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WrestleMania 42 Night 1 – This Felt Like the B-Show

I don’t know how else to say it… Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 felt like the B-show.

Not terrible. Not unwatchable. But definitely not what WrestleMania is supposed to feel like.

Too many short matches, way too many ads, and not nearly enough that actually mattered.

A Note About PPV Dates | All photos courtesy WWE.com

The Usos and LA Knight Defeated The Vision and IShowSpeed

It was… fine.

Props to iShowSpeed for doing his thing, but this went like 7 minutes and I had zero investment in it. Felt more like something you’d see on SmackDown than WrestleMania. The stuff after the match was far more entertaining than the match itself.

Jacob Fatu Defeated Drew McIntyre

Decent match. But can we do away with the video game inspired entrances?

Hard-hitting, nothing wrong with it. But seriously—when’s the last time Drew actually won a feud? Feels like he’s been spinning his wheels for a while now. Fatu is clearly an up and comer, but there’s something about him that I just can’t get behind. He reminds me of the EARLY days of Roman Reigns when he was being pushed for seemingly no reason. Time will tell.

Brie Bella and Paige Defeated The Irresistible Forces, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, and Bayley and Lyra Valkyria To Win The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

Cool to see Paige back. Loved seeing Lash and Nia with the Demolition gear.

That’s about it.

Match itself was completely forgettable.

Becky Lynch Defeated AJ Lee To Win The WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship

I wasn’t a fan of Becky winning here but I completely get why she did. AJ’s return run has been pretty underwhelming and this didn’t exactly fix that. In fact, it begs the question of whether or not AJ will be around in a month. These two have chemistry, I just wish the match had more time. But do I really? How many times have we seen this match?

Gunther Defeated Seth Rollins

Match of the night. Easy.

This actually felt like WrestleMania. Physical, intense, everything you want.

I hate the finish though. I’m just not a fan of using WrestleMania matches to set up the next feud. Save that for literally any other show. That being said, I’d MUCH rather have an extended Rollins vs. Gunther feud instead of what we’ll most likely get – Rollins vs. The Vision. Meh.

Liv Morgan Defeated Stephanie Vaquer To Win The Women’s World Championship

Dud. The opening seemed to have more thought put into it vs. the match. Could it have been they were both injured going in and they didn’t have much in the tank?

Just a whole lot of nothing. If it got cut short because of an injury, that would make sense. Otherwise… yeah, this didn’t do anything.

At least Liv winning was the right call. She’s great as a heel, crazy hot and there’s still quite a bit left of the Judgement Day story to tell.

Cody Rhodes Defeated Randy Orton To Retain The Undisputed WWE Championship

This was a mess.

The Pat McAfee stuff made no sense going in, and it made even less sense once it started falling apart. Then Orton hits him with an RKO and… um… what?

The whole Cody/Orton dynamic was weird too. It felt like they were teasing something (maybe a double turn?) but never actually committed to it.

Just confusing. I would have really liked to have seen Orton win the title here but it wasn’t in the cards. The Punt after the match looked straight up legit.

WrestleMania 42 Night – Final Thoughts

Biggest issues with Night 1:

- Way too many ads
- Matches were way too short
- Didn’t feel important

Also… how do you have a roster this stacked and leave people like Tiffany Stratton and Iyo Sky off the card?

If I bought a ticket to be there in person just for just Night 1, I’d be pretty annoyed.

Not awful. Just not WrestleMania.

Brock Lesnar’s Legacy: WWE’s Last True Final Boss

If that really was it… then Brock Lesnar went out in the most Brock Lesnar way possible.

Short. Violent. Confusing. And leaving you wondering if he’s actually done.

Because that’s kind of been the story of Brock Lesnar’s entire career.

The Most Believable Guy in the Room
There have been a lot of “top guys” in WWE over the years.

Very few have ever felt like Brock.

From the moment he showed up in 2002, he wasn’t just another prospect—he felt like a problem. The size, the speed, the way he moved… it didn’t look like wrestling. It looked real.

And that’s what separated him.

You didn’t have to suspend disbelief with Brock Lesnar. He was the disbelief.

The UFC Run Changed Everything
When Brock left WWE and went to UFC, it could’ve gone one of two ways.

Either:

- He gets exposed
- Or he proves he’s legit

He proved he was legit.

Winning the UFC heavyweight title turned Brock from “top WWE guy” into something else entirely. When he came back, he wasn’t just a wrestler anymore—he was a real fighter who happened to be in WWE.

That aura never left him.

The Return: A Different Kind of Star
When Brock came back in 2012, WWE did something smart:

They didn’t overuse him.

- Limited appearances
- Big matches only
- Treated like a special attraction

And it worked.

Every time Brock showed up, it felt like it mattered. You weren’t getting him every week cutting promos—you were getting him when something big was about to happen.

Ending The Streak Changed His Career (and WWE)
The moment.

The one everyone remembers.

Brock ending The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania didn’t just shock people—it redefined Brock’s role forever.

He became:

The guy who could beat anyone. Anytime. Anywhere.

From that point on, he wasn’t just a main eventer. He was the final boss.

I didn’t agree with it then and I don’t agree with it now. I think ‘The Streak‘ should have remained intact through Taker’s entire career. But I can’t argue just how monumental it was for Lesnar and his legacy.

The “Final Boss” Era
For years, Brock Lesnar was the measuring stick.

- You beat Brock? You’re made.
- You lose to Brock? You probably should.

He didn’t need long matches. He didn’t need 20-minute promos.

Sometimes all it took was:

- Suplex
- Suplex
- F5
- Done

And it worked because people believed it.

The Criticism Was Always There
Let’s be real—Brock wasn’t perfect.

There were legitimate complaints:

- Part-time schedule
- Holding titles hostage
- Short, repetitive matches

And yeah… some of that got old.

There were stretches where it felt like WWE leaned on Brock too much without evolving what he was doing.

But even then, when his music hit?

It still felt different.

The Cowboy Brock Era (Underrated)
Late-career Brock doesn’t get enough credit.

The “Cowboy Brock” version—laughing, talking more, showing personality—added something new to a guy who could’ve easily coasted on his reputation.

It reminded people that Brock wasn’t just a destroyer.

He actually had range.

The Ending… If This Is The Ending
Losing quickly to a rising star like Oba Femi?

It’s not the sendoff people expected.

If this is truly the end, it feels… incomplete.

No big speech.
No farewell moment.
No “thank you Brock” sendoff.

Just business as usual.

But in a weird way, that also fits.

Brock Lesnar was never about the ceremony.

He showed up.
He wrecked people.
He left.

So Where Does He Rank?
All-time?

He’s in that top-tier conversation.

Not because of:

- Match quality alone
- Promo ability
- Longevity in the traditional sense

But because of presence.

Very few wrestlers ever felt like Brock Lesnar.

He blurred the line between:

- WWE and real fighting
- Performance and legitimacy
- Character and reality

And once you do that, you’re operating on a different level.

Final Thoughts
If Brock Lesnar is truly done (I sort of hope he is), WWE loses something you can’t easily replace:

Believability.

You can build stars.
You can push new talent.

But you can’t just create another Brock. (though WWE is trying REALLY hard with Oba Femi)

And whether you loved him or were tired of him…

When he showed up, it mattered.

And that’s the legacy.

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