Reviews

The John Report: WWE WrestleMania 41 Review (Saturday & Sunday)

By John Canton • Published 21st April 2025
WWE WrestleMania 41 Full Review tjrwrestling

WWE WrestleMania 41 was headlined by Seth Rollins-Roman Reigns-CM Punk on night one and John Cena facing Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title on night two.

This will be a combination of the WrestleMania 41 Saturday and Sunday reviews that I wrote. The two shows combined to run just under 8 hours with 14 matches total.

Thank you for reading and supporting us at TJRWrestling for all of the reviews that I do as well as our news section where we have a great team that covers the pro wrestling business as best we can. I’m proud of everybody involved with this website.

At the bottom of this combination of the two nights, I’ll give you my combined score out of 10 and some final thoughts.

WWE WrestleMania 41 Saturday Review tjrwrestling

WWE WrestleMania 41 (Saturday)
From Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, April 19, 2025

There were arrivals shown from earlier in the day featuring Roman Reigns in his 10th WrestleMania main event, Seth Rollins in a ridiculous robe, Paul Heyman with CM Punk, Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton.

The World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER was shown backstage with the World Title around his waist. Jey Uso was also shown getting ready. That match is up first.

A video package aired setting up the show with WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque narrating the video talking about heroes and villains. Triple H spoke about how WWE is everywhere as we saw clips of WWE people making appearances.

Triple H Welcomes Us To WrestleMania

Triple H was in the ring for a show opening promo. Triple H welcomed us to Las Vegas while saying that for the first time ever you are being seen by the entire globe live now. That’s due in part to many of us watching on Netflix and of course those of you in the US watching on Peacock. Triple H shouted “Welcome to WrestleMania!” The fans cheered and some pyro went off. Triple H didn’t do his “Are you ready?” bit this time.

Analysis: Thanks, Triple H. We appreciate it. Nice Hall of Fame speech too.

There was an introduction for Salvatore Ganacci, who is an artist and record producer. He was there to be a DJ apparently. Sure. Whatever. The announcers had to act excited about it.

Jey Uso made his entrance from the crowd with 60,000+ fans doing the Yeet entrance with him. It took a few minutes for him to get down to the ring because it’s an NFL stadium.

The commentary team was Michael Cole, Pat McAfee & Wade Barrett. It is Wade’s first WrestleMania on commentary. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer in her first WrestleMania as well. The Spanish commentary team was at ringside. They also show Turki Al-Sheikh from Saudi Arabia at ringside. The announcers said the “stars are out” as if it was a big celebrity. No. We just know WWE likes their money.

The World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER walked down to the ring without a fancy entrance because it wouldn’t fit “The Ring General” to have a special entrance.

World Heavyweight Championship: GUNTHER vs. Jey Uso

It was 20 minutes into the show when the bell rang to start the opening match. That’s not a complaint. I’m just sharing information.

There was a slow pace to start the match with Jey sending Gunther out of the ring and the champion Gunther stalling on the floor. Jey tried a body slam, Gunther landed on top and got a two count out of it. Jey managed to hit the body slam followed by a corner attack that included a kick. Jey went to the turnbuckle, so Gunther chopped him down to the floor. Gunther was in control with a whip into the turnbuckle and a chop. Gunther sent Jey into the turnbuckle and Jey bounced off with a Spear for two. Jey has won matches with the Spear in the past. Gunther chopped Jey on the chest, but Jey came back with a Samoan Drop. Gunther hit a superplex off the top and a dropkick. Gunther hit a Powerbomb along with a stacked pin attempt for two. Jey countered Gunther with a hurricanrana followed by a Spear by Jey. Jey went up top and hit an Uso Splash for a two count. Cole called it a Frog Splash, but it was more of an Uso Splash or Superfly Splash. Gunther grabbed the title on the floor, Jey went for a dive, the referee Shawn Bennett moved out of the way and Gunther hit Jey in the head with the title. The referee never saw the title shot, but apparently he can’t hear things too. Anyway, Gunther jumped off the top with a Superfly Splash of his own for two. Gunther applied a Sleeper on the mat while Gunther was on Jey’s back. When Jey got near the ropes, Gunther brought him back to the middle, and Jey managed to get to the ropes. Gunther was angry so he chopped Jey several times and Jey told him to bring it. Gunther held Jey’s left arm leading to more chops to the chest. Gunther hit Jey with chops and kicks, but Jey came back with a clothesline.

Gunther tried to choke Jey out, but Jey hit a German Suplex. Jey charged and Gunther was ready with a running dropkick. Jey avoided a Powerbomb and Jey hit a Powerbomb of his own. Wade correctly pointed out that Jey was hitting some of Gunther’s moves on him. Jey hit two superkicks and a Spear by Jey. Jey went up top and Jey jumped off with an Uso Splash. No cover. Jey went up top again and Jey jumped off the top again with an Uso Splash. Jey went up top for a third time and Jey hit an Uso Splash on Gunther’s back. Jey grabbed Gunther and applied a sleeper while Jey also applied a body scissors. Gunther tapped out to give Jey the submission win. New World Champion! It went 16:29.

Winner by submission AND NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Jey Uso

Analysis: ***3/4 I thought it was a very good match. I liked the story with Jey Uso using Gunther’s moves on him and those moves wore Gunther out as the match went on. Jey hit three Uso Splashes and then instead of going for the pin, he put the Sleper on Gunther, which led to the tap out. You don’t see Gunther lose that often, so beating Gunther with a Sleeper shows that Jey was ready for him and was able to outwrestle the great Gunther to win. It was an entertaining match and the result that I expected.

Jey Uso celebrated with the World Heavyweight Title. Jey was on the commentary table celebrating. When he looked in the ring, he saw twin brother Jimmy Uso in the ring and the brothers embraced. The fans popped huge for the hug. I am sitting here very happy for these guys and the journey they have been on because I have been covering their careers so closely for the last 15 years.

Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso went up the steps and went into the crowd to celebrate Jey as the new World Champion. The fans were going crazy with the “Yeeting” arm gestures.

Analysis: Awesome moment. The Usos might be my favorite team in WWE history and I’m genuinely happy for them getting this moment together. Jey deserves it, but so does Jimmy because of the journey they’ve been on in WWE and I’m so happy for them.

There was a Slim Jim commercial with LA Knight and Jey Uso. There was a WWE Shop commercial as well.

They showed Grammy Award winner producer Rick Rubin at ringside, magician Criss Angel and George Kittle of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, who did a good job of chugging a beer.

A video package aired about The War Raiders match against The New Day up next.

World Tag Team Championships: The War Raiders – Erik & Ivar vs. The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods

Erik picked up Kofi and threw him into Woods. The New Day guys went to the floor, Ivar got the tag, so Erik dumped Ivar onto both New Day guys on the floor. Ivar hit a running cross body block on both New Day guys against the LED ring apron. Ivar hit a top rope splash while Erik was doing a slam on Woods and it got a two count. The New Day guys took control as they worked over Erik’s neck. Kofi jumped onto Erik’s back with a senton splash by the apron. Kofi hit a Fameasser for two. Woods was legal for his team as he hit a double foot stomp to the back of Erik’s neck. Kofi went for a splash on Erik, but Erik caught Kofi and Erik slammed Kofi on Woods’ back. Ivar was legal, so he hit a back body drop, sidewalk slam and cross body block on Kofi. Ivar splashed Kofi, he did a cartwheel and clotheslined Woods. Kofi hit a spin kick on Ivar. New Day tried a double team move, but Ivar did a handstand off the ropes and hit a double back elbow. Ivar went up top, but Woods tripped him up. Woods hit a clothesline. Kofi was back in, so Erik went in illegally to knock Woods out of the ring. Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise on Erik. Kofi hit double boots to Ivar’s head, but Ivar came back with a spinning heel kick. Ivar hit a Doomsday Moonsault for two because Woods jumped off the top with an elbow drop on Ivar to break up the pin. Kofi covered Ivar for two. Erik tagged in against Woods as Erik hit multiple forearms. Erik hit a knee to the back of the head. Erik hit a knee smash with a loud leg slap. Ivar was back in, but Kofi saved Woods from a double team move. Kofi tripped Ivar on the middle ropes. Woods did an eye gouge on Erik and kicked Erik out of the ring. Kofi held Ivar on his knee and Woods jumped off the top with a double foot stomp called Daylight. Woods covered Ivar and Kofi held Ivar’s leg for good measure. The referee counted the pin without seeing Kofi assisting on the pin. It went about 9:17.

