This article contains SINNERS SPOILERS. Black representation within horror movies, specifically of the supernatural variety, is becoming increasingly extensive these days. No, not in that way where we are the first to die in slashers. I’m talking about ones where we are the protagonists or supporting characters with supernatural abilities. Many might attribute this to […]
Andoris finally returning for its second and final season on Disney+. When we last saw Cassian (Diego Luna), he had just started to help Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and the burgeoning rebellion, more so out of necessity and survival than a real desire to make change. But as we speed through the next several years of Cassian’s life, we’ll see him become the dedicated rebel we see in Rogue One.
While we’re very excited to see the show return, Star Warsrecently announced the full episode release schedule for season 2, and it’s a little different than what you might expect. Here’s what you need to know about when and where to watch Andor season 2.
When Will Season 2 of Andor Be Available to Watch on Disney+?
Typically, new episodes of Star Wars series will release 1-3 episodes for the premiere and then one episode weekly after that. Season 1 of Andor released the first three episodes at once, and then one episode weekly for the rest of the season. But with season 2, Andor is trying something different. Three new episodes will drop every week starting April 22. Each set of three episodes will represent a year of Cassian’s life leading up to the events of Rogue One.
The release schedule is as follows:
Episodes 1-3 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 22 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 4-6 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 29 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 7-9 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 6 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 10-12 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 13 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
There’s a lot that happens over the course of Andor’s first season. Here’s everything you need to remember before watching season 2.
Morlana One
In 5 BBY, Cassian Andor is looking for his missing sister on the planet Morlana One. During an altercation with a pair of officers, he accidentally kills one and murders the other to cover his tracks. He flees the planet and tries to hide out on Ferrix, asking his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw), and his friends Bix (Adria Arjona) and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) to help cover for him if anyone comes asking.
Morlana One’s security force Pre-Mor investigates, but the Chief Inspector wants to cover up the incident so that they don’t raise any flags with the Empire. Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a deputy inspector, becomes obsessed with solving the case despite his supervisor’s wishes. He tracks Cassian’s ship to Ferrix and puts out a warrant for his arrest. When Karn and other officers arrive to arrest him, Cassian is able to escape with the help of Luthen Rael, who convinces Cassian to join his rebel network.
The Aldhani Rebellion
After fleeing Ferrix, Luthen takes Cassian to the planet Aldhani where a small group is planning to steal credits from an Imperial supply hub on the planet. Despite some mistrust in the group and a few casualties, the heist is ultimately successful. Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cassian are the only survivors, and Cassian flees with his cut after it’s all over. He stops by Ferrix to try and convince Maarva to escape with him, but she insists on staying and resisting the increasing Imperial occupation.
Escaping Narkina 5
Leaving Maarva and his life on Ferrix behind, for now, Cassian hides out on the tropical planet Niamos. He’s living a fairly comfy life until he accidentally gets caught up in a group running from Stormtroopers and is unjustly arrested. Cassian is sentenced to six years on Narkina 5, a prison labor camp that we later discover is building parts for the Death Star.
Cassian and the other prisoners soon discover that the Empire is extending sentences and forcing people to stay and work even after they’ve served their time. Not wanting to die in this prison, they work together to break out.
Riot on Ferrix
Cassian and Bix’s contact with Luthen unintentionally draws the attention of ISB agent Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and her division. She is eager to take down the rebel cell known as Axis, and believes that Cassian is the key. Imperial officers kidnap and torture Bix to try and find his location. When that doesn’t work, they use Maarva’s death as a lure to try and pull him out. Luthen, Vel, and Cinta (Varada Sethu) also hope to use the funeral as cover to assassinate Cassian so that he can’t give up Luthen’s identity.
At the funeral, a recording of Maarva’s last words encourages the people to stand up to the Empire and fight back. Heeding her words, the people of Ferrix fight back and a riot breaks out in the streets. Cassian is able to use the chaos to free Bix, urging Brasso to take her somewhere safe off world. He then approaches Luthen, telling him that he can kill him if he wants, or he can take him into his operation. Luthen replies with a smile and Cassian officially joins the fold.
This review of Andor season 2 contains no spoilers. A show like Andor in times like these feels like such a breath of fresh air. It’s a soul-stirring story about love, loss, and fighting against impossible odds. It’s what Star Wars should be about above all else, not nostalgic cash grabs for the sake of […]
Andoris finally returning for its second and final season on Disney+. When we last saw Cassian (Diego Luna), he had just started to help Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and the burgeoning rebellion, more so out of necessity and survival than a real desire to make change. But as we speed through the next several years of Cassian’s life, we’ll see him become the dedicated rebel we see in Rogue One.
While we’re very excited to see the show return, Star Warsrecently announced the full episode release schedule for season 2, and it’s a little different than what you might expect. Here’s what you need to know about when and where to watch Andor season 2.
When Will Season 2 of Andor Be Available to Watch on Disney+?
Typically, new episodes of Star Wars series will release 1-3 episodes for the premiere and then one episode weekly after that. Season 1 of Andor released the first three episodes at once, and then one episode weekly for the rest of the season. But with season 2, Andor is trying something different. Three new episodes will drop every week starting April 22. Each set of three episodes will represent a year of Cassian’s life leading up to the events of Rogue One.
The release schedule is as follows:
Episodes 1-3 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 22 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 4-6 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 29 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 7-9 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 6 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 10-12 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 13 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
There’s a lot that happens over the course of Andor’s first season. Here’s everything you need to remember before watching season 2.
Morlana One
In 5 BBY, Cassian Andor is looking for his missing sister on the planet Morlana One. During an altercation with a pair of officers, he accidentally kills one and murders the other to cover his tracks. He flees the planet and tries to hide out on Ferrix, asking his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw), and his friends Bix (Adria Arjona) and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) to help cover for him if anyone comes asking.
Morlana One’s security force Pre-Mor investigates, but the Chief Inspector wants to cover up the incident so that they don’t raise any flags with the Empire. Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a deputy inspector, becomes obsessed with solving the case despite his supervisor’s wishes. He tracks Cassian’s ship to Ferrix and puts out a warrant for his arrest. When Karn and other officers arrive to arrest him, Cassian is able to escape with the help of Luthen Rael, who convinces Cassian to join his rebel network.
The Aldhani Rebellion
After fleeing Ferrix, Luthen takes Cassian to the planet Aldhani where a small group is planning to steal credits from an Imperial supply hub on the planet. Despite some mistrust in the group and a few casualties, the heist is ultimately successful. Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cassian are the only survivors, and Cassian flees with his cut after it’s all over. He stops by Ferrix to try and convince Maarva to escape with him, but she insists on staying and resisting the increasing Imperial occupation.
Escaping Narkina 5
Leaving Maarva and his life on Ferrix behind, for now, Cassian hides out on the tropical planet Niamos. He’s living a fairly comfy life until he accidentally gets caught up in a group running from Stormtroopers and is unjustly arrested. Cassian is sentenced to six years on Narkina 5, a prison labor camp that we later discover is building parts for the Death Star.
Cassian and the other prisoners soon discover that the Empire is extending sentences and forcing people to stay and work even after they’ve served their time. Not wanting to die in this prison, they work together to break out.
Riot on Ferrix
Cassian and Bix’s contact with Luthen unintentionally draws the attention of ISB agent Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and her division. She is eager to take down the rebel cell known as Axis, and believes that Cassian is the key. Imperial officers kidnap and torture Bix to try and find his location. When that doesn’t work, they use Maarva’s death as a lure to try and pull him out. Luthen, Vel, and Cinta (Varada Sethu) also hope to use the funeral as cover to assassinate Cassian so that he can’t give up Luthen’s identity.
At the funeral, a recording of Maarva’s last words encourages the people to stand up to the Empire and fight back. Heeding her words, the people of Ferrix fight back and a riot breaks out in the streets. Cassian is able to use the chaos to free Bix, urging Brasso to take her somewhere safe off world. He then approaches Luthen, telling him that he can kill him if he wants, or he can take him into his operation. Luthen replies with a smile and Cassian officially joins the fold.
