NIGHT ONELive from AT&T Stadium in
Arlington, Texas
On April 2, 2022 ***
WWE Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo, Tony Schiavone, and Corey Graves
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
Match recaps are not summaries of matches from start to finish. All matches are joined already in progress.
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WRESTLEMANIA KICKOFF TAG TEAM MATCH: THE BASTARDWEIGHTS vs. THE BAR : The team of PAC and Pete Dunne defeated the team of Sheamus and Cesaro when PAC executed the Black Arrow on Cesaro as Dunne cut Sheamus off from the ring with a topé suicida. (12:39)
Winners by Pinfall: The Bastardweights
A.J. STYLES vs. FINN BALOR : A.J. Styles executed the Phenomenal Forearm on Finn Balor, then picked him up and gave him the Styles Clash. He went for the pin, but the Good Brothers had the referee distracted. Styles went over and knocked Karl Anderson off the ring apron. He ducked a clothesline attempt from Doc Gallows and gave him a Pelé kick to knock him off the apron. When he got up, Balor nailed him with a running front dropkick that sent him slamming into the turnbuckles. Balor climbed up to the top rope and executed the Coup de Grâce. He made the pin, but Styles got a shoulder up just in the nick of time. Balor picked up Styles and attempted a reverse 1916, but Styles flipped right around to land on his feet. Balor got up and Styles gave him a Phenomenal Blitz and followed it up with a Calf Crusher. Balor was barely holding on when Styles broke the hold to dropkick Gallows off the ring apron again. Styles then took out both Good Brothers with a springboard shooting star plancha. He got back onto the ring apron and went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but this time, Balor countered into a crossface submission. Styles appeared on the brink of tapping, but rolled over. Balor broke the hold at the count of two and knocked Styles down with a running knife-edge chop. He went back to the top turnbuckle and attempted the Coup de Grâce, but this time Styles rolled out of the way. Balor did a somersault and charged at Styles. He went for the running front dropkick, but Styles got out of the way. Balor went into the turnbuckles upside down. Styles picked him up and gave him a ushigoroshi and followed it up with the Styles Clash. 1-2-3! (15:21)
Winner by Pinfall: A.J. Styles
RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: BIANCA BELAIR {c} vs. RHEA RIPLEY : Rhea Ripley attempted the Riptide on Bianca Belair, but she turned it into a small package pin for a two-count. Ripley went for a discus forearm smash, but Belair ducked it, then lifted her into the glam slam and pinned her for a two-count. Belair lifted Ripley onto her shoulders, but she fought her way free and dropped Belair with a big boot to the face. Ripley picked up Belair and attempted a powerbomb, but Belair countered into a sunset flip for two. Belair went for a whip. Ripley reversed it, sending Belair into the corner. Ripley went for a running shoulderblock but Belair got out of the way and Ripley hit the turnbuckle post. Belair dropkicked Ripley back into the turnbuckles, then gave her the Kiss of Death. 1-2-3! (11:54)
Winner by Pinfall: Bianca Belair
RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: FTR {c} vs. THE HARDY BOYZ : Matt and Jeff executed Poetry in Motion on Cash Wheeler. Matt gave him a Twist of Fate and Jeff went to the top turnbuckle. Dax Harwood entered the ring, drawing the referee’s attention, thus allowing Bobby “The Brain” Heenan to pull Wheeler out of the way of a swanton dive. Wheeler made the tag to Harwood, and they gave Jeff the Shatter Machine. Harwood went for the pin, but Matt broke it up. Matt and Wheeler brawled out to the floor. Harwood set up for a piledriver, but Jeff swept his legs and gave him a double leg drop to groin instead. Jeff climbed the turnbuckles and Harwood got up only to be given the Whisper in the Wind. Jeff went back to the turnbuckles. This time, Heenan grabbed Jeff’s foot to prevent him from diving. Matt came over, pulled Heenan to the floor and gave him a Twist of Fate! Meanwhile, Harwood was able to give Jeff a superplex. As he pinned Jeff, Matt was climbing onto the apron when Wheeler hit him with a steel chair. Jeff managed to kick out, but then Harwood tagged Wheeler and they gave Jeff the Mindbreaker spike piledriver. Wheeler made the cover. 1-2-3! (14:39)
Winners by Pinfall: FTR
SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: BECKY LYNCH {c} vs. SHAYNA BASZLER : Shayna Baszler hit Becky Lynch with multiple short-arm clotheslines and then struck her with a short-arm knee lift. She went for the Ace of Spaces, but Lynch landed behind her and took her into the ropes for a school-boy roll-up that got a two-count. Baszler got up and Lynch hit her with a clothesline and then gave her a northern lights suplex to get a two-count. Lynch whipped Baszler into the corner and charged in. Baszler got a boot up and switched spots with Lynch. She hit her with some knee lifts before placing her on the top turnbuckle. Baszler went up and exchanged punches with Lynch. Baszler gave her some headbutts, then executed a super gutwrench suplex. She made the cover, but Lynch kicked out at two. Baszler twisted Lynch’s arm joints around and went for a stomp on the elbow, but Lynch was able to move her arm out of the way, sweep Baszler’s legs out from under her and put her in the Dis-Arm-Her. After considerable effort, Baszler was able to turn her body around and get a toe on the bottom rope. After Baszler got up, she and Lynch traded punches. Lynch got the better of the exchange and took Baszler down with a Lou Thesz press. She picked up Baszler and set up for the Manhandle Slam. Baszler elbowed out of it, got behind Lynch and gave her a release German suplex. She let Lynch get back up and went for the Karifuda Clutch. Lynch backed into the turnbuckles and rammed her into them until she was free. After getting out of it, Lynch gave Baszler an enzuigiri kick to stun her and then a Bexploder suplex out of the corner. Lynch waited for Baszler to start to get up before grabbing her and executing the Manhandle Slam. 1-2-3! (15:00)
Winner by Pinfall: Becky Lynch
RAW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: EDDIE GUERRERO {c} vs. ADAM COLE : Guerrero gave Cole the Three Amigos and started climbing the turnbuckle. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan got up on the ring apron, causing a distraction. He got down when the referee threatened to bar him from ringside. Guerrero went for the frog splash, but Cole rolled out of the way. He got up and went for the Boom, but Guerrero ducked his head. Guerrero went for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, but Cole countered with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Cole went back up to the middle turnbuckle and executed the Panama Sunrise. He made the pin. The referee was about to hit the mat a third time on his count when he noticed Heenan holding Guerrero’s foot down. The referee then barred Heenan from ringside, which turned into a big shouting match between the referee and Heenan and Cole. Meanwhile, Guerrero untied a turnbuckle pad. He went and turned Cole around. He went for a whip into the corner. Cole reversed. Guerrero did a baseball slide to avoid the exposed turnbuckle, then picked up the turnbuckle pad and threw it at Cole, who instinctively caught it. Guerrero shouted.