Winners by pinfall AND NEW World Tag Team Champions: The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a good tag team match with a bit of a cheap ending since Kofi held onto Ivar’s leg during the pinfall. The crowd was quiet for some of the match, but they did pop for Ivar’s cool moves. The New Day have been great as heels for he past five months, so I think it was the right time for a title change and I’m happy about to see New Day with gold again. I expected a longer match here.

After the match, The New Day sprinted up the ramp. The New Day celebrated with their titles on the stage.

They showed actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., Michael Che of Saturday Night Live, and singer Jelly Roll at ringside.

The Jade Cargill-Naomi match was next, so there was a video package for it.

Naomi made her entrance with her new heel theme song where it says “this is your last warning” repeatedly. For Jade Cargill’s entrance, they used The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore because “The Storm is Coming” for Jade. They didn’t do anything special for her entrance.

Jade Cargill vs. Naomi

The powerhouse Jade tossed Naomi across the ring. Jade hit a few shoulder tackles to the ribs. Jade sent Naomi into the turnbuckle. Naomi went to the turnbuckle, so Jade slammed Naomi off the turnbuckle into the ring. They left the ring where Jade sent Naomi into the barricade. Naomi raked the eyes followed by a roundhouse kick to the head. Naomi pulled Jade out of the ring by the apron and Naomi gave Jade a facebuster on the floor. Naomi dropkicked Jade off the apron to the floor. Naomi jumped off the steel steps with a Blockbuster on the floor. They were back in the ring with Naomi doing a leg scissors to send Jade’s head into the mat. Naomi hit a leg drop for two. Jade caught a charging Naomi and hit a backbreaker. Jade kicked Naomi, but Naomi came back with a boot of her own. Naomi jumped onto Jade, who caught Naomi and Jade hit a Jackhammer slam for a two count. Naomi kicked Jade, but Jade was ready with a pump kick to knock Naomi down. Naomi jumped off the turnbuckle, Jade caught her and Jade hit a fallaway slam. The fans popped for Jade doing a kip up back to her feet. Jade caught Naomi on the top rope, but Naomi countered with a bulldog off the top. Naomi hit a perfect split-legged moonsault off the top for two. Naomi hit two superkicks to knock Jade down. Jade blocked a kick, Naomi countered Jade and Naomi sat on top for two. Naomi pulled back on Jade’s arms in a Rings of Saturn submission, but Jade powered back up to her feet. Jade put Naomi on her shoulders, Jade launched Naomi into the air and Jade hit a Powerbomb. Jade hit her Jaded sitout slam for the pinfall win at 9:21.

Winner by pinfall: Jade Cargill

Analysis: *** It was a solid match, almost like a TV match and it didn’t get to that next level of excitement. It was a dominant win by Jade Cargill as expected. There were a lot of cool moves by Naomi, including several counter moves, but I didn’t think Naomi had a shot to win here. Jade’s counter move that led to a Powerbomb was the best move of the match.

Jade Cargill celebrated the win while the announcers put her over saying it was a star making moment for her.

Analysis: I think Jade could be the Women’s Money in the Bank winner this year. Even if she doesn’t win in, WWE is obviously high her and she’ll get a singles push this year.

A video aired about singer Cardi B hosting SummerSlam on August 2 & August 3 in New Jersey.

There were more celebrities shown in the crowd including TV host Lily Singh and rapper Lil Yachty.

It’s LA Knight defending the US Title against Jacob Fatu. There was a video package to set it up.

Jacob Fatu made his entrance for his first WrestleMania. Jacob hat a creepy Werewolf mask on since he’s the Samoan Werewolf. Solo Sikoa was with him on the stage, he hyped up Jacob and Solo went to the back. The United States Champion LA Knight was driven into the stadium and up the ramp by a driver. It was an expensive Maserati sports car. Knight was cheered by the fans as the champion.

United States Championship: LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu

Knight went for a BFT, but Fatu was able to avoid it. Fatu hit a popup Samoan Drop. Fatu hit a running elbow smash. Knight tried a suplex, but Fatu landed on top for a two count. Fatu suplexed Knight across the top rope to injure the ribs. Knight tripped up Fatu and Knight hit a running dropkick. Fatu was on the floor, so Knight hit dropkick to knock Fatu down on the floor. Knight jumped off the turnbuckle and Fatu caught him leading to a powerslam. Fatu went for a running senton splash, but Knight got the knees up to block. Knight countered Fatu and Knight hit a crucifix slam. Fatu charged, Knight moved and Fatu hit the turnbuckle. Knight stomped on Fatu repeatedly and Knight hit a running knee attack. Knight sent Fatu into the turnbuckle two times and Knight hit a clothesline, which led to Fatu doing a spin bump. Knight jumped off the top with an elbow drop for two. Fatu kicked Knight in the ribs. Fatu went to the turnbuckle, but Knight stopped that to trip up Fatu on the turnbuckle. Knight jumped up top and Knight hit German Suplex off the top, which led to Fatu doing a moonsault bump and Knight covered for a two count. Fatu hit a superkick. Fatu hit two running hip attacks and a third hip attack after that. Fatu jumped off the top with a Swanton Bomb for a two count. Fatu went up top and did a moonsault, but Knight hit a BFT to counter that. That got a two count because Fatu got his hand on the ropes to break the count. Knight went up top, Fatu kicked him to trip up Knight and Fatu hit a splash to the back. Fatu hit a Samoan Drop off the top. Fatu did a double jump moonsault off the top. Fatu hit another double jump moonsault off the top for the pinfall win. It went 10:40.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW United States Champion: Jacob Fatu

Analysis: ***1/4 It was an impressive performance by Jacob Fatu on his way to winning his first title in WWE. That spot with Fatu going for a moonsault off the top and Knight him with a BFT was a really well done. Fatu wore Knight down, hit the two double jump moonsaults and that was it. I expected a title change and I’m happy for Fatu getting the win. It makes sense to put a title on an ascending star like Fatu.

After the match, the legendary Haku went to ringside and congratulated Fatu on the victory. They showed replays and Fatu left with the US Title.

There was a commercial for Wheatley Vodka featuring Cody Rhodes. There was also a commercial for WrestleMania 42 in New Orleans next April.

The next match was supposed to be El Grande Americano against Rey Mysterio, but Rey has a groin injury so he’s out. Rey Fenix is filling in. They aired the comedic El Grande Americano fake history video while Chad Gable denied it was him.

El Grande Americano made his entrance while a band played a song on the stage for him. Rey Fenix made his entrance for his first WrestleMania match. Grande cost Fenix in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal on SmackDown so at least they had some interaction.

They showed Vikingo from AAA at ringside while mentioning WWE bought AAA earlier in the day. Dana White from the UFC was at ringside as well.

Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano

El Grande Americano shoved Vikingo at ringside, so Vikingo kicked Grande in the head.

Fenix hit a hurricanrana for a two count. They battled by the turnbuckle where Fenix hit a jumping hurricanrana for two. Grande sent Fenix into the turnbuckle, Fenix kicked Grande back and Fenix hit a springboard dropkick. Fenix jumped off the top with a cross body block onto Grande on the floor. Fenix jumped off the top, but Grande avoided it Grande hit a German Suplex. Cole kept saying it was Chad Gable while Barrett and McAfee did not believe it, so it’s silly commentary. Fenix jumped over the top rope and Grande caught Fenix with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Fenix jumped off the top, which led to an armdrag and a double foot stomp. Fenix superkicked Gable to knock him down. Fenix hit a spin kick to knock Grande down. Fenix charged, so Grande suplexes him into the turnbuckle. Grande went to the top and hit backwards 450 Splash that was very impressive and that only got a two count. Grande tried to take Fenix’s mask off, but Fenix fought that off. Fenix hit a Fire Driver for two. Fenix tried a rope walk, but Grande tripped him up to knock him down. Grande put the metal plate into the front of his mask. Fenix avoided a headbutt and hit a hurricanrana. Fenix hit a running kick to the head, but then Fenix was selling the right foot injury. Grande applied the Ankle Lock on the left ankle that was not the one that Fenix used to kick Grande. Fenix countered Grande into a pin attempt for two. Fenix tried a leap off the turnbuckle, but Grande headbutted him with the loaded mask. Grande jumped off the top with a headbutt with the loaded mask and Grande covered Fenix for the pinfall win at 7:57.

Winner by pinfall: El Grande Americano

Analysis: *** This was a solid pro wrestling match. It’s a win for El Grande Americano in his WrestleMania “debut” match. I assume that is how the match would have gone against Rey Mysterio as well, but I don’t like it as much for Rey Fenix because seeing him lose decisively in one of his first matches is disappointing. I also thought it would be a longer match, so giving them only 8 minutes is less than what I expected for them.

