So I tried a thing. I used Wikipedia's entry on WrestleMania 18 and plugged in today's wrestlers and included a bit of creative freedom. Undertaker is still wrestling. Tyler Breeze is back with the company. So are the Dudleyz, Goldberg, and Rob Van Dam.

WrestleMania 38 was the 38th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling PPV. It took place on March 17, 2022, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

This WrestleMania would be Goldberg's first WrestleMania appearance in a long time. He had worked for rival company WCW back in the Attitude Era. Eleven matches were booked for the event. Roman Reigns defeated Goldberg in the main attraction match dubbed "Icon vs. Icon", while in the undercard, Seth Rollins defeated Sami Zayn to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. In other prominent matches on the show Kevin Owens defeated Bubba Ray Dudley, The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match, and Matt Riddle defeated Cody Rhodes to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

==Build==

The main feud built up in the lead to the event pitted Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens against the faction DOMINION (Goldberg, D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley) with the main attraction being promoted as Roman Reigns vs Goldberg, billed as an Icon vs Icon, face of the company generational match, pitting Goldberg who was the top babyface star of WCW against Roman Reigns, who was the top babyface star of the Modern WWE.

Roman Reigns's involvement with DOMINION started after his win over The Undertaker at No Way Out, when a photo request from Goldberg for Goldberg’s son turned into a trade of insults. On the following episode of Monday Night RAW, Roman Reigns interrupted Goldberg's address to the crowd and challenged Goldberg to a match at WrestleMania. When Goldberg accepted and shook hands with his future opponent, Roman Reigns kept the hold on and hit the Superman Punch on Goldberg. Before Roman Reigns could leave the arena, Bubba Ray and D-Von ambushed Roman Reigns. Goldberg, D-Von, and Bubba Ray then attacked Roman Reigns with a belt, a hammer, and all three of their finishers, concluding the assault by spray painting a big D on Roman Reigns's back. With medics attending to Roman Reigns and loading him into an ambulance van, DOMINION furthered the attack by forcing the medics to retreat, chaining up all possible exits of the van, and driving a semi-truck into the van with Roman Reigns trapped inside. Kevin Owens's involvement also commenced at No Way Out, when after having their gift of beer refused, DOMINION interfered with Owens' Undisputed WWE Championship match against Sami Zayn, helping Zayn to retain the title before spray painting DOMINION initials on Owens’ back. Kevin Owens finally got his revenge on the February 21 episode of Friday Night SMACKDOWN! when, after DOMINION had given a half hearted apology for their attack on Roman Reigns, he chased DOMINION out of the ring with a tire iron. Kevin Owens managed to catch Bubba Ray and attack him with the tire iron, but Goldberg and D-Von saved Bubba Ray from being run over by Kevin Owens's pickup truck. After DOMINION found their limousine spray-painted "What?" by Kevin Owens, the latter kidnapped Bubba Ray and closed the show by embarrassing him in the middle of the ring with OWENS spray-painted on his back. On the following episode of Monday Night RAW, Bubba Ray challenged Kevin Owens to a match at WrestleMania which Kevin Owens accepted afterward. The feud between Kevin Owens and DOMINION continued back and forth for the next couple of weeks with Kevin Owens attacked by Bubba Ray twice with a Concrete Masonry Truck, while Kevin Owens fired a net gun at D-Von before beating down Bubba Ray. On the March 7 episode of Friday Night SMACKDOWN!, Roman Reigns made his return and immediately challenged Goldberg for a fight. D-Von and Bubba Ray held Goldberg back, leaving Bubba Ray to challenge for a match instead. Reigns's match with Bubba Ray ended in a three-on-one attack by DOMINION. DOMINION's attack was stopped by Kevin Owens, however, who saved Roman Reigns with the aid of a steel chair. On the March 11 episode of Monday Night RAW, Reigns and Kevin Owens took on DOMINION in a Handicap match, resulting in Goldberg pinning Roman Reigns after a Jackhammer.

