For the third year in a row, WWE expanded their annual WrestleMania event to a massive two-night spectacle in 2022, ensuring a full weekend of unforgettable matches and moments. While not every performance lived up to its potential—and some admittedly fell completely flat—even the most jaded of fans will likely agree that WrestleMania 38 delivered in a big way. From "Stone Cold" Steve Austin coming out of retirement to the return of Cody Rhodes and a winner-take-all main event for both world championships, the "Showcase of the Immortals" provided hours of entertainment in a way that only WWE can.
WrestleMania 38 took over AT&T Stadium and the greater Dallas, TX area for several days including and leading up to the big two-day event. WrestleMania Saturday was headlined by The KO Show, a talk show segment hosted by Kevin Owens that turned into an impromptu match against one of wrestling's all-time greats: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The show also featured two big women's championship bouts, and Cody Rhodes' first WWE match since he left the company in 2016. WrestleMania Sunday was headlined for the third time by Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, as the two waged war to decide the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
While celebrities have been a part of the WrestleMania spectacle ever since the event's conception in 1985, this year's event featured three actual matches involving celebrities and non-wrestling personalities in action. What's more, to the surprise of virtually everyone, each of these matches were wildly popular with fans and ended up being some of the most entertaining performances of the whole weekend. From former NFL punter Pat McAfee electrifying Dallas to the Jackass crew and the ever-controversial Logan Paul stepping into the ring, WrestleMania 38 was can't-miss for all the right reasons. Here's a full breakdown of every single WrestleMania 38 match, ranked worst to best.
16. Mr. McMahon defeated Pat McAfee
Clocking in at just 3 minutes and 45 seconds, this was the second shortest match of WrestleMania 38 weekend—and arguably should have been much shorter. This bonus content came after former NFL punter Pat McAfee's all-star performance and victory against Mr. McMahon's hand-picked protégé, Austin Theory. Essentially an elongated 2-on-1 beatdown, this "match" was an excuse for 76-year-old Vince McMahon to finally get a WrestleMania win. In execution, McAfee seemed to have a little too much fight left in him from beating Theory, before taking a few weak clotheslines from the boss and eating the pin—although to be fair, he also had his groin rammed into the ring post.
At best this felt obligatory, and at worst it completely invalidated a highly entertaining win that McAfee earned just moments prior. The good news is, McAfee is primarily a color commentator, and taking an "L" really doesn't mean anything long-term. Getting rid of this short match entirely, or having Theory brutally attack McAfee with a chair to make McMahon's win more believable may have helped the show flow better overall. Thankfully, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin capping this all off with a series of stunners and copious amounts of beer made it all worth it, giving fans one more special moment between WWE's greatest adversaries.
15. Sheamus & Ridge Holland defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
These four really got the short end of the stick. Their match was pulled from WrestleMania Saturday entirely, despite the show featuring a troubling number of recaps, advertisements and video packages for night two. When it aired on WrestleMania Sunday, they were given less than two minutes after entrances for what was basically your average TV segment. All four did their best to elevate the performance given the special occasion, with Kofi hitting Trouble in Paradise right out of the gates, and Sheamus promptly Brogue Kicking him out of the air. The match started well enough and seemed to have potential, but interference from the absurdly renamed Butch (fka Pete Dunne) led to a quick win for the villains. Largely a waste of two former world champions and the most popular WWE tag team of the last decade on the big stage. At least the new guy got a win.
14. Smackdown Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Jey Uso defeated Rick Boogs & Shinsuke Nakamura
This was on track to be a good tag team match, but an unfortunately all-too-real injury quickly forced them to call an audible in the very first match of WrestleMania Saturday. Shinsuke Nakamura kicked things off with some explosive offense, and Rick Boogs got a good reaction from an impressive lunging vertical suplex. Shortly after The Usos began to dominate the action, Boogs attempted to scoop up both brothers and blew out his knee. Nakamura tried to salvage what he could on his own, but with the extent of Boogs' injury unknown, the decision was made to quickly finish the match and keep the titles on The Usos.
