WrestleMania 37: 5 Big takeaways from Night One
The opening night of WrestleMania 37 saw a paying audience attend a live WWE event for the first time in over a year.
The show was witnessed by a sell-out crowd of 25,625 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida - and fans were treated to a great night of action.
After being forced to stage last year's WrestleMania inside an empty Performance Center due to COVID-19, the company was understandably thrilled to have the WWE Universe back in person.
The significance of the moment was highlighted when Vince McMahon chose to open the pay-per-view in-person.
The WWE Chairman rarely appears on television these days, but he came out on the stage at the start of the show. Joined by the WWE roster, McMahon thanked the crowd and welcomed them to WrestleMania in his own trademark style.
Not even a 45 minute delay to the start of the event because of thunderstorms in the local area could dampen the enthusiasm of the fans. Having been starved of live WWE action for so long, the weather warning simply served to add more anticipation to the opening bout of the evening.
Once safety concerns were out of the way, the first installment of WrestleMania 37 delivered in a big way. From great matches, to title changes and career-making performances, the show will live long in the memory. Here are five big takeaways from the pay-per-view.
5. Bobby Lashley defeats Drew McIntyre in the opening match of WrestleMania 37 to retain the WWE Championship
Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar in the main event of last year's WrestleMania to become WWE Champion for the very first time.
However, as great of an accomplishment as that was, McIntyre was denied his crowning moment in front of a live crowd because the match took place behind closed doors.
Fans of The Scottish Warrior had hoped he could begin another title reign at WrestleMania 37 by dethroning reigning WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. It was not to be, though. Instead of recording a famous WWE Championship win in the first match back in front of a live audience, McIntyre ended up passing out to The Hurt Lock.
Lashley retained the gold, but McIntyre can point to the fact MVP distracted him in the final stages of the match.
It is likely these two men will end up squaring off again in the near future. This finish seems to be part of a wider redemption story for McIntyre, who looked devastated after the match.
Drew McIntyre will win WWE's grandest prize again, but it may not happen as soon as many had assumed.