The secondary Feud leading into WrestleMania 38 involved Seth Rollins against the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch. At the Royal Rumble (2022), Zayn defeated Roman Reigns to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship on the same event where Seth Rollins earned his opportunity to compete for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania by winning the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Brock Lesnar. The following night on WWE Monday Night RAW, Seth Rollins interrupted Zayn and warned that he would prove to him that he's worthy enough to be in the main event. Meanwhile, some hostility between Seth Rollins and GM Becky Lynch was starting to show, with Seth Rollins tired of Becky's antics. In order to recover their relationship, Becky suggested on Monday Night RAW that the two should renew their wedding vows the following week. At first Seth Rollins refused, but Becky revealed that she was pregnant, making him change his mind. To further prove it, the two met a doctor on the next episode of Friday Night SMACKDOWN! with ultrasound images. On the February 11 episode of Monday Night RAW just before the wedding, Seth Rollins was met with a phone call by his mother-in-law, who had sent him a video tape revealing that the doctor was in fact an actor and that Becky was not pregnant. At the wedding, Seth Rollins turned on Becky and attacked her, saying that their marriage was now over.

During these weeks, Brock Lesnar was given a match with Seth Rollins’ WrestleMania title shot on the line at No Way Out (2022). In revenge for the ruined wedding, Vince McMahon granted Becky the chance to be the special referee. At No Way Out, with clear bias from Becky, Lesnar defeated Seth Rollins for the title shot. The following night on Monday Night RAW, WWE co-owner Triple H granted Seth Rollins a rematch with Becky barred from the ring, enabling him to regain his title shot at Sami Zayn. On the February 21 episode of Friday Night SMACKDOWN! Zayn met with Becky and put their differences in the past, ending with Becky accepting Zayn's proposal to be his new business partner. To further the feud, Zayn later speculated that he ended the marriage by causing Seth Rollins's quadriceps muscle to legit tear during their WWE Tag Team Championship match on the May 21, 2001 episode of ''Raw Is War'', thus diverting Seth Rollins's attention from his wife. Under the divorce settlement for the two, the assets would be split between them "fifty-fifty" to Becky's disgust. Among the assets were Seth Rollins's first wrestling trunks, Becky's Corvette (which Seth Rollins later gave to her with half of it cut off) and Seth Rollins's bulldog Lucy. Becky managed to win Lucy in the settlement and later on the March 11 episode of Monday Night RAW sent Zayn to walk the dog. Displeased about this, Zayn tied Lucy to a limousine and ordered the unknowing driver to buy some air fresheners, running Lucy over into a critical condition by accident. Wanting retribution, Seth Rollins stormed into the arena and tried to attack Becky, but he was met with two slAJ Styleshammer shots to his recovered leg by Zayn. On the following episode of Friday Night SMACKDOWN! Becky noted that the slAJ Styleshammer shots had left Seth Rollins's quad in a condition that one false move in his WrestleMania match could reinjure his quadriceps once again. At the end of the show, Seth Rollins and Zayn had a brawl in the ring that almost ended with a Pedigree on Becky. However, Zayn saved her and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Seth Rollins, leaving the show with the advantage.

Another major feud for WrestleMania 38 was the rivalry between The Undertaker and the WWE co-owner, Triple H. The feud started over The Undertaker's ambush on Roman Reigns during the buildup to No Way Out, with Undertaker giving Roman Reigns a chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver onto a car. Shortly afterward, Triple H openly deEliased The Undertaker's actions. At the No Way Out event, Triple H interfered with Undertaker's match against Roman Reigns, finally hitting Undertaker with a lead pipe to aid Roman Reigns in victory. Far from pleased over this result, The Undertaker challenges Triple H to a match at WrestleMania. Triple H refused, stating that he is an owner and no longer a wrestler. However, Undertaker tried to convince Triple H by attacking select members of Triple H's friends and family. Following a match on the February 25 episode of Monday Night RAW, Triple H's friend Kevin Nash was ambushed by The Undertaker during his road agent duties. Upon this attack, Triple H accepted the match on the March 7 episode of Friday Night SMACKDOWN!. Later that night, the two ended up brawling into the audience, resulting in Triple H punching out a fan by accident. As a result, Triple H was arrested, much to Undertaker's delight. On the March 11 episode of Monday Night RAW, Triple H's rival co-owner Mr. McMahon asked for an emergency board meeting with the WWE board of directors citing that Triple H's attack of a fan was unacceptable and that either he or Triple H should have absolute authority and power over the company. With Triple H still keen on taking on Undertaker at WrestleMania, CEO Nick Khan had no choice but to give Vince total control over the company. Despite this, Khan also stated that the ownership situation would also be reviewed after WrestleMania with a final decision.

