DraftKings Network’s Wrestlemania 40 Night 1 live blog

Ladies and gentlemen, the biggest weekend in wrestling is finally here with Wrestlemania 40 coming to you live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This two-night event will officially kick off tonight at 7 p.m. ET, where it will be streamed on Peacock.

Tonight’s card will be headlined by a monumental main event as Roman Reigns will team up with the Rock to battle Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in tag team action. If Rhodes/Rollins win, then the Bloodline will be barred from ringside for Sunday’s main event title match between Reigns and Rhodes. But if Reigns/Rock win, then Sunday’s title match will be “Bloodline Rules.” Tonight’s card is also stacked with other high-stakes matchups, including Rhea Ripley defending the Women’s World Championship against Becky Lynch and Gunther putting the Intercontinental Championship on the line against Sami Zayn.

If you’re like me, you are absolutely jacked up to see what goes down in Philly tonight So hang out here for a bit and keep hitting that refresh button as I keep track of the show and offer some of my thoughts below. Happy ‘Mania to all, let’s have some fun.

Roman Reigns and The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

Winner: Roman Reigns and The Rock via pinfall
Initial match rating: 4.25/5

The main event did what it needed to do and delivered, even if got long in the tooth towards the end. There was a solid 10 minutes of all parties feeling each other out before going into an Attitude Era style walking brawl. Cody and Roman’s brawl was good, but you can tell that they were holding stuff back for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Rock and Seth’s fight was comical. They did a good job of pacing throughout this long main event, knowing when to pick up the pace before slowing it back down.

The end sequence was fantastic as it was Rock living up to his promise by using the weight belt to gain the upperhand. I would’ve preferred a little bit more blood on Cody’s end, but we got plenty of that in the build already. The show ends with Cody sitting in the ring just like he did at the end of last year’s Mania and you’re left wondering how the hell he’s going to pull this off tomorrow. Good stuff. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

11:12 p.m. ET: The Rock hits the People’s Elbow and puts Cody down for the pin. Rhodes hit two Cross Rhodes on Reigns and was looking for a third before Rock hit him with the weight belt. Tagging in, the “Final Boss” finished him off and it’s officially Bloodline rules for tomorrow. Here’s some of the highlights from this main event

10:36 p.m. ET: Rock in the ring. Let’s go.

10:26 p.m. ET: The SHIELD boys starting it off.

10:20 p.m. ET: The Tribal Chief is in the ring. Let’s do this.

10:15 p.m. ET: As the kids say, this is aura.

10:12 p.m. ET: Is that a damn Brahma Bull belt lmaaaooo

10:11 p.m. ET: 30 seconds in and this Rock entrance is insane.

10:05 p.m. ET: Here’s the Codester.

10:01 p.m. ET: Ahh man, we’re already at the main event. It’s cinema time people.

Intercontinental Championship – Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall
Initial match rating: 5/5

Going the full five here. What an incredible story. Sami Zayn basically died at certain points in this match. He took all of the punishment from Gunther and survived, finding an opening and capitalizing with an insane brainbuster followed by a Helluva Kick. Chefs kiss at how this match went down.

The longest IC title reign is over and Gunther lost to an opponent more than worthy of that honor. And good, because its beyond time to get the Ring General in the main event picture. If do end this weekend with the Codester winning the big one, he’s the next final boss heel character on the horizon. Excellent stuff all around. And shout out to Sami’s wife for adding to the match as well.

9:46 p.m. ET: HE DID IT. SAMI DID IT! WE HAVE A NEW IC CHAMP!

9:45 p.m. ET: A top-rope brainbuster!

9:44 p.m. ET: Sami starting to get brutalized here. How much more can he take.

9:26 p.m. ET: Oh yeah, we’re getting an all-timer here.

9:22 p.m. ET: We haven’t quite had an all-time classic just yet on this show. That could change with Gunther-Sami coming up.

Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL

Winner: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi via pinfall
Initial match rating: 3.75/5

This was a good showing from all parties. They all looked like literal superheroes during the match. Standard operating procedures for a six-person tag and the entire match served as a showcase piece for Jade. She was able to get a few power moves in and put Dakota Kai down with Jaded to pick up her first win in the WWE. That hair whip Bianca gave Asuka right before sounded painful.

I want to see more from the Big 3 for the next few months. I really hope that wasn’t a one-off.

9:17 p.m. ET: The Big 3 of Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca get the win. That as awesome.

9:07 p.m. ET: Jade, Naomi, and Bianca’s entrance is a Marvel movie. This is incredible. They’re literal superheroes.

9:03 p.m. ET: Six-women tag up next.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Winner: Jey Uso via pinfall
Initial match rating: 3.5/5

Jey vs. Jimmy was a pretty good contest, but like the build to it, I felt that it could’ve been more. Maybe it’s because the match only lasted just over 10 minutes and they didn’t have enough time. We got the spot of Jimmy playing possum, faking reconciliation with his brother before hitting him with a superkick. Jey then turned it around on his brother and put him down.

