It's Night 1 of WrestleMania 🎰🤩🎲

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Saturday, April 19th, 2025

Good morning. Before we dive into the excitement of this weekend, I wanted to apologize. Not only did I include a broken link for the crossword in yesterday’s email, but I also forgot to include the highlights from AEW Collision Spring BreakThru…

Ok, now that that’s out of the way — it’s THE FIRST NIGHT OF WRESTLEMANIA! We’ve been building to this since the Royal Rumble. There’ve been highs, lows, a John Cena heel turn, and the stage is finally set. I couldn’t be more excited. Hope you all enjoy Night 1!

Also, as is tradition, I always kick off WrestleMania weekend by watching the best of The Ultimate Warrior promos! This is one of my favorite wrestling videos on YouTube! “As you Hulk Hogan travel to WRESTLEMANIA… take the two pilots, who have already made the sacrifice” will always be gold!

A+ comment on the full promo video.

🗓️ On This Day - 1998

Savage Steals the Gold at Spring Stampede

(It’s too bad WrestleMania’s poster isn’t so creative)

27 years ago today, WCW Spring Stampede 1998 unfolded in Denver, Colorado, bringing with it title changes, swerves, and yet another notch on Goldberg’s streak. In the main event, Randy Savage defeated Sting in a No DQ match to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship — but not without controversy. The match saw interference from both Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash, culminating in Nash hitting Sting with a powerbomb and pulling Savage on top for the pin, despite Hogan’s attempt to cost Savage the match.

Earlier in the night, Raven defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a wild Raven’s Rules match to capture the WCW United States Championship, while Goldberg moved to 74-0 with a win over Saturn to secure a future U.S. Title shot. The card also featured Hogan & Nash defeating Piper & The Giant in a Baseball Bat on a Pole match — only for Hogan to immediately turn on Nash afterward. Other highlights included Booker T retaining the TV Title over Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho keeping his Cruiserweight Title against Prince Iaukea, and Ultimo Dragon scoring a submission win over Chavo Guerrero Jr.

WWE SmackDown Go-Home WrestleMania Results - April 18th, 2025

WWE SmackDown aired live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, just one night before WrestleMania 41. The show featured the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, a tag title match, a major women’s brawl, and a final face-to-face between Cody Rhodes and John Cena.

Seth Rollins Delivers a “Pipebomb”. Rollins opened the show with a passionate promo not shying away from calling out CM Punk's AEW stint and even referencing Jon Moxley. Rollins questioned Punk's motives for his wrestling return, and didn't spare Roman Reigns, tagging him as 'Mister Private Jet, Limited Schedule, Hand-Picked Opponent.' Coming full circle, Rollins brought up how Paul Heyman initiated him, Moxley, and Reigns into WWE as Punk's shield. He concluded his rant, prepping for the 'most important triple threat in the history of the industry.'

Carmelo Hayes Wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Hayes last eliminated Andrade el Idolo to claim the trophy in a chaotic match that included spots from Rey Fenix, Dragon Lee, Pete Dunne, and others. El Grande Americano reappeared to eliminate Fenix, setting up the final showdown between Andrade and Melo.

Women’s Title Picture Erupts in Chaos. A promo segment involving Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Bianca Belair, Naomi, and Jade Cargill broke down into a massive brawl after Naomi blindsided Cargill. IYO SKY capitalized with a moonsault to wipe everyone out, adding fuel to Sunday’s championship match.

#DIY Steal the Show... and the Belts. The WWE Tag Team Championship match between the Street Profits and Motor City Machine Guns ended in a no contest after #DIY ran in and stole the belts. Nick Aldis later announced a TLC match between all three teams for next week.

Zelina Vega def. Chelsea Green. Vega earned a win with an avalanche Code Red, fighting off Green’s antics and the threat of the Secret Hervice, who were banned from ringside.

LA Knight def. Solo Sikoa via DQ. Knight attacked Tama Tonga backstage before the show and fought Solo in the ring. The match ended in disqualification after Jacob Fatu interfered, but Braun Strowman made the save. This led to an impromptu tag match.