== Event ==

Before the PPV event began, Drew Gulak, Tyler Breeze and Ezekiel faced Otis, Humberto Carrillo and Cruz Del Toro in a six-man tag team match on WWE Sunday Night Heat. Otis won the match for his team after pinning Drew Gulak following a Running Powerslam.

The actual PPV started with a live performance of "Moscow Mule" by Bad Bunny. After that, Cody Rhodes defended his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Matt Riddle. Twice in the match, Rhodes tried to use brass knuckles to set up the Cross-Rhodes on Riddle, but on both occasions Riddle kicked them away. Riddle won the match after a Bro-Derek to win his first Intercontinental Championship.

The WWE European Championship match between the champion Roderick Strong and Tommaso Ciampa followed. Ciampa executed a neckbreaker on Strong, and Strong performed a roll-up on Ciampa, but neither man scored a pinfall. Strong won the match after a Strong Breaker on Ciampa.

The WWE 24/7 champion, Logan Paul defended his title against Erik in a Hardcore Match. The match ended when both Erik and Paul knocked each other out with trash can lids. Cameron Grimes came out and pinned Paul for a three count. Under the title's 24/7 Rules, Cameron became the new champion. His celebration was short-lived, as Mark Coffey & Joe Coffey chased Cameron through the crowd with Paul and Erik following suit.

In a promotion for the show's main event, rock band Halestorm made a live performance of "The Steeple" with a video package playing in the background. After the performance, the show cut to backstage where Joe Coffey and Cameron Grimes continued to fight. R-Truth tried to interfere by driving a golf cart (along with referee John Cone) towards the two but ended up crashing into some boxes. Cameron successfully fought off Coffey by throwing him into a steel door, but ended up getting kicked by Ricochet who swung off a rope. Ricochet then pinned Cameron to become the new 24/7 Champion.

Next, Brock Lesnar fought Damien Priest. During the match, Lesnar executed Priest's signature The Downward Spiral. Confidently, Lesnar tried another, but Damien Priest countered with a clothesline. Later on, Damien Priest attempted a Tombstone Piledriver', but Lesnar grabbed Damien Priest's hair, distracting him enough for Lesnar to execute an F5. Lesnar pinned Damien Priest, but Priest got his foot on the ropes. A top rope attack by Damien Priest was prevented when Lesnar rushed to the corner and executed a Top Rope German Suplex. Damien Priest tried a chokeslam but Lesnar reversed it into another F5 to win the match.

After that, Triple H took on The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match. The match started with a brawl outside the ring with Triple H's back getting smashed into the ring post. Undertaker tried Old School but Triple H pulled him down. Later, Triple H locked Undertaker in an Indian Death Lock, which Undertaker countered and hit a Chokeslam. Kevin Nash interfered and executed a Jack-Knife Power Bomb on The Undertaker. Triple H pinned Undertaker for a near-fall and Undertaker locked Nash in a Dragon sleeper but Triple H hit Undertaker with a chair. The Undertaker retaliated with a big boot and failed to perform a Last Ride attempt due to exhaustion, but Undertaker executed the Tombstone Piledriver on Triple H and pinned him.

In the sixth match, AJ Styles faced Big E. Big E gained the advantage early on in the match. However, AJ Styles recovered by countering Big E’s top rope attack with a hurricanrana and followed this up with a Dropkick off the top rope. Big E executed a Power Slam, for a near-fall while AJ Styles delivered a Springboard Elbow for a near fall. After mocking Big E, AJ Styles won the match with a Styles Clash.