After the match, Vikingo from AAA went into the ring and checked on Rey Fenix since they are friends.

There was a clip from the Countdown Show when it was announced that WWE has purchased the AAA promotion in Mexico. They showed representatives from AAA at ringside. There will be a WWE NXT-AAA Worlds Collide show on June 7th.

The WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels appeared on the stage. There were “HBK” chants for the legend. Michaels mentioned the title matches so far and there is a lot more to come at WrestleMania. Michaels thanked the 61,467 fans in attendance for a sold out WrestleMania Saturday. Michaels said if you ain’t down with that, they’ve got two words for ya…the fans chanted “suck it” at that point.

They showed actor Stephen Amell in the crowd, UFC Middleweight fighter Israel Adesanya and they showed UFC CEO Dana White in the crowd again. This time he got a name plate when he was shown.

There was a video package for the Tiffany Stratton/Charlotte Flair match.

It’s “Tiffy Time” as the WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton made her entrance in a case that made it look like she was a Barbie Doll. Charlotte Flair made her entrance in a Rolls Royce car that was on the stage. Flair had a very flashy robe as usual and she got a big pyro display as well.

WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair

It is Stratton’s WrestleMania debut. The fans were booing Flair, a 14-time Women’s Champion, loudly.

Flair and Stratton exchanged punches at the start of the match. They punched eachother a lot in the ring and it spilled out to the floor. Barrett said they were really hitting eachother hard. Flair worked over Stratton with chops, but Stratton came back with a running splash against the turnbuckle. Flair jumped onto Flair’s body against the turnbuckle. Stratton sent Flair into the barricade at ringside. Flair gave Stratton a belly-to-back suplex on the barricade. Flair sent Stratton into the barricade. They went back into the ring where Flair choked Stratton across the ropes. Flair did a headscissors around the neck and rammed Stratton’s head into the mat. Flair flipped over Stratton using her legs and the fans booed Flair again. Flair applied a Boston Crab submission in the middle of the ring, Stratton rolled through and Stratton sat on top for two. Flair hit a neckbreaker, Stratton broke free from a move and Stratton kicked Flair. Stratton hit a handstand back elbow two times in a row. Stratton hit a spinebuster for two. Flair did a necksnap across the top rope. Stratton came back with a rolling senton. Stratton went for the moonsault off the top, but Flair avoided it. Flair kicked Stratton to knock her down. Stratton hit a basement dropkick for two. Flair hit a boot to the face for two. Flair chopped Stratton a few times. Stratton came back with strikes of her own. Stratton charged, Flair avoided her and Flair hit a forearm. Stratton countered a Natural Selection attempt by Flair, but Flair hit a sitout Powerbomb for two. Flair hit a step up kick and a clothesline. Flair went up top, but Stratton stopped her there. Flair went for a kick, Stratton avoided it and Stratton hit another spinebuster for two.

Flair was back in control as she hit a backbreaker and sent Stratton into the middle ropes. Flair went up top, she jumped off and hit a cross body block, but Stratton rolled through for a two count. Flair sent Stratton face first into the turnbuckle. Flair went up top, but Stratton shoved Flair down. Stratton grabbed the left leg that had a brace on it and Stratton slammed the knee into the mat. Flair got back up and kicked Stratton to knock her down. Flair rammed Stratton’s left knee into the ring post two times. Flair hit a knee drop on the left knee of the champion Stratton. Flair applied the Figure Four Leglock, but Stratton punched the left leg a few times and Flair let go of the hold. Stratton got back up with a chop block to the left knee. Stratton hit a rolling senton. Stratton went for the Prettiest Moonsault Ever off the top, but Stratton got her knees up to block. Stratton applied an inside cradle for a two count. Flair slowly climbed up top, so Stratton went after her there. Flair hit a front suplex to slam Stratton down. Flair jumped off the top with a Natural Selection neckbreaker for a two count. That was a good nearfall since Flair has won a lot with that move in the past. Flair told Stratton that she would never replace Flair. Stratton slapped Flair and Flair went after the knee again. Flair went for a shoulder tackle, Stratton moved and Flair hit the turnbuckle. Stratton did an Alabama Slam into the turnbuckle, but it didn’t look great. Stratton hit a rolling senton and Stratton went up top with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pinfall win at 19:04.

Winner by pinfall: Tiffany Stratton

Analysis: ***1/2 It turned into a pretty good match, but it didn’t feel like a classic match or anything like that. The announcers tried to put it over as some epic match and it wasn’t like that. I still enjoyed it. My pick was Flair winning although I am happy to see Stratton get the win because it is good for Stratton to beat somebody at the level of Flair to show that Stratton belongs. I just thought that Flair might win since she hasn’t been a champion for a few years. This result is cool with me, though. I think they did a nice job of extending the match by having each woman work over the knees. I think maybe Stratton could have sold a bit better, but overall I think she did well.

Tiffany Stratton celebrated as the WWE Women’s Champion. Charlotte Flair backed away from the ring and left. The announcers put over Stratton for the big win.

A video aired showing highlights of the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I watched some of it this morning because it was ridiculously late last night. Good speech by Triple H.

WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2025

The WWE Hall of Fame inductees were on the stage so the fans could cheer for them: Bret Hart & Steve Austin for their Immortal Moment, Typhoon & Earthquake (represented by his family), Michelle McCool and Triple H was last. There was no Lex Luger appearance. Triple H brought out a bottle of water and did his classic water spit that he used to do before his matches. The fans cheered.

Analysis: It’s not a great HOF class overall, but Triple H as a headline act helped it a lot.

A video package aired for the CM Punk-Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins match. The song is called “Sail Into The Black” by Machine Head and it’s a great video package. They showed it on SmackDown and at Stand & Deliver too.

Seth Rollins was up first wearing a ridiculous robe. Rollins had a flamethrower so he shot the flames into the air since it fits the “Burn It Down” theme of his song. It looked great. The fans sang Seth’s song as he took off the black jacket and revealed a white outfit with a long jacket. Cole mentioned it was Seth’s 14th WrestleMania as the fans kept on singing Seth’s song.

Roman Reigns made his entrance alone while wearing the red Ula Fala around his neck. Reigns made his slow walk down to the ring. It is a bit strange seeing him without Paul Heyman, but here is Reigns on his own. Cole noted it was Roman’s record 10th WrestleMania main event match.

A video package aired about CM Punk showing his journey in pro wrestling and in WWE specifically.

CM Punk made his entrance while he band Living Colour performed “Cult of Personality” that Punk uses as his entrance music. Punk was by joined by his manager for this match, Paul Heyman. The fans were loud for Punk during his entrance. It is Punk’s eight WrestleMania, his first WrestleMania since 2013 and his first WrestleMania main event.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk (w/Paul Heyman)

When Roman Reigns took his Ula Fala off, he looked at Paul Heyman. Reigns put it under the turnbuckle. It started at 10:25 p.m. ET. There are no countouts and no disqualifications in WWE triple threat matches. The first pinfall or submission wins.

After the bell rang, Punk walked around the ring and asked Heyman for wisdom, which upset Reigns. Reigns sent Punk out of the ring with a clothesline over the top to the floor. Reigns hit a Drive By kick on Rollins. Reigns sent Punk into the ring post and then Punk sent Reigns in the ring post. Rollins hit a suicide dive on Reigns. Rollins sent Reigns into the barricade. Rollins sent Reigns into the steel steps. Punk and Rollins battled at ringside, so Punk clotheslined Rollins over the barricade. Punk grabbed a chair and hit Rollins a few times with it. Rollins used some metal object to hit Punk in the knee and Rollins hit Punk with a garbage can to the head. Punk suplexed Rollins onto the garbage can that was on the floor. Punk threw a trash can at Seth’s head. The guys went to ringside, so Reigns jumped over the barricade and knocked down both guys. The three men were at ringside so Reigns cleared off the Spanish commentary table. Reigns sent Rollins into the steel steps. Reigns hit Rollins with a Prime bottle two times. Reigns worked over Punk with punches, but Punk came back with chops. They went into the ring as Punk charged, Reigns caught Punk and Reigns hit a Samoan Drop. Rollins jumped off the top rope and Reigns hit an uppercut on Rollins. Punk avoided a Superman Punch by Reigns and Punk hit a neckbreaker. Punk caught a leaping Rollins and Punk hit a knee on Reigns along with a jumping kick. Punk hit four more running knees on both opponents. Punk hit a front DDT and reverse DDT to his two both opponents.

