It’s been over a week since wrestling and sports entertainment’s biggest two nights of the calendar year. WrestleMania 41 took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, over two nights.
WrestleMania has a lot of intrigue surrounding it. Both nights’ main event matches are rich with storytelling and historic circumstances. With that in mind, did those matches and the rest of the cards live up to the hype? Was WrestleMania a success, or did it let us down in more ways than one? Let’s recap all that went down!
Night One Overview
The first night of this two-part extravaganza was…underwhelming. Now, saying that doesn’t mean everything on the card was bad. Nothing was outright bad. However, there is much to desire. It felt like a glorified episode of Monday Night Raw, which, for your biggest show of the year, just isn’t acceptable. The Vegas crowd didn’t help as well, as the energy throughout much of the four-hour show was lackluster up until the main event.
Jacob Fatu is the Champion
One of the highlights of the show came when LA Knight defended his WWE United States Championship against Jacob Fatu. Coming into this match, I was skeptical. Fatu and Knight are great in a lot of different ways, but it not only didn’t feel like a WrestleMania match, but their styles seemed to clash.
Thankfully, I was wrong. Both men had a great showing and really saved the card at the time, as the three matches before this weren’t much of anything to love. Knight might not be the best in-ring worker, as his character carries him through, but he delivers on the big stage, and this was no different. As for Fatu, the “Samoan Werewolf,” is a freak of nature, and it was absolutely the right decision for Fatu to become the new United States Champion.
As for what to expect in the future, a Fatu and Solo Sikoa feud over the title should be in the works. While Fatu’s future may seem clear, Knight’s is more unknown. He’ll likely stick with the upper midcard, fighting guys like Drew McIntyre. A switch over to Raw in the next WWE draft could do him well, too.
Jey Uso “YEETS” to the World Heavyweight Championship
There are a lot of different emotions when it comes to the World Heavyweight Championship match. This opened the show, and while the right outcome was made given the story, the match was as many expected, with Jey Uso not up to par.
Gunther, the champion heading into the match, is arguably the best wrestler in the world. Anything he does in the ring is usually spectacular, and there was no way he was going to let the match down. On the flip side, Jey Uso is not great as a singles competitor.
Uso is terrific in tag team settings, but one-on-one, he has yet to have a defining performance. He is carried by his charisma, and the crowd obsesses over him and his “YEET.” But when the bell rings, so much more is wanted out of him.
Uso as World Heavyweight Champion is something that many people would laugh at years ago. There’s no denying that he’s arguably the most over guy in the company, but I, for one, alongside many others in the wrestling community, am hoping for a short Jey Uso title reign.
As for what’s next, Uso will face Logan Paul at Backlash before hopefully dropping the belt to Seth Rollins before SummerSlam. Meanwhile, Gunther will be facing announcer Pat McAfee at Backlash after the former brutally attacked McAfee on Raw after Mania.
Tiffy Time Prevails Over The Queen
Nope, didn’t like it. I love Tiffany Stratton. I think she has tons of potential and has a lot to offer already. However, this feud between her and Charlotte Flair was awful, and their match wasn’t anything to go crazy about either. It was sloppy, and the crowd did not care at all because Flair had gone away heat at this point with the WWE audience.
I am happy Stratton was retained, though. Flair didn’t need the win, and Tiffy besting Charlotte is a good way to put her over. Despite saying that, I’m not in love with the idea of her feuding with Nia Jax again, but at least Jade Cargill and Naomi seem to be in the mix as well.
What’s next for Charlotte? No clue, probably another break. Maybe she’s in Money in the Bank and wins? I hope not, but at this point, should we even care?
Main Event Saves the Show
Now this was a banger. All three men, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, delivered big time in the main event of Night One. These are three bona fide stars in the industry, and with Paul Heyman at ringside, this match couldn’t be any more glamorous.
Throughout the match, everyone was waiting for what Heyman would do. To the shock of a now exhilarated Vegas crowd, he did a double turn, turning on Punk (whom he walked down to the ring with) and Reigns, aligning with Rollins.
At that moment, I was skeptical of what a Rollins and Heyman partnership could look like. But after what transpired on the Raw after Mania, with Bron Breakker joining the group, I’m so on board with this and am looking forward to seeing what’s to come.
As far as what’s next for all three men, they will absolutely still be feuding with one another, with Breakker now mixed in. Expect, at the earliest, a tag team match to take place at Backlash.
Star Ratings
Here are my star ratings (0-5) for each of the seven matches that took place on WrestleMania Night One.
- World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso – ★★.75
- World Tag Team Championship: The War Raiders (c) vs. The New Day – ★★
- Jade Cargill vs. Naomi – ★★.5
- United States Championship: LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu – ★★★.5
- El Grande Americano vs. Rey Fenix – ★★.5
- WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair – ★★
- CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – ★★★★★
Again, nothing awful on the card, and I agreed with much of the winners, including The New Day becoming the new tag team champions, although that match shouldn’t have even made the card. Cargill winning was a guarantee, and El Grande Americano beating Fenix may not have even the original move since he was supposed to face Rey Mysterio, but it’s still cool to see Chad Gable (disguised as El Grande Americano) get a WrestleMania win.
