7 Match Star Ratings For WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 1

5. Rey & Dominick Mysterio Vs. The Miz & Logan Paul

Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 38
WWE.com

Not a soul alive gives a single sh*t about anything the Miz and Dominick Mysterio did in there. This was all about Logan Paul taunting the crowd by being a loathsome interloping piece of sh*t, and he was fantastic in the role.

As expected, Paul displayed his athletic gifts with the guaranteed pop drawn by the incredulous high spot, and, being a star, carried himself like a star. But he impressed most with his grasp of crowd psychology. Wrestling is all about when to do things and how to register the importance of the small details. Paul waited with a sly knowingness to roll his hips before committing the ultimate heel transgression. He didn't rush into it; he wanted that audience to stew in fury at the Three Amigos sequence, and they did; he generated a wall of nasty sound by daring to mock the beloved Eddie Guerrero. This was a bold storytelling choice, and he pulled it off marvellously.

The finishing sequence was frenetic and ludicrously over, given that this was on paper an inessential prelim celebrity match. It was an endorphin rush packed with twists and action. The celebrity won, as celebrities do, but WWE babyfaced Paul at the finish after establishing an actually great heel within the the body of the match.

That programme will be horrendous; this one was actually damn good by the end.

Star Rating: ★★★¼

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!