Punk went up top and hit an elbow drop on Rollins. Punk was on the top again, Rollins went up after him, Reigns had Rollins on his shoulder and Punk hit a Doomsday Device clothesline. Reigns hit a Superman Punch for a two count. Punk applied an Anaconda Device submission on Reigns, so Rollins went up top and Rollins hit a Frog Splash to break up the pin attempt. Rollins punched and kicked each opponent. Rollins gave Punk a Buckle Bomb into the turnbuckle. Rollins also gave Reigns a Buckle Bomb into the turnbuckle. The fans were singing Seth’s song. Punk avoided a Pedigree and wanted another move, but Reigns hit a Spear on Punk. Rollins hit a Pedigree on a charging Reigns and Rollins hit The Stomp for two. The fans were loud for that. Rollins went up top, jumped off and went for a Phoenix Splash, but Reigns avoided it. Punk was back in, he lifted Punk on his shoulders and Punk avoided a Spear, so Reigns hit a Spear on Rollins. Punk hit the Go To Sleep (GTS) knee on Reigns for the one…two…no! Just a two count. Punk signalled for a GTS as he lifted up Reigns, but avoided that and Rollins was back in with a Pedigree on Punk for two.

Rollins tried to convince Reigns to take Punk out. Rollins cleared off the English commentary table. Rollins worked over Punk with punches. Reigns told Rollins to pick him up, but then Reigns changed his mind and he hit Punk with an uppercut punch. Reigns picked up Punk and gave him the Powerbomb through the English commentary table. Reigns picked up Rollins and gave Rollins a Powerbomb through the Spanish commentary table. They went back into the ring where Rollins hit a Spear for one…two…no because Rollins got the shoulder up. The fans were singing “Roman, Roman Reigns” for the OTC. Reigns put Punk into the ring and Reigns applied a Guillotine Choke. Reigns jumped up and used his legs to lock up Punk tighter. Punk broke free and Punk applied the Anaconda Vice submission. Rollins was back in the ring and he applied a Sharpshooter on Punk. I think Rollins swore at Punk because the screen went black and then it re-appeared. Rollins had Punk trapped in the Sharpshooter. Reigns was back up with a Guillotine Choke on Rollins, but Rollins turned it into a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Reigns applied the Guillotine Choke again. Punk hit The Stomp on Reigns and a GTS on Rollins for just two. Punk hit a GTS on Rollins, but Reigns hit a Spear on Punk and Rollins bounced off the ropes leading to Rollins hitting The Stomp on Reigns. All three guys were down after hitting those finishing moves.

Paul Heyman went to ringside where he grabbed a steel chair. Heyman spent about a minute holding the chair at ringside. Heyman passed the chair over to Punk, so the fans booed that while Reigns looked sad about it. Heyman event went into the ring with Punk, but when Punk held up the chair, Heyman hit Punk with a low blow. The fans were shocked by that while Reigns was laughing about it. Heyman shouted at Punk that Reigns is Heyman’s Tribal Chief. Heyman presented Reigns with a steel chair. Reigns hit Punk with a steel chair three times in a row in the back. Rollins got back up to his feet, so Reigns set up for a chair shot, but Heyman hit Reigns with a low blow uppercut as well. The fans booed loudly. Rollins stuck his hand out and Heyman handed Rollins the steel chair. The fans sang Seth’s song. Rollins hit Reigns in the back with the steel chair like he did 11 years ago. Rollins hit The Stomp on Reigns for the pinfall win at 32:55.

Winner by pinfall: Seth Rollins

Analysis: ****1/2 I thought it was an excellent WWE-style main event match with a lot of finishers by all three guys, even stealing some finishers and getting two counts out of those. When I saw Heyman get in the ring I knew at that moment that he was going to cost both Punk and Reigns and Rollins. I just figured it was coming because why else would he enter the ring? They got plenty of time, Reigns was dominant for a lot of it, Punk was resilient the whole way and in the end it was Rollins benefit from the untrustworthy Heyman to get the win. We know Rollins said that Heyman owed him a favor in the past, but we didn’t know for sure if Heyman would do that favor, yet here it was with Heyman helping Rollins getting the win. I’m glad that they got a lot of time because they delivered a terrific main event match and this show needed it. Great job by Rollins, Punk and Reigns.

Seth Rollins left with Paul Heyman while Cole was screaming about how he is sick because Heyman has aligned himself with Rollins. Rollins walked away with Heyman while McAfee wondered how long this has been the plan. Rollins walked away with Heyman. Punk was talking to the referee and you could see Punk smiling a bit because he was probably with the match. Rollins posed on the ramp while Heyman had an evil grin behind him. That’s all for WrestleMania 41 Saturday.

Analysis: This likely puts Seth Rollins in the role as a top heel again, which is fine with me because I like him in that role. Seth might have to change his theme song because the song is more of a babyface thing, so we’ll see if there is a chance for his presentation as a character.

WWE WrestleMania 41 Saturday had a runtime of 4 hours, 1 minute.

===

Five Stars of the Show

  1. Seth Rollins
  2. Jey Uso
  3. Roman Reigns and CM Punk
  4. Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair
  5. The New Day

===

Final Thoughts

I’m going 7 out of 10 for this show. (Originally I had a 6.75 score, but going through this again, I bumped it up to 7.)

I think WrestleMania 41 Saturday was underwhelming for a lot of the night, but the main event delivered an excellent match to really save it from being a disappointment. That main event by Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and CM Punk was outstanding and the shocking ending helped a lot.

The best match was Rollins-Punk-Reigns easily. That was an excellent fight with an ending that is memorable. The Jey Uso win over Gunther was a lot of fun and I like the story they told. Other than that, Stratton-Flair was pretty good. Most of the rest of the matches were just decent and shorter than I expected most of them to be.

I have high expectations for WrestleMania. I think WrestleMania shows should always be 8 out of 10 style events, but this one didn’t get to that level, in my opinion. We’ll see how WrestleMania Sunday goes.

====================================================

WWE WrestleMania 41 Sunday Review tjrwrestling

WWE WrestleMania 41 (Sunday)
From Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday, April 20, 2025

There were some superstars shown from earlier in the day featuring Cody Rhodes, The Judgment Day group, Penta, Bron Breakker and Randy Orton with his wife Kim.

A video package aired to set up tonight’s show with clips of the wrestlers competing in the matches.

Stephanie McMahon Welcomes Us To WrestleMania

Stephanie McMahon was in the ring saying that the last time WrestleMania 9 was in Las Vegas, she was 16 years old. Stephanie said that now, her middle daughter is 16 years old. Stephanie said that WWE has been part of her entire life, she said that you are family and WWE is family. Stephanie said welcome home and welcome to night two of WrestleMania. There was a pyro display that went off by the stage to welcome us to the show.

Analysis: Thanks Steph aka Mrs. Game.

The commentary team of Michael Cole, Pat McAfee & Wade Barrett were at ringside to welcome us to the show. It is Cole’s 28th WrestleMania. The Spanish announcing team was there.

The Women’s World Title match was up first. Since I’m behind in watching the show, I’m going to fast forward through entrances.

WWE Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley

There are no countouts and no disqualifications. The first fall wins. They are all babyfaces, but the fans love Ripley the most. Belair was getting booed by some fans while Sky had a lesser reaction but was still cheered.

Belair and Ripley argued to start the match so Sky punched Ripley. Sky hit an impressive hurricanrana on Ripley. Sky hit a cartwheel followed by a dropkick on Belair. Ripley dropkicked Sky out of the ring. Belair dropkicked Ripley into the turnbuckle. Belair worked over Ripley with punches, Belair sent Sky against Ripley and Belair punched them both. Belair kicked Ripley while Sky jumped off the top with a double Blockbuster for two. Sky hit a running dropkick. Belair launched Sky to the apron and into the turnbuckle. Ripley kicked Belair out of the ring. Ripley hit a cannonball on Belair on the floor. Sky hit a moonsault off the ropes onto Ripley on the floor. Sky rolled through on Ripley and Sky hit a double foot stomp on Ripley’s ribs. Belair clotheslined Ripley out of the ring. Sky rolled up Belair for two. Belair knocked down Sky with a shoulder tackle. Belair hit two suplexes in row followed by a walk that led to a delayed vertical suplex. Ripley tripped up Belair and pulled her out of the ring. Sky jumped onto Belair on the floor, but Belair sent Sky into the barricade. Ripley and Belair threw Sky into barricade. Back in the ring, Ripley elbowed Belair to break free. Ripley gave Sky a Razor’s Edge into Belair and Ripley got a two count on Sky. Ripley trapped Sky in the Prism Lock submission, but Belair broke that and Belair went for KOD on Ripley, who landed on her feet. Belair and Riley did a hair pull double takedown while Sky was against the turnbuckle, so they paused to take a break.