Backstage, a cautious Ricochet was interviewed by Alicia Taylor about winning the 24/7 Championship. Ricochet's sidekick, Nikki Cross, appeared and suggested the two should figure out how to keep Ricochet safe; she suggested a back office. Just as Ricochet headed in that direction, Nikki smashed a frying pan onto the back of his head and pinned him to become the new 24/7 Champion.

Next, Kevin Owens wrestled Bubba Ray Dudley. With D-Von Dudley in Bubba’s corner, Kevin Owens was left having to fend off both wrestlers. DOMINION's teamwork enabled Bubba Ray to give Kevin Owens an Irish Whip into an exposed turnbuckle. Kevin Owens executed a Stunner on Bubba Ray but D-Von pulled the referee out of the ring to break the count and attacked Kevin Owens. Kevin Owens delivered a Stunner to both D-Von and Dudley but another pin attempt on Bubba Ray was prevented when D-Von elbow dropped the second referee. Bubba Ray's bodyslam attempt was reversed by Kevin Owens into a back drop outside of the ring. Eventually, D-Von was forced to leave the stadium by WWE officials. Bubba Ray then executed a Stunner on Kevin Owens for a near-fall but Kevin Owens retaliated with two stunners for the win.

After that, a four corners elimination match pitted the WWE Tag Team Champions, Ziggler and Roode, against The Hurt Business, The Street Prophets, and The Usos. For the Street Prophets entrance, Bad Bunny performed their theme, The Hurt Business was quickly eliminated when Angelo Dawkins pinned MVP following a dual Top-Rope Splash from both Street Prophets. The Prophets tried to go for another Splash like that but Ziggler pushed Montez Ford off the top rope, sending him crashing through the table outside. Angelo Dawkins was then given a cutter by Jay Uso, followed by a frog-splash from Jimmy. Jey then covered Angelo to eliminate The Street Prophets. Ziggler and Roode retained their titles when Ziggler hit Jimmy Uso with one of the tag team title belts, enabling Bobby Roode to pin him. Backstage, the battle for the 24/7 Championship continued when Nikki Cross ran straight into the top half of a dutch door shutting. Ciampa then pinned her to win the title.

Next, Roman Reigns faced Goldberg in a match dubbed as "Icon vs Icon". Despite Reigns portraying a face and Goldberg a heel, the crowd cheered Goldberg over Roman Reigns instead. During the match, Roman Reigns applied a Sharpshooter but the referee was down and unable to acknowledge the submission. Reigns released the hold and tried to revive the referee, but Goldberg hit a low blow and a power slam for a near fall. The two tried their respective spears but each kicked out. After two more Superman Punches and another spear, Roman Reigns pinned Goldberg and won the match. After the match, the two shook hands with respect. As Roman Reigns left the ring, D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley came and attacked Goldberg, ending Goldberg's involvement in DOMINION. Roman Reigns returned and saved Goldberg from further attack.

In the penultimate match Natalya Neidhart defended the WWE Women's Championship in a triple threat match against Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. Near the end of the match, Liv attempted a springboard bulldog but Ripley threw her out of the ring. With Ripley by the corner, Natalya followed and delivered a fisherman superplex, allowing her to pin Ripley and retain the title.

At the parking lot, Ciampa was getting ready to leave the stadium in a taxi. However, Logan Paul pulled Ciampa out, hit him with a chair and leg drop, and quickly pinned him to win the 24/7 Championship. Logan Paul then hopped into the taxi and left, leaving him the final 24/7 Champion of the night.

