7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 38 (Night 1)
'Stone Cold' is back; Cody Rhodes re-debuts; WrestleMania's first night clicks.
He's baaaaaaaaaaack.
Millions of 'Stone Cold' fans around the world probably winced a little when Steve Austin took a weak bump into the security barricade outside the ring. That, mercifully, was the only duff moment in a spirited talk-show-segment-turned-brawl between the legend and Kevin Owens.
WrestleMania 38's opening night was a successful one all in. WWE delivered big surprises (depending on how closely you follow wrasslin' news, at least), iconic comebacks and fitting sendoffs. Was it surreal to watch The Undertaker wave goodbye when Austin was on the comeback trail? Absolutely, but "surreal" could sum up most of the card.
No, some matches definitely didn't feel worthy of the 'Mania treatment, but everybody worked hard and tried to make the most of things. Overall, only the most curmudgeonly of fans could come away from Night 1 thinking it sucked.
AEW > WWE jumps, a proper "Final Farewell", more Stunners/beer drinking than some 'Attitude' era episodes of Raw, injuries, title changes and more - yep, WrestleMania 38's opening salvo was a fun ride that mixed future greatness with past glories.
Here's all the good and bad.