Sky hit running knees on both opponents. Sky went up top, Ripley went after her, Belair joined the fun and that led to a Tower of Doom double belly-o-back suplex and Sky did a moonsault bump onto the mat. Ripley kicked Belair to knock her down. Sky hit a springboard dropkick to knock Ripley down and the fans cheered Sky a lot. Belair was back up with a running Pounce to knock Sky down. The fans booed that. Belair hit a 450 Splash off the top on Sky and Ripley broke it up. Ripley hit a Riptide slam on Belair for a two count. Sky countered Ripley with a DDT. Sky charged and Ripley kicked Sky to knock her down. Ripley tried a Riptide off the turnbuckle, but Sky countered it with an armdrag. Sky jumped off the top with Over the Moonsault, Ripley got her knees up and Belair hit KOD on Sky for one…two…no because Ripley broke up the pin attempt. Great nearfall. Belair hit Ripley with some strikes to the face. Ripley fought back and Ripley sent Belair into the turnbuckle. Ripley headbutted Belair to knock her down to the floor. Sky joined Ripley on the top, Ripley blocked a reverse hurricanrana attempt and Ripley sent Sky face first into the top of the turnbuckle. Belair went for KOD on Ripley, but Ripley landed on her feet. Ripley hit a headbutt. Belair countered Riptide and Belair hit Ripley with a hair whip to the body. Belair hit KOD on Ripley. Sky jumped off the top with Over The Moonsault on Belair and Sky covered Belair for the one…two…and three! IYO SKY wins. It went 14:25.

Winner by pinfall: Iyo Sky

Analysis: ****1/2 That was an outstanding match and one of the best opening matches in WrestleMania history. It’s also one of the best women’s matches in WrestleMania history. There was so much fast paced action that it was hard to keep up with it. It really could have gone any way, but I think it tells a good story to have Sky win the match because it shows she can survive as champion even though she was overlooked going into the match. Ripley and Belair came so close to winning a few times, including when they hit finishing moves, but they weren’t able to get the win. This is the third elite triple threat match I watched in two days counting the WM41 Saturday main event and NXT Stand & Deliver main event. They were all different kinds of matches, but they were all very entertaining. If you think it deserves a higher rating then more power to you, but there’s nothing wrong with 4.5* and I don’t think it should be higher than that. It’s still an amazing match that I enjoyed immensely.

Iyo Sky celebrated with the Women’s World Title. The fans cheered for Sky with her title.

Analysis: There were three incredible triple threat matches in the last two days. This match, the Rollins-Reigns-Punk main event at WM41 Saturday and the Femi-Trick-Evans triple threat at Stand & Deliver. All of them were so fun to watch. Credit to the talent. Amazing matches.

They showed some celebrities in the crowd including popular rap legend Flava Flav, UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili, and rapper Rich the Kid.

A video aired to set up the Drew McIntyre-Damian Priest match.

Drew McIntyre was up first for his match looking very serious for this match. Damian Priest was played out to the ring by Kerry King of the band Slayer. That was a cool entrance and I like his song.

Sin City Street Fight: Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

It’s a match where anything goes and can end by pinfall or submission. The match had to end in the ring.

Priest knocked Drew out of the ring. Priest sent Drew into the barricade. Drew fought back to give Priest a suplex on the bottom of the ramp. Drew put two levels of the steel steps into the ring, so Priest hit Drew with the steel steps. Prist sent Drew into the barricade. Priest put a table into the ring, but Drew came back with a chop and Drew sent Priest into the steel steps and commentary table. Drew rammed Priest into the commentary table. Drew picked up Priest and hit Priest in the head twice. Drew hit Priest with the steel steps to the back. Priest got his phone from his brother and Drew took a selfie pic and tweeted “Bored at work” like last year. Drew gave his brother the phone back. Drew hit Priest with a steel chair to the side of the head. Drew set up two tables on the floor. Priest punched Drew a few times while Drew was on the apron above the tables. Drew clotheslined Priest out of the ring. Drew hit a running somersault dive over the top onto Priest on the floor. That was very impressive.

Drew charged at Priest, but Priest threw a chair at Drew, who avoided some of it. Drew hit a Claymore Kick on Priest for two. Drew hit Priest in the back with a steel chair several times. Drew put a steel chair around Drew’s neck and Priest hit Chokeslam rather than the south of Heavan slam. Priest smacked Drew with a chair to the back several time. Priest put the World Title between the two turnbuckles and turned allowed, which led to Drew hitting a spinebuster. Drew set up a table in the middle of the ring. Drew went up top with Priest on his back, but Priest fought out of that and Priest hit a Razor’s Edge through the table. Priest’s hero was the late, great Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and he got a two count with that move. Priest wanted to slam Drew on the steel steps, but Drew got out of that with an eye gouge. Drew hit a Future Shock DDT onto the steel steps for two. That’s also a painful bump for Drew since he lands hard on his back on the steel steps. The fans chanted “This is awesome” and I agree. Drew and Priest exchanged punches as the referee put gloves on since he saw blood. Priest hit punches, Drew with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt and Priest clotheslined Drew to knock him down. Priest did a ropewalk while holding Drew’s hand and Drew shoved Priest, who took a back bump through the two tables on the floor! That was a brutal bump. The fans popped big to react to it. Drew set up Priest’s head against the steel chair that was against the turnbuckle and Drew delivered a Claymore Kick into the chair that was against Priest’s head! Brutal. It went 13:55.

Winner by pinfall: Drew McIntyre

Analysis: ***3/4 Great match that felt like a fight due to the intensity of both guys and the weapons they used throughout the match. Kudos to Priest for taking such a huge bump off the top and through the two tables on the floor. The finish was a decisive ending with that Claymore Kick into the chair. The weapon usage made a lot of sense throughout the match. I hope this win gives Drew some positive momentum and he gets into the WWE or World Title scene soon. I want Drew to have a title reign this year.

Drew McIntyre forced the referee Dan Engler to raise his hand in victory while Drew as on the steel steps. Priest was selling it saying that he can’t breathe. Drew spoke into the camera saying he’s always right in the end.

A commercial aired about this October in Perth, Australia when WWE brings Smackdown, Raw and a PLE. It was promoted as John Cena’s last match in Australia. More details are coming soon.

They showed celebrities at ringside including Jahmyr Gibbs of the NFL’s Detroit Lions, UFC legend/commentator Daniel Cormier and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who was booed.

Thee four-way match for the Intercontinental Title was up next, so there was a video to set that up.

Penta made his entrance first to a big pop. Dominik Mysterio walked out wearing a mask and he was booed heavily. Dominik took off his mask. I don’t remember Dominik winning many singles matches, but here he is in an IC Title match. Finn Balor was next as he joined his buddy Dominik Mysterio of The Judgment Day in the match. Bron Breakker made his entrance last as the Intercontinental Championship match and he was making his WrestleMania debut. Bron has held the match for about six months going back to October of last year.

Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

It’s a match with no countouts and no disqualifications. The first fall wins.

Bron went after Dom to start, but Dom got out of the way. Dom and Balor attacked Bron to send Bron out of the ring. Penta jumped off the top and hit a cross body block off the top on Dom. Penta sent Balor and Dom out of the ring, which led to Penta hitting a somersault dive over the top onto Balor & Dom on the floor. Bron took out Penta with a running shoulder tackle on the floor. Penta went for a springboard attack, but Bron slammed him. Bron gave Balor a popup powerslam. Bron ran the ropes and hit a Spear on Dom for two because Balor broke up the pin. Bron went after Penta with shoulder tackles, but Balor hit a Slingblade and Penta hit a Slingblade. Penta sent Balor and Dom against the ropes, so Penta hit a swinging double dropkick for a two count. Penta pulled back on Balor’s right arm with The Sacrifice. Bron was back in and he hit a double German Suplex on Balor and Penta at the same time. The fans were barking for Bron. Bron ran at Penta, who moved, so Bron hit the turnbuckle. Dominik pulled down Penta by the head and Dom hit a senton splash. Dominik stomped on Bron and some fans were cheering for Bron as Dom dropkicked Bron out of the ring. Dom hit two suplexes at ringside while Carlito showed up at ringside. Balor was back in for a double suplex with Dom on Penta. Bron hit a double duplex on Balor and Dom, which led to more barking by the crowd. Bron hit belly-to-belly throws on Balor and Dom. Bron hit a running clothesline on Balor and a clothesline on Dom. Bron jumped off the top with a Frankensteiner on Balor for two.