Returning to the mainland after a week cruising the Galápagos Islands feels like crashing back to earth from an otherworldly voyage. There’s no need to kiss the ground upon arrival, though. By the end of your trip to the archipelago located 560 miles west of Ecuador, nobody wants to leave the geological wonder that draws […]
Andoris finally returning for its second and final season on Disney+. When we last saw Cassian (Diego Luna), he had just started to help Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and the burgeoning rebellion, more so out of necessity and survival than a real desire to make change. But as we speed through the next several years of Cassian’s life, we’ll see him become the dedicated rebel we see in Rogue One.
While we’re very excited to see the show return, Star Warsrecently announced the full episode release schedule for season 2, and it’s a little different than what you might expect. Here’s what you need to know about when and where to watch Andor season 2.
When Will Season 2 of Andor Be Available to Watch on Disney+?
Typically, new episodes of Star Wars series will release 1-3 episodes for the premiere and then one episode weekly after that. Season 1 of Andor released the first three episodes at once, and then one episode weekly for the rest of the season. But with season 2, Andor is trying something different. Three new episodes will drop every week starting April 22. Each set of three episodes will represent a year of Cassian’s life leading up to the events of Rogue One.
The release schedule is as follows:
Episodes 1-3 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 22 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 4-6 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 29 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 7-9 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 6 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 10-12 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 13 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
There’s a lot that happens over the course of Andor’s first season. Here’s everything you need to remember before watching season 2.
Morlana One
In 5 BBY, Cassian Andor is looking for his missing sister on the planet Morlana One. During an altercation with a pair of officers, he accidentally kills one and murders the other to cover his tracks. He flees the planet and tries to hide out on Ferrix, asking his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw), and his friends Bix (Adria Arjona) and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) to help cover for him if anyone comes asking.
Morlana One’s security force Pre-Mor investigates, but the Chief Inspector wants to cover up the incident so that they don’t raise any flags with the Empire. Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a deputy inspector, becomes obsessed with solving the case despite his supervisor’s wishes. He tracks Cassian’s ship to Ferrix and puts out a warrant for his arrest. When Karn and other officers arrive to arrest him, Cassian is able to escape with the help of Luthen Rael, who convinces Cassian to join his rebel network.
The Aldhani Rebellion
After fleeing Ferrix, Luthen takes Cassian to the planet Aldhani where a small group is planning to steal credits from an Imperial supply hub on the planet. Despite some mistrust in the group and a few casualties, the heist is ultimately successful. Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cassian are the only survivors, and Cassian flees with his cut after it’s all over. He stops by Ferrix to try and convince Maarva to escape with him, but she insists on staying and resisting the increasing Imperial occupation.
Escaping Narkina 5
Leaving Maarva and his life on Ferrix behind, for now, Cassian hides out on the tropical planet Niamos. He’s living a fairly comfy life until he accidentally gets caught up in a group running from Stormtroopers and is unjustly arrested. Cassian is sentenced to six years on Narkina 5, a prison labor camp that we later discover is building parts for the Death Star.
Cassian and the other prisoners soon discover that the Empire is extending sentences and forcing people to stay and work even after they’ve served their time. Not wanting to die in this prison, they work together to break out.
Riot on Ferrix
Cassian and Bix’s contact with Luthen unintentionally draws the attention of ISB agent Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and her division. She is eager to take down the rebel cell known as Axis, and believes that Cassian is the key. Imperial officers kidnap and torture Bix to try and find his location. When that doesn’t work, they use Maarva’s death as a lure to try and pull him out. Luthen, Vel, and Cinta (Varada Sethu) also hope to use the funeral as cover to assassinate Cassian so that he can’t give up Luthen’s identity.
At the funeral, a recording of Maarva’s last words encourages the people to stand up to the Empire and fight back. Heeding her words, the people of Ferrix fight back and a riot breaks out in the streets. Cassian is able to use the chaos to free Bix, urging Brasso to take her somewhere safe off world. He then approaches Luthen, telling him that he can kill him if he wants, or he can take him into his operation. Luthen replies with a smile and Cassian officially joins the fold.
Andor is finally returning for its second and final season on Disney+. When we last saw Cassian (Diego Luna), he had just started to help Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and the burgeoning rebellion, more so out of necessity and survival than a real desire to make change. But as we speed through the next several […]
Andoris finally returning for its second and final season on Disney+. When we last saw Cassian (Diego Luna), he had just started to help Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) and the burgeoning rebellion, more so out of necessity and survival than a real desire to make change. But as we speed through the next several years of Cassian’s life, we’ll see him become the dedicated rebel we see in Rogue One.
While we’re very excited to see the show return, Star Warsrecently announced the full episode release schedule for season 2, and it’s a little different than what you might expect. Here’s what you need to know about when and where to watch Andor season 2.
When Will Season 2 of Andor Be Available to Watch on Disney+?
Typically, new episodes of Star Wars series will release 1-3 episodes for the premiere and then one episode weekly after that. Season 1 of Andor released the first three episodes at once, and then one episode weekly for the rest of the season. But with season 2, Andor is trying something different. Three new episodes will drop every week starting April 22. Each set of three episodes will represent a year of Cassian’s life leading up to the events of Rogue One.
The release schedule is as follows:
Episodes 1-3 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 22 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 4-6 will be available to watch on Tuesday April 29 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 7-9 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 6 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET
Episodes 10-12 will be available to watch on Tuesday May 13 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
There’s a lot that happens over the course of Andor’s first season. Here’s everything you need to remember before watching season 2.
Morlana One
In 5 BBY, Cassian Andor is looking for his missing sister on the planet Morlana One. During an altercation with a pair of officers, he accidentally kills one and murders the other to cover his tracks. He flees the planet and tries to hide out on Ferrix, asking his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw), and his friends Bix (Adria Arjona) and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) to help cover for him if anyone comes asking.
Morlana One’s security force Pre-Mor investigates, but the Chief Inspector wants to cover up the incident so that they don’t raise any flags with the Empire. Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a deputy inspector, becomes obsessed with solving the case despite his supervisor’s wishes. He tracks Cassian’s ship to Ferrix and puts out a warrant for his arrest. When Karn and other officers arrive to arrest him, Cassian is able to escape with the help of Luthen Rael, who convinces Cassian to join his rebel network.
The Aldhani Rebellion
After fleeing Ferrix, Luthen takes Cassian to the planet Aldhani where a small group is planning to steal credits from an Imperial supply hub on the planet. Despite some mistrust in the group and a few casualties, the heist is ultimately successful. Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cassian are the only survivors, and Cassian flees with his cut after it’s all over. He stops by Ferrix to try and convince Maarva to escape with him, but she insists on staying and resisting the increasing Imperial occupation.
Escaping Narkina 5
Leaving Maarva and his life on Ferrix behind, for now, Cassian hides out on the tropical planet Niamos. He’s living a fairly comfy life until he accidentally gets caught up in a group running from Stormtroopers and is unjustly arrested. Cassian is sentenced to six years on Narkina 5, a prison labor camp that we later discover is building parts for the Death Star.
Cassian and the other prisoners soon discover that the Empire is extending sentences and forcing people to stay and work even after they’ve served their time. Not wanting to die in this prison, they work together to break out.
Riot on Ferrix
Cassian and Bix’s contact with Luthen unintentionally draws the attention of ISB agent Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and her division. She is eager to take down the rebel cell known as Axis, and believes that Cassian is the key. Imperial officers kidnap and torture Bix to try and find his location. When that doesn’t work, they use Maarva’s death as a lure to try and pull him out. Luthen, Vel, and Cinta (Varada Sethu) also hope to use the funeral as cover to assassinate Cassian so that he can’t give up Luthen’s identity.
At the funeral, a recording of Maarva’s last words encourages the people to stand up to the Empire and fight back. Heeding her words, the people of Ferrix fight back and a riot breaks out in the streets. Cassian is able to use the chaos to free Bix, urging Brasso to take her somewhere safe off world. He then approaches Luthen, telling him that he can kill him if he wants, or he can take him into his operation. Luthen replies with a smile and Cassian officially joins the fold.
Like many gamers, I was apprehensive as Microsoft steadily acquired some of the biggest game studios in the world, including Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax Media. It was worrying to think this could lead to a renewed era of major titles trapped within the confines of platform exclusivity. These concerns were largely alleviated, however, in the […]
With a wrestling show, the opening match can be nearly as important as the main event. While the main event is about finishing the show in a climactic fashion and leaving a lasting impression, you also need to get the audience into the proceedings with a killer start. Get the blood pumping and jumpstart all the energy to carry the next few hours.
