WWE WrestleMania 36: Ranking every match on Night 1

What a fun night of action!
What a fun night of action!

#6 Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan (Intercontinental Championship)

Standard Face vs Heel battle.
Standard Face vs Heel battle.

Having spoken about the kickoff match between Drew Gulak and Cesaro, the two of them accompanied their respective allies for this match, as did Shinsuke Nakamura. Sami Zayn's work as a heel was perfectly infuriating, doing a good job in making everyone want to see Daniel Bryan get his hands on him.

After minutes of chasing, Bryan hit some of his famous moves on the 'Great Liberator' and looked like he would win the Intercontinental Championship. Gulak even took out Cesaro and Nakamura, before the two of them returned the favor towards the end of the match.

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After Bryan's focus was on the outside happenings, Zayn took advantage with a mid-air Helluva Kick to retain his title. It was a decent match, probably the best one a heel "manager" has ever had.

While it may have been an underwhelming spot for Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, this match served its purpose and it will be interesting to see what direction Zayn and the IC Title are headed towards.


#5 Kabuki Warriors vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship)

A solid start to the main show.
A solid start to the main show.

As the first match of WrestleMania 36 proper, this women's tag title match did a good job to set the tone for the rest of the show. The in-ring action was pretty solid and all four women expressed and entertained during the match.

Alexa Bliss had a good night, shining for her team alongside Nikki Cross. The Kabuki Warriors implemented some solid heel tactics and controlled the majority of the match, which was given a big chunk of time.

WWE had to make certain edits from multiple takes but the match still felt smooth enough, with the action spilling all across the ringside area. Asuka and Kairi Sane seemed to have a perpetual advantage and looked set to retain, but the babyface team mounted a comeback on multiple occasions.

In the end, Bliss and Cross both hit their finishers on Sane before picking up the victory and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. It was a standard tag team match, lasting a good 15 minutes and producing the first feel-good moment of the show.

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Edited by Zaid Khan
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