The biggest event of the year for WWE, and wrestling in general, is upon us. And I’m ready to give my takes on Night 1 of WrestleMania 41
First and foremost, let’s be clear–I have been out of the wrestling scene for a long time now. Both as a performer and a viewer. I see clips and stories online, so I have a very basic understanding of what’s going on. That said, this preview is going to be through the lens of an Attitude era filter, and what I mean by that is how the business worked back then. Who is to say if that’s better or worse? There are certainly things that have not aged well, but the fundamentals of using wrestling to tell a story are still there, so we won’t have to worry about that.
WrestleMania 41
Before I get into it, I just want to quickly put into writing, as I believe I’ve said this on the podcast before… I am not a fan of these wrestling events being an entire weekend now. I get that your roster is huge because, even with AEW, the WWE is the most prominent wrestling promotion to date. And I don’t know that there’s a better way of doing it than this, so I offer no counter solutions, but it just sits unwell with me; perhaps that’s the old school wrestling fan in me.
Jey Uso vs Gunter (c)
World Heavyweight Championship
Maybe I’m misremembering PPVs from my youth, but kicking things off with the World Heavyweight Championship is wild. The biggest championship up for grabs at the event was always in the main event, right? And I consider the main event matches the final two matches of the card–they always seemed to be the biggest in terms of story and championship status. That said, I’ve always believed in the mantra of having a top-tier match set the tone for the event and making sure you send them home happy. Perhaps that’s what this is?
This match is a perfect example of me being out of the game for too long. I know these wrestlers by name only and have only seen a few minutes of both competitors in action, most of which belong to Jey Uso at the Royal Rumble. They’re both talented–they wouldn’t be involved with the World Heavyweight Championship otherwise–and I expect a great wrestling match here. I know nothing of the story as it hasn’t dominated social media, which is an issue, but it seems like Gunther has been getting the better of Uso the last few weeks.
Smells like a new champion with a Jey Uso win.
The New Day vs The War Raiders (c)
World Tag Team Championship
When I started writing this article the other day, this match was listed as the opener to Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, and life made sense. But Kev, you just complained about a championship match opening WrestleMania 41. I did, and the issue I have with that is, in my opinion, it makes the importance of the World Heavyweight Championship seem low. Tag Team Championships are in a category of 1. While there is nothing set in stone, there seems to be a hierarchy to the singles championships where wrestlers work their way up to the biggest one in the promotion. I suppose you could argue the Tag Team Championships in there, too; they ultimately sit on their own. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be treated poorly and shown as less important, but in this case, I think it was just the opposite.
Tag Team wrestling is probably my favorite wrestling to watch. There is so much action and emotion in the ring at one time. The story could be simple, Team 1 vs Team 2, or complex with stories within the story. I think there is a fine line with tag teams–a team that is meant to be together will mean more to me 9 out of 10 times than a team that was just kind of thrown together. While I’m unfamiliar with the Tag Team Champions, I’m somewhat familiar with The New Day; Kofi Kingston specifically. While I do think this would have been the better match to set the tone of WrestleMania 41–explosive tag team wrestling, a story that seems to be there (I’m just not familiar with it), and the belts are on the line? I can feel the emotion oozing out of that match.
This has all the makings of making it my favorite match of the night, if not the entire two-night event. The brief research I’ve done has me overly confused as to who the heels and who the faces are, but I don’t think that matters here. My limited knowledge of this story and the stories within the teams themselves gives my gut enough information.
And still your Tag Team Champions of the World, The War Raiders.
Rey Mysterio vs El Grande Americano
The first match where I truly knew one of the wrestlers, and I couldn’t care less. It’s nothing against Rey Mysterio; I’m a fan and have been since I was deep into my wrestling watching days. Immensely talented, and there’s a case to make that he’s the greatest luchador of all time. Heck, I can’t believe he’s still doing it at 50.
