the WWE 2K22 video game. Miz also questioned if Rey was truly Dominik's dad, referencing the child custody battle that Rey had with Eddie Guerrero back at SummerSlam in 2005. Dominik then defeated Miz in a rematch.[43] Rey then defeated Miz during the Elimination Chamber Kickoff pre-show.[44] Later backstage, Miz accused Rey of cheating due to Dominik and said he would find a tag team partner who was a "global superstar".[38] On the following episode of Raw, as Miz teased the identity of his partner to face Rey and Dominik at WrestleMania 38, The Mysterios interrupted, stating it did not matter who Miz had chosen. Miz then revealed his partner as social media personality Logan Paul, after which, Miz and Paul attacked The Mysterios.[16]

On the February 21 episode of Raw, Edge made his first post-Royal Rumble appearance where he issued an open challenge for WrestleMania 38.[16] The following week, Edge came out to see who would answer his challenge, which was accepted by AJ Styles. Edge then stated he was glad Styles accepted as it was a match he had been wanting; however, he wanted the "pitbull" AJ Styles who reigned as WWE Champion, not the AJ Styles who had been Omos' tag team partner for the majority of the past year. Edge then turned heel and attacked Styles, after which, a conflicted Edge performed two con-chair-tos on Styles.[45]

On March 3, 2022, WWE Chairman and chief executive officer Vince McMahon made a rare media appearance for a live interview on The Pat McAfee Show. During the interview, McMahon offered Pat McAfee a match at WrestleMania 38. McAfee, who primarily serves as the color commentator on SmackDown, accepted and McMahon stated that he would find him an opponent.[46] On the following night's episode of SmackDown, Raw's Austin Theory, who had been under the tutelage of McMahon for the past several weeks, revealed himself as McAfee's opponent at WrestleMania 38. This will be McAfee's first match since NXT TakeOver: WarGames in December 2020.[18]

At Day 1, Jackass actor and stuntman Johnny Knoxville announced that he would be participating in the men's Royal Rumble match.[34] Sami Zayn took issue of this, claiming that Knoxville was not qualified to compete, nor did he earn the opportunity. After Zayn lost his match on the following SmackDown, Knoxville ran down to the ring and threw Zayn over the top rope, and ring announcer Mike Rome then announced that Knoxville had officially qualified for the Royal Rumble match, much to Zayn's displeasure.[35] The two faced off in the Royal Rumble match where Zayn eliminated Knoxville.[36] After Zayn had invited himself to the red carpet premiere of Jackass Forever, for which he was kicked out, Knoxville then invited himself to Zayn's celebration for winning the Intercontinental Championship. Knoxville challenged Zayn for the title at WrestleMania 38, but Zayn declined.[47] During Zayn's championship defense on the March 4 episode, Knoxville distracted Zayn, costing him the title. An enraged Zayn then challenged Knoxville to a match at WrestleMania 38, which Knoxville accepted.[18] After Knoxville shared Zayn's phone number, causing a multitude of people attempting to contact Zayn, Zayn changed the stipulation to an Anything Goes match at WrestleMania and Knoxville accepted.[17]

For weeks, Seth "Freakin" Rollins attempted to get a spot at WrestleMania. After failing to defeat Kevin Owens and AJ Styles to take their respective spots, Vince McMahon summoned Rollins into his office on the morning of March 28. McMahon stated that he would choose an opponent for Rollins to face at WrestleMania 38 and the opponent would be revealed at the event itself while Rollins was waiting in the ring on WrestleMania Saturday.[48]

Event

Night 1: WrestleMania Saturday

Other on-screen personnel – Saturday
Role Name
English commentators Michael Cole (SmackDown)
Pat McAfee (SmackDown)
Jimmy Smith (Raw)
Corey Graves (Raw)
Byron Saxton (Raw)
Spanish commentators Marcelo Rodriguez
Jerry Soto
Ring announcers Mike Rome (Raw)
Samantha Irvin (SmackDown)
Referees Danilo Anfibio
Jessika Carr
Daphne Lashaunn
Eddie Orengo
Charles Robinson
Ryan Tran
Rod Zapata
Interviewers Maria Menounos
Jackie Redmond
Pre-show panel Kayla Braxton
Kevin Patrick
Peter Rosenberg
Booker T
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Jerry Lawler
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila

Preliminary matches

The pay-per-view opened with The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defending the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs. During the match, Boogs legitimately injured his right knee after attempting to lift both of The Usos on his shoulders. As Nakamura attempted to perform a Kinshasa on Jey, Jey countered with a Superlock. Jey tagged in Jimmy, who performed a Uso Splash on Nakamura for a nearfall. In the end, The Usos performed the 1-D on Nakamura to retain the title. Following the match, medical personnel tended to Boogs.[49]