Bron charged at Balor, who got a boot up, Penta kicked Bron and Dominik dropkicked Penta. Balor clotheslined Bron out of the ring, so Dom dropkicked Balor into the ropes. Dom went for a 619, Balor blocked it and Balor stomped on Dom, which drew boos because this crowd liked Dom. Penta hit a Penta Driver on Balor for two because Bron broke up the pin. Penta and Bron exchanged strikes. Carlito pulled the top rope down, so a running Bron bumped to the floor. Dom rolled up Penta for two. Penta came back with a Mexican Destroyer for just a two count because Carlito pulled Penta off the pin. Carlito cleared off the commentary table at ringside. Carlito held onto Penta, but then Bron showed up on the other table and Bron ran across the tables with a Super Spear that put Carlito through the table! That was an amazing move. The fans were chanting “Dirty, Dirty Dom” for Mysterio. Bron hit a Spear on Penta. Dominik dropkicked Bron into the ropes and Dom hit a 619 kick on Bron. The fans were cheering. Dom went up top, but Balor tripped him up and the fans booed. Balor hit a Slingblade and a dropkick into the turnbuckle. Balor jumped off the top with a Coup de Grace double foot stomp on Bron, but Dominik jumped off the top with a Frog Splash on Balor and Dominik covered Balor for the pinfall win! It went 10:30. The fans cheered.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW Intercontinental Champion: Dominik Mysterio

Analysis: **** That was an awesome match that was full of action the whole way and it didn’t slow down. Dom getting the win by pinning Balor was the finish I predicted and I’m sure I’m not alone in that because it felt like the right time to get the title on Dom in a cheap way. Penta and Balor had a lot of cool moments in the match, but I didn’t think either of them would win. To me, it was either Bron winning or Breakker retaining. Bron Breakker was showcased a lot in this match with a lot of spectacular moves. That running Spear on the commentary table was amazing. I don’t think Breakker is going to be hurt by losing the IC Title. I think Bron could be the Money in the Bank winner this year. That match went just over 10 minutes, so that might seem short, btu there was so much action and it never stopped, which meant that the time of the match felt just right.

Dominik Mysterio celebrated with the Intercontinental Title. After some replays, Dominik ran down to the ring and posed with the IC Title some more. The fans cheered it a lot.

Analysis: I don’t think this means that Dominik is going babyface or anything like that. I think it’s just that the WrestleMania crowd has a lot of “smart” fans that like Dom as a character, so they want to see him win.

A video package aired about Randy Orton issuing a challenge to anybody that wants to face him at WrestleMania.

The legendary Randy Orton made his entrance to a huge ovation. A lot of the fans were singing along with his “Voices” song. It Orton’s 20th WrestleMania match this year.

Randy Orton did a promo saying tonight marks his 20th WrestleMania. Orton said he was ready to go, so the only question now is who comes through that curtain? Orton said he’d deliver a WrestleMania courtesy of the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment – RKO.

Say his name and he appears…I believe in Joe Hendry! The TNA World Champion Joe Hendry got a huge ovation from the crowd. The fans sang along with his “I believe in Joe Hendry” song.

Analysis: I’m so happy that the TNA World Champion Joe Hendry got to have a moment like this. It’s not a good spot in terms of winning a match, but it’s a cool moment for a guy I like and somebody who has worked so hard to become a successful wrestler. Good for you, Joe.

Randy Orton vs. Joe Hendry

This is not for Hendry’s TNA World Title. Orton went for an RKO, Hendry avoided it and Hendry rolled up Orton for two. Orton kicked Hendry in the ribs, but Hendry came back with a neckbreaker. Hendry fired up the crowd, Hendry grabbed Joe by the throat, Orton no sold that and Orton did an eye poke. Orton hit two clotheslines and a powerslam. Orton delivered a draping DDT as Cole shouted “vintage Randy Orton” as usual. Orton went for an RKO, Hendry avoided it and Hendry hit a fallaway slam. The fans popped for that as Hendry turned around to face the hard camera. Orton popped back up with an RKO for the pinfall win at 3:10.

Winner by pinfall: Randy Orton

Analysis: ** A quick match to give Orton a decisive win. Hendry was focused on posing for the camera and Orton made him pay for that. It made sense for Orton to get the win to give him positive momentum. I assume Orton was going to beat Kevin Owens, but Owens is hurt, so they found another way to give Orton the win. Good enough.

After the match, Orton lifted Hendry up and Orton clapped for him as a sign of respect. Orton held Hendry’s hand so Orton lifted his hand to salute the fans. Orton spun Hendry around and he hit another RKO! The fans popped for that. Randy Orton raised his hands to the fans and Orton spun around so that he could do his arm pose. Orton did some more posing to end it.

Analysis: That’s what Randy Orton does. Sorry Joe. It was simple, it was fun and it was a way for Orton to pop the crowd.

A commercial aired for WWE Money in the Bank at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on June 7th.

The AAA/WWE NXT Worlds Collide show will be at the Kia Forum on LA on June 7th at 3 p.m. and later that day also in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome is Money in the Bank at 7 p.m. so it’s a lot of content for fans.

There was a video package for the Logan Paul-AJ Styles match.

Logan Paul made his entrance while filming himself with a camera. The camera took off so it was a drone camera that was used to film the crowd while Logan made his entrance. They showed nine different camera angles of Logan’s entrance. AJ Styles was up next for his entrance and he was cheered by the fans as the babyface in the next match.

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

Paul shoved Styles into the turnbuckle. Styles nailed Paul with a shoulder tackle. Styles jumped over Paul and hit a dropkick. Styles was sent out of the ring, Paul tried to attack, Styles pulled the apron back and trapped Paul against the ring. Styles nailed Paul with a running knee to the face while on the apron. Paul broke free and he tackled Styles into the barricade. Styles sent Paul hard into the barricade at ringside. The WWE President Nick Khan was seated at ringside with his son. Paul got a hold of Styles on the apron, Paul sent Styles into the ring post and Paul sent Styles running into the other ring post. Paul did a slingshot attack over the top onto Styles on the floor. Paul sent Styles into the Spanish commentary table. Paul grabbed his drone to film him and Paul used the ring apron to smother/choke Styles for a few seconds. Paul did a necksnap across the top rope. Paul jumped off the top with a Frog Splash that Cole called a Paul From Grace for two. Paul sent Styles sternum-first into the turnbuckle. Paul sent Styles overhead with the Overbomb for two. Paul did some ear cupping to imitate Hulk Hogan, which led to Paul hitting a big boot and a split-legged leg drop for just a one count.

Paul worked over Styles with jabs. Paul kicked Styles and Paul jumped off the turnbuckle with a moonsault onto Styles for two. Paul hit Styles with a few uppercuts to the chest. Paul sent Styles into the turnbuckle, Styles stopped himself and Styles hit two clotheslines. Styles hit the slam onto the knee followed by a running forearm on Paul. Styles hit a running clothesline against the clothesline and a brainbuster for two. Styles set up for a Styles Clash, Paul got out of it, Paul kicked Styles in the ribs and Styles landed on his feet, which led to a kick that knocked Paul backwards. Paul caught Styles on the top rope, Paul hit a rolling senton and Paul hit a springboard moonsault aka Lionsault for two. Styles elbowed Paul and went for a Styles Clash, but Paul blocked it. Paul sent Styles into the turnbuckle. Paul hit the slingshot lariat that we know as the Buckshot Lariat by “Hangman” Adam Page and it got a two count. Pat referred to it as a Buckshot Lariat, but Cole didn’t call it that. Paul worked over Styles with punches as the fans booed. Paul went for a punch, Styles ducked it and Styles spun Paul around leading to a Powerbomb pin for two. Styles went for the springboard 450 Splash, but Paul got the knees up to block. Paul turned to face the hard camera and hit a Styles Clash. Styles managed to recover quickly and hit his own Styles Clash, but AJ was too hurt to make a cover. Paul’s friend Jeff from Paul’s entourage showed up at ringside with brass knuckles, but Karrion Kross was there to stop Jeff. Kross grabbed the brass knuckles. Styles threw Jeff into the barricade. Kross wanted Styles to use the brass knuckles in the match, but Styles refused and tossed the brass knuckles under the ring. Styles also decked Kross with a punch. Styles punched Paul, Styles did a springboard leap, Paul avoided it and Paul hit a dreaded punch to the jaw. Paul hit his flipping slam into DDT called the Paulverizer and that was enough for Paul to get the pinfall win. It went 17:50.