13. Bobby Lashley defeated Omos
Omos is billed at 7-foot-3 weighing around 400 pounds. While WWE is famous for exaggerating these kinds of details, it was genuinely frightening watching this giant of a man toss around Bobby Lashley—a nearly 300-pound heavyweight in his own right—like it was nothing. While his offense is certainly not pretty, Omos doesn't need to do very much to look effective; dropping someone from 10 feet in the air generally gets the trick done. This felt like the kind of spectacle that would have ruled in the late 80s/early 90s era of WrestleMania, but that doesn't mean there wasn't fun to be had in 2022. The crowd was into Lashley as he attempted to chip down the big man, and at under 7 minutes, the match thankfully didn't overstay its welcome.
12. Smackdown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair defeated Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey has been a polarizing figure for wrestling fans since her arrival in WWE, and unfortunately, her recent stretch since returning at the 2022 Royal Rumble has done very little to change hearts and minds. Ronda is a judo expert so there are certain things she can do really, really well. There are flashes of brilliance and moments where her performance syncs up with what the fans are feeling—like when she got too cocky and Charlotte speared her into next week, or when she grapevined an ankle lock on the champion and the crowd went wild for it—but also far too many times where Ronda's moves were just moves, lacking the emotional cohesion of a great wrestling match. It started well and ended... fine, but this was a far cry from their Survivor Series 2018 match and struggled to retain people's attention.
11. Drew McIntyre defeated Happy Corbin
For a program based around Happy Corbin stealing Drew McIntyre's sword and mocking his dead mother, this match was only a mildly elevated version of just about every TV singles match on Raw and Smackdown. McIntyre did pull off his impressive summersault dive over the top rope, and became the first person to ever kick out of Corbin's finishing move, the End of Days, but those were the key highlights in an otherwise unspectacular affair. Outside of some polite boos for Corbin, the crowd didn't really engage until the aforementioned kick-out, which came right before the end. This was fine, and nothing more.
10. Johnny Knoxville defeated Sami Zayn
While the furthest thing from a great, technical professional wrestling match, this real-life version of Mouse Trap was far more entertaining than it had any right to be. Johnny Knoxville and the whole Jackass crew came prepared—and not just with the myriad of bizarre contraptions and ready-made weapons they'd hidden around ringside. The wholly unhinged Sami Zayn played the perfect Tom Cat to Knoxville's Jerry Mouse, and the crowd, somewhat surprisingly, loved every minute of it. Dozens of past WWE celebrity guests will tell you, that is far from a guarantee. Stunts included a fire extinguisher, trash can lids as symbols, a stop sign, a table covered in mouse traps, a bowling ball, a giant spring-loaded hand, grill tongs, a live taser and a man-sized mouse trap. Jackass star Chris "Party Boy" Pontius also did some awkward dancing and grinding (in a banana hammock) while Wee Man got one of the biggest crowd reactions of the night after emerging from underneath the ring and raining down punches on the enemy. It's likely that when this match was first announced, many fans assumed it would be an unmitigated disaster. And while not everything came off perfectly, thanks to the dedication of both Sami Zayn and the entire Jackass crew they ended up putting on one of the most entertaining celebrity appearances in WWE WrestleMania history.
9. Naomi & Sasha Banks Win The WWE Women's Tag Team Titles
Clocking in just shy of 11 minutes, this four-way tag team match was a non-stop tornado of action. Sasha Banks and Liv Morgan were arguably the biggest standouts, with some great exchanges between the two early on. The big difference between this and the men's triple threat tag match earlier in the show is a lack of cohesion between some of the teams. WWE's lack of consistency with their women's tag teams leads to these kinds of matches being a flurry of moves that begin to blend together after a while, whereas more established teams like the Street Profits and even RK-Bro are able to develop recognizable patterns that help organize the chaos and keep viewers engaged. For example, within 24 hours of this match WWE split up Zelina Vega and Carmella, the former champions, and teased Rhea Ripley turning on Liv Morgan. That's not to say it wasn't a good match—all eight women worked hard and included a few spots to take things to that WrestleMania level, including a double Tower of Doom spot. The really good news is that after six consecutive years of coming up short on the Grandest Stage of Them All, "The Boss" finally got a big victory at WrestleMania.
