7 Match Star Ratings From WWE WrestleMania 40 Night 1

5. Rey Mysterio & Andrade Vs. Dominick Mysterio & Santos Escobar

The Rock three stars
WWE

There is very little to say about Rey Mysterio and Andrade Vs. Dominick Mysterio and Santos Escobar. There was minimal crowd heat in the stands, though the problem with doing a plunder match with so many show-stealing moments is that something has to follow it, and this was chosen. 

Rey and Santos initially struggled to sync early, taking far longer than you'd expect to execute certain moves, but soon locked themselves into a rhythm - the problem, though, is that they only clicked to the level of a glorified TV match. The continuation of the Rey Vs. Dom feud was sudden, and that was felt within the atmosphere. This only developed into something entertaining and chaotic when the supporting cast was drawn into it, and it's a wonder that WWE didn't simply book a breathless multi-man tag drawing every player into it. The WWE does lucha...generically tag was a strange and uninspiring choice, lessening the scope for both the importance of a singles and the excitement of a spot-fest, and few in the building seemed bothered as a result. 

Joaquin Wilde flew halfway up the ramp with his assisted catapult dive in the highlight of a solid tag team match during which the fans preserved their energy. Two Philadelphia Eagles alumni assisted the babyfaces, who won. Fine. 

It was fine.

Star Rating: ★★★

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!