Braun Strowman & LA Knight def. Jacob Fatu & Solo Sikoa. After chaos erupted, Knight pinned Solo with a BFT. The finish came after Strowman flattened both Samoans with a crossbody.

Latino World Order & Rey Fenix def. American Made. Dragon Lee, Rey Mysterio, and Rey Fenix picked up the win in a six-man tag after Fenix hit a Meteora on Julius Creed. Post-match, both Dragon Lee and Fenix were checked by medics, indicating possible injuries ahead of WrestleMania.

Randy Orton Issues an Open Challenge. Orton cut a heartfelt promo announcing he’ll show up to WrestleMania with no match but ready for anyone who dares to accept. He said he won’t miss his twentieth WrestleMania.

Damian Priest Sends a Message to Drew McIntyre. In a backstage interview, Priest promised to end Drew’s career at WrestleMania and “bury” him in their upcoming Sin City Street Fight.

Final Face-Off: Cody Rhodes and John Cena. In the main event segment, Cena warned Rhodes that he doesn’t have what it takes to beat a man who’s already accepted his end. Cody fired back with a blistering roast, calling Cena washed-up and overrated. Cena tried to hit an Attitude Adjustment, but Cody countered with Cross Rhodes and stood tall holding the WWE Championship.

WrestleMania Night 1 Preview

Live Tonight, 7pm EST on Peacock

• Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano

• Jade Cargill vs. Naomi

• World Tag Team Championship match: The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (c) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)

• United States Championship match: LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu

• World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso

• WWE Women's Championship match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

• Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins

I’m also a sucka (can you dig it) for a great prediction article. Here are some to check out:

• CBS Sports

• Gamespot (using WWE 2K25)

• Wrestling Inc

WWE News, Rumors & Updates

🔔 WrestleMania 41 Opening Matches Revealed!

Lights, camera, action! The Triple Threat match featuring CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns will shut down the first night of WrestleMania 41, while John Cena and Cody Rhodes will bring the house down on Sunday. The opening matches? WWE Women’s champ IYO SKY defends her title against Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, and Jey Uso challenges Gunther for the WWE World Heavyweight championship.

🎲 Rusev & Lana Spotted in Vegas: WrestleMania 41 in the Cards?

With Rusev (or Miro) and Lana spotted in Las Vegas just before WrestleMania 41, the wrestling world is speculating. Over at Knokx Pro Wrestling's Polynesian Bash, Rusev was seen engaging with fans, while rumors circulated that Lana has signed a WWE Legends contract. Big E confirmed Rusev's return during a live show, but the timing remains unknown. Could he be Randy Orton’s opponent? If and when he returns I would love to see him bring back the “God’s Champion” gimmick!

🎙️Pat McAfee Unveils WrestleMania 41 Stage: Night One Showdowns Announced!

Pat McAfee and Stephanie McMahon teamed up to reveal the stage during The Pat McAfee Show. The current line-up features seven matches for night one, six for night two, but don't get too comfortable – changes are expected. Word on the street is that Randy Orton might answer an open challenge on night two, with Rusev as the speculated opponent.

AEW News and Rumors & Updates

📉 AEW Dynamite Hits Milestone, But Sees Viewer Dip

AEW Dynamite broke records this past Wednesday as they aired their 289th episode, setting a new high for any wrestling program on Turner Sports. Despite marquee matchups and a return to Boston, 'Dynamite' saw a decline in viewership, with an average of 624,000 viewers and a steady 0.17 in the 18-49 demographic. Although viewership peaked during MJF's segment with the Hurt Syndicate, the overall total viewership fell by 5% compared to the previous week.

⚡ AEW Says Farewell to Sarah Stock, O2 Arena Event Confirmed

Former wrestler and AEW coach, Sarah Stock, has parted ways with the company, as reported by Fightful Select. Known for her stints in TNA and WWE, Sarah found her latest role backstage at AEW. The cause for her exit remains unknown, with hints at problems around AEW's mental health program. In other news, 'AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door' has been announced to take place at The O2 arena in London on August 24, following contractual obligations with WWE. AEW's first-ever Grand Slam Mexico event is also in the pipeline for June 18.

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