WWE can’t afford to drop the ball, waste its WrestleMania 38 momentum

WWE needed this. Now it has to build off it.

Night 1 of WrestleMania 38 felt like everything WWE and its biggest show are supposed to be. Celebrity guest Logan Paul impressed in his debut, Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch delivered the true wrestling main event with a terrific close to their story, Cody Rhodes’ debut felt like a big deal, Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair gave us controversy and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Kevin Owens closed with the perfect dash of nostalgia.  

After a few years of hearing how their product is slipping and the debate about whether All Elite Wrestling is better, WWE hit wrestling fans right between the eyes with a night that reminded them why they remain loyal to the company and keep coming back even when its creative often fails to live up to expectations. WWE can still create a buzz when it gets out of its own way and lets its talented performers do what they do best.

It is nights like these that should have WWE fans and everyone associated with the company leaving AT&T Stadium or their couches on a huge high Sunday morning. Sure there were some downers — Rick Boogs getting injured, New Day vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland getting cut for time and the wonky finish to Rousey and Flair — but all-in-all Saturday was an excellent night for WWE.

Now comes the hard part, because this is the “most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in history.”

The last two years, WrestleMania Saturday well outshined Sunday. Two years ago it was the Boneyard Match and last year it was Belair’s emotional win over Sasha Banks in the main event that carried strong first nights. WWE can have a massive weekend and plenty of momentum heading into the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania if it can keep things from slipping like that again.

A lot of pressure will fall on Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar and their title unification match to carry a much-less-stacked Night 2 if another contest doesn’t step up and steal the show. There are fewer candidates than Night 1 as the Sunday card features matches with Johnny Knoxville and Pat McAfee and a thrown-together fatal four-way for the women’s tag team championships. Having New Day’s match sliding over will help. Edge vs. A.J. Styles and the triple-threat match for the Raw tag team championships have solid stories behind them, but Reigns vs. Lesnar dwarfs all of them.

The two stars and WWE creative need to send everyone home happy after what is being billed as the “biggest WrestleMania match in history.” (An appearance by Reigns’ cousin The Rock when it’s over — though unlikely — would certainly do that.) Give us a clean winner and a clean path forward for the first undisputed world champion in WWE since the 2016 brand split. Make us want to see what’s next.

WWE has some real momentum now for the first time since SummerSlam. What will Rhodes say when he gets a live mic Monday on Raw? Who will be Belair’s first feud as new champion? What’s next for Lynch now that she lost her title? How does Rousey’s character handle being screwed out of a win?

The table is set for the Tribal Chief and The Beast to put WWE over the top this weekend. You would have to lean toward them doing so given their history and all the nuances to their story. A lackluster ending to a Night 2 card already fighting an uphill battle can short-circuit the energy WWE created Saturday. Building off of it will make this weekend a huge win for for Vince McMahon’s company as far as good feeling, buzz and momentum around the company creatively.

WWE needs this, and it’s there for the taking.