When the referee turned around, he saw Cole holding the turnbuckle pad and Guerrero laying on the ground. He questioned Cole, who explained what happened, but the referee didn’t seem to be buying it. He turned to signal for the bell, but Cole ran over to break the sightline and plead with him some more. Heenan, who hadn’t really left ringside, returned and pulled Guerrero out of the ring. It looked like he was going to strike Guerrero, but then coward. Cole pointed this out to the ref, who left the ring to order Guerrero back inside and Heenan to leave. He waited and watched for Heenan to go. When the ref turned his back, Cole pulled brass knuckles out from his tights, put them on and turned the other way. Guerrero entered the ring and when he grabbed Cole to turn him around, he got a knock out punch. Cole slipped the knucks into Guerrero’s tights. When the referee came back, Cole brought Guerrero up to his knees, lowered his knee pad and hit Guerrero with the Boom. He made the pin. 1-2-3! With the win, we crowned a new Intercontinental Champion! (17:48)
Winner by Pinfall: Adam Cole
MANIA MAYHEM FEATURING : KEVIN OWENS, “RAVISHING” RICK RUDE, KEITH LEE, SAMOA JOE “THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN” TED DIBIASE, RANDY ORTON, THE MIZ, and ROWDY RODDY PIPER : The first part of this match was a fatal fourway tag team match. The teams were randomly drawn at ringside after all participants had entered the ring. The four teams were “Ravishing” Rick Rude and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Keith Lee and The Miz, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, and Samoa Joe and Rowdy Roddy Piper. Lee and The Miz did not gel. Nothing showed that more after Lee entered the ring and pounced everyone in sight before giving Rude a Spirit Bomb and then lifting DiBiase onto his shoulders. The Miz reached in and made the blind tag right before Lee executed the Big Bang Catastrophe. Lee made the cover, but The Miz ran in and told him to move because he tagged in. They argued, and their argument led to The Miz slapping Lee in the face. The Limitless One suddenly turned angry. The Miz tried to smooth things over. Suddenly, Orton snuck up on Lee and gave him the RKO. Owens gave The Miz a Stunner. They made the double cover. 1…2… Piper grabbed Owens in a sleeper and Joe applied a Coquina Clutch to Orton. Both men passed out in the holds and the referee called for the bell.
Samoa Joe and Rowdy Roddy Piper won the tag team portion of the match and were now suddenly opponents vying for a shot at the UWA Universal Men’s Championship at Money in the Bank. These two brawled around ringside and busted each other open with stiff closed fists and smashing each other’s heads off turnbuckle posts. Once back in the ring, Joe got Piper on the turnbuckle and tried to pull him in for a Musclebuster, but Piper racked his eyes and took him down with a diving bulldog. Piper pinned with his feet on the middle rope. The referee caught it and stopped him. They argued. Joe pulled Piper down with a roll up. Piper kicked out, then got Joe with a school-boy. He held the tights, but Joe kicked out. They traded jabs. Joe went for an enzuigiri, but Piper ducked it. He tried for the sleeperhold, but Joe shook him off and kicked him in the spine. Joe picked up Piper and went for a powerbomb, but Piper reigns fists down on Joe’s open wound to knock him onto his back. As Joe tried to get up, Piper managed to give him a piledriver. Piper wanted to be sure that he had him finished off, so he picked up Joe and gave him a second piledriver. 1-2-3! (20:11)
Winner by Pinfall: Rowdy Roddy Piper
JOHN CENA vs. “STONE COLD” STEVE AUSTIN : John Cena lifted “Stone Cold” Steve Austin onto his shoulders into a fireman’s carry. Austin elbowed Cena in the side of the head before dropping down behind him. Cena turned around. Austin kicked him in the mid-section and turned for the Stone Cold Stunner, but Cena shoved Austin into the ropes and then clotheslined him over. Cena went to the outside to get Austin, who gave him a knee to mid-section and then slammed his face off the steps. Austin lifted Cena up and press dropped his chest across the barricade before giving him a side Russian leg sweep. Austin went into the ring to break the count, then came back out. We went to pick up Cena, who fired right hands at him. Austin fired back and went for an Irish whip. Cena reserved it and Austin slammed into the steps. Cena grabbed Austin and tossed him into the ring. He went to the top rope, and as Austin started to get up, Cena gave him a diving leg drop to the back of the neck. Cena rolled Austin over and pinned him. He got a 2-count. Cena picked up Austin, who racked his eyes, then knocked him down with a lariat. As Cena was getting up off the mat, Austin pulled him in and executed a piledriver. He pinned him, but it only got a 2-count.