8. Edge defeated AJ Styles
When a potential dream match like Edge vs. AJ Styles is met with 20+ minutes of polite tolerance from an otherwise energized WrestleMania crowd, it may be time to reexamine a few things. These two veterans of the craft did all the right things, played all the right cards, and had, technically, a very good pro-wrestling match. They had a great opening stretch, created weaknesses that were exploited frequently throughout the match to create additional drama, and really leaned hard on these story beats as the action came to its conclusion. Styles at one point even popped his shoulder back in to play up an injury sustained in their first encounter back at the 2020 Royal Rumble, showing just how smart a villain Edge really is in the ring. Unfortunately, the Dallas crowd largely sat on their hands and seemingly had little interest in the meal the Superstars were serving up. Part of the problem—other than going to phase two and slowing things down far too early and parking it there—may be that fans aren't connecting with Edge's frequently over-the-top character work since coming back. His in-ring psychology is still second to very few, but that has little to do with the long, rambling nonsensical promos he frequently delivers from dark rooms.
7. Pat McAfee defeated Austin Theory
It feels wrong to rank this above the long-awaited singles collision of Edge and AJ Styles, but at the end of the day, the reaction from the crowd will tell you everything you need to know. For one night, former NFL punter Pat McAfee appeared to be the biggest star in WWE, strutting down the aisle surrounded by Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders as 70,000+ chanted along with The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". Sports entertainment is all about how you present it, and although he's not a full-time wrestler (with only two WWE matches under his belt before this) McAfee's uncanny ability to make things work has more to do with his commitment to the bit than anything else. Austin Theory is a very charismatic young star who had the often thankless job of playing the obnoxious villain, but McAfee earned every bit of the monstrous reaction he received at AT&T Stadium during WrestleMania Sunday. Not including some of the awkward bits after the bell rang, from beginning to end this segment was one of the highlights of the whole weekend, and everyone involved should be incredibly proud.
6. Winner Take All: Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated WWE Champion Brock Lesnar
It took them eight years and three attempts but WWE finally figured out how to book Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns and get the crowd to react as intended. Unfortunately, as this was the ninth time the two had shared a ring with the world title on the line—including the 2016 Royal Rumble match—there wasn't a lot they could offer that fans hadn't already seen several times before. The spot where two huge dudes break the barricade, for instance, is wrestling's current well-beaten dead horse. Thankfully a lack of originality was somewhat countered by a hot WrestleMania Sunday crowd who genuinely wanted to see the "Beast Incarnate" whoop the ass of the so-called "Tribal Chief".
Lesnar and Reigns had a fairly normal main event match for them, elevated by the idea that fans have seen them both end big matches with a single move in the past. Any spear, F5, Kimura Lock, or even a well-placed Superman Punch had the potential of ending it. In a vacuum, this was probably the second-best match of the Lesnar/Reigns rivalry, right after their first, far more explosive encounter at WrestleMania 32. A lot of fans were seemingly left disappointed, however, expecting them to find a new level or some kind of extra-special moment to make it worthy of the main event of WrestleMania—particularly one the company billed as "the biggest WrestleMania match of all time". Still, this entry in their long, storied rivalry certainly had its high points and will likely be looked at with much kinder eyes a few years down the road.
5. The Miz & Logan Paul defeated Dominik & Rey Mysterio
Yes, that is Logan Paul coming to the ring with the most expensive Pokemon card in the world around his neck—as if people needed more of a reason to boo this man. The YouTube sensation teamed with former WWE Champion The Miz for a highly entertaining tag team match against lucha libre legend Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik. Paul's worked punches actually looked better than some actual wrestlers on the card, but it's his natural charisma and ability to work a crowd that came in really handy here. Every time the good guys got a shot in on him, the crowd went wild. When he actually pulled off the late Eddie Guerrero's signature Three Amigos and a top rope Frog Splash, in Dallas no less, he became public enemy number one. Dominik did most of the heavy lifting throughout the actual match, taking on both guys with a flurry of offense early on before falling prey to the underhanded tacts of The Miz—who is essentially WWE's version of Logan Paul. In the end, Miz snuck out the victory but it was his post-match turn and attack on Paul that got one of the biggest crowd reactions of the entire weekend.
