WrestleMania 41 Night 1: Results & Reactions

Jey Uso made his longer-than-usual walk to the ring as the spacious Allegiant Stadium provided enough distance to magnify the situation’s intensity.

The match was every bit as physical as you’d expect from a Gunther match, but Jey did not allow the champ to allow his momentum to roll. It was a very back-and-forth affair. They went strike for strike and strength for strength, and Jey was very capable of keeping up with the former longest-reigning Intercontinental championship. In fact, when Gunther made his first powerbomb attempt of the match, Jey reversed the maneuver and managed to land a powerbomb of his own.

The back-and-forth affair never produced a genuine story within the match, and it was difficult to build a genuine crescendo. This was problematic because the fans couldn’t get behind any comeback or underdog moment.

Then, as suddenly as the program started and as directionless as the match progressed, it was over when Jey slapped a rear naked choke that had Gunther inexplicably tap out. It happened so abruptly that there was almost a delayed reaction, but the crowd eventually got with the ‘program.’

Jimmy came out to celebrate, but the entire scene was much less dramatic than WWE probably predicted. As the new champ, Jey will get his opportunity for his first major title run—hopefully, it lasts longer than his IC title run.

War Raiders (c) vs. New Day—WWE Tag Team Titles

It did not feel like a truly fleshed-out program, but the heat that New Day continues to hold makes every crowd perform in front of a hot one. New Day wore Giant Gonzlez-inspired matching gear with unicorns on the back of their fit. It was a relatively clean match, and New Day won the tag titles for a record 13^th time, breaking their own record. It was a flat finish with little build, but putting the straps on the hotter act made sense as we head into a ‘brand new season.’

Jade Cargill vs. Naomi

Both women received elaborate entrances, but Jade’s was far more produced. Other than that, both women had the gear, the entrances, and the aesthetics that were Mania-worthy. The match itself was produced to showcase the best of Jade’s abilities. Naomi had her fair share of offense, with versatility as her strength.

For Jade, she was booked as strong as can be imagined with two back-to-back spots where Jade caught Naomi as she lept off the turnbuckle—the first of which was a very impressive reversal where she caught Naomi in a superplex position that Jade finished strong.

In the end, Jade was just too dominant for Naomi, and she was able to take the win on the big stage. Whether this feud is over or possibly getting a Belair injection just in time to send Jade on her first title attempt remains to be seen, but this positions Jade for a huge rest of 2025.

LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu—U.S. Title

Jacob Fatu came out sporting a new item in his merch line: a “Samoan Werewolf” mask, accompanied by Solo Sikoa. LA Knight had his own grand Mania entrance, pulling up in style with a luxury sports car.

This was the best match to this point on the card, and it would end up being strong enough to call the best non-main event match of the night. They tussled back and forth, and Knight hit a huge spot on Fatu that popped the crowd in a way that hadn’t really happened on the card thus far.

With two title changes already, it felt like the odds were against Fatu, even if he was the odds-on favorite heading into Mania according to the betting odds. In the end, Fatu was able to land his 3^rd attempt at the popup moonsault, and landing this one would seal the deal.

Fatu was able to pick up his first WWE title and the third title change of the night. You cannot overlook LA Knight’s performance, but this was a star-making night for “The Samoan Werewolf.”

El Americano Grande vs. Rey Fenix

It was supposed to be the legendary Luchador in Rey Mysterio Jr. taking on the ‘upstart’ El Grande Americano (NOT Chad Gable), but a late ‘injury’ to Mysterio called for a replacement. Rey Fenix, who debuted only a couple of weeks ago for the company, was inserted into the match in his place.

During Mania’s preshow, Michael Cole and WWE’s biggest Latin superstars announced that WWE had purchased the legendary Mexico promotion AAA. The announcement was huge, and the announcement of a “World’s Collide” cross-promotional event was made just before the match.