With WrestleMania being WWE’s biggest show of the year, those opening minutes can sometimes bring us some fantastic matches to get the ball rolling. Here are the openers that truly started the show off right. For the sake of ground rules, we’re counting matches on the official show itself, so no pre-shows or dark matches.
The Rockers vs. Haku and The Barbarian (WrestleMania VII)
WrestleMania VII was a solid WrestleMania show with an extra hour or so of nothing matches topped on for the sake of getting everyone a paycheck. This opener worked to that advantage, as there was zero story between The Rockers and Bobby Heenan’s goons going in, but they ended up pulling off exactly the kind of match the show needed. It helped that this was the last real gasp of tag team wrestling actually mattering in WWF and just having two teams go out there and put on a solid performance was a regular thing.
It also helped that it had a great dynamic that any new viewer could pick up on: the lumbering and powerful heels up against the plucky faces who were smaller but could run rings around them. Lots of fun tag tropes and teamwork thrown in from The Rockers made this work and showed that even before he broke out as a solo star, Shawn Michaels was earning his reputation as Mr. WrestleMania.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Bret Hart had an eventful time at Royal Rumble 1994. In the undercard, he and his brother Owen lost when challenging for the tag team titles, causing Owen to snap and brutalize Bret’s hurt leg. Bret then pulled himself together to compete in the Royal Rumble match that night, becoming co-winners with Lex Luger due to falling to the floor at the same time. It was decided that Bret would face Owen at WrestleMania in an exhibition, as he’d then go on to face the winner of Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna in the main event.
Owen was already mad about how reluctant Bret was to face him, only now he was madder that Bret was technically looking past him, as he was going to compete for the title, win or lose. On the same night that gave us the legendary ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the event peaked early with this battle between brothers. The two put on an excellent show full of amazing ringwork and reversals. That it ended with Owen cleanly getting an upset win was the icing on the cake.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21)
Awesome as this one is, it’s also a bittersweet middle to a thematic trilogy between the two competitors. At the previous WrestleMania, Eddie Guerrero successfully defended the WWE Championship and stood tall in the PPV’s final shot. In the months that followed, Eddie fell down the card and ended up as tag champ with Rey Mysterio. To open WrestleMania 21, the two partners had a singles match against each other, trying to stand on the legacy of their classic from Halloween Havoc 1997. While the two didn’t quite reach those heights, they still killed it and showed that they still had that chemistry. Despite Eddie’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep Mysterio down for three and ended up losing to a flash pin, setting the stage for a heel turn and ridiculous storyline centered around the custody of a young Dominik Mysterio.
Sadly, this would be Eddie’s final WrestleMania due to a sudden death from heart issues. In the follow-up, Rey Mysterio would win the 2006 Royal Rumble match to make his way to WrestleMania 22, where he would win the World Heavyweight Championship. All the while, it was used as a tribute to his former tag partner and one of his greatest opponents.
Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 23)
The Money in the Bank concept was introduced at WrestleMania 21 and ended up being a huge success. It wasn’t until its third installment at WrestleMania 23 that they decided to lead with it, and they went full ham by making it an eight-man match. A great set of talent here with initial winner Edge being joined by CM Punk, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy. Then you get Sharmell and Hornswoggle showing up, making this one of the more chaotic takes on the match.
There was rarely a bad Money in the Bank match, especially early on, and this one’s no different. They do get silly, like having Booker pull out a tiny ladder in the heat of the moment and the later bit where he could win the match, but Matt Hardy threatens Sharmell with a Twist of Fate unless he steps down. Then you get the crazy spots, like when Edge is laying on a ladder acting as a bridge and Jeff Hardy jumps off another ladder and into Edge. Or the time when Mr. Kennedy does the Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle off a ladder. Kennedy himself would end up winning this one, though his aftermath as the briefcase holder was entirely cursed.
Finlay vs. JBL (WrestleMania XXIV)
Mercifully, WWE was finally putting an end to one of their most grueling ongoing stories about Hornswoggle being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son. Only it turns out Vince wasn’t the father, as it was really Finlay. Sure. This was all revealed after JBL beat the leprechaun half to death, setting up this “Belfast Brawl,” which is quite a sentence I just typed. After months and months of awful McMahon sketches and segments, we were at least going to get a cool hardcore match out of it. We’ll take our wins where we can get them.
It’s rare for WrestleMania to start off with a plunder match, but this one really gets the crowd going thanks to it being two stiff workers who can take it as much as they can dish it out. This also gives us the fantastic moment where JBL is in the ring with a trash can, sees Hornswoggle scrambling around on the outside, and just whips the can at him at lightning speed. JBL winning might have been seen as a downer, but putting this whole angle out of its misery was something to be celebrated.
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
The road to WrestleMania XXX was like somebody falling down the stairs, somehow landing on their feet, and insisting that they meant to do that. Daniel Bryan was meant to be swept under the rug as a top guy, but between CM Punk’s abrupt exodus from the company, the fanbase’s complete rejection of Batista as the top face, and an utterly disastrous Royal Rumble, they ended up being bullied into a fantastic main event storyline centering around Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.
But that wasn’t his only match of the night. In order to earn his spot in the main event, he had to face evil boss Triple H at the start of the show. It was their one and only match together, which made it more of a novelty to see so early on. The two jibed perfectly and we got one of the last truly great matches in Triple H’s career. Even though this was Bryan’s match to win, Triple H’s tendency to use his real life backstage sway mixed with how many times Bryan’s fans had been burned threw in a non-zero chance that the hero wasn’t going to pull it off.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz (WrestleMania 34)
When done right, a triple threat match can really complement what the talent brings to the table. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor once had a great match to crown the first ever Universal Champion. Here, they were fighting for Miz’s Intercontinental Championship and by throwing the extra guy in there, it just allowed for a fast-paced match full of inventive spots and the ability to trade out a wrestler to rest up before jumping back into the fray.
Even with Miz being the weakest of the three wrestlers, he still adds a fantastic dynamic of being the one who takes advantage of the situation. Lots of moments of him trying to be an opportunist, including a wonderful spot where Rollins just barely escapes a roll-up pin from Balor, and is so distraught and distracted by making sure the ref only counted to two that it leaves him open for a sudden Skull-Crushing Finale. The extra man keeps spoiling the pinfalls until it’s time for Rollins to flatten both opponents one after another with his Curb Stomp.
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 35)
Brock Lesnar was at one point the ultimate threat in WWE. At the same time, Seth Rollins was being built up as a top face and was challenging him for the Universal Championship. Despite the high-profile nature of this bout, the narrative, according to Paul Heyman, was that Brock was pissed about not being the main event. If he wasn’t going to be the main event, he would open the show so he could be done with things early and skip town. Brock was so furious that he jumped Rollins during the entrance and unfairly destroyed him before the bell could even ring.
Rollins insisted on going through with the match and turned things around with an illegal punch to the balls. It was cheating, but it was justified. Rollins then spammed his Curb Stomp three times in a row to keep Brock down, winning the title in just a couple of minutes. Rollins would eventually beat Brock fair and square to give him that major rub (immediately undone by his Fiend feud), but this quick and impactful win was definitely a great start to the PPV.
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (WrestleMania 37)
WrestleMania 37 Night 1 had a very unique situation going on at the start. For one, this was the first major WWE show since the pandemic that had a full crowd. By default, this crowd starting off WrestleMania would be off the wall pumped. The problem was that there was a nasty storm that caused a major delay, and by the time they were ready to do the actual wrestling, the crowd was wet and defused.
It wasn’t instantaneous, but Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley going at it eventually woke them up. Two big, meaty men slapping meat will do that sometimes. A great pairing who played off each other well, they did a good job making both of them seem like irresistible forces and immovable objects at the same time. It did involve a screwy finish, but Lashley being able to knock out Drew with the Hurt Lock really put a bow on how dominating the Almighty could be. Definitely better than the following night’s goofball Randy Orton vs. Fiend match and its “box-like structure” bullshit.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania XL)
Fun fact, it wasn’t until WrestleMania 36 that a women’s match started off one of these shows. Even then, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors had no crowd to win over thanks to that pesky COVID thing that just made a mess of the world. We wouldn’t see any women fight it out at the beginning until the 40th WrestleMania in what was arguably the biggest potential match that WWE could put together with that division.
