Published 11:17 IST, April 3rd 2022
WWE WrestleMania 38 Day 1 results: Winners, losers, grades & highlights from April 2
The opening day of the WrestleMania 38 event saw RAW Women's title changing hands and the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to face Kevin Owens
The two day WWE WrestleMania 38 2022 got underway on Sunday with fans getting to see the return of two former superstars as well as title changing hands. Stone Cold Steve Austin made a memorable return to the ring against Kevin Owens while the RAW and Smackdown Women's Championship were also on the line.
Also, The Miz and Logan Paul had their WrestleMania moment when they took on the father-son duo of Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Drew McIntyre was set to face Happy Corbin, while The Usos defended their WWE Smackdown tag team championships against Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs. Here's a look at WrestleMania 38 highlight and WrestleMania 38 Results
WrestleMania 38 Highlights: Check out the WrestleMania 38 Results on Day 1
Steve Austin stunners Kevin Owens in no holds barred match
After 19 long years, Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way inside the WWE ring after being invited by Kevin Ownes for the Kevin Owens show. However the ' Rattle Snake' was tricked by Owens who officially challenged Austin to a No Holds Barred match. Surprisingly, Stone Cold accepted the challenge and called a ref down to make it official. After the bell rang both the wrestlers fought all around the arena, into the crowd and up to the stage. Both men took suplexes on hard surfaces and a couple of tables were broken along the way. However, it was Austin who came out on top. First the legendary wrestler kicked out of KO's Stunner and also avoided a chair shot, The Rattlesnake then hit his own Stunner for the win.
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair beats Ronda Rousey to retain title
The last time these two women were in the same ring together for a match, it was at WrestleMania 35, when Becky Lynch defeat Rousey to win the championship. While Ronda was just pumping it up and celebrating by throwing Flair thrice, the Smackdown Women's Champion hit her with a spear out of nowhere to almost gets the pinfall. Ronda showed her own moves during the match which was an arm drag off the top rope, the little submissions and then Piper's Pit on Flair however those moves still could not pin down the 13-time Women's Champion down.
As the match drew closer Rousey managed to get the ankle lock on Charlotte for quite a long time but she does not tap out. And moments later, Ronda found herself trapped in Figure 8. She tries to reverse it and roll outside the ring. Rousey then kicked Charlotte into the referee who goes down after getting hit with an accidental spear. Rousey locked flair into the armbar submission and even manages to tap her out but since the official was down, the match continued. In the end, Charlotte had the last laugh as she claimed the win with a big boot.
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair defeats Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch reign as RAW Women's Champion ended after Bianca Belair won the match by submission. Becky Lynch started the match with a Manhandle Slam for a close two-count. Bianca Belair escaped the SummerSlam repeat as the EST used Becky's own submission against her but was unable to make her tap out. After failing to close out on victory with a 450 splash, Bianca took a Mandhandle Slam onto the steps from Becky Lynch. The fight was competitive until Bianca hit the KOD for the win. The crowd erupted as The EST reclaimed her belt.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs
The Usos were able to retain their tag team Championship after beating Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs in the hard-fought contest. However, the match also witnesses Boogs suffering a knee injury in mid-match after which he was unable to continue to fight. The incident happened after Boogs had Jey Uso on his shoulders, and then he tried to add Jimmy Uso for a double Fireman’s Carry, a move he’s done before. However, as soon as Jimmy jumped up onto Boogs’ shoulders, Boogs’ knee gave out and he went down with The Usos to the mat.
Coady Rhodes defeats Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins's wait for his Wrestlemania opponent ended with Cody Rhodes making an entrance as the crowd gave a huge ovation. During the match, both wrestlers countered each other moves several times to show that they knew each other's playbook. The return to the WWE ring was not easy for Rhodes as he was made to work hard for the win by Seth Rollins. Rhodes picked up the victory by hitting the Cross Rhodes twice followed by a series of jabs with a Bionic Elbow and a third Cross Rhodes to seal the deal.
Drew McIntyre defeats Happy Corbin
Th result was as expected with Drew McIntyre coming out victorious against Happy Corbin. The match started with McIntyre trying to get the upper hand right away with some big punches, but Corbin did not go down without a fight. The match had a good pace going for a few minutes, before slowing down once Corbin began to dominate the Scottish Psychopath. An accidental distraction from Madcap allowed McIntyre to hit a spine buster and begin his comeback. The Scottish Warrior managed to kick out of The End of Days and hit his patented Claymore Kick for the win.
The Miz & Logan Paul defeat Rey & Dominik Mysterio
The Miz & Logan Paul faced Rey and Dominik Mysterio and it the pair of Miz and Paul who emerged victorious. The match started with Miz and Rey with Paul showing his heel side early by distracting Rey long enough for The A-Lister to get the upper hand. As the match progressed Paul hit Rey with Eddie Guerrero's signature Three Amigos suplexes following which he received boos from the crowd. Rey and Dom hit Paul with a double 619 followed by two frog splashes, but The Miz spoiled their ending by making a blind tag and hitting Rey with his finisher for the win. As The Miz & Logan Paul celebrated their huge win, The A-Lister hit Paul with the Skull Crushing Finale.
Updated 11:17 IST, April 3rd 2022