Winner by pinfall: Logan Paul

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a good match designed to put over Logan Paul clean, but it didn’t feel like it got to that next level where it was a great match. Styles didn’t want help from Karrion Kross, which made sense for Styles as a face and Paul took advantage of that situation to get the win. The fans weren’t into this match that much even though the guys worked hard. The story was decent going into it, but there wasn’t anything special about it.

There were stats shown about history noting that there have been 421 total matches and 456 unique individuals and broadcast from 26 different stats.

There’s a WWE Netflix docuseries called WWE: Unreal and it debuts this summer showing behind the scenes footage of WWE content.

They showed actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens at ringside, actor Rana Daggubati was at ringside, boxer Terence Crawford and rapper Quavo, who did a middle finger salute to the camera while wearing a Steve Austin shirt.

It was time for the Women’s Tag Team Title match up next.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made their entrance in red outfits as the Women’s Tag Team Champions. The story is that Bayley was injured in a backstage attack, so Lyra Valkyria needs a new partner.

The Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria made her entrance for her WrestleMania debut. After Lyra made her way down to ringside, we found out who her mystery partner.

Becky Lynch made her WWE return after being away from the company for the past 11 months. Lynch is Irish like Lyra and they teamed together in the past. Lynch got a huge ovation while they showed a female fan crying in the crowd. The fans were on fire for Becky’s return.

Analysis: Welcome back Becky. She has been missed. I also feel bad for Bayley being removed from her WrestleMania match. I hope they use it in a storyline.

Women’s Tag Team Championships: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria

Lynch started for her team against Raquel. Lyra tagged in leading to Becky and Lyra kicking Raquel several times. Lyra did an armdrag to send Raquel out of the ring. Lyra hit a running dropkick that knocked Raquel down on the floor. Lyra went up top, the referee was trying to calm Lynch down, Liv shoved Lyra off the turnbuckle and Raquel kicked Lyra for two. Liv and Raquel made quick tags as they worked over Lyra in their corner. Liv hit the Three Amigos vertical suplexes and a shake to taunt the crowd. Liv hit a running kick for two. Raquel hit a slingshot suplex that ended in a Jackhammer. Liv hit a suplex on Lyra. Raquel missed an elbow drop when Lyra moved, Liv went into the ring to hold onto Lyra’s foot and Lyra broke free to tag, but Liv pulled Lynch off the apron. Back in the ring, Raquel kicked Lynch and Raquel tossed Lynch out of the ring. Raquel hit a spinning slam on Lyra for two. Lyra finally broke free, so Lynch got the hot tag against Liv. Lync hit two clotheslines and a jumping forearm smash. Lynch hit an enziguri kick, a forearm to the face, a punch and Lynch went up top with a somersault dive onto Raquel. Lynch hit the Bexploder Suplex on Liv across the ring. Lynch hit a baseball slide kick on Liv. Lynch jumped off the apron with a forearm smash on Liv. Lynch flipped Liv over and applied a Disarm-her armbar on the left arm. Raquel broke it up with a boot to the face. Raquel kicked Lyra off the apron. Lynch sent Raquel over the top to the floor. Liv hit Oblivion on Lynch for two because Lyra broke it up. Lyra jumped onto Raquel on the floor and Lyra hit a DDT on the floor. Liv kicked Lyra down on the floor. Liv turned around and Lynch hit the Manhandle Slam (Rock Bottom) for the pinfall win at 8:40.

Winners by pinfall AND NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions: Becky Lynch & Lyra Valkyria

Analysis: *** Welcome back Becky Lynch and it’s a title change for her return match. I figured the titles would change hands when they did the injury replacement angle and it brought back Lynch into the match. Liv & Raquel had a decent reign as the champions, but it’s not like it was that memorable. This was basic tag team wrestling with the heels working on Lyra for most of it, Lynch got the hot tag, Lyra took care of Raquel on the floor and Lynch finished off Liv for the win.

Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria celebrated with the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Lyra is now Lyra Two Belts because she’s added the Tag Team Titles to her Intercontinental Title reign.

There were some commercials including a Drumstick ice cream commercial featuring John Cena. The next WWE PLE is Backlash on May 10th in St. Louis.

A “Highlight of the Night” video was shown of Dominik Mysterio winning the Intercontinental Title earlier in the night.

Steve Austin Announces WrestleMania Attendance

The WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin arrived in a four-wheeler and he went driving around the ring. Austin crashed it into one of the barricades and a woman was down in the front row.

Austin wanted the crowd to give him a “Hell Yeah” so the fans did it. Austin said he was here to announce tonight’s attendance: 63,226 fans. Austin said he’s been in a lot of buildings a lot like this and it seems like there are more people than that. Austin said he wanted a recount, so he literally started counting people and the fans chanted “WHAT” during every number before Austin stopped at 19. Austin said that’s bullshit. Austin said that meant it was 124,693 solid ass cats or people. Ausitn said he hopes everybody gets home safely and we’ll see you at the next WrestleMania. Austin drank some beer like he loves to do it by chugging beers that went all over his shirt. Austin put away six beers and left. The WWE President Nick Khan was talking to the fan in the front row and Austin said something to the fan too. Austin left at that point.

Analysis: I hope the fan is okay because Austin was going fast around the ring when he hit the barricade. I was hoping for some stunners, but he just drank some beers and announced the attendance numbers.

This Monday on the Pat McAfee Show, his guests are John Cena and Paul Heyman.

A video package aired about the Cody Rhodes-John Cena main event match. It was a terrific video package as usual.

John Cena made his entrance for his final WrestleMania match. Cena walked out to his regular song without pyro or anything fancy. It was just a regular walk out to his classic “Time Is Now” theme song. Cena is a 16-time WWE World Champion and this is his 17th WrestleMania match.

The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes made his entrance after some guys on motorbikes drove around the stage. Cody had some headgear on, he put it on the ramp and did his “WHOA-OH” pose as pyro went off for his entrance. A graphic let us know it was 378 days as WWE Champion for Cody and this is his 9th title defense. Cody hugged his daughter, kissed his wife, hugged mom and sister and Cody got into the ring after that. The ring announcer Alicia Taylor did the championship introductions.

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

The referee Chad Patton held up the Undisputed WWE Championship and the bell rang to start the match. The fans were loud.

Cody knocked Cena down with a shoulder tackle. It looked like Cena has fixed his bald spot issue or at least it’s not as bad as it was. Cena bailed to the floor. Cody applied an armbar, Cena went to the ropes and Cena went to the apron for a break. Cena left the ring to the floor, so Cody hit a suicide dive onto Cena. When they went back into the ring, Cena punched Cody and Cena stomped on Cena a few times. Cena sent Cody into the ropes, leading to Cena hitting a boot to the head. Cean stomped on Cody’s foot and Cena hit Cody with a knee to the head. Cena sent Cody hard into the turnbuckle. Cena did a catapult into the bottom rope. Cena nailed Cody with another kick to the head. Cena hit a running clothesline and Cody did a flip bump. Cena hit another clothesline for a two count. Cody connected with some punches, but Cena came back with a sidewalk slam for two. Cena told Cody something, Cena went to the turnbuckle and Cena hit a double axhandle off the middle turnbuckle. Cena hit another double axhandle off the middle turnbuckle. Cena tried it again, but Cody hit a kick to the gut, Cody punched Cena a few times, Cena said “again” to call the punches, Cena did an eye gouge and punches. Cody ran at Cody, who got a boot up and Cena hit a Tornado DDT off the middle turnbuckle. Cena hit a running shoulder tackle and another shoulder tackle. Cena hit the spinning suplex that he has done many times. Cena was moving slowly as he teased the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Cody punched him in the face. Cena rang into a powerslam by Cody. Disaster Kick by Cody as the fans booed because a lot of them want Cena to win. Cody jumped off the ropes with a Cody Cutter for two. Cena did a drop toe hold, Cody kicked away and Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment, but Cody kicked out at two. Cena hit his Five Knuckle Shuffle fist drop. Cena went for AA, Cody got out of that and Cody hit some strikes. Cody went to the turnbuckle where Cena tripped him up while the fans were doing the mixed chants for Cena. Cena got a hold of Cody on his shoulders on the turnbuckle and Cena hit a Super Attitude Adjustment for just a two count because Cody got his left shoulder up.