Next, Drew McIntyre faced Happy Corbin (accompanied by Madcap Moss). During the match, Corbin performed an End of Days on McIntyre for a near fall, which was the first time that anyone kicked out of the End of Days. In the climax, Moss accidentally distracted Corbin which allowed McIntyre to perform a Claymore Kick on Corbin to win the match. Following the match, after Moss attempted to enter the ring, McIntyre stopped him with a sword and swung his sword toward Moss, slicing two ring ropes in the process.[49]

In the third match, Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio took on The Miz and Logan Paul. Throughout the match, Paul disrespected Eddie Guerrero by successfully performing the Three Amigos and Frog Splash on Rey. In the end, after Rey and Dominik performed frog splashes on Paul, Miz tagged himself in and performed a Skull Crushing Finale on Rey to win the match. After the match, Miz performed a Skull Crushing Finale on Paul.[49]

Next, Stephanie McMahon came out and thanked the fans in attendance. She then announced the WWE's newest signee, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.[49]

In the fourth match, Becky Lynch defended the Raw Women's Championship against Bianca Belair. About one minute in the match, Lynch performed a Man-Handle Slam on Belair for a near-fall. During the match, Lynch applied the Dis-Arm-Her on Belair who reached the ring ropes to void the submission. Outside of the ring, Lynch performed a Man-Handle Slam on Belair on the stairs. Lynch then entered the ring hoping for a count out victory. However, Belair managed to enter the ring at the last second. In the end, Belair performed the Kiss of Death in Lynch to win the title.[49]

Next, Seth "Freakin" Rollins came out for his match against an opponent which was pre-selected by Mr. McMahon. After Rollins waited impatiently, former All Elite Wrestling wrestler Cody Rhodes made his return to WWE as Rollins' opponent; Rhodes last performed in WWE in 2016 under the gimmick of Stardust. This was a back-and-forth. Rollins performed the Pedigree on Rhodes for a near fall. as Rhodes performed the Cross Rhodes on Rollins for a near fall. In the end, Rhodes performed two Cross Rhodes, a Bionic Elbow and a third Cross Rhodes on Rollins to win the match.[49]

In the penultimate match, Charlotte Flair defended the SmackDown Women's Champion against Ronda Rousey. During the match, Rousey applied the Armbar and Ankle Lock on Flair, however, Flair escaped. Rousey performed a Piper's Pit on Flair, however, Flair placed her foot on the bottom rope to void the pin attempt. As Flair attempted in the Figure-Eight, Rousey countered by kicking Flair toward the referee, inadvertently incapaciting the referee. While the referee was down, Rousey applied the Armbar on Flair who tapped out, however, the referee was still incapacited. In the end, as Rousey attempted to revive the referee, Flair performed a Big Boot on Rousey to retain the title.[49]

Main event

In the main event, Kevin Owens came out to host a special edition of the KO Show with special guest "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This was Austin first WrestleMania appearance since WrestleMania 32 in 2016, coincidentally also in the same venue. During the segment, Owens claimed that he lied to Austin about having him as a guest and actually wanted to challenge Austin to a No Holds Barred match. Austin accepted, this marking his first match since WrestleMania XIX in 2003. During the match, Austin and Owens fought into the crowd and Austin constantly taunted Owens by pouring cans of beer on Owens. Owens performed a Stunner on Austin for a nearfall. In the end, after Owens accidentally hit himself in the head with a chair (due to it bouncing off the ring ropes when Austin ducked), Austin performed a Stunner on Owens to win the match. Following the match, Austin performed a second Stunner on Owens, who was escorted out by Texas State Police. Austin then celebrated with commentator Byron Saxton, after which, be performed a Stunner on Saxton. Austin celebrated with his brother to close out WrestleMania Saturday.[49]

Night 2: WrestleMania Sunday

Other on-screen personnel – Sunday
Role Name
English commentators Michael Cole (SmackDown/Main event)
Pat McAfee (SmackDown)
Jimmy Smith (Raw)
Corey Graves (Raw/Main event)
Byron Saxton
(Raw/The New Day vs. Sheamus & Holland/McAfee vs. Theory/McAfee vs. McMahon)
Spanish commentators Marcelo Rodriguez
Jerry Soto
Ring announcers Mike Rome (Raw/Main event)
Samantha Irvin (SmackDown)
Referees Danilo Anfibio
Jason Ayers
Shawn Bennett
Jessika Carr
Dan Engler
Chad Patton
Ryan Tran
Rod Zapata
Interviewers Maria Menounos
Jackie Redmond
Pre-show panel Kayla Braxton
Kevin Patrick
Peter Rosenberg
Booker T
Jerry Lawler
John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Preliminary matches

