Wrestlemania 41 is less than a week away now. One thing that I completely glossed over (or rather straight out forgot to mention) on my previous blog post reviewing Smackdown was the revelation of the (near) final card for Wrestlemania 41. On top of that, they also mentioned the people inducting those entering in the Hall of Fame this year. That said, I figured it’s worth spending some time to put down my thoughts on this year’s Wrestlemania card especially as tonight will be the last Raw before the event and Smackdown on Friday as the last hype shows.
Night One
- The War Raiders vs The New Day (World Tag team Championship) – The new New Day got a DQ win to setup this coming match from the last Raw. However, the announcers mentioned that the War Raiders may have actual neck injuries (oddly both guys). Since the new New Day have received a lackluster push that only started meaning anything with this title match, I presume that the new New Day will take the titles here. No mention about Big E has been made so it’s hard to say if he might play a factor here. I will say that the War Raiders’ reign has been really tepid and I’m guessing if the new New Day win the tag titles here, the purpose is to eventually involve them vs Penta/Rey Fenix so that the Lucha Bros get their first titles in the WWE.
- Rey Mysterio Jr vs El Grande Americano – Rey is pretty much finishing his career at this stage and if, indeed, El Grande Americano is just Chad Gable re-packaged to get him some wins, then he’ll certainly be the person going over here. This match should mean more for Chad Gable/El Grande Americano but it’ll probably end up with some stupid goofy comedy from Gable, outside interference from his people and the LWO and Chad, I mean, El Grande picking up the win.
- Jade Cargill vs Naomi – This could be good or a downright disaster. I’m really hoping that this match does not exceed 10 minutes. But they can have a good 10 minute sprint if it’s just a wild brawl. Jade has looked good when she’s beating up Naomi and Naomi looks good taking Jade’s offense. Jade has only lost a single match, which was to Liv Morgan, so the WWE doesn’t need to worry about maintaining a win streak similar to AEW. I have a feeling that Bianca will play a role here because she’s been factored out of this equation thus far but she’s been getting a steady stream of boos when she’s paired off against Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley. If the WWE wants to capitalize on embracing both women as heels, they should have Bianca turn on Jade here too. Then Naomi picks up a win which allows Jade to pursue being a singles competitor, maybe have a brief feud against Bianca until she’s potentially ready to face Charlotte.
- Jacob Fatu vs LA Knight (US title match) – This is the first match I’m really looking forward to on this card. Jacob is super hot and over and it only makes sense for him to win the US title here. The only exception is if Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga interfere, which can cost Jacob his match. But LA Knight still is over enough to take the loss. If it weren’t for that horrible, worthless title run with Shinsuke, I would say for certain that Jacob would win here. However, LA Knight just got his title back so it’s hard to say whether or not he should drop it at this point.
- Tiffany Stratton vs Charlotte Flair (WWE Women’s Championship) – Some people think this match might be good. The beating Charlotte administered on Tiffany on Smackdown was decent and I think match-wise, Charlotte is going to lead this one. I think as long as neither woman speaks, they’re in a good spot right now. That said, I don’t think Tiffany should retain the title here. She might have a small cult following but she can’t carry the belt. I mean, if she beats Charlotte, who can she go after next that makes for a worthy contender? There’s a reason why Charlotte was fast tracked to this spot here. Also, I think Charlotte might gear up for a title match/feud with Jade by Summerslam as long as both can stay healthy. I don’t know how good that will be but I think both women might be eager for that match.
- Gunther vs Jey Uso (World Heavyweight Championship) – People are saying Jey is going to take this one. However, it still really bothers me that this isn’t the main event for night one given that it is for the World Heavyweight Championship. While there was praise for Jey’s recent interview in rebuking Gunther, I still don’t think he’s going over here. The only way he’ll win is if Cena also wins. Otherwise, you’ll have two baby face champions on top. Also, if they give Jey the World Heavyweight Championship, where does he go? I can see Gunther moving on to eventually feud with Cody but I can’t see Jey feuding with anyone else at this moment to sell out arenas. He could still get a DQ win with Jimmy coming in on his behalf but winning the title itself without being in the main event slot for night one sounds bad.
- Roman Reigns vs CM Punk vs Seth Rollins – I’ve reiterated how the real title equivalent here is Paul Heyman’s service. I think what will happen is that Heyman will slink between each of the three until they decide this guy’s an asshole and gang up on him. Then Brock Lesnar will hit the ring, a DQ is happens and he says Paul Heyman. Otherwise, there’s no stakes for the winner here that really mean anything. That said, my bigger hope is that there’s a better angle that comes out of night one as a result of the finish here. While PPVs especially Wrestlemanias should be the spot where feuds end, I think Heyman will continue to cast himself in the most important role in the company without having the spotlight directly shine on him. And what I mean by that is something major should happen here. Punk got the main event spot but he didn’t necessarily say he needed to win. Otherwise, that would be his story’s finish.