Cena went to the top rope and Cena jumped off the top with a leg drop attempt, but Cody caught him and Cody hit a Powerbomb for two. Cody jumped off the top and hit a Cody Cutter for two. The fans were booing for Cody as he hyped himself up. Cody went for a move, but Cena hit a third Attitude Adjustment. Cena applied the STF submission, Cody tried to fight it and Cena pulled Cody into the middle of the ring. Cody managed to crawl near the ropes, Cena pulled Cody away and Cody kicked Cena so that he bumped into referee Chad Patton against the turnbuckle. Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Cena and he covered, but there was no referee to count the pin attempt. Cena pulled a turnbuckle pad off to expose the steel. Cean sent Cody face first into the steel, Cena sent Cody’s face into the steel and Cena hit a fourth Attitude Adjustment for one…two…no! Cody got his left shoulder up. The music of Travis Scott hit and Travis slowly made his way down to the ring with his WWE Hardcore Title on his shoulder Cena picked up Scott on the apron and Cena raised his hand. Cena held Cody, who elbowed Cena and Scott went to the floor. Cody hit Cross Rhodes on Cena for two, but Scott pulled referee Chad Patton out of the ring top stop the count. Scott went into the ring and Cody said he remembered what Scott did to him when Scott punched him in the head. Scott tried a strike, but Cody caught him and Cody hit Scott with Cross Rhodes. Cena left the ring and when Cody turned around, Cena charged with the WWE Title. Cody blocked that, Cody got the title and Cena begged off. Cody was about to drop the title, so Cena kicked Cody in the groin! Cena hit Cody with the WWE Title. The referee Chad Patton slowly crawled back into the ring, Cena covered Cody for the one…two…and three! John Cena is the new Undisputed WWE Champion. It went 23:40 minutes. A lot of fans cheered it, but there were boos too.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW Undisputed WWE Champion: John Cena

That win by John Cena means that he has set the record with 17 WWE World Title wins, breaking a tie that Cena had with Ric Flair at 16 World Title wins.

Analysis: **3/4 There’s the record-breaking title change that I expected. It was slow paced and not the most entertaining match, but they got through it with a lot of twists and turns. I wasn’t surprised by the ref bumps either. I know that people are going to hate that it was as cheap it was, but that’s the point. Cena is a heel, so he did everything he could to win and he even benefitted from Travis Scott being out there because Cena couldn’t put Cody away on his help. Scott pulling the referee out of the ring during a count could be a DQ finish, but it’s not like they are going to end the main event with a DQ. I thought Cody did a great job in his role while Cena tried to outwrestle Cody the whole way, couldn’t beat Cody that way and Cena realized he had to cheat to win, so that’s what he did. I expected Cena to win and get #17 here. I liked Cody as champion and I hope he’ll be champion again, but putting the WWE Title on Cena was the right move. Let’s see what he does as a heel champion who cheats to win. I’m sure a lot of fans hated this match and the Travis Scott involvement. It’s also a heel champion winning the title, so you’re supposed to hate it. This was never going to be some great technical match. It was as cheap as it gets more heat on Cena, piss off the fans and make the fans want to see Cena lose.

John Cena is the 17-time WWE World Champion to set the record. There were a lot of fans cheering as Cena held up the WWE Title above his head. Cena grabbed Scott and brought him into the ring to celebrate. There were replays after that.

Analysis: It will be interesting to see how long of a title reign Cena has as the WWE Champion. I don’t know how many months it will last and who will be the guy to beat him. They could have Cody win it back or maybe it’s a past Cena rival like CM Punk or Randy Orton. They could also try to elevate somebody else like a Bron Breakker to really make him as a future star. I don’t know who it’s going to be or when. I’m just saying that’s going to make for an intriguing story throughout the year.

John Cena celebrated with the WWE World Title as pyro went off in the stadium. Cole thanked everybody for taking part in Wrestlemania while plugging Raw on Monday. Cena and Travis Scott celebrated in the ring to end the show.

WWE WrestleMania 41 Sunday had a runtime of 3 hours, 42 minutes.

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Five Stars of the Show

  1. Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair & Rhea Ripley
  2. Bron Breakker & Dominik Mysterio
  3. Drew McIntyre
  4. John Cena just because he won #17 here
  5. Cody Rhodes for a great run as WWE Champion

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Final Thoughts

I’m going 8.25 out of 10 for this show. It was 8.5, but I knocked it down a bit. Combine the two shows and I’m going with 7.5 out of 10 score for WrestleMania 41.

It’s been a long few days and a long stretch for me in terms of writing, so I’ll summarize it by saying WrestleMania 41 Night 2 was better than Night 1 this year.

The best match was again a triple threat match, and this time it was by Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley & Bianca Belair. I also really liked the 4-way match for the Intercontinental Title. That was a lot of fun with a hot crowd. The Drew McIntyre-Damian Priest Street Fight was also very good.

John Cena winning his 17th WWE World Title is what I predicted and expected. I am sure that the way that he did it will piss fans off because it was so cheap and Travis Scott got involved. I think perhaps they could have booked it better, but to me the story was that Cena could beat Cody Rhodes, so Cena knew had to cheat and that’s why he used the WWE Title to put Cody down and beat him. I’m not saying I loved it or that it was a great finish, but you’re supposed to be mad that Cena cheated to win. They want people angry. They don’t want Cena to win in some technical wrestling classic. It was ugly and it’s fine that it’s ugly. I look forward to seeing what heel Cena does as the WWE Champion. It’s going to be fun, I think.

I enjoyed WrestleMania 41 overall. I’m not putting it ahead of Elimination Chamber or WrestleMania 40 last year, but it was still a very good show in a lot of ways.

WRESTLEMANIA 41 OVERALL FINAL THOUGHTS

As mentioned above, WrestleMania 41 gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me.

I reviewed 11 hours of wrestling between two WrestleMania nights and NXT Stand & Deliver also on Saturday. That’s over 20,000 words on three show reviews. I rated many matches at four stars or above (in other words they were excellent matches) and featuring performers that are male, female, different sizes, different experience levels and they excelled. I was so happy for them. There were a lot of other really good matches too that maybe could have been great with more time or less time in some cases. If you think I overrated or underrated a match, that’s fine. We all are going to see things differently. I try to explain my thoughts, I try to speak on what might happen and try to theorize why something happened. If you like it, cool. If not, cool. I must be doing something right since we get millions of views every month without doing any video or audio. It’s just text, free to read on your phone, tablet or laptop or wherever. We are thankful for your support.

Regarding the main event of night two, here are my thoughts. John Cena wins his 17th WWE World Title in the WM41 Sunday main event and people are pissed off about it. The man did a promo on WWE shows saying he is going to ruin wrestling. So he won the WWE Title because of a skinny rapper who makes people angry because they don’t know why he is out there and Cena won it in as cheap of a manner as possible. To me, John Cena is a heel trolling champion. He wasn’t out there to have a five star match with AJ Styles like he did at Royal Rumble 2017 and maybe John can’t do that kind of match anymore because the dude is 47 and wrestles way less often. I understand people expect every match to be great and every finish to be awesome, but what if this is the gimmick? Think about it. He’s the anti-babyface Cena that was all about hard work, hustle, loyalty and respect. This Cena is a jerk who is going to piss you off with his actions and that’s what he did by winning the 17th WWE World Title. So if you’re angry, I think that’s what WWE wants you to feel. And does it mean you’re not going to tune in for more? I doubt that very much. You want to see what’s coming next and I think WWE knows that it. I also think whenever Cena loses the WWE Title, it’s going to be a big deal for that person to end Cena’s reign of terror.

I didn’t like WrestleMania 41 as much as WrestleMania 40 last year when I was there or Elimination Chamber last month when I was there. I’m not going to remember WrestleMania 41 as some all-time great show, but I still liked it. I also think WWE will have better PLEs this year since they have already had two better PLEs this year. It’s not easy putting on 14 matches over 8 hours and expecting everybody to love everything they watched. I still think WrestleMania is a fun celebration of the art of pro wrestling and I was entertained by it.

As a final thought, look on the bright side. If you watch on a streaming service like Peacock or Netflix, it costs way less money to watch this stuff compared to what it used to be decades ago. In today’s world where everything seems to be more expensive, at least our love of pro wrestling is more affordable if you want to watch at home.

Anyway, I’ll be back to review Raw, NXT, Smackdown, every PLE and many other shows in the weeks and months moving forward. Thanks for the support. Be well, my friends.

Here are my rankings of WWE PLE’s in 2025:

Elimination Chamber (March 1) – 9 (out of 10)

Royal Rumble (February 1) – 8.5

WrestleMania 41 (April 19 & 20) – 7.5

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As a reminder, I have a listing of every WWE PPV that I reviewed in order by year. Thank you for supporting us at TJRWrestling. We appreciate you.

Thanks for reading this review. My contact info is below.

Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter/X: @johnreport