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kevin Owens
Never say never in professional wrestling. Arguably the biggest WWE Superstar of all time, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin dominated the industry at its hottest period, invading mainstream culture throughout the Attitude Era in a way that few others ever could. At WrestleMania 38, the "Texas Rattlesnake" accepted an impromptu match against Kevin Owens; his first in 19 years and a moment that wrestling fans genuinely never thought they would see again. While not a technical display in any way, Austin found his groove again with every wild swing and stomp in the corner. Fans held their breath when he took a suplex on the concrete, but it seemed to only fire up Austin even more—he actually went on to suplex Owens at the top of the entrance ramp multiple times, almost as a direct response to people's concerns. KO of course gave freely and made the Hall of Famer look tremendous. While this may have not been the best wrestling match of the weekend, fans got to see "Stone Cold" kick ass, stomp a mudhole, drop a stunner and chug beer in the middle of the ring one more time, creating one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history.
3. RK-Bro Retained The WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
Randy Orton and former UFC fighter turned WWE Superstar Riddle have found an unlikely chemistry that's turned into quite an entertaining Raw Tag Team Championship run. While history tells us that it will inevitably end with Orton dropping his partner with an RKO out of nowhere, for now the two make great partners and put on another excellent match at WrestleMania 38. Of course, working against the Street Profits is always an easy day at the office, but Riddle's chemistry with both Montez Ford and Alpha Academy's Chad Gable was off the charts, allowing for some tremendous athletic exchanges. Otis and Angelo Dawkins added that big-man factor that can change the tone on a dime, and of course the crowd waited patiently for "The Viper" to strike, popping big time when he finally got the hot tag towards the end of the match. The crowd was really into RK-Bro's tandem offense, capping off with Riddle delivering a surprising springboard RKO off the top rope, and Orton following with an RKO of his own to score the win.
2. Cody Rhodes defeated Seth Rollins
It may still be a bit weird to see Cody Rhodes—who up until recently was an Executive Vice President of All Elite Wrestling—walking the ramp at WrestleMania once again, but the Dallas crowd certainly welcomed the "American Nightmare" home with open arms. Cody has expressed that he returned to WWE to win the "big one", not only for himself but for his late father, the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. He kicked off that journey with a tremendous win over Seth Rollins, putting down one of the best WWE has to offer in his first at-bat. This was arguably Cody's best WWE match ever, showing fans just how much he's improved since 2016 in addition to what he's capable of when given a real chance to be taken seriously as a top star. Not to discount Rollins, who can sell a match before the bell even rings. While the two started out slow, things picked up as they found their groove and the last 7-8 minutes were some of the best wrestling of the entire weekend.
1. Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch To Win The WWE Raw Women's Title
The best match of WrestleMania 38 weekend took place halfway through night one, and in retrospect probably should have been granted a better place on the card. Fans were fully invested in Bianca Belair and stuck with her throughout the 19-minute title fight—which is particularly great because she took one hell of a one-sided beating for the majority of the match. The two Superstars sold fans before the action even began, with raw emotion on Belair's face, in stark contrast to the murderous, empty gaze of Becky Lynch, who slowly unraveled as things proceeded. The actual match itself was tremendous, with Becky controlling most of the action until Belair finally found her second gear, completely changing her demeanor as she launched into an all-out assault on the now-former champion. It all culminated in an amazing backflip counter from Belair, the KOD, and a three-count that sent the Dallas crowd into a frenzy. The only mildly disappointing factor is that it wasn't the main event, as it may have even topped Belair's bout with Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37 with the added buzz and excitement of going on last.