WWE executive Triple H, who a week prior had announced his retirement from wrestling due to a cardiac event, opened Night 2 of WrestleMania 38. Triple H welcomed the fans to the show and symbolically left his wrestling boots in the center of the ring.[50]

The first match of the night was a triple threat tag team match for the Raw Tag Team Championship amongst the defending champions, RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle), Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), and The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins). In the end, Orton hit an RKO on Gable, who was mid-air, to win the match. Afterwards, RK-Bro and The Street Profits shared a drink alongside recent WWE signee, Gable Steveson. Chad Gable slapped the drink out of Steveson's hand and trash-talked, followed by Steveson hitting Gable with a belly-to-belly suplex while the five superstars made a toast.[50]

Next, Bobby Lashley faced Omos. Omos dominated Lashley almost throughout the entire match, making quick work of him. Eventually, Lashley gained the upper hand and managed to hit a vertical suplex and two spears for the win.[50]

In the third match, Sami Zayn faced Jackass star Johnny Knoxville in an 'Anything Goes match'. Zayn started the match with a helluva kick but got sprayed with a fire extinguisher from the outside. Both men attacked each other with weapons. Zayn hit an exploder suplex through a table positioned in one corner of the ring. Zayn tried to attack Knoxville but was averted with a trumpet. Zayn was attacked by a number of Knoxville's Jackass co-actors, including Wee-Man, who performed a bodyslam on Zayn. Knoxville knocked Zayn off the turnbuckle onto a table. In the end, Knoxville and his allies retrieved a big mouse trap from underneath the ring. Johnny then pinned Zayn with the trap to win the match.[50]

Next was the fatal four-way tag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship featuring the reigning champions, Queen Zelina and Carmella, going against the teams of Sasha Banks and Naomi, Natalya and Shayna Baszler, and Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan. In the end, Banks and Naomi hit the Wheel Barrow/Double knee combo to win the match and the titles, marking Banks' first win at WrestleMania.[50]

The fifth match was between Edge and AJ Styles. Styles kicked Edge off the apron and into the steel steps. AJ went for a springboard 450 but landed on Edge's knees. Styles hit a suplex into the turnbuckles. Styles performed a Rack Bomb for a nearfall while Edge also performed a DDT for a nearfall. Styles hit a Pele kick while Edge locked in the Lebelle Lock but Styles got out of it. Edge hit a powerbomb on Styles. Styles hit a superplex from the toprope also executing a springboard 450 and a Styles Clash for a nearfall. Damian Priest emerged and distracted Styles as he attempted a Phenomenal Forearm, allowing Edge to catch him mid-air with a spear to win the match. After the match, Edge and Priest celebrated the victory.[50]

In the sixth match, Sheamus and Ridge Holland (accompanied by Butch) faced The New Day (represented by Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods). Outside the ring, Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Kingston and another one on Woods in the ring. Holland then executed the Northern Grit on Woods to win the match.[50]

After this, recent WWE Hall of Fame inductee The Undertaker had a brief session at the arena to honor the crowd before the event continued.[50]

Next, Austin Theory (accompanied by Mr. McMahon) faced Pat McAfee. Pat hit a hurricanrana for a nearfall while Theory hit a backbreaker. Both men hit suplexes before Pat poured a drink on Theory outside the ring. Pat executed a superplex off the top rope on Theory and ultimately countered an ATL with a roll-up to win the match.[50]

After the match, McAfee called out Mr. McMahon, followed by the latter removing his suit before heading into the ring for an impromptu match. Before the match started, Theory attacked McAfee. Pat got up but was attacked again by Theory who dragged him into the ring post. McMahon kicked a Dallas Cowboys football at Pat's face before pinning him to win the match. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made a surprise appearance and executed a stunner on Theory before sharing a drink with McMahon first, then McAfee, also hitting stunners on both men.[50]

Main event

In the main event, SmackDown's Universal Champion Roman Reigns faced Raw's WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All championship unification match. Lesnar attacked Reigns with three belly-to-belly suplexes and a clothesline. Outside the ring, Heyman distracted Lesnar, allowing Reigns to perform a spear through the barricades. Reigns hit another spear in the ring for a nearfall. Reigns hit a superman punch but Lesnar dodged a second one, hitting five German suplexes in quick succession. Reigns hit another superman punch while Lesnar executed an F-5 for a nearfall. Lesnar went for an F-5 but Reigns countered sending him into the referee before taking the opportunity to attack Lesnar with a low-blow. Reigns struck Lesnar with the title for a nearfall. Reigns hit a spear and went for another one, but got trapped in a Kimura lock this time around. Reigns managed to break free. Lesnar went for an F-5 but Reigns countered into a fourth spear to win both titles and become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Although WWE billed the match as a championship unification match, both titles remained independently active with Reigns being a double champion.[50]