On one side, it was Rhea Ripley, who had an incredibly lengthy and popular run as WWE Women’s World Champion. On the other side, it was Becky Lynch, the woman who once won the main event of WrestleMania and was fresh off releasing her autobiography. It was a hard-hitting passing of the torch that’s way more impressive when you realize that Becky was also battling through strep throat that week. Even with that handicap, the two started the show off with a bang.
Warning: contains spoilers for Doctor Who episode “Lux”. Picking up mere moments after “The Robot Revolution“, the Doctor and Belinda find themselves in 1950s America, where they face off against another member of the Pantheon in an energetic, inventive follow-up to last year’s “The Devil’s Chord“. Along the way, they encounter malevolent cartoons, banal human […]
With a wrestling show, the opening match can be nearly as important as the main event. While the main event is about finishing the show in a climactic fashion and leaving a lasting impression, you also need to get the audience into the proceedings with a killer start. Get the blood pumping and jumpstart all the energy to carry the next few hours.
With WrestleMania being WWE’s biggest show of the year, those opening minutes can sometimes bring us some fantastic matches to get the ball rolling. Here are the openers that truly started the show off right. For the sake of ground rules, we’re counting matches on the official show itself, so no pre-shows or dark matches.
The Rockers vs. Haku and The Barbarian (WrestleMania VII)
WrestleMania VII was a solid WrestleMania show with an extra hour or so of nothing matches topped on for the sake of getting everyone a paycheck. This opener worked to that advantage, as there was zero story between The Rockers and Bobby Heenan’s goons going in, but they ended up pulling off exactly the kind of match the show needed. It helped that this was the last real gasp of tag team wrestling actually mattering in WWF and just having two teams go out there and put on a solid performance was a regular thing.
It also helped that it had a great dynamic that any new viewer could pick up on: the lumbering and powerful heels up against the plucky faces who were smaller but could run rings around them. Lots of fun tag tropes and teamwork thrown in from The Rockers made this work and showed that even before he broke out as a solo star, Shawn Michaels was earning his reputation as Mr. WrestleMania.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Bret Hart had an eventful time at Royal Rumble 1994. In the undercard, he and his brother Owen lost when challenging for the tag team titles, causing Owen to snap and brutalize Bret’s hurt leg. Bret then pulled himself together to compete in the Royal Rumble match that night, becoming co-winners with Lex Luger due to falling to the floor at the same time. It was decided that Bret would face Owen at WrestleMania in an exhibition, as he’d then go on to face the winner of Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna in the main event.
Owen was already mad about how reluctant Bret was to face him, only now he was madder that Bret was technically looking past him, as he was going to compete for the title, win or lose. On the same night that gave us the legendary ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the event peaked early with this battle between brothers. The two put on an excellent show full of amazing ringwork and reversals. That it ended with Owen cleanly getting an upset win was the icing on the cake.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21)
Awesome as this one is, it’s also a bittersweet middle to a thematic trilogy between the two competitors. At the previous WrestleMania, Eddie Guerrero successfully defended the WWE Championship and stood tall in the PPV’s final shot. In the months that followed, Eddie fell down the card and ended up as tag champ with Rey Mysterio. To open WrestleMania 21, the two partners had a singles match against each other, trying to stand on the legacy of their classic from Halloween Havoc 1997. While the two didn’t quite reach those heights, they still killed it and showed that they still had that chemistry. Despite Eddie’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep Mysterio down for three and ended up losing to a flash pin, setting the stage for a heel turn and ridiculous storyline centered around the custody of a young Dominik Mysterio.
Sadly, this would be Eddie’s final WrestleMania due to a sudden death from heart issues. In the follow-up, Rey Mysterio would win the 2006 Royal Rumble match to make his way to WrestleMania 22, where he would win the World Heavyweight Championship. All the while, it was used as a tribute to his former tag partner and one of his greatest opponents.
Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 23)
The Money in the Bank concept was introduced at WrestleMania 21 and ended up being a huge success. It wasn’t until its third installment at WrestleMania 23 that they decided to lead with it, and they went full ham by making it an eight-man match. A great set of talent here with initial winner Edge being joined by CM Punk, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy. Then you get Sharmell and Hornswoggle showing up, making this one of the more chaotic takes on the match.
There was rarely a bad Money in the Bank match, especially early on, and this one’s no different. They do get silly, like having Booker pull out a tiny ladder in the heat of the moment and the later bit where he could win the match, but Matt Hardy threatens Sharmell with a Twist of Fate unless he steps down. Then you get the crazy spots, like when Edge is laying on a ladder acting as a bridge and Jeff Hardy jumps off another ladder and into Edge. Or the time when Mr. Kennedy does the Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle off a ladder. Kennedy himself would end up winning this one, though his aftermath as the briefcase holder was entirely cursed.
Finlay vs. JBL (WrestleMania XXIV)
Mercifully, WWE was finally putting an end to one of their most grueling ongoing stories about Hornswoggle being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son. Only it turns out Vince wasn’t the father, as it was really Finlay. Sure. This was all revealed after JBL beat the leprechaun half to death, setting up this “Belfast Brawl,” which is quite a sentence I just typed. After months and months of awful McMahon sketches and segments, we were at least going to get a cool hardcore match out of it. We’ll take our wins where we can get them.
It’s rare for WrestleMania to start off with a plunder match, but this one really gets the crowd going thanks to it being two stiff workers who can take it as much as they can dish it out. This also gives us the fantastic moment where JBL is in the ring with a trash can, sees Hornswoggle scrambling around on the outside, and just whips the can at him at lightning speed. JBL winning might have been seen as a downer, but putting this whole angle out of its misery was something to be celebrated.
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
The road to WrestleMania XXX was like somebody falling down the stairs, somehow landing on their feet, and insisting that they meant to do that. Daniel Bryan was meant to be swept under the rug as a top guy, but between CM Punk’s abrupt exodus from the company, the fanbase’s complete rejection of Batista as the top face, and an utterly disastrous Royal Rumble, they ended up being bullied into a fantastic main event storyline centering around Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.
But that wasn’t his only match of the night. In order to earn his spot in the main event, he had to face evil boss Triple H at the start of the show. It was their one and only match together, which made it more of a novelty to see so early on. The two jibed perfectly and we got one of the last truly great matches in Triple H’s career. Even though this was Bryan’s match to win, Triple H’s tendency to use his real life backstage sway mixed with how many times Bryan’s fans had been burned threw in a non-zero chance that the hero wasn’t going to pull it off.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz (WrestleMania 34)
When done right, a triple threat match can really complement what the talent brings to the table. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor once had a great match to crown the first ever Universal Champion. Here, they were fighting for Miz’s Intercontinental Championship and by throwing the extra guy in there, it just allowed for a fast-paced match full of inventive spots and the ability to trade out a wrestler to rest up before jumping back into the fray.
Even with Miz being the weakest of the three wrestlers, he still adds a fantastic dynamic of being the one who takes advantage of the situation. Lots of moments of him trying to be an opportunist, including a wonderful spot where Rollins just barely escapes a roll-up pin from Balor, and is so distraught and distracted by making sure the ref only counted to two that it leaves him open for a sudden Skull-Crushing Finale. The extra man keeps spoiling the pinfalls until it’s time for Rollins to flatten both opponents one after another with his Curb Stomp.
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 35)
Brock Lesnar was at one point the ultimate threat in WWE. At the same time, Seth Rollins was being built up as a top face and was challenging him for the Universal Championship. Despite the high-profile nature of this bout, the narrative, according to Paul Heyman, was that Brock was pissed about not being the main event. If he wasn’t going to be the main event, he would open the show so he could be done with things early and skip town. Brock was so furious that he jumped Rollins during the entrance and unfairly destroyed him before the bell could even ring.
Rollins insisted on going through with the match and turned things around with an illegal punch to the balls. It was cheating, but it was justified. Rollins then spammed his Curb Stomp three times in a row to keep Brock down, winning the title in just a couple of minutes. Rollins would eventually beat Brock fair and square to give him that major rub (immediately undone by his Fiend feud), but this quick and impactful win was definitely a great start to the PPV.