In the main event, Sami Zayn defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Seth Rollins. For his entrance, Seth Rollins had Halestorm perform their version of his theme song. With Seth Rollins's leg bandaged, both Zayn and Becky Lynch gave numerous shots at the leg during the match. Seth Rollins outsmarted the two by dodging Zayn's attack, causing him to collide with Becky, who was standing on the apron. Outside the ring, Seth Rollins went for the Pedigree on Zayn through an announce table but Zayn countered into a back body drop through the Spanish announce table. Becky tried to hit Seth Rollins with a chair when referee John Cone interceded. Becky pushed Cone aside but was met by a ''Pedigree'' from Seth Rollins. Zayn then struck Seth Rollins in the head with the chair while Cone was attending to Becky for an unsuccessful pinfall attempt. Zayn then tried a ''Pedigree'' on Seth Rollins, but the latter reversed it into a catapult into the turnbuckle. Seth Rollins executed the Pedigree on Zayn and pinned him to win the title.

== Reception ==

WrestleMania 38 was met with a generally positive critical reception. Writing for Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer gave the overall event 4 out of 5 stars, which was a lower rating than the previous year's event. The main event between Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins for the Undisputed WWE Championship received the highest rating out of all the matches on the card of 4.5 out of 5 stars, the match between Roman Reigns and Goldberg received a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, the match between Kevin Owens and Bubba Ray Dudley received a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, the no disqualification match between The Undertaker and Triple H was rated 4 out of 5 stars and the four corners elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championship between Ziggler and Roode, The Hurt Business, The Usos, and The Street Prophets being rated 3 out of 5 stars.

According to Sami Zayn, he tried to not be the last match of the card despite being the Undisputed Champion. According to him, the true main event was Reigns vs Goldberg, Seth Rollins and he could not follow that match.

== Aftermath ==

After WrestleMania, the WWE board of directors made their final decision over the control of the company. Due to the conflicts between Mr. McMahon and Triple H making bad business, Nick Khan proposed a draft for RAW and Smackdown! Vince took control of the SmackDown! brand while Triple H controlled the Raw brand.

Seth Rollins's feud with Becky would conclude on the March 25 episode of Monday Night RAW when he defeated her and Sami Zayn in a triple threat match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. By pinning her, Becky was forced to leave the WWE in accordance with the match stipulations. Seth Rollins's feud with Zayn would continue when Zayn and The Undertaker interfered with Seth Rollins's championship match at Backlash against Goldberg and cost him the Undisputed WWE Championship. Seth Rollins would finish his feud with Zayn in a Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day and challenged The Undertaker for the Undisputed WWE Championship at King of the Ring, but lost after interference from the returning Reigns.

Until the 2022 draft separated both parties, Roman Reigns and Goldberg feuded with the Dudleyz. On the final Friday Night SMACKDOWN! Before the brand extension, the team of Reigns, Goldberg & Damien Priest defeated D-Von, Bubba Ray and new DOMINION member Rob Van Dam in a six-man tag match.

After being drafted to Raw, Kevin Owens would get himself involved in the feud between The Undertaker and Triple H, fighting Undertaker at Backlash for an Undisputed WWE Championship shot, which he would lose. The storyline itself evolved into a feud between Kevin Owens and Triple H, with DOMINION's involvement on Triple H's behalf.

==Results==

Kevin Owens defeated Bubba Ray Dudley (with D-Von Dudley)

Roman Reigns defeated Goldberg

Roderick Strong (c) defeated Tommaso Ciampa - WWE European Championship

Logan Paul (c) vs. Erik ended when Cameron Grimes pinned Logan Paul - Hardcore match for the WWE 24/7 Championship

Brock Lesnar defeated Damien Priest

The Undertaker defeated Triple H - No Disqualification match

AJ Styles defeated Big E

Otis, Humberto Carrillo and Cruz Del Toro defeated Drew Gulak, Tyler Breeze and Ezekiel

Ziggler and Roode (c) defeated The Hurt Business (MVP and Cedric Alexander), The Street Prophets (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) (with Binaca Belair) and the Usos (Jimmy & Jay Uso) - Four corners elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Matt Riddle defeated Cody Rhodes (c) - WWE Intercontinental Title

Natalya Neidhart (c) defeated Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley - Triple threat match for the WWE Women's Championship

Seth Rollins defeated Sami Zayn (c) (with Becky Lynch) - Undisputed WWE Championship