Wrestlemania 41 promised to be a historic event. While on paper it was, boasting John Cena’s record-breaking 17th World Title win, the actual matches left the grandeur of WrestleMania on the shelf.
WrestleMania Night 1 on Saturday opened with Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match ended with Uso getting Gunther to tap to his own sleeper hold to win his first world title with the company after a long career in the tag division.
Uso had a celebration Monday night on Raw after Mania, wherein Pat McAfee and Michael Cole mentioned Gunther’s submission. Following that, Gunther attacked the pair of commentators and choked McAfee out.
The New Day were able to beat the War Raiders and gain the tag titles for the 12th time, the most of any tag team in WWE history. The match itself, though, was nothing of note.
Tiffany Stratton successfully defended the Women’s World Championship against Charlotte Flair on Saturday. This match gained notoriety for the off-script insults that propelled the feud. The real disdain they have for one another was visible in the match, even if the in-ring action did seem to drag after a point.
Jacob Fatu defeated LA Knight for the United States Championship in a fairly standard title change. In other midcard news, El Grande Americano knocked off Rey Fenix after Fenix replaced the injured Rey Mysterio.
Night 1 concluded with a triple threat between the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, Visionary Seth Rollins, and the controversial CM Punk. Although this match was good on its own, the inclusion of Paul Heyman and his fickle allegiances earned its main event status despite not including a title.
Originally betraying the Tribal Chief to enter Mania alongside Punk, Heyman later betrayed Punk mid-match by arming Reigns with a steel chair. Unfortunately for Reigns, the wise man’s return to his side would be brief, as Heyman would low-blow the Tribal Chief and instead ally himself with Seth Rollins, allowing the latter to take the victory for himself.
On Raw after Mania, Rollins and Heyman further destroyed Punk and Reigns with the reveal that they have allied themselves with Bron Breaker, who had just lost his Intercontinental title to Dominick Mysterio in a fatal four-way involving Penta and Finn Balor on WrestleMania Sunday.
Night 2 opened with a triple-threat for the Women’s Heavyweight Championship with Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Bianca Belair. Sky defeated Ripley for the title earlier on the Road to WrestleMania, and Belair won the Elimination Chamber to obtain this title match.
Iyo successfully defended the title from the two megastars, solidifying her as champion – not the afterthought that Ripley and Belair had previously relegated her to.
Lyra Valkyria’s partner, Bayley, was indisposed by an unknown assailant. Her mystery partner turned out to be The Man Becky Lynch, making her return to wrestling after being absent for nearly a year. The two beat Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s Tag Titles, but lost it back to them the next night on Raw. Lynch subsequently attacked Valkyria and turned heel.
Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre went head-to-head in a brutal street fight, with McIntyre coming out victorious. Logan Paul also made an appearance, with the social media star defeating AJ Styles with some out-of-the-ring shenanigans.
After Kevin Owens’ injury, Randy Orton was left without an opponent at the grandest stage of them all. In a surprise appearance, the World Champion of Total Nonstop Action, Joe Hendry, appeared to take on Orton. Orton would win in a short match.
Wrestlemania Night 2 ended with John Cena obtaining his historic 17th World Title, pinning Cody Rhodes in a match that was underwhelming for a WrestleMania main event. Mid-match, Travis Scott would come out of nowhere and help Cena win the match by distracting Cody.
Despite the several finishers used in the match, Rhodes was defeated in the end by his inability to take the easy route. Cena took advantage of this and ended the match with a simple strike from Rhodes’ own championship belt.
On Raw after Mania, Cena promised he would ruin wrestling for everybody. Before he could finish doing so, the Viper Randy Orton would cut things short with an RKO out of nowhere, promising a dangerous opponent for Wrestlemania Backlash.