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (WrestleMania 37)
WrestleMania 37 Night 1 had a very unique situation going on at the start. For one, this was the first major WWE show since the pandemic that had a full crowd. By default, this crowd starting off WrestleMania would be off the wall pumped. The problem was that there was a nasty storm that caused a major delay, and by the time they were ready to do the actual wrestling, the crowd was wet and defused.
It wasn’t instantaneous, but Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley going at it eventually woke them up. Two big, meaty men slapping meat will do that sometimes. A great pairing who played off each other well, they did a good job making both of them seem like irresistible forces and immovable objects at the same time. It did involve a screwy finish, but Lashley being able to knock out Drew with the Hurt Lock really put a bow on how dominating the Almighty could be. Definitely better than the following night’s goofball Randy Orton vs. Fiend match and its “box-like structure” bullshit.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania XL)
Fun fact, it wasn’t until WrestleMania 36 that a women’s match started off one of these shows. Even then, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors had no crowd to win over thanks to that pesky COVID thing that just made a mess of the world. We wouldn’t see any women fight it out at the beginning until the 40th WrestleMania in what was arguably the biggest potential match that WWE could put together with that division.
On one side, it was Rhea Ripley, who had an incredibly lengthy and popular run as WWE Women’s World Champion. On the other side, it was Becky Lynch, the woman who once won the main event of WrestleMania and was fresh off releasing her autobiography. It was a hard-hitting passing of the torch that’s way more impressive when you realize that Becky was also battling through strep throat that week. Even with that handicap, the two started the show off with a bang.
The Man Who Fell to Earth. Labyrinth. The Prestige. These are the titles that usually come to mind when people think of David Bowie’s film career, and with good reason. Even when playing real-world scientist Nikola Tesla in The Prestige, each of these performances captured Bowie’s ethereal public persona. Bowie floated through the movies like […]
With a wrestling show, the opening match can be nearly as important as the main event. While the main event is about finishing the show in a climactic fashion and leaving a lasting impression, you also need to get the audience into the proceedings with a killer start. Get the blood pumping and jumpstart all the energy to carry the next few hours.
With WrestleMania being WWE’s biggest show of the year, those opening minutes can sometimes bring us some fantastic matches to get the ball rolling. Here are the openers that truly started the show off right. For the sake of ground rules, we’re counting matches on the official show itself, so no pre-shows or dark matches.
The Rockers vs. Haku and The Barbarian (WrestleMania VII)
WrestleMania VII was a solid WrestleMania show with an extra hour or so of nothing matches topped on for the sake of getting everyone a paycheck. This opener worked to that advantage, as there was zero story between The Rockers and Bobby Heenan’s goons going in, but they ended up pulling off exactly the kind of match the show needed. It helped that this was the last real gasp of tag team wrestling actually mattering in WWF and just having two teams go out there and put on a solid performance was a regular thing.
It also helped that it had a great dynamic that any new viewer could pick up on: the lumbering and powerful heels up against the plucky faces who were smaller but could run rings around them. Lots of fun tag tropes and teamwork thrown in from The Rockers made this work and showed that even before he broke out as a solo star, Shawn Michaels was earning his reputation as Mr. WrestleMania.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Bret Hart had an eventful time at Royal Rumble 1994. In the undercard, he and his brother Owen lost when challenging for the tag team titles, causing Owen to snap and brutalize Bret’s hurt leg. Bret then pulled himself together to compete in the Royal Rumble match that night, becoming co-winners with Lex Luger due to falling to the floor at the same time. It was decided that Bret would face Owen at WrestleMania in an exhibition, as he’d then go on to face the winner of Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna in the main event.
Owen was already mad about how reluctant Bret was to face him, only now he was madder that Bret was technically looking past him, as he was going to compete for the title, win or lose. On the same night that gave us the legendary ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the event peaked early with this battle between brothers. The two put on an excellent show full of amazing ringwork and reversals. That it ended with Owen cleanly getting an upset win was the icing on the cake.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21)
Awesome as this one is, it’s also a bittersweet middle to a thematic trilogy between the two competitors. At the previous WrestleMania, Eddie Guerrero successfully defended the WWE Championship and stood tall in the PPV’s final shot. In the months that followed, Eddie fell down the card and ended up as tag champ with Rey Mysterio. To open WrestleMania 21, the two partners had a singles match against each other, trying to stand on the legacy of their classic from Halloween Havoc 1997. While the two didn’t quite reach those heights, they still killed it and showed that they still had that chemistry. Despite Eddie’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep Mysterio down for three and ended up losing to a flash pin, setting the stage for a heel turn and ridiculous storyline centered around the custody of a young Dominik Mysterio.
Sadly, this would be Eddie’s final WrestleMania due to a sudden death from heart issues. In the follow-up, Rey Mysterio would win the 2006 Royal Rumble match to make his way to WrestleMania 22, where he would win the World Heavyweight Championship. All the while, it was used as a tribute to his former tag partner and one of his greatest opponents.
Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 23)
The Money in the Bank concept was introduced at WrestleMania 21 and ended up being a huge success. It wasn’t until its third installment at WrestleMania 23 that they decided to lead with it, and they went full ham by making it an eight-man match. A great set of talent here with initial winner Edge being joined by CM Punk, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy. Then you get Sharmell and Hornswoggle showing up, making this one of the more chaotic takes on the match.
There was rarely a bad Money in the Bank match, especially early on, and this one’s no different. They do get silly, like having Booker pull out a tiny ladder in the heat of the moment and the later bit where he could win the match, but Matt Hardy threatens Sharmell with a Twist of Fate unless he steps down. Then you get the crazy spots, like when Edge is laying on a ladder acting as a bridge and Jeff Hardy jumps off another ladder and into Edge. Or the time when Mr. Kennedy does the Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle off a ladder. Kennedy himself would end up winning this one, though his aftermath as the briefcase holder was entirely cursed.
Finlay vs. JBL (WrestleMania XXIV)
Mercifully, WWE was finally putting an end to one of their most grueling ongoing stories about Hornswoggle being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son. Only it turns out Vince wasn’t the father, as it was really Finlay. Sure. This was all revealed after JBL beat the leprechaun half to death, setting up this “Belfast Brawl,” which is quite a sentence I just typed. After months and months of awful McMahon sketches and segments, we were at least going to get a cool hardcore match out of it. We’ll take our wins where we can get them.
It’s rare for WrestleMania to start off with a plunder match, but this one really gets the crowd going thanks to it being two stiff workers who can take it as much as they can dish it out. This also gives us the fantastic moment where JBL is in the ring with a trash can, sees Hornswoggle scrambling around on the outside, and just whips the can at him at lightning speed. JBL winning might have been seen as a downer, but putting this whole angle out of its misery was something to be celebrated.
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
The road to WrestleMania XXX was like somebody falling down the stairs, somehow landing on their feet, and insisting that they meant to do that. Daniel Bryan was meant to be swept under the rug as a top guy, but between CM Punk’s abrupt exodus from the company, the fanbase’s complete rejection of Batista as the top face, and an utterly disastrous Royal Rumble, they ended up being bullied into a fantastic main event storyline centering around Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.
But that wasn’t his only match of the night. In order to earn his spot in the main event, he had to face evil boss Triple H at the start of the show. It was their one and only match together, which made it more of a novelty to see so early on. The two jibed perfectly and we got one of the last truly great matches in Triple H’s career. Even though this was Bryan’s match to win, Triple H’s tendency to use his real life backstage sway mixed with how many times Bryan’s fans had been burned threw in a non-zero chance that the hero wasn’t going to pull it off.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz (WrestleMania 34)
When done right, a triple threat match can really complement what the talent brings to the table. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor once had a great match to crown the first ever Universal Champion. Here, they were fighting for Miz’s Intercontinental Championship and by throwing the extra guy in there, it just allowed for a fast-paced match full of inventive spots and the ability to trade out a wrestler to rest up before jumping back into the fray.
Even with Miz being the weakest of the three wrestlers, he still adds a fantastic dynamic of being the one who takes advantage of the situation. Lots of moments of him trying to be an opportunist, including a wonderful spot where Rollins just barely escapes a roll-up pin from Balor, and is so distraught and distracted by making sure the ref only counted to two that it leaves him open for a sudden Skull-Crushing Finale. The extra man keeps spoiling the pinfalls until it’s time for Rollins to flatten both opponents one after another with his Curb Stomp.