This definitely took a backseat to the larger story within the Bloodline universe, but respect to the Usos for living their dream of wrestling each other at Wrestlemania.

8:57 p.m. ET: Jey hits a splash on Jimmy to put him down in just over 10 minutes. That match was…kind of underwhelming?

8:45 p.m. ET: Uso civil war underway. We even got Lil’ Wayne performing Jey down to the ring.

Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio

Winner: Rey Mysterio and Andrade via pinfall
Initial match rating: 3.5/5

That match turned out to be better than expected. We got solid efforts from both teams and of course, the highlight was Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson coming in under disguise to help Mysterio and Andrade. Good stuff and we didn’t get a turn from Carlito or anyone.

8:34 p.m. ET: Hahahahaha. Rey Mysterio and Andrade win with the help of Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.

8:20 p.m. ET: I’m gonna vent here. I’ve grown to dislike the LWO. This is a faction of losers. They never win anything unless its Rey Mysterio himself. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz del Toro can’t even win NXT tournaments. It’s no wonder why people like Dom and Santos have turned on them.

8:15 p.m. ET: Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Dominik and Santos coming up. Who’s turning on Rey Mysterio this time?

Six Pack ladder match – Judgement Day (c) vs. DIY vs. Awesome Truth vs. The New Day vs. A-Town Down Under vs. New Catch Republic (Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship)

Winners: A-Town Down Under (Smackdown), Awesome Truth (Raw)
Initial match rating: 4/5

It’s difficult to break new ground in ladder matches these days, but this was still fun. You got great spots from each team and DIY in particular showed out towards the end. The main story with this match was the Judgement Day desperately trying to hang on and we even got a JD McDonagh appearance to help them towards the end. And that makes it even more poetic that R Truth was the one who officially ended their reign as he gets his very first title victory at Wrestlemania.

After multiple years, the tag team titles have finally been split and we now have a spiraling Judgement Day. Good stuff.

8:07 p.m. ET: Do it Truth! He did it! Awesome Truth are the Raw tag champions!

8:03 p.m. ET: DIY, holy crap.

7:57 p.m ET: Grayson Waller and Austin Theory are the new Smackdown Tag Team champions. Raw titles still up for grabs.

7:47 p.m. ET: Xavier Woods channeling his Consequences Creed days with his gear.

7:44 p.m. ET: I want def rebel arrested. What is this DIY theme man.

7:43 p.m. ET: Six-pack ladder match up next and we’ll see if the Judgement Day goes 0-2 right out the gate.

Women’s World Championship – Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall
Initial match rating: 4/5

This was a good, well worked opener. The main story of this match was the dominant, cocky champion going up against a veteran with a lot two prove and they both tested each other. They both faced adversity in this showdown and had to kick out of each other’s respective finishers at one point. Ripley’s electric chair to Lynch on the outside was the best spot of the contest, especially considering that it started in the ring.

However, I don’t think the bout hit the gear it needed to hit to be considered a match that stole the show. It ended kind of abruptly and that tells me that there’s most likely a rematch between the two on the way. Still, good opener.

7:37 p.m. ET: Rhea Ripley puts down Beck Lynch with two Riptides, one to the turnbuckle and one to the mat to get the pin.

7:33 p.m. ET: Both have kicked out of each other’s finishers. Ripley kicked out of the Manhandle Slam before Lynch kicked out of the Riptide.

7:29 p.m. ET: Chilly night in Philly and Michael Cole actually providing weather updates.

7:20 p.m. ET: Damn, Becky had strep throat with a really bad fever this week. I wonder if that alters some things here.

7:16 p.m. ET: Rhea comes out with a live band performing her entrance. This is sick.

7:13 p.m. ET: Becky incorporating quotes from her book into her entrance. Nice touch. And her gear literally has quotes from the book!

7:09 p.m. ET: Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the building.

7:06 p.m. ET: Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley right out the gate, but first, here’s Coco Jones with the Star-Spangled Banner. They usually do America the Beautiful, so interesting that they’re actually doing the national anthem. There’s already a Super Bowl feel to this show.

7:02 p.m. ET: Ooh, a new “Then, Now, Forever, Together” title card.

7:00 p.m. ET: Here we go. It’s time.

6:57 p.m. ET: Commentary team making their way down to the ring. It’s almost that time.

6:33 p.m. ET: We just got a package of Michael Cole talking about his history with Wrestlemania. Look at this young, mustachioed lad.

6:04 p.m. ET: A Tom Rinaldi feature before the show? Is this College Gameday?

5:48 p.m. ET: All of the video packages for these matches have been excellent. They just aired the one for Sami Zayn vs. Gunther and it’s fantastic.