With WrestleMania 39 officially in the record book, fans waited with bated breath for reviews to roll in for the “Showcase of the Immortals,” with one reviewer's opinion ranking above all others: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

The Rodger Ebert of wrestling since he began his venture some forty years ago, Meltzer's grades hold particular weight in the professional wrestling community because of his sheer wealth of knowledge, and the thousands upon thousands of matches he's reviewed up to this point.

So, with Meltzer's review officially in, why not take a look at how he reviewed each match of Night 1 and see if Meltzer lowballed anyone, was overly generous, or hit the matches right on the mark?

Grading Dave Meltzer's Night 1 WrestleMania 39 star ratings.

8. Austin Theory vs. John Cena – 2.25 stars

This was a weird match. There was a lot of biting, John Cena looked either rusty or just disinterested, and Austin Theory did his usual heel schtick that drew the wrong kind of heel heat for the 80,000 fans in attendance.

At the time, this match had a lot of hype, but in hindsight, that was probably because it was the opening match of WrestleMania 39, not because it was necessarily good. Still, it was smart of WWE to place it first, as the rating likely would have been much worse if it had to follow any of the other title matches, which were all objectively better.

CP Rating – 2

7. WWE Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match – 3.75

This match was just so gosh darn fun. Maybe Paul “Triple H” Levesque's nod to all of the indie shows around WrestleMania 39 weekend, this was a classic spot fest in every sense of the word and ultimately delivered more than a few huge moments, from Chad Gable suplexing Brawn Strowman to Angelo Dawkins blowing up Brawn Strowman on the outside during his “choo-choo” charge.

On a card loaded with dense offerings, this match was a ton of fun, even if it would have potentially benefited from being booked later in the night to serve as a fast-paced palate cleanser.

CP Rating – 4

6. Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul – 4.5 stars

After months of feuding in the ring, on social media, and as part of the media circuit, this match delivered in a big way. Seth Rollins got the crowd singing on his way down to the ring, Paul had a tie-in with Prime, and the actual in-ring efforts proved why both men are, weirdly enough, two of WWE's best big-bout wrestlers.

Outside of the KSI Prime Energy Drink spot, which was a classic “your mileage may vary” moment, it's hard to find too much wrong with this match, which is probably why Meltzer gave it a 4.5-star rating.

CP Rating – 4.5

5. Trish Stratus, Lita, and Becky Lynch vs. Damage CTRL – 2.75

Why did Trish Stratus, Lita, and Becky Lynch wrestle Damage CTRL at WrestleMania 39 instead of running some sort of tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championships? Honestly, it's impossible to know; maybe WWE really wanted to give Bayley and Stratus a moment in the ring instead of being on the outside as managers? Either way, this match didn't feature any betrayal, didn't progress the storyline along, and ultimately just sort of happened.

On a card with intrigue and incredible spots in (almost) every other bout, this one feels like it might go down as the weakest match on the card.

CP Rating – 2

4. Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio – 4

Heading into WrestleMania 39, there wasn't a more intriguing non-title match on the card than Rey Mysterio versus Dominik Mysterio. After officially turning his back on being a babyface at SummerSlam 2022 and then joining The Judgement Day a few weeks later, WWE spent the better part of the next year building towards a match between the two Mysterios, with Rey finally hitting his son in March.

Did the match deliver? Largely yes, between the spanking spot, the Bad Bunny spot, and the entrances, this match delivered in a big way, but what it didn't provide was a definitive ending, as this felt like match one in a larger program. With all of that in mind, a four feels fair.

CP Rating – 4

3. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair – 4.75

Though the build was mid, and the match was “demoted” out of the main event in part for that very reason, but when push came to shove, Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair turned in an incredibly hard-hitting match that blew away expectations and ultimately delivered the right finish at the right spot on the card.

Was the match perfect? No, but frankly, what match is? Between the storytelling, the finish, and the in-ring effort, this was a five-star masterclass that should be played at the PC for every class of female recruits.

CP Rating – 5

2. Pat McAfee vs. The Miz – 1.5

Was this match bad? Yes. Was it even technically a match? Debateable. But a 1.5 rating? Goodness, that feels a bit high, right? George Kittle looked like he had a fantastic time, sure, and it's not like anyone, I don't know, tore their quad midway through the match and had to pull an on-the-fly audible in front of 80,000 fans, but jeez, this match was a one all day.

CP Rating – 1

1. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Usos – 5

Though it wasn't a universally popular decision, placing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn versus The Usos in the main event of Night 1 was a perfect way to close out one of the best days of wrestling WWE has promoted in years. The match had drama, intrigue, and excitement, and when the challengers finished out the match with their hands held high, SoFi Stadium erupted into a combination of cheers and impromptu “Worlds Collide” sing-alongs.

To his credit, Meltzer gave this match a perfect five-star rating, and based on the reactions online and in the arena, that rating is perfectly apt.

CP Rating – 5