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 35)
Brock Lesnar was at one point the ultimate threat in WWE. At the same time, Seth Rollins was being built up as a top face and was challenging him for the Universal Championship. Despite the high-profile nature of this bout, the narrative, according to Paul Heyman, was that Brock was pissed about not being the main event. If he wasn’t going to be the main event, he would open the show so he could be done with things early and skip town. Brock was so furious that he jumped Rollins during the entrance and unfairly destroyed him before the bell could even ring.
Rollins insisted on going through with the match and turned things around with an illegal punch to the balls. It was cheating, but it was justified. Rollins then spammed his Curb Stomp three times in a row to keep Brock down, winning the title in just a couple of minutes. Rollins would eventually beat Brock fair and square to give him that major rub (immediately undone by his Fiend feud), but this quick and impactful win was definitely a great start to the PPV.
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (WrestleMania 37)
WrestleMania 37 Night 1 had a very unique situation going on at the start. For one, this was the first major WWE show since the pandemic that had a full crowd. By default, this crowd starting off WrestleMania would be off the wall pumped. The problem was that there was a nasty storm that caused a major delay, and by the time they were ready to do the actual wrestling, the crowd was wet and defused.
It wasn’t instantaneous, but Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley going at it eventually woke them up. Two big, meaty men slapping meat will do that sometimes. A great pairing who played off each other well, they did a good job making both of them seem like irresistible forces and immovable objects at the same time. It did involve a screwy finish, but Lashley being able to knock out Drew with the Hurt Lock really put a bow on how dominating the Almighty could be. Definitely better than the following night’s goofball Randy Orton vs. Fiend match and its “box-like structure” bullshit.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania XL)
Fun fact, it wasn’t until WrestleMania 36 that a women’s match started off one of these shows. Even then, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors had no crowd to win over thanks to that pesky COVID thing that just made a mess of the world. We wouldn’t see any women fight it out at the beginning until the 40th WrestleMania in what was arguably the biggest potential match that WWE could put together with that division.
On one side, it was Rhea Ripley, who had an incredibly lengthy and popular run as WWE Women’s World Champion. On the other side, it was Becky Lynch, the woman who once won the main event of WrestleMania and was fresh off releasing her autobiography. It was a hard-hitting passing of the torch that’s way more impressive when you realize that Becky was also battling through strep throat that week. Even with that handicap, the two started the show off with a bang.
This article contains Sinners spoilers. In a movie suffused with otherworldly musical sequences and phantasmagorical imagery, it is easily the weirdest thing we see. Jack O’Connell’s presumably thousand-year-old Remmick is performing a Celtic jig from his homeland, and freshly turned vampires like poor disfigured Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller), lonely Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), and even rebellious […]
With a wrestling show, the opening match can be nearly as important as the main event. While the main event is about finishing the show in a climactic fashion and leaving a lasting impression, you also need to get the audience into the proceedings with a killer start. Get the blood pumping and jumpstart all the energy to carry the next few hours.
With WrestleMania being WWE’s biggest show of the year, those opening minutes can sometimes bring us some fantastic matches to get the ball rolling. Here are the openers that truly started the show off right. For the sake of ground rules, we’re counting matches on the official show itself, so no pre-shows or dark matches.
The Rockers vs. Haku and The Barbarian (WrestleMania VII)
WrestleMania VII was a solid WrestleMania show with an extra hour or so of nothing matches topped on for the sake of getting everyone a paycheck. This opener worked to that advantage, as there was zero story between The Rockers and Bobby Heenan’s goons going in, but they ended up pulling off exactly the kind of match the show needed. It helped that this was the last real gasp of tag team wrestling actually mattering in WWF and just having two teams go out there and put on a solid performance was a regular thing.
It also helped that it had a great dynamic that any new viewer could pick up on: the lumbering and powerful heels up against the plucky faces who were smaller but could run rings around them. Lots of fun tag tropes and teamwork thrown in from The Rockers made this work and showed that even before he broke out as a solo star, Shawn Michaels was earning his reputation as Mr. WrestleMania.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Bret Hart had an eventful time at Royal Rumble 1994. In the undercard, he and his brother Owen lost when challenging for the tag team titles, causing Owen to snap and brutalize Bret’s hurt leg. Bret then pulled himself together to compete in the Royal Rumble match that night, becoming co-winners with Lex Luger due to falling to the floor at the same time. It was decided that Bret would face Owen at WrestleMania in an exhibition, as he’d then go on to face the winner of Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna in the main event.
Owen was already mad about how reluctant Bret was to face him, only now he was madder that Bret was technically looking past him, as he was going to compete for the title, win or lose. On the same night that gave us the legendary ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the event peaked early with this battle between brothers. The two put on an excellent show full of amazing ringwork and reversals. That it ended with Owen cleanly getting an upset win was the icing on the cake.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21)
Awesome as this one is, it’s also a bittersweet middle to a thematic trilogy between the two competitors. At the previous WrestleMania, Eddie Guerrero successfully defended the WWE Championship and stood tall in the PPV’s final shot. In the months that followed, Eddie fell down the card and ended up as tag champ with Rey Mysterio. To open WrestleMania 21, the two partners had a singles match against each other, trying to stand on the legacy of their classic from Halloween Havoc 1997. While the two didn’t quite reach those heights, they still killed it and showed that they still had that chemistry. Despite Eddie’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep Mysterio down for three and ended up losing to a flash pin, setting the stage for a heel turn and ridiculous storyline centered around the custody of a young Dominik Mysterio.
Sadly, this would be Eddie’s final WrestleMania due to a sudden death from heart issues. In the follow-up, Rey Mysterio would win the 2006 Royal Rumble match to make his way to WrestleMania 22, where he would win the World Heavyweight Championship. All the while, it was used as a tribute to his former tag partner and one of his greatest opponents.
Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 23)
The Money in the Bank concept was introduced at WrestleMania 21 and ended up being a huge success. It wasn’t until its third installment at WrestleMania 23 that they decided to lead with it, and they went full ham by making it an eight-man match. A great set of talent here with initial winner Edge being joined by CM Punk, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy. Then you get Sharmell and Hornswoggle showing up, making this one of the more chaotic takes on the match.
There was rarely a bad Money in the Bank match, especially early on, and this one’s no different. They do get silly, like having Booker pull out a tiny ladder in the heat of the moment and the later bit where he could win the match, but Matt Hardy threatens Sharmell with a Twist of Fate unless he steps down. Then you get the crazy spots, like when Edge is laying on a ladder acting as a bridge and Jeff Hardy jumps off another ladder and into Edge. Or the time when Mr. Kennedy does the Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle off a ladder. Kennedy himself would end up winning this one, though his aftermath as the briefcase holder was entirely cursed.
Finlay vs. JBL (WrestleMania XXIV)
Mercifully, WWE was finally putting an end to one of their most grueling ongoing stories about Hornswoggle being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son. Only it turns out Vince wasn’t the father, as it was really Finlay. Sure. This was all revealed after JBL beat the leprechaun half to death, setting up this “Belfast Brawl,” which is quite a sentence I just typed. After months and months of awful McMahon sketches and segments, we were at least going to get a cool hardcore match out of it. We’ll take our wins where we can get them.
It’s rare for WrestleMania to start off with a plunder match, but this one really gets the crowd going thanks to it being two stiff workers who can take it as much as they can dish it out. This also gives us the fantastic moment where JBL is in the ring with a trash can, sees Hornswoggle scrambling around on the outside, and just whips the can at him at lightning speed. JBL winning might have been seen as a downer, but putting this whole angle out of its misery was something to be celebrated.
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
The road to WrestleMania XXX was like somebody falling down the stairs, somehow landing on their feet, and insisting that they meant to do that. Daniel Bryan was meant to be swept under the rug as a top guy, but between CM Punk’s abrupt exodus from the company, the fanbase’s complete rejection of Batista as the top face, and an utterly disastrous Royal Rumble, they ended up being bullied into a fantastic main event storyline centering around Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.
