Night one of WrestleMania 42 is in the books. On that card, “The Ring General” Gunther vs. Seth Rollins; Not on the card, the major surprise return.
Gunther, certainly not one to use flashy gimmicks as part of his repertoire, came to the ring first. Rollins followed, and he had some unique gear, special for WrestleMania 42. What appeared to be black contacts were small inserts he took out during his introduction, but they added a creepy edge to his attire. He also had his ring jacket rigged so that a smoke or dry-ice machine blew a constant cloud from underneath the coat.
The match started swiftly and violently. Gunther rushed Rollins with a massive double-leg drop-kick as he removed the gear from his introduction. This was one of the most physical matches of the evening, with both stars laying in stiff strikes, but also seeming to add an extra “oomph” to their power moves.
From clotheslines, kicks, and chops, everything was ramped up for WrestleMania. Gunther seemed to bring a more physical, mat-based style out of Rollins at WrestleMania. He still executed some exciting spots, but it was more of an old-school beatdown.
Both men executed elite reversals and false finishes. They also used the other’s finisher, leading to some tense counts. Gunther executed a stomp, while Rollins appeared to have it won momentarily via a sleeper hold. The match was all the WWE Universe could ask for to this point, but they’d be disappointed if they were looking forward to a clean finish.
Rollins was in control of the match when former faction mate turned enemy, Bron Breakker, made his surprise return from injury. While the result was one of the softer spears you’ll see from him, the shot of him running down the extended WrestleMania ramp was an exciting one. Breakker sent the target back into the ring.
Gunther didn’t let this opportunity pass him by. In mere moments, he had Rollins unconscious, in the tight grasp of his sleeper hold. Breakker wasn’t finished with his former friend post-match, hitting the aforementioned spear, before spitting on him and saying, “You should have put me down when you had the chance.”
Paul Heyman met Breakker at the top of the entrance ramp after it was all said and done. It’s unclear whether this was the favor Heyman owed Gunther or if this was to aid the friends-turned-foes storyline.
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