But what are we doing here? I’m all for fun and games and getting silly with wrestling. I also say this as a guy who did a similar gimmick as Chad Gable (El Grande Americano) when I was younger, and I deeply regret it. It’s offensive. Are we saying something with this storyline, or is the gimmick just what we’re doing to lead to this WrestleMania 41 match? I fully believe that if there is a good story and a lesson that can be learned, you can use something that’s considered offensive, but this is wrestling. I just don’t see it here.
Rey Mysterio deserves better, but is pulling away with the win.
Jade Cargill vs Naomi
The first match on WrestleMania 41 that I know absolutely nothing about. But I did my research! And while the story may be pulling from the vault, it’s a good one. Jade Cargill is attacked by an unknown assailant. Naomi volunteers to take her place. Naomi finds out “who did it”. Cargill comes back and attacks Naomi. Naomi twists her mustache and reveals it was actually she “who did it”. Classic.
Unless you’re extending this feud with quality storytelling, Jade Cargill gets the win.
Jacob Fatu vs LA Knight (c)
United States Championship
I see we’re at the part of the card where I continue to know very little about the competitors. I’ve seen enough of them across various media–social or otherwise–and know that this has the makings of a classic. I get that the era of wrestling I love, with its silly gimmicks and such, is gone, but Jacob Fatu has that energy. At least from the time I’ve seen him in the Rumble. Based on the story thus far to set this match up, I think there could (and should) be legs to take this into a longer story. If done right, you could get several more months, if not through 2025, with these guys (and no, that doesn’t mean they are just wrestling each other!).
I’m hoping for a bigger story here, so still your United States Champion, LA Knight.
Charlotte Flair vs Tiffany Stratton (c)
WWE Women’s Championship
Oof. This one has the makings of a terrible main event. That’s right, we’re at the penultimate match of Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, and I’m not sure this is the direction I would have done with it. I love women’s wrestling, especially in this day and age where it actually showcases their talent. That said, I don’t think this will be the best women’s match of the night.
I remember being completely underwhelmed when Charlotte Flair won the Royal Rumble. Outside of everything else I’ve read about this match, that’s all I have from my own free will of thinking. I don’t know Tiffany Stratton at all, and from what it sounds like, these two have been making it personal. Sometimes that can lead to good things… who knows.
Unless the WWE does something to surprise me here, Charlotte Flair walks away as the new WWE Women’s Champion, leaving us all underwhelmed again.
Roman Reigns vs CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) vs Seth Rollins
Ok… here we are, the main event. Typically, this is something I think I’d see in the penultimate slot, followed by a championship match, but after going through the matches for Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, it all makes sense. I also know the most about this match as it has dominated the headlines. It’s also the match I know the most people involved–CM Punk and Paul Heyman. That said, I’ve seen enought of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to know that this match is the match that will send people home happy, no matter the outcome.
While it seems the WWE hasn’t focused on the history of these four men (I’m including Paul Heyman) to build up the story, it is there, and it all makes sense as to why we’re seeing it culminate at WrestleMania. It feels like this could close the chapter on a handful of things for Seth Rollins (while leaving room for future chapters with him), but this could be the start of another long-term story possibility with CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Paul Heyman.
I think there are several possibilities here; unfortunately for Seth Rollins, they all involve him losing.
Paul Heyman could literally turn on either his tribal chief or his best friend, and it sets up things through the summer, if not the rest of 2025. Heyman turning on either one will certainly determine who wins the match, but I also see a clean win by CM Punk fueling a storyline between him, Roman, and Heyman that would culminate at Summer Slam.
WrestleMania Isn’t Done Yet
After 1600 words and one night, we’re not done talking about WrestleMania 41, but we’re going to digest this. Let’s sit with these matches. Heck, we still have SmackDown to go before the big event, so everything I just wrote could be for naught.
WrestleMania 41, Night 1 airs on Peacock in the US and Netflix internationally on Saturday, April 19th, starting at 7PM Eastern.
What are your thoughts on WrestleMania 41, Night 1? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, BlueSky, or TikTok. Email us at [email protected] and we’ll share the story on the show. Join our Discord for further discussion with the GENY community!