But that wasn’t his only match of the night. In order to earn his spot in the main event, he had to face evil boss Triple H at the start of the show. It was their one and only match together, which made it more of a novelty to see so early on. The two jibed perfectly and we got one of the last truly great matches in Triple H’s career. Even though this was Bryan’s match to win, Triple H’s tendency to use his real life backstage sway mixed with how many times Bryan’s fans had been burned threw in a non-zero chance that the hero wasn’t going to pull it off.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz (WrestleMania 34)
When done right, a triple threat match can really complement what the talent brings to the table. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor once had a great match to crown the first ever Universal Champion. Here, they were fighting for Miz’s Intercontinental Championship and by throwing the extra guy in there, it just allowed for a fast-paced match full of inventive spots and the ability to trade out a wrestler to rest up before jumping back into the fray.
Even with Miz being the weakest of the three wrestlers, he still adds a fantastic dynamic of being the one who takes advantage of the situation. Lots of moments of him trying to be an opportunist, including a wonderful spot where Rollins just barely escapes a roll-up pin from Balor, and is so distraught and distracted by making sure the ref only counted to two that it leaves him open for a sudden Skull-Crushing Finale. The extra man keeps spoiling the pinfalls until it’s time for Rollins to flatten both opponents one after another with his Curb Stomp.
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 35)
Brock Lesnar was at one point the ultimate threat in WWE. At the same time, Seth Rollins was being built up as a top face and was challenging him for the Universal Championship. Despite the high-profile nature of this bout, the narrative, according to Paul Heyman, was that Brock was pissed about not being the main event. If he wasn’t going to be the main event, he would open the show so he could be done with things early and skip town. Brock was so furious that he jumped Rollins during the entrance and unfairly destroyed him before the bell could even ring.
Rollins insisted on going through with the match and turned things around with an illegal punch to the balls. It was cheating, but it was justified. Rollins then spammed his Curb Stomp three times in a row to keep Brock down, winning the title in just a couple of minutes. Rollins would eventually beat Brock fair and square to give him that major rub (immediately undone by his Fiend feud), but this quick and impactful win was definitely a great start to the PPV.
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (WrestleMania 37)
WrestleMania 37 Night 1 had a very unique situation going on at the start. For one, this was the first major WWE show since the pandemic that had a full crowd. By default, this crowd starting off WrestleMania would be off the wall pumped. The problem was that there was a nasty storm that caused a major delay, and by the time they were ready to do the actual wrestling, the crowd was wet and defused.
It wasn’t instantaneous, but Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley going at it eventually woke them up. Two big, meaty men slapping meat will do that sometimes. A great pairing who played off each other well, they did a good job making both of them seem like irresistible forces and immovable objects at the same time. It did involve a screwy finish, but Lashley being able to knock out Drew with the Hurt Lock really put a bow on how dominating the Almighty could be. Definitely better than the following night’s goofball Randy Orton vs. Fiend match and its “box-like structure” bullshit.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania XL)
Fun fact, it wasn’t until WrestleMania 36 that a women’s match started off one of these shows. Even then, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors had no crowd to win over thanks to that pesky COVID thing that just made a mess of the world. We wouldn’t see any women fight it out at the beginning until the 40th WrestleMania in what was arguably the biggest potential match that WWE could put together with that division.
On one side, it was Rhea Ripley, who had an incredibly lengthy and popular run as WWE Women’s World Champion. On the other side, it was Becky Lynch, the woman who once won the main event of WrestleMania and was fresh off releasing her autobiography. It was a hard-hitting passing of the torch that’s way more impressive when you realize that Becky was also battling through strep throat that week. Even with that handicap, the two started the show off with a bang.
With a wrestling show, the opening match can be nearly as important as the main event. While the main event is about finishing the show in a climactic fashion and leaving a lasting impression, you also need to get the audience into the proceedings with a killer start. Get the blood pumping and jumpstart all […]
With a wrestling show, the opening match can be nearly as important as the main event. While the main event is about finishing the show in a climactic fashion and leaving a lasting impression, you also need to get the audience into the proceedings with a killer start. Get the blood pumping and jumpstart all the energy to carry the next few hours.
With WrestleMania being WWE’s biggest show of the year, those opening minutes can sometimes bring us some fantastic matches to get the ball rolling. Here are the openers that truly started the show off right. For the sake of ground rules, we’re counting matches on the official show itself, so no pre-shows or dark matches.
The Rockers vs. Haku and The Barbarian (WrestleMania VII)
WrestleMania VII was a solid WrestleMania show with an extra hour or so of nothing matches topped on for the sake of getting everyone a paycheck. This opener worked to that advantage, as there was zero story between The Rockers and Bobby Heenan’s goons going in, but they ended up pulling off exactly the kind of match the show needed. It helped that this was the last real gasp of tag team wrestling actually mattering in WWF and just having two teams go out there and put on a solid performance was a regular thing.
It also helped that it had a great dynamic that any new viewer could pick up on: the lumbering and powerful heels up against the plucky faces who were smaller but could run rings around them. Lots of fun tag tropes and teamwork thrown in from The Rockers made this work and showed that even before he broke out as a solo star, Shawn Michaels was earning his reputation as Mr. WrestleMania.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Bret Hart had an eventful time at Royal Rumble 1994. In the undercard, he and his brother Owen lost when challenging for the tag team titles, causing Owen to snap and brutalize Bret’s hurt leg. Bret then pulled himself together to compete in the Royal Rumble match that night, becoming co-winners with Lex Luger due to falling to the floor at the same time. It was decided that Bret would face Owen at WrestleMania in an exhibition, as he’d then go on to face the winner of Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna in the main event.
Owen was already mad about how reluctant Bret was to face him, only now he was madder that Bret was technically looking past him, as he was going to compete for the title, win or lose. On the same night that gave us the legendary ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the event peaked early with this battle between brothers. The two put on an excellent show full of amazing ringwork and reversals. That it ended with Owen cleanly getting an upset win was the icing on the cake.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21)
Awesome as this one is, it’s also a bittersweet middle to a thematic trilogy between the two competitors. At the previous WrestleMania, Eddie Guerrero successfully defended the WWE Championship and stood tall in the PPV’s final shot. In the months that followed, Eddie fell down the card and ended up as tag champ with Rey Mysterio. To open WrestleMania 21, the two partners had a singles match against each other, trying to stand on the legacy of their classic from Halloween Havoc 1997. While the two didn’t quite reach those heights, they still killed it and showed that they still had that chemistry. Despite Eddie’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep Mysterio down for three and ended up losing to a flash pin, setting the stage for a heel turn and ridiculous storyline centered around the custody of a young Dominik Mysterio.
Sadly, this would be Eddie’s final WrestleMania due to a sudden death from heart issues. In the follow-up, Rey Mysterio would win the 2006 Royal Rumble match to make his way to WrestleMania 22, where he would win the World Heavyweight Championship. All the while, it was used as a tribute to his former tag partner and one of his greatest opponents.
Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 23)
The Money in the Bank concept was introduced at WrestleMania 21 and ended up being a huge success. It wasn’t until its third installment at WrestleMania 23 that they decided to lead with it, and they went full ham by making it an eight-man match. A great set of talent here with initial winner Edge being joined by CM Punk, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy, and Matt Hardy. Then you get Sharmell and Hornswoggle showing up, making this one of the more chaotic takes on the match.
There was rarely a bad Money in the Bank match, especially early on, and this one’s no different. They do get silly, like having Booker pull out a tiny ladder in the heat of the moment and the later bit where he could win the match, but Matt Hardy threatens Sharmell with a Twist of Fate unless he steps down. Then you get the crazy spots, like when Edge is laying on a ladder acting as a bridge and Jeff Hardy jumps off another ladder and into Edge. Or the time when Mr. Kennedy does the Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle off a ladder. Kennedy himself would end up winning this one, though his aftermath as the briefcase holder was entirely cursed.
Finlay vs. JBL (WrestleMania XXIV)
Mercifully, WWE was finally putting an end to one of their most grueling ongoing stories about Hornswoggle being Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son. Only it turns out Vince wasn’t the father, as it was really Finlay. Sure. This was all revealed after JBL beat the leprechaun half to death, setting up this “Belfast Brawl,” which is quite a sentence I just typed. After months and months of awful McMahon sketches and segments, we were at least going to get a cool hardcore match out of it. We’ll take our wins where we can get them.
It’s rare for WrestleMania to start off with a plunder match, but this one really gets the crowd going thanks to it being two stiff workers who can take it as much as they can dish it out. This also gives us the fantastic moment where JBL is in the ring with a trash can, sees Hornswoggle scrambling around on the outside, and just whips the can at him at lightning speed. JBL winning might have been seen as a downer, but putting this whole angle out of its misery was something to be celebrated.
