WWE WrestleMania 36: Ranking every match on Night 1

The first night of WrestleMania 36 is in the books and boy, wasn't that something?

It was one of the most unique shows in WWE history, with a variety of big moments happening in different circumstances. The first half of the show saw some anticlimactic endings before business picked up in the second half. It was pretty eventful and not at all short of action.

WWE put on the best show they could in the dire situation our planet finds itself in and we should appreciate that, even if not everything on the show delivered. Night 1 had some of the "middle-of-the-road" matches, with Night 2 being headlined by the meaty trinity of Lesnar vs McIntyre, Edge vs Orton and Cena vs Wyatt.

This was still a fun watch, especially a few matches in particular. Here is every match from Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 ranked, from worst to best.

#9 Goldberg vs Braun Strowman (Universal Championship)

This match had zero build and it didn't even have a kayfabe reason for happening after replacing the initially planned Goldberg vs Roman Reigns match. There is a lot of history to play on with Braun Strowman, involving the Universal Championship and Reigns himself.

It was basically two minutes of finishing moves. We only saw spears and powerslams, with the latter winning out in the end. Strowman definitively recorded the victory and won his first Universal Title, after failing on countless occasions.

This was just like any other Goldberg match except there was no crowd, which made a big difference. It was a very strange watch, especially seeing Braun Strowman win a world title with no build to it after losing so many times when he was built as a threat.

Well, let's see what the Monster Among Men will have in store for us as the top champion of SmackDown on FOX.

#8 Elias vs King Corbin

Out of every match built up for WrestleMania 36, this seemed like the least exciting matches and angles heading into the event. And while Elias and King Corbin did not have a great contest, it was better and more serious than expected.

The Drifter showed some real fire straight away and even hit Corbin with his guitar before the match. The action was standard, but the finish took away from it. Elias got the victory with a roll-up, while the King could have really used a dominant win here.

#7 Drew Gulak vs Cesaro

This was the first piece of action of the night, from the pre-show. Drew Gulak and Cesaro wrestled an extremely solid bout for five minutes, serving as a competitive pre-cursor to the Intercontinental Championship match between their respective allies.

The match was technically sound and provided some fun action, even if it was pretty short. Cesaro picked up the win with an impressive looking airplane spin. Hopefully, these two get a chance to expand on their promising chemistry with each other.

#6 Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan (Intercontinental Championship)

Having spoken about the kickoff match between Drew Gulak and Cesaro, the two of them accompanied their respective allies for this match, as did Shinsuke Nakamura. Sami Zayn's work as a heel was perfectly infuriating, doing a good job in making everyone want to see Daniel Bryan get his hands on him.

After minutes of chasing, Bryan hit some of his famous moves on the 'Great Liberator' and looked like he would win the Intercontinental Championship. Gulak even took out Cesaro and Nakamura, before the two of them returned the favor towards the end of the match.

After Bryan's focus was on the outside happenings, Zayn took advantage with a mid-air Helluva Kick to retain his title. It was a decent match, probably the best one a heel "manager" has ever had.

While it may have been an underwhelming spot for Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, this match served its purpose and it will be interesting to see what direction Zayn and the IC Title are headed towards.

#5 Kabuki Warriors vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship)

As the first match of WrestleMania 36 proper, this women's tag title match did a good job to set the tone for the rest of the show. The in-ring action was pretty solid and all four women expressed and entertained during the match.

Alexa Bliss had a good night, shining for her team alongside Nikki Cross. The Kabuki Warriors implemented some solid heel tactics and controlled the majority of the match, which was given a big chunk of time.

WWE had to make certain edits from multiple takes but the match still felt smooth enough, with the action spilling all across the ringside area. Asuka and Kairi Sane seemed to have a perpetual advantage and looked set to retain, but the babyface team mounted a comeback on multiple occasions.

