WrestleMania 42 Night 1: 8 big takeaways for Cody Rhodes, Paige's WWE return, Randy Orton, Liv Morgan and more

Cody Rhodes is still the Undisputed WWE Champion.

(Ethan Miller via Getty Images)

But the post-match festivities, including Orton punting Rhodes and standing tall holding the belt, felt like a real turning point in establishing the direction for both men as we hit the summer.

It’ll be interesting to see how far WWE leans in here. Saturday's Las Vegas audience clearly knew who they were supporting — and it wasn't the babyface — and that'll likely remain true come Monday night. But outside of Vegas, will the broader audience continue to see Orton favorably and Rhodes in a negative light? If the WWE chooses to bridge the gap to Night 2, with Rhodes showing some clear intent after his brief confrontation with CM Punk on Friday night, we could be in for quite the summer.

2. What a time to Liv

For as hard-hitting as the lead-up to their WrestleMania match was, Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer picked up right where they left off.

In her first match on the big stage, “La Primera” continued to give reason to her meteoric rise alongside one of WWE’s most consistent in-ring talents. After a handful of distractions from the Judgement Day, it was Morgan who took advantage of Vaquer — tossing her into the steps, then landing an Oblivion — for the surprise pinfall to recapture the WWE Women's World Championship.

With Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez successful in helping Morgan earn the victory, it seems any potential for a Rodriguez vs. Morgan rivalry will continue to get kicked down the road, à la Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio until only recently.

For Vaquer, adding a faction to back her in this numbers game seems like the logical next step in a rivalry for the Women’s World Championship that’s seemingly only just beginning.

3. Gunther rolls, Breakker runs

Gunther and Seth Rollins are two of the best in-ring technicians in WWE today, so it's no surprise they put on a WrestleMania-worthy match that had a little bit of everything.

Both men understand pacing, allowing moments to breathe, and how to pick up intensity at a level rarely seen across the top of WWE. Saturday night, they balanced brutality with precision, and after a spear from the returning Bron Breakker, it was Gunther who choked out Rollins for the victory.

For as messy as the build to WrestleMania 42 was, this duo more than made up for it in the ring.

While Breakker and Rollins are now clearly on a collision course, I'm most curious to see what happens with Gunther. Perhaps saving Paul Heyman opens the door for a colossal showdown with Brock Lesnar in the not-so-distant future?

Gunther defeated Seth Rollins during WrestleMania 42 Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

(WWE via Getty Images)

4. Becky gets on the board

Becky Lynch is Intercontinental Champion yet again.

After losing three consecutive times to AJ Lee, she finally got her hand raised when it mattered most, recapturing the belt on the biggest stage of the year. Lynch relied on the typical heel tactics she’s utilized since turning on Lyra Valkyria last year, exposing the steel behind the turnbuckle, tossing Lee into it, and then hitting the Manhandle Slam for the finish.

I would’ve expected a cleaner finish, with Lynch and Lee going in their separate directions after feuding for much of the last seven months. But it appears this is only the next step in their ongoing battle over the Intercontinental Championship. Referee Jessika Carr’s more prominent inclusion Saturday night — getting physical with Lynch after the new champion tested her one too many times — could be an interesting wrinkle in where WWE takes this one.

5. Turning the Paige

For the second consecutive year, WWE swapped out a competitor in a WrestleMania women’s tag titles match at the eleventh hour for a returning star. It was reported just a day before WrestleMania 42 Night 1 that Paige had re-signed with the promotion and was slated to take Nikki Bella’s spot, who was injured in the build to WrestleMania — and those reports turned out to be true.

Paige’s surprise return was met with a roar, and the match was clearly structured around highlighting the former Diva’s Champion in her return to a WWE ring. Once she got the hot tag, it was only a matter of time before Paige made the pinfall to become tag champs.

Between WWE’s rising stars and returning legends, the women’s division is suddenly more packed than it has been in a long time. There already seemed to be a backlog of talent and available air time before Saturday night, and that’s only going to get more challenging with another big-time star back in the fold.

6. Fatu continues his climb

After WWE pushed Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu out of the WrestleMania title picture and into their own program, the duo didn’t disappoint with another incredibly strong showing.

McIntyre, the recent former champion, and Fatu, the hungry challenger rising up the ranks, played their roles perfectly in an unsanctioned match that accomplished everything it needed to. McIntyre had his moments, Fatu matched his brutality, and in the end WWE used McIntyre’s standing to elevate Fatu.

My only critique of this one has nothing to do with the actual match itself, and more to do with calling it “unsanctioned.” Unfortunately Triple H and Shawn Michaels set the bar for what unsanctioned looks at SummerSlam 2002 in terms of style and structure of the match. Proclaiming Saturday's match to be unsanctioned, but having it announced by the general manager, both guys show up in their ring gear, and the referee then call it like a no-disqualification match, feels like a lapse in attention to detail.

7. IShowSpeed steals the spotlight

Saturday night's opening match went largely how one would expect, with much of the heavy lifting taking place between LA Knight, the Usos and The Vision. IShowSpeed showed real potential with his athleticism though, holding his own across key moments in the match before Austin Theory and Logan Paul turned on him.

Knight pinned Theory after a BFT, and Paul beat down Speed after the match. But the viral moment WWE relentlessly seeks on weekends like these came when The Usos made the save for Speed, setting him up for a highlight dive through Paul and the announce table.

If he wants it — which it seems likely he does, based on Saturday — Speed has all the makings of a consistent WWE star. His celebrity following makes him a perfect partner for the direction it seems WWE is moving.

With WrestleMania season moving toward the rear-view, it’s also a great time to reset The Vision. Injuries to Seth Rollins, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker derailed the original vision for the group (pardon the pun) — Paul was meant to elevate into a potential main-eventer, and Theory was expected to move in a similar direction, finally stepping into the enormous potential he’s shown flashes of. Instead, they played a more simple supporting cast role at WrestleMania against The Usos, Knight and social media star Speed.

If Theory and Paul are going to elevate, they need a strong leader guiding them into the next phase of their development. That doesn’t appear likely with the return of Breakker, who doesn’t have that much space between his current WWE standing and his fellow faction members.

8. Mommy DearEST

During a standard attendance announcement segment from John Cena, Bianca Belair’s surprise return caught the audience a bit off guard.

Absent since last April’s award-winning WrestleMania 41 match against Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley, Belair’s return was accompanied with a WrestleMania-sized announcement that she and her husband, fellow WWE star Montez Ford, are expecting a child.

It’s fantastic news for one of WWE’s top stars, and a welcome — if brief — return for one of wrestling's top talents before she enters this next phase in her personal life.