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
The road to WrestleMania XXX was like somebody falling down the stairs, somehow landing on their feet, and insisting that they meant to do that. Daniel Bryan was meant to be swept under the rug as a top guy, but between CM Punk’s abrupt exodus from the company, the fanbase’s complete rejection of Batista as the top face, and an utterly disastrous Royal Rumble, they ended up being bullied into a fantastic main event storyline centering around Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.
But that wasn’t his only match of the night. In order to earn his spot in the main event, he had to face evil boss Triple H at the start of the show. It was their one and only match together, which made it more of a novelty to see so early on. The two jibed perfectly and we got one of the last truly great matches in Triple H’s career. Even though this was Bryan’s match to win, Triple H’s tendency to use his real life backstage sway mixed with how many times Bryan’s fans had been burned threw in a non-zero chance that the hero wasn’t going to pull it off.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz (WrestleMania 34)
When done right, a triple threat match can really complement what the talent brings to the table. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor once had a great match to crown the first ever Universal Champion. Here, they were fighting for Miz’s Intercontinental Championship and by throwing the extra guy in there, it just allowed for a fast-paced match full of inventive spots and the ability to trade out a wrestler to rest up before jumping back into the fray.
Even with Miz being the weakest of the three wrestlers, he still adds a fantastic dynamic of being the one who takes advantage of the situation. Lots of moments of him trying to be an opportunist, including a wonderful spot where Rollins just barely escapes a roll-up pin from Balor, and is so distraught and distracted by making sure the ref only counted to two that it leaves him open for a sudden Skull-Crushing Finale. The extra man keeps spoiling the pinfalls until it’s time for Rollins to flatten both opponents one after another with his Curb Stomp.
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 35)
Brock Lesnar was at one point the ultimate threat in WWE. At the same time, Seth Rollins was being built up as a top face and was challenging him for the Universal Championship. Despite the high-profile nature of this bout, the narrative, according to Paul Heyman, was that Brock was pissed about not being the main event. If he wasn’t going to be the main event, he would open the show so he could be done with things early and skip town. Brock was so furious that he jumped Rollins during the entrance and unfairly destroyed him before the bell could even ring.
Rollins insisted on going through with the match and turned things around with an illegal punch to the balls. It was cheating, but it was justified. Rollins then spammed his Curb Stomp three times in a row to keep Brock down, winning the title in just a couple of minutes. Rollins would eventually beat Brock fair and square to give him that major rub (immediately undone by his Fiend feud), but this quick and impactful win was definitely a great start to the PPV.
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (WrestleMania 37)
WrestleMania 37 Night 1 had a very unique situation going on at the start. For one, this was the first major WWE show since the pandemic that had a full crowd. By default, this crowd starting off WrestleMania would be off the wall pumped. The problem was that there was a nasty storm that caused a major delay, and by the time they were ready to do the actual wrestling, the crowd was wet and defused.
It wasn’t instantaneous, but Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley going at it eventually woke them up. Two big, meaty men slapping meat will do that sometimes. A great pairing who played off each other well, they did a good job making both of them seem like irresistible forces and immovable objects at the same time. It did involve a screwy finish, but Lashley being able to knock out Drew with the Hurt Lock really put a bow on how dominating the Almighty could be. Definitely better than the following night’s goofball Randy Orton vs. Fiend match and its “box-like structure” bullshit.
Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania XL)
Fun fact, it wasn’t until WrestleMania 36 that a women’s match started off one of these shows. Even then, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors had no crowd to win over thanks to that pesky COVID thing that just made a mess of the world. We wouldn’t see any women fight it out at the beginning until the 40th WrestleMania in what was arguably the biggest potential match that WWE could put together with that division.
On one side, it was Rhea Ripley, who had an incredibly lengthy and popular run as WWE Women’s World Champion. On the other side, it was Becky Lynch, the woman who once won the main event of WrestleMania and was fresh off releasing her autobiography. It was a hard-hitting passing of the torch that’s way more impressive when you realize that Becky was also battling through strep throat that week. Even with that handicap, the two started the show off with a bang.
Surprises in wrestling can be hard to pull off. Sometimes things are so telegraphed that any fan could figure out every story beat weeks, or even months, in advance. A betrayal, a big return, or a major title change could be treated as surprising despite the narrative making it obvious to the viewer. At the […]
“We love getting to play with the incredible DC library of characters and stories,” declares DC Studios co-head Peter Safran. “And we really want to do justice for them.” Safran’s comments come as part of a new Superman clip focused on James Gunn‘s process of discovering the story and the actors’ passion for the characters in the director’s reinterpretation of the Kal-El mythos.
The producer’s observation also shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone following his and Gunn’s work in the DC Universe. After all, The Suicide Squad pitted Z-Listers like Javelin and Bloodsport against Starro the Conqueror. Meanwhile Peacemaker referenced Matter-Eater Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes. So yes, Superman has some surprising pulls, including Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner. But the weirdest inclusion just got his first big reveal in the below sizzle reel…
In Superman, Metamorpho the Element Man, played by Barry breakout Anthony Carrigan, is a whole new breed of strange. And while we’ve seen a glimpse of Metamorpho’s face in previous Superman teasers, this new Superman Day footage gives fans their first full-look at Carrigan’s Metamorpho in action, which somehow manages to be even weirder in live action than on the page.
Of course Metamorpho was made to be weird. Originally the idea of DC editor George Kashdan, who wanted to see a science based hero, Metamorpho was developed by writer Bob Haney and pioneering illustrator Ramona Fradon. Fradon wanted to go beyond the traditional superhero look for the character, eschewing the full-body tights for skin of four different colors and textures, one for each of the four elements.
Kashdan, Haney, and Fradon introduced Metamorpho to the world in 1965’s The Brave and the Bold #57. More swingin’ ’60s adventure than standard superhero tale, the story followed adventurer Rex Mason to Egypt where he sought the Orb of Ra for his employer Simon Stagg. On their boss’ orders, Stagg’s henchman Java, an unfrozen caveman, traps Rex in a pyramid and leaves him there for dead. However, a meteorite trapped within the pyramid emits cosmic rays which transform Stagg’s body, giving him the ability to assume the form of any element. Thus Metamorpho was born.
Metamorpho’s initial adventures played like wacky takes on James Bond stories, complete with secret lairs, globetrotting capers, and a best girl in the form of Sapphire Stagg, Simon’s daughter. Eventually, Metamorpho moved more into the mainline superhero world of the DC Universe, most notably in the Outsiders, a team of misfits that Batman put together upon leaving the Justice League.
Placing him alongside characters like Katana and Black Lightning, Outsiders writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jim Aparo made Metamorpho more of a crusty, blue-collar guy in the vein of the Thing of the Fantastic Four. He still had his beautiful girlfriend and her duplicitous father, but Metamorpho seemed more like a regular guy who had a stroke of bad luck compared to his teammates.
That characterization has continued on since the mid-1980s in the pages of Justice League Europe, in the edgier reboot of the Outsiders in the 2000s (where he acquired the facial swirls used for Carrigan’s version), and especially in The Terrifics, a DC comics take on the Fantastic Four. Recently, writer Al Ewing and artist Steve Lieber have brought the character back to his ’60s mod roots with a delightful new ongoing about Metamorpho’s strange adventures.
The black and white pants that Carrigan’s Metamorpho sports in Superman certainly recall his costume in The Terrifics, as do those worn by other side heroes in the movie, including Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, and, of course, Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific. Moreover, a scene featured heavily in the promotional material shows Gardner and Hawkgirl coming to confront Superman in a building with Stagg Enterprises signage.
It seems likely, then, that Mr. Terrific, Gardner, and Hawkgirl all serve with Metamorpho on a variation of the Terrifics, one run by Mr. Terrific, but supported in some way by Simon Stagg. Then again, DC hasn’t announced an actor to play Stagg yet, and they have announced that Sean Gunn will appear as Maxwell Lord, a character who often finances the Justice League. Will Superman‘s Metamorpho be connected somehow to the major threats that Superman must face? Will he be a shagadelic adventurer? Will he be a blue-collar everyman? We can’t tell yet, but we can be sure of one thing. However Metamorpho appears in Superman, he will be weird.