In the end, Bliss and Cross both hit their finishers on Sane before picking up the victory and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. It was a standard tag team match, lasting a good 15 minutes and producing the first feel-good moment of the show.

#4 Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler (RAW Women's Championship)

It was a genuine surprise for the WWE Universe to see Becky Lynch's RAW Women's Championship defense take place before the end of the first hour of the show. However, the action we saw was no surprise. It was competitive and vicious from the get-go.

Shayna Baszler took control of the match and looked to tear The Man apart, but the year-long champion held on and fought through the onslaught. It was just solid action throughout, with more sports and less entertainment than the previous women's match.

The pace was also pretty quick, with both women jamming a lot of stuff into the match that did not even go 10 minutes. The quick counter pin finish was an innovative way of having Lynch retain the title while protecting Baszler, although it had been used against the former NXT Women's Champion before.

This was a good match and felt more like a fight, thanks to the urgency and intensity shown by both, Lynch and Baszler.

#3 Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens

This was the culmination of a long rivalry, dating back to December. After involving many different players, including half of the RAW tag team division, it came down to Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens inside an empty Performance Center.

It was poetic for Owens, whose WrestleMania moment came at the same place where he proved his doubters wrong. He had a great showing against the 'Monday Night Messiah', with the two of them trading some of the best moves of their respective arsenals.

The match came to a temporary halt when Rollins hit KO with a ring bell but upon a further challenge, it then became No Disqualification. That was when things got crazy for Kevin Owens. He climbed to the top of the WrestleMania sign and put his dastardly nemesis through the announce table.

One Stunner later, and KO had earned his 'Mania moment. It was a really good match which got better and better over time. The conclusion of the match, and the feud, was pretty great as well.

#2 John Morrison vs Kofi Kingston vs Jimmy Uso (Ladder Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship)

Due to The Miz's apparent condition, this triple threat tag team ladder match happened with one member subtracted from each team. But then came the concern over how well would a ladder match come off without any crowd.

John Morrison, Jimmy Uso, and Kofi Kingston did a phenomenal job in this match, with some innovative offense involving ladders. It must have been difficult, considering the circumstances and the quick change in short order.

Each competitor took incredible risks in this match, with Morrison's tightrope walk into a Spanish Fly standing out in particular. The end was also an innovative one, which perfectly demonstrated the dynamic of the match.

Morrison, Kingston, and Uso were pulling down the belts at the same time and as the two babyfaces seemed to have thwarted the Prince of Parkour, the belts were in his grasp for his fall. It was a terrific effort and showcased the consummate professionalism of all three men involved in this unique ladder match.

#1 AJ Styles vs The Undertaker (Boneyard Match)

Because of course. This was the best thing WWE could have done with this match. It was unique, creepy and captivating. After the promos that AJ Styles and The Undertaker cut on each other, a lot of brutality, smoke, and mirrors were expected, and delivered, in this Boneyard Match.

The Undertaker entered the scene on a motorcycle, back as the American Badass. The two proceeded to have an unorthodox fight, with the presentation of the match also incredibly different. The cinematic elements to the production of this match were brilliant, adding to the "spectacle".

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows also showed up, with several cloaked followers, only to get beaten up by The Undertaker. There were shovels, dirt and (actual) tombstones involved in this hokey brawl.

'Taker magically appeared behind Styles after being laid out in an open grave, before proceeding to kill the entire OC. And after kicking an apologetic Phenomenal One into the grave and dumping a pile of dirt onto him, the Phenom was victorious.

WWE took a lot of inspiration from Matt Hardy's compound shenanigans while producing this piece and it came off really well. This was extremely entertaining in the best way possible and made The Undertaker look the best he has in five years.

The excellent execution of this Boneyard match has filled the WWE Universe with anticipation and excitement for tomorrow's Firefly Fun House match between John Cena and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. It was a cinematic masterpiece.

And the way WWE has delivered on Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 as a whole, Night 2 promises to be an absolute cracker!

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