WWE begins its 2022 pay-per-view schedule tonight with the Day 1 event, marking the first event in company history to take place on New Year’s Day. But unfortunately for the company, it won’t feature the main event that had been planned for weeks as WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns announced hours before the show that he had tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, his latest bout with Brock Lesnar has been canceled and WWE has since added “The Beast” to the WWE Championship match, making it a five-way bout with current champ Big E, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley.
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Lesnar’s inclusion is just the latest in what has been an ever-changing WWE Championship match. E’s defense was originally supposed to be a one-on-one bout with Rollins, who immediately recovered from his Hell in a Cell loss against Edge by winning a No. 1 contendership ladder match. But then Owens (now under a new WWE contract) managed to manipulate his way into the bout after turning heel and tricking Rollins into handing him a disqualification victory over E. But then Lashley got involved by attacking all three men at once, then earned his spot in the match by technically beating all three in a single night (despite Rollins and Owens’ best attempts to thwart him). The two former Ring of Honor stars now seem to be on the same page heading into the match.
How to Watch WWE Day 1 2022
- Date: Jan 1, 2022
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
- Stream: Peacock (US), WWE Network (International)
As of now, only three matches on the card won’t have a championship involved, including Drew McIntyre (rumored to be Reigns’ next opponent) vs. Madcap Moss and the unlikely grudge match between Edge and The Miz. Check out the full card for the show, as well as the latest betting odds from BetOnline, below:
- WWE Championship: Big E (-165) vs. Seth Rollins (+200) vs. Kevin Owens (+700) vs. Bobby Lashley (+350) vs. Brock Lesnar
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Usos (-250) vs. The New Day (+170)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch (-250) vs. Liv Morgan (+170)
- Raw Tag Team Championships: RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits
- Edge (-700) vs. The Miz (+400)
- Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss
- (Kickoff) Cesaro & Ricochet vs. Ridge Holland & Sheamus