Before the match got underway, the production truck featured famous Mexican luchador Vikingo, who had his share of American TV exposure on AEW programming. Commentary mentioned him and Americano even tried to press him before the match. Vikingo delivered a boot to Americano to ‘kick-off’ the match.

It was great while it lasted, but there was a sense of unfamiliarity between the two—a lack of chemistry that takes time to build. Fenix was able to show out on the Mania stage, but they kept Americano strong.

Ultimately, El Grande Americano used the loaded mask to pick up the win. The finish made sense, but like a lot of the other matches, the ending felt sudden based on a lack of in-match storytelling. Vikingo came to the air of Fenix post-match and helped him to his feet as the segment faded to black.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair—Women’s World Title

Both women received entrances entirely produced for the Mania stage, with the champ, Tiffany Stratton, stealing the show with her “Barbie Dreamhouse©” style stage, complete with different “Tiffy Dolls” in three separate packages. The left and right boxes were digital as Tiffy emerged from the middlebox.

Flair’s entrance was just as impressive (and expensive) as she pulled up in a Rolls Royce, and the stage turned into a 5-star hotel named after the challenger.

The match was physical, and both superstars appeared to put just a bit more aggression into every move and every spot. From brain busters to brutally violent slams, the match took away from both women as it progressed. Even when one of them would gain momentum, like when Tiffy went for her moonsault finisher, Flair was able to get her knees up in time for a very stiff reversal.

The ’shoot’ narrative that took over this narrative seemed to play out in the match, with all the animosity playing out as expected. Flair fought hard, evident by the chipped tooth that Tiffy ended up with, but Tiffy was able to hit “The Prettiest Moonsault” for the win. It was another flat ending, but the right person won.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk

Each superstar received a WrestleMania-worthy entrance, but Punk was the only one to receive a history-focused video vignette where he claimed this was his night, his moment. He also had Living Colour perform his “Cult of Personality” entrance music. The match started with all three men in the ring, but Punk, always the tactician, rolled out of the ring as the match began—leaving Roman and Seth to figure out the battle in the ring.

Eventually, all three were intertwined, and it didn’t take long before Rollins and Punk continued their blood rivalry in the crowd during the no-DQ match. They fought throughout the crowd before Roman came flying from out of nowhere with a dive from the ‘right side’ of the guardrails.

The match told a great story of attempting to isolate one player while capitalizing off of the other, but the best spots revolved around sequences that involved all three. In one example, Roman attempted a spear on Rollins, who countered into a pedigree before landing the stomp on Reigns. Rollins rolled out Punk, but he would gain only a near fall from the spot.

A set of near falls on Roman did not work, and eventually, Seth came to Roman in an attempt to gang up on Punk. Rollins and Roman picked up Punk in an image that mirrored their Shield days. However, Roman quickly turned on the same man that turned on him and The Shield all those years ago, and that is when Roman power-bombed Punk through the oversized Mania commentator’s desk.

Heading towards the match’s climax, each man landed their finisher in one of the best near falls of the night, but that sequence set the stage for the finale.

With all three men down, Paul picked up a chair and headed towards the ring. He initially handed it to Punk to use on Roman, but Paul shocked everyone when he delivered a low blow to Punk. With Punk down, Paul handed the chair to Roman while screaming his acknowledgment.

As Roman delivered consecutive chair shots to the back of Punk, Paul set his eyes on Rollins. Paul ushered Roman to Rollins, and as he geared up to deliver a chair shot, Heyman delivered another low blow, this time to Roman, turning on his long-time ‘Tribal Chief’ in favor of Rollins.

With his back turned to it, Rollins reached out for the chair in a way that made it all seem ‘part of the plan.’ He finished Roman and took the pinfall victory over the ‘OTC’ as Punk remained downed and unable to break the pin. This match was produced to perfection, even if the booking was a bit predictable.

This sets up a much-needed promo from both Rollins and Heyman for ‘RAW after Mania.’