‘WWE WrestleMania 41 – Night One’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of night one of WWE’s Wrestlemania 41 pay-per-view, which was broadcast live from Las Vegas, Nevada. Let’s see what went down on Saturday’s show…

Match #1: World Heavyweight Championship – Jey Uso def. Gunther

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

YEET! Jey Uso submitted Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship in front of a raucous WrestleMania 41 crowd at Allegiant Stadium. Uso immediately brought the fight to The Ring General, dropping the champion and forcing a stunned Gunther to collect himself out of the ring. It wasn’t long before the champion used his strength advantage to weigh on the challenger, though, including tearing Uso’s chest with his razor-like chops. Gunther seemingly had the match won when he smashed Uso with the World Heavyweight Title and landed a splash, but the challenger refused to give up. Uso continued to battle out of precarious situations, somehow mustering up enough to level the champion with a powerbomb, a spear, a trio of Uso Splashes, and a sleeper hold. With nowhere to go, The Ring General tapped out, giving Uso the World Heavyweight Championship and sending the Las Vegas crowd into a YEETing frenzy while he celebrated with his brother Jimmy. Since Uso’s Royal Rumble win, many questioned if he could defeat the unbeatable Gunther, but on The Grandest Stage of Them All, Uso silenced the doubters and made The Ring General tap out.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: World Tag Team Championship – The New Day def. The War Raiders

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Despite all of the noise and naysayers, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are once again Tag Team Champion, this time by dethroning Erik and Ivar at WrestleMania. Erik and Ivar used their combined 332 pounds to smash Woods, crumpling him with a massive slam/splash combo to set the tone early for the hard-hitting match. The crafty New Day gained control by taking out Erik, but the hulking Ivar was more than game to fight on his own, hitting a Doomsday-Sault that nearly retained the title. The Viking Raiders got back to full strength, but Kingston tripped up Ivar, who was going for War Machine, allowing The New Day to hit a brutal assisted Double Stomp combo to win the match and become World Tag Team Champion.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #3: Jade Cargill def. Naomi

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Jade Cargill promised that a storm was coming at WrestleMania, and she made good on her word. Former friends Cargill and Naomi couldn’t wait to get their hands on each other, with Cargill swiftly delivering clubbing blows and Naomi responding with a slam onto the ringside floor. Naomi continued to bash her rival using hammerfists and swift kicks to keep the hulking Cargill in trouble. The momentum shifted in a heartbeat, though, when Cargill showed off her unbelievable power by catching Naomi in mid-air and hitting her with a vertical suplex. Despite a split-legged moonsault from Naomi, the near superhuman strength from Cargill proved to be the difference as she tossed Naomi into a powerbomb before hitting Jaded to win the match.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #4: United States Championship – Jacob Fatu def. LA Knight

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Not even The Megastar could stop The Samoan Werewolf as Jacob Fatu defeated LA Knight to win the United States Championship. Fatu was his usual dominant self to begin the bout, launching Knight across the ring with a massive Pop-Up Samoan Drop and slamming him on the top rope. Knight struggled to sustain any offense as Fatu refused to stay down and pulled off counter after counter to keep The Megastar off his game. A key reversal gave Knight a window of opportunity, and he did his best to capitalize, highlighted by a huge Avalanche Belly-To-Back Suplex. Moments later, Knight somehow countered Fatu’s Moonsault into a BFT, but even more shockingly, The Samoan Werewolf kicked out. That marked the beginning of the end as Fatu downed Knight and proceeded to hit two gravity-defying Moonsaults to win the match and become the new United States Champion.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: El Grande Americano def. Rey Fenix

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Two of WWE’s newest sensations faced off, but thanks to some underhanded tactics, only El Grande Americano ended his WrestleMania debut with a win. Rey Fenix was a last-minute injury replacement for Rey Mysterio, and after pre-match assist from AAA Wrestling’s Vikingo, the high-flying luchador showed out early in the bout with an unbelievable aerial assault. The technical skills of El Grande Americano were apparent, though, as he also hit an unbelievable reverse 450 Splash that stunned the WWE Universe in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. With the referee distracted late in the match, El Grande Americano snuck a metal plate into his mask, causing a severe injury to Fenix’s foot after a head kick. With momentum squarely in his favor, the American luchador followed that up with an Ankle Lock and a Flying Headbutt to secure the victory.

My Score: 0 out of 5 (because the whole El Grande shtick is just f*cking insulting to Lucha Libre!)