Overall Night One Grade: C
Night Two Overview
The second night was much better than the night before. There were still some problems, of course, but this, at the very least, didn’t feel like a special Monday Night Raw episode. It felt like WrestleMania. It had that big fight feeling. And the crowd didn’t have to fight their way to get into the show, like night one had the obstacle of overcoming.
Women Pull Out All the Stops in Opening Bout
The triple threat match for the Women’s World Championship kicked off night two. And boy, did they start the show off in the right way. The champion coming in, Iyo Sky, and the challengers, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, had an instant WrestleMania classic, to the surprise of no one.
All three women are among the most talented competitors in all of wrestling, male or female. While the feud was convoluted and messy, there was no question that the match would still deliver on the grandest stage of them all. The real surprise came when Sky pinned Belair to remain Women’s World Champion, something that I, at the very least, didn’t see coming. With the way things were booked beforehand, though, I probably should’ve expected that the “Genius of the Sky” would leave Vegas victorious.
The surprising win isn’t a bad one, as Sky has been a workhorse for Monday Night Raw since last year’s WrestleMania. At last year’s WrestleMania, she entered the event as women’s champion but did not leave it with the title in hand. An interesting thing to note in this match is the crowd turning on Belair. This has slowly been percolating for weeks now, but it seems like the Vegas crowd has jumped on the bandwagon of booing the strong and extremely talented baby face that is Bianca Belair.
The loss also drops Belair’s WrestleMania winning streak to 4-1, an undefeated record that was touted before the match. If I had to make a change to the match, I would’ve had Ripley take the pin instead of Belair. In this case, WWE could’ve told the story that Belair has never been “pinned or submitted” at WrestleMania.
The moves in this contest were bar none, and all three women should be beyond proud of what they put together. As for what’s next, Sky and Ripley seem to still be involved with one another, while Belair is nursing an injury and will probably be gone for a bit.
Dominik Mysterio Finds Gold
The fatal four-way match between the Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker and his three opponents, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and Penta, was superb. It was a high-octane clash that resulted in one of the biggest pops of the night.
Ultra heel character Mysterio erupted the Vegas contingent by pinning Balor to become the new Intercontinental Champion, his first main roster singles title. This match was terrific and was another great multi-person match that WWE had to showcase over the WrestleMania weekend.
Mysterio has his first title defense already complete, after successfully defending the belt against Penta on Raw. The aforementioned Breakker is in the main event picture as he is aligned with Heyman and Rollins. Look for a Balor and Mysterio feud in the coming weeks as The Judgment Day continues their slow-burning separation.
Becky Lynch and Joe Hendry Make It To WrestleMania
After Bayley was attacked on the Countdown for Night One of WrestleMania, Becky Lynch leaped at the opportunity to join her fellow Irish sister, the Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria, as her tag team partner against the champions, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.
Lynch and Valkyria were victors, marking Valkyria as a double champion and Lynch with another belt to her resume. The reign was short-lived lived though, as Lynch turned heel on Valkyria after the latter dropped the tag titles back to Morgan and Rodriguez on the Raw after Mania.
Now, the stage is set for a Women’s Intercontinental Championship feud between Valkyria and Lynch. Even though the way to get there was pretty dumb, Valkyria now gets a major opportunity to go against one of the top stars in the company for a major feud, and Lynch gets to be back in the spotlight that she so rightfully has earned.
As for Joe Hendry, he came out to be Randy Orton’s surprise opponent. The TNA World Champion received a massive pop from the crowd and was an under-the-radar surprise, considering most believed Orton’s opponent to be either a returning Rusev or Aleister Black, or SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis
It was very cool to see Hendry there, and he was the perfect opponent for Orton to quickly beat in his 20th WrestleMania match. Now, Orton will be facing his long-time rival John Cena (spoiler) for the WWE Championship at Backlash in St. Louis, Orton’s hometown. The big winner here, though is Hendry, as he got himself exposure and potentially the brand of TNA some publicity as well on such a big stage.
John Cena Makes History in Main Event
The story between Cody Rhodes and John Cena has been captivating with Cena’s heel turn. It was the right main event, the right match, but…this match sucked. It was not good.
A slow match that felt like Cena was just going through the motions. He, of course, is great on the mic and as a character, but during this farewell tour, I’m hoping Cena has at least a couple more great matches left in him.
Cody Rhodes had a rock-solid reign as champion. He’s the top baby face, and he is well-deserved of this much-earned break. I’m sure a rematch is in the works, maybe at SummerSlam or later down the road.
Cena, though, is once again champion for a historic 17th time.
Star Ratings
Here are my star ratings (0-5) for each of the seven matches that took place on WrestleMania Night Two.
- Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley – ★★★★★
- Sin City Street Fight: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre – ★★★★
- Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor vs. Penta – ★★★★.25
- Randy Orton vs. Joe Hendry – No Rating (squash match)
- AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul – ★★★.5
- Women’s Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria – ★★.5
- WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena – ★★
In the other two matches not talked about, the Sin City Street Fight between Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre was very good and was a fun encounter between two men who had banger years.
Logan Paul and AJ Styles was decent and even though I would prefer Paul to lose a lot of his matches, I’m okay with him winning as the cocky heel he is.
Overall Night One Grade: B
Overall WrestleMania Grade: C+
This WrestleMania could’ve been much better, but there are still plenty of enjoyable things that build a solid foundation for future months of WWE creative. Here’s hoping for better shows than Mania this year.
