WrestleMania 41 Night 2: Results & Reactions

The contrast in entrances best told the story as Cena’s entrance was colorless, and his video package consisted of his name in white font on a black backdrop. The basic, uninspired entrance worked in direct contrast to Cody’s red, white, and blue stage setting with exciting visuals provided by six motorcyclists on dirt bikes.

Cena took control early on and maintained momentum for much of the early contest, but what was most important was how he set the pace for the match. The slower, more methodical match favored Cena, while the quick reversals and snap spots were momentum builders for Cody. After the first ref bump, Cody was able to hit the ‘cross Rhodes’ and had Cena beat as the crowd counted to ten before Cena’s shoulders were off the canvas. By the time the ref came to, Cena was in control and attempted a near fall.

The match hit a sort of pause afterwards, and that is when Travis Scott made his entrance with the ‘Fein’ track playing— the theme song for WrestleMania. He took his time getting to the ring, but he made the most