Reception

According to the analytics firm Conviva, WrestleMania accumulated a record 2.2 billion impressions across all social platforms, compared to 1.8 billion for Super Bowl LVI, and up 10% from the previous year.[51] In addition, WWE amassed 1.1 billion video views (up 47% from the previous year) across various social media networks, 13.1 million hours of video watch time (up 29% from the previous year), and 87 million engagements over the weekend of the event.

WWE reported that Night 1 of WrestleMania had an attendance of 77,899,[52] and that Night 2 had an attendance of 78,453.[53] Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter contested these numbers, saying they sold 65,719 and 65,653, respectively.[3]

Aftermath

Raw

Cody Rhodes showed up on the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw, revealing that he returned to WWE to live the legacy of his late father, Dusty Rhodes, and win the WWE Championship. He then wrestled his first match on Raw since May 2016 against The Miz the following week in a winning effort. After the match, Seth "Freakin" Rollins challenged him to a rematch at WrestleMania Backlash which Rhodes accepted.[54]

New Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair faced off against Zelina Vega on Raw the week after WrestleMania, defeating her. WWE official Sonya Deville then emerged and disclosed plans to reveal Belair's challenger for WrestleMania Backlash. Initially, Deville was hesitant, claiming that it was difficult. However, she blindsided and attacked Belair, declaring herself as the contender to Belair's championship at Backlash.[54]

SmackDown

On the following SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns claimed he had nothing left to do for himself. However, he said that SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) needed to go to Raw and unify the Raw Tag Team Championship with their tag team titles so that The Bloodline would have all the gold.[55]

After failing to defeat SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey appeared on the following SmackDown to challenge Flair to an "I Quit" match for the title. Flair declined, ordering Rousey to go back to the locker room.[55] The following day, however, the championship rematch was scheduled for WrestleMania Backlash.[56]

Results

WrestleMania Saturday (April 2)
No. Results Stipulations Times[49]
1 The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs by pinfall Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship[57] 6:55
2 Drew McIntyre defeated Happy Corbin (with Madcap Moss) by pinfall Singles match[58] 8:35
3 The Miz and Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio by pinfall Tag team match[59] 11:15
4 Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch (c) by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship[60] 19:10
5 Cody Rhodes defeated Seth "Freakin" Rollins by pinfall Singles match[61] 21:40
6 Charlotte Flair (c) defeated Ronda Rousey by pinfall Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship[62] 18:30
7 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeated Kevin Owens by pinfall No Holds Barred match[63] 13:55
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
WrestleMania Sunday (April 3)
No. Results Stipulations Times[50]
1 RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) (c) defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) by pinfall Triple threat tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship[64] 11:30
2 Bobby Lashley defeated Omos by pinfall Singles match[65] 6:35
3 Johnny Knoxville defeated Sami Zayn by pinfall Anything Goes match[66] 14:25
4 Sasha Banks and Naomi defeated Carmella and Queen Zelina (c), Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley, and Natalya and Shayna Baszler by pinfall Fatal four-way tag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship[67] 10:50
5 Edge defeated AJ Styles by pinfall Singles match[68] 24:05
6 Sheamus and Ridge Holland (with Butch) defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) by pinfall Tag team match[69] 1:40
7 Pat McAfee defeated Austin Theory (with Mr. McMahon) by pinfall Singles match[70] 9:40
8 Mr. McMahon (with Austin Theory) defeated Pat McAfee by pinfall Singles match[71] 3:45
9 Roman Reigns (Universal Champion) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Brock Lesnar (WWE Champion) by pinfall Winner Takes All match for the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship[72] 12:15
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

Notes

  1. ^ This event was also originally set to be a one night event on April 5, 2022, before changing to a two night event.

References

  1. ^ Wilen, Jerome (April 3, 2022). "Note on attendance numbers announced vs. tickets distributed for WrestleMania 38 Night One". WrestleView. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Wilen, Jerome (April 3, 2022). "Note on attendance numbers announced vs. tickets distributed for WrestleMania 38 Night Two". WrestleView. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Alvarez, Bryan (April 4, 2022). "2022-04-04 Wrestling Observer Live~! with Bryan Alvarez & Mike Sempervive". Wrestling Observer Live. F4WOnline. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "WrestleMania 29 press conference brings WWE to Radio City Music Hall". WWE. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2014. ... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania
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