Austin picked up Cena and went for an Irish whip. Cena tried for a reversal, but Austin reversed it, and when Cena rebounded off the ropes, Austin took him down with a Lou Thesz Press. After firing several punches at him, Austin got up, ran to the the ropes, and came back with a pointed elbow drop. He pinned Cena and got another 2-count. Austin scooped up Cena and gave him a bodyslam, then climbed to the second turnbuckle and went for a diving pointed elbow drop, but Cena rolled out of the way. Cena got up and ducked a clothesline, then gave Austin a spin-out powerbomb, after which he performed the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He covered and got another 2-count. Cena waited for Austin to get to his feet. He tried to lift him onto his shoulders, but Austin blocked and applied a Million Dollar Dream. Cena pushed off the turnbuckles to fall back and pin Austin’s shoulders to the mat. Austin released Cena at the count of two. Austin got up and Cena charged at him. Austin picked him up and gave him a stun gun, followed by a kick and a Stone Cold Stunner. He made the cover. 1…2… Cena kicked out! Austin was beside himself. He lost his cool and nearly assaulted the ref. He left the ring to get a chair. He came back in and had a tug of war with the referee over the chair. Cena recovered and gave Austin a belly-to-back suplex, then picked him up and executed the Attitude Adjustment. He made the cover. 1…2… Austin kicked out! Cena had a look of disbelief wash over him.
Cena picked up Austin and lifted him into the fireman’s carry one more time. Again, Austin elbowed him, dropped behind him and applied the Million Dollar Dream. This time, Cena lifted him on his back and rammed Austin into the turnbuckles until he released him. Cena lifted him on his shoulders again, Austin immediately slipped free. Cena turned right into a kick and a Stone Cold Stunner. Austin covered. 1…2…3! (25:35)
Winner by Pinfall: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
UWA UNIVERSAL MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: NICK ALDIS {c} vs. DANIEL BRYAN : Nick Aldis whipped Daniel Bryan into the corner and followed him in. Bryan used the turnbuckles to do a backflip over Aldis, ran to the ropes, ducked a clothesline, and hit a leaping clothesline of his own. Bryan hulked up and hit Aldis with Yes! Kicks. Aldis ducked the last big one and gave Bryan a bridging German suplex. Bryan kicked out at two. Aldis picked him up and gave him a bridging northern lights suplex. Again, Bryan kicked out at two. Aldis picked up Bryan and gave him some rolling gutwrench suplexes, then he climbed the turnbuckle and went for the diving elbow drop. Bryan put his knees up to block and then quickly applied the Yes! Lock. He had the hold locked on for several seconds before Aldis managed to wiggle his way towards the ropes. Once close, Bryan let go, elbowed him in the back of the neck and pulled him back to the center of the ring. He tried to re-apply the hold, but Aldis turnedover and managed a modified crucifix pin that got a two-count. When they got back to their feet, both men blocked punches and kicks then knocked each other out with simultaneous lariats.
The referee reached eight on his standing ten-count before Bryan reached his feet. Aldis was up just a second later. Bryan ran at Aldis for a shoot kick, but he caught him and countered with a dragon screw leg whip. Aldis went to work on the leg with wrapped knee drops, a knee breaker, kicks to the knee, and a knee wrench. It was all done to set up a cloverleaf. However, when he tried to apply it, Bryan pulled him in for a small package instead. Aldis kicked out with half a second to spare. Aldis went for a clothesline, but Bryan ducked it and pulled Aldis down for a backslide. He immediately rolled loose. As Bryan tried to get up, Adis delivered a knee strike to his face, then pulled him and hooked his arms for the Treasure Chest. Bryan countered with a back body drop. He ran to the corner, and when Aldis got up, went for the running high knee strike. Aldis dropped to the mat to avoid it. As Bryan was getting up, Aldis dropkicked him in the back, sending him slamming into the turnbuckles. Aldis then pulled him out of the corner and executed the Treasure Chest! He made the pin 1-2-3! (22:14)
Winner by Pinfall: Nick Aldis