Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman close out Night One of WrestleMania 41 in style
The opening night wasn’t perfect, but it ended on a high note
With WrestleMania taking place this weekend, Undisputed ran a special series celebrating the event.
The Road to WrestleMania is a series of stories detailing some of the most defining moments throughout the history of WrestleMania, and it featured interviews and analysis all about WWE’s signature event:
Wednesday: Shawn Michaels on WrestleMania VIII
Thursday: Hulk Hogan on initial plans for the original WrestleMania
Friday: WrestleMania 41 predictions
Night One wasn’t perfect–but had its moments
Two nights of WrestleMania is one too many.
That was the lesson we learned on Night One of WrestleMania 41. A hefty part of the card was forgettable, particularly the middle of the card. Yet that was not the case in the final match of the night, where Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk combined for a phenomenal triple threat.
The 32-minute match came to a surprise finish when Paul Heyman turned on both Reigns and Punk, then aligned with Rollins. That adds to Rollins’ WrestleMania highlight reel, and instantly makes him one of the top heels in the company. It will be fascinating to see Rollins and Heyman together, and that sets up singles matches against Punk and Reigns.
Without question, that was the highlight of Night One–an evening that had more misses than hits. Here are the results:
Jey Uso defeated Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship
The New Day defeated The War Raiders to win the World Tag Team Championship
Jade Cargill defeated Naomi
Jacob Fatu defeated LA Knight to win the United States championship
El Grande Americano defeated Rey Fenix
Tiffany Stratton defeated Charlotte Flair to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns and CM Punk in a triple threat match
The card started off on the right note with Jey Uso ending Gunther’s reign as World Heavyweight Champion. Even if the outcome was predictable, this was a bout that allowed both men to shine. The 16-minute match now stands as the best singles match of Uso’s career–and it was structured correctly, as this didn’t run too long and was just the right length.
It was a surprise that Uso forced Gunther to tap out–there is nothing as thrilling as a pin fall–but there was a long, heated backstory, and Uso finally made Gunther pay. Gunther had held the title since SummerSlam, and he deserves praise for adding even more meaning to a title bereft of a long legacy.
Another important match was Tiffany Stratton defeating Charlotte Flair. This was physical, and it will be remembered for the welt on Tiffany’s forehead–and her chipped tooth.
Especially with the animosity between Flair and Stratton in the buildup to the match, that will be over-analyzed. Was it intentional? Was it all part of the match? But the victory is significant for Stratton, whose title reign continues.
Jacob Fatu also delivered a performance befitting WrestleMania. He defeated LA Knight to win the United States championship, and it was one of the most compelling moments of the card.
This went 10 minutes, and both got in their highlights. In the end, Fatu showcased that he is an unstoppable force. His back-to-back-to-back moonsaults were a sight to behold, and he now begins his first run in the company as champion. Knight just couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle during either of his runs as US champ, so perhaps he’s better off pursuing another title–like the WWE title that should soon belong to John Cena.
But the misses outweighed the hits. The New Day-War Raiders bout was OK, but nothing spectacular–and it was sorely missing the presence of Big E. Jade Cargill and Naomi went too long and they were unable to get the crowd invested. And there was something fitting about El Grande Americano defeating Rey Fenix only hours after WWE acquired AAA.
Another moment that stood out was Bret Hart’s face after shaking hands with Triple H during the Hall of Fame highlight ceremony. Something tells me that’s the last we see of Bret for a little while. For what it’s worth, all of the newest inductees were on the stage, with the lone exception being Lex Luger.
Not everyone match belonged at WrestleMania. If you took the top seven matches from both nights and put them all on one card, you’d have a magnificent wrestling show. But while stretching out the event over two nights makes a lot more money for the company, it doesn’t necessarily produce better quality performances. That is what this card yielded, as this felt more like an edition of Raw at times than it did the biggest show of the year.
The final match of the night was everything it needed to be–and more. It felt especially important with the star power involved in the match, and it delivered a swerve in the finish. Plus, there is plenty of intrigue to see where this goes next between Rollins and Heyman (whose explanation should be outstanding), not to mention Reigns, who will now be on his own without Heyman.
Overall, it did not live up to the standards of a WrestleMania. But it was only one half of the puzzle, with Night Two–and the highly anticipated Cody Rhodes-John Cena match–still to come.