Match #6: WWE Women’s Championship – Tiffany Stratton def. Charlotte Flair

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Las Vegas officially runs on Tiffy Time as Tiffany Stratton overcame Charlotte Flair to remain WWE Women’s Champion. The two Superstars were evenly matched, but it was the veteran Flair who became more aggressive, forcing Stratton to match her blow for blow. The Center of the Universe wisely targeted the surgically repaired knee of The Queen, kicking it and bending it in unnatural ways to gain an advantage. Flair, however, returned the favor by attacking Stratton’s knee as well. Flair locked in a Figure Four, but it wore on both Superstars with Stratton breaking the hold by bashing the challenger’s leg and loosening her knee brace. The two continued to battle as The Queen countered a Prettiest Moonsault Ever, even hitting Natural Selection from the top rope, but it wasn’t enough to secure her 15th World Championship. The match became increasingly personal as Stratton and Flair began chirping at each other, but it was the champion who gained the upper hand and hit a Prettiest Moonsault Ever to retain her title.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #7: Triple Threat Match – Seth Rollins def. CM Punk and Roman Reigns

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The epic Triple Threat Main Event between CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins belonged to The Visionary, thanks to the devious Paul Heyman. The Original Tribal Chief put his foot down early, knocking Punk and Rollins around the ring all while he barked at his former Wiseman for aligning with The Second City Saint. Donning gear reminiscent of his iconic Pipebomb, Punk engaged in a ferocious fight with Rollins through the crowd inside Allegiant Stadium, tossing trash cans and anything in his path at his rival. Reigns brought the fight to his opponents and proceeded to drag their bodies back to the ring, smashing them with different weapons. As the trio went at it, Punk and Reigns briefly teamed up to hit a Doomsday Device on Rollins. A fired-up Rollins countered a Spear from Reigns into a Spear and, despite following it up with a Stomp and after a GTS from Punk, The OTC kicked out while a stunned Heyman looked on. Reigns took matters into his own hands and put both Rollins and Punk through the announce tables before Spearing The Visionary, despite it somehow not being enough to end the match. Punk nailed a GTS on Rollins but immediately turned around into a rib-cracking Spear from Reigns, only for Rollins to stagger his way into a huge Stomp that brought the sold-out crowd to its feet. A desperate Heyman grabbed a steel chair and handed it to Punk, only for him to low blow his best friend and align with his Tribal Chief, but just moments later, he low blowed Reigns and handed the chair to Rollins. The Visionary bashed the Tribal Chief with the chair and hit a match-finishing Stomp to end WrestleMania Saturday with a victory.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

Wrestlemania 41: Night One had all the ingredients for a classic, but the end result felt underwhelming and oddly rushed. The decision to have Jey Uso defeat Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship in such a short match was baffling. After Gunther’s dominant reign and match-of-the-year performances, to see him lose in minutes felt like a missed opportunity. It wasn’t shocking in a good way, it just felt hollow. Jade Cargill’s squash win over Naomi did her no favours either. While she clearly has potential, the match lacked any real emotion or build-up. It was too quick, too clean, and left Naomi looking like an afterthought. WWE is pushing Cargill fast, but the execution felt more like a statement than storytelling. The tag title scene got a shake-up, but even that felt like filler rather than a real WrestleMania moment. Nothing about it screamed “biggest show of the year.”

The only saving grace was the women’s title match between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair. In a night filled with rushed finishes and puzzling twists, this bout stood out as a clinic in pacing, storytelling, and ring chemistry. Stratton rose to the occasion, going toe-to-toe with one of the best in the business and proving she’s more than just flashy entrances and charisma. Flair, as always, delivered with her usual mix of crisp execution and intensity and the odd botch, but it was Stratton who truly elevated her stock here. Their back-and-forth felt earned, the near-falls had real tension, and the finish was clean and satisfying – a rare bright spot on an otherwise uneven night. Then came the OTHER highlight of the night, the main event, which saw Seth Rollins turn on CM Punk and Roman Reigns, aligning himself with Paul Heyman. This twist adds a whole new layer to Heyman’s storyline (because really this match ALL about Paul Heyman), showing that even as things seemed to be winding down, there’s still gas in the tank. The crowd’s reaction said it all – shock, betrayal, and excitement all rolled into one.

Overall, Night One lacked the magic and momentum that Wrestlemania is known for. The surprises didn’t land, the pacing was off, and the emotional payoff just wasn’t there. For all the hype, it felt more like a disjointed episode of Raw than the grand spectacle fans were expecting. Hopefully, Night Two can salvage things.