The greatest spectacle in sports entertainment is back. WrestleMania is set for its 38th edition this year in Arlington, Texas, when WWE lands at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium. The massive event will take place over two nights with just about every major superstar on the roster taking part.
Night 1 delivered and then some. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made his return to action for the first time in nearly two decades when he battled Kevin Owens to close the show. Plus, Charlotte Flair retained her title in an epic match with Ronda Rousey while Bianca Blair got her revenge on Becky Lynch to win back the Raw women's championship.
Now the focus shifts to Sunday and what WWE is calling "the biggest WrestleMania match of all time" when WWE champion Brock Lesnar takes universal champion Roman Reigns. Lesnar earned his shot at Reigns with a win at the Royal Rumble. He then picked up the WWE title at the Elimination Chamber in February.
As has become tradition with the massive event, celebrities will play a big role as well. "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville is set to take on Sami Zayn and Pat McAfee (who also commentates on SmackDown) will take on Austin Theory.
As with all major WWE events, WrestleMania 38 will stream live on Peacock. The main card both nights will begin at 8 p.m. ET following a kickoff show one hour prior.
WWE WrestleMania 38 Day 2 matches
Title vs. Title -- Roman Reigns (Universal Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE Champion): Lesnar cemented his shot at Reigns by winning the Royal Rumble. The two have a very long history and recently had their planned Day 1 match canceled when Reigns tested positive for COVID-19. Lesnar would go on to win the WWE championship at Day 1, a title he lost at Royal Rumble when Reigns interfered in his match with Bobby Lashley. Lesnar then regained the title by winning the Elimination Chamber match, setting up a title vs. title clash on the biggest show of the year.
Edge vs. AJ Styles: After pointing out his incredible resume on wrestling's biggest stage, Edge issued an open challenge for anyone to face him at WresteMania. One week later, that challenge was answered by Styles, setting up a dream match. Edge then viciously attacked Styles, hitting two con-chair-tos and turning heel as he demanded Styles be the "pitbull" version of himself instead of the guy who sat in Omos' shadow in a tag team.
Women's Tag Team Championship -- Queen Zelina & Carmella (c) vs. Naomi & Sasha Banks vs. Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan vs. Natalya and Shayna Bazler: There wasn't much set-up for this match. Banks returned to SmackDown and defeated Shotzi in a one-on-one match. After the match, Naomi joined Banks to announce they'd challenge Zelina and Carmella for the titles at WrestleMania. Ripley and Morgan were added to the match after defeating the champ's in a non-title bout on Raw. Authority figure Sonya Deville added Natalya and Shayna Bazler to the mix after they interfered in a tag team match on SmackDown, laying waste to competitors Naomi, Banks, Ripley and Morgan.
Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory: Despite some rumors that McAfee would face Vince McMahon, it's McMahon's on-screen protege who will get the slot at WrestleMania. Theory will look to make a show of McAfee's main roster debut after McAfee confirmed his participation at the event when Vince McMahon appeared on his radio show. After McMahon had taken Theory under his wing, the young superstar is looking to make a big point when he faces down with the commentator at the event.
Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville: The "Jackass" star appeared in the Royal Rumble and has already had several run-ins with Zayn. Outside the ring, the two had an altercation at the premiere of the new Jackass film. The clear build to a match eventually finalized when it was announced the pair would appear in one-on-one action after Knoxville showed up at SmackDown and provided a distraction that allowed Ricochet to pin Zayn to win the intercontinental championship.
Raw Tag Team Championship -- RK-Bro (c) vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy: After RK-Bro won the tag titles for a second time, the Profits were quick to remind the champions that they had defeated them just weeks before Riddle and Randy Orton won the belts. Riddle and Orton would accept the challenge but Alpha Academy forced their way into the match through a series of attacks and matches with the other two involved teams.
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos: Omos has been dominant as a singles star, winning several handicap matches on Raw while insisting no man on the roster could handle him. Lashley responded to this by making his return to Raw for the first time since prior to Elimination Chamber. The two briefly brawled before sharing a WrestleMania sign point.
WWE WrestleMania 38 Day 1 results
- Steve Austin def. Kevin Owens via pinfall
- Charlotte Flair (c) def. Ronda Rousey via pinfall to retain the title
- Cody Rhodes def. Seth Rollins via pinfall
- Bianca Belair def. Becky Lynch (c) via pinfall to win the title
- The Miz & Logan Paul def. The Mysterios via pinfall
- Drew McIntyre def. Happy Corbin via pinfall
- The Usos (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs via pinfall to retain the titles