Night Two
- Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs Bayley and Lyra Valkyira (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship) – This was a last minute match thrown together to give these four a pay day. Lyra is just too green still, Bayley doesn’t mean much and Liv/Raquel shouldn’t be losing to anyone right now. It does show the non-existence of the women’s tag team division though since Jade/Bianca dropped their title but there really aren’t any solid teams in that division. Heck, I would argue that they should ditch those belts until some actual consistent teams are made.
- AJ Styles vs Logan Paul – I like AJ but I can’t stand Logan Paul. AJ Styles is another talent beginning the twilight of his career while the WWE has some weird social media fetish for people like Logan Paul. So it’s painfully obvious who is going over here.
- Bron Breakker vs Penta vs Finn Balor vs Dominik Mysterio (IC Championship) – Most people are predicting Dominik to win the title finally by betraying/pinning Finn Balor. That way Bron won’t have to eat the pin and Finn can leave the Judgment Day. I don’t know if Dominik will actually turn face because the fans seem to enjoy booing him. But I can’t see any other scenarios. Also, more importantly, getting the title off of Bron means he can move closer to the main event, which is more important than Dominik getting a title in the scheme of things.
- Damian Priest vs Drew McIntyre (Sin City Street Fight) – Damian just isn’t working in my eyes as an upper echelon person. I think he’d do a lot better facing a guy like Jacob Fatu for the US title or even Dominik for the IC title. Drew has to win this one because he’s one of the best heels now and the WWE is in bad need of solid top heels.
- Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair vs Rhea Ripley (Women’s World Championship) – I’m not looking forward to this match at all. I think Iyo getting the title was a consolation prize because she can’t talk but probably is well liked and respected in the back. She has her set of fans but her lack of promo ability and her general sloppiness turns me off. I’m kinda hoping to see Naomi show up and aid Bianca in winning the title here. We haven’t really seen a heel Bianca and she’s ready for it. Also, I can’t see Liv Morgan staying heel much longer especially if Dominik wins the IC title. So a tag team feud between Bianca/Naomi vs Liv/Raquel for the titles might be good. After all, Bianca/Naomi never got their revenge in losing.
- Cody Rhodes vs John Cena (Undisputed WWE Championship) – This match should be decent and I’m genuinely curious how heel John Cena will work against Cody. Some people believe that Cena will win the title here. If Jey beats Gunther on night one, then Cena should definitely win the title from Cody here to avoid a double babyface champion situation. But the main argument for Cena to win the title here is to create a chase scene for the title so that Cena gets his last run in and he can eventually put someone over just before retiring. Otherwise, his turn would mean nothing. From my perspective, I would prefer that happening just because I think Cody isn’t a great champion. His promos for being the top guy are really hit and miss to me. He’s much better when he’s facing adversity and in the chase mode. When he has the championship, he’s boring and he requires someone to trigger anger out of him. They could make Cena’s last run about Cody chasing Cena and that could be interesting.
However, the issue with Cena winning in my eyes is that Cena isn’t around enough. I know they managed to get around that issue with Roman Reigns. But if Cena wins, he’ll be around even less. And there’s only a limited number of people that Cena can work against to make his matches meaningful like Punk. I would prefer if Cody keeps the title, Punk turns heel and goes after Cody. Or have Drew go after Cody. The next crop of main event level talent are going to be Bron, Jacob Fatu, Gunther and possibility Dominik and LA Knight. None of them are ready for Cena (except maybe Gunther). Also, if Cena is retiring, when is his last match taking place? The Rumble 2026? I can’t see Cena (ugh…bad joke) holding the Undisputed Title for that long. Maybe Summerslam even Survivor Series at the very latest.
Final Thoughts
There’s probably 3 matches that I genuinely am interested in seeing. One match is for morbidly curiosity in terms of how bad it might go (not Bianca vs Jade) and the bulk feels like filler. There’s other things that people have mentioned such as the Smackdown Titles or Chelsea’s title but those aren’t important. The only other aspect I’m interested in witnessing is Luger’s HoF speech and whether he’ll be ready to walk in time. I am disappointed that DDP is inducting Luger rather than Sting but Tony Khan be Tony Khan and that should tell you a lot about the frizzy haired, Pinocchio nosed goof. But I really hope that Luger can hobble to the mic on his own (and I’m not being condescending towards him. If he can get up from his wheelchair and walk on his own legs to the podium that would be quite inspirational). Anyway, after Wrestlemania, if nothing comes out angle-wise from the PPV, I don’t know how much more I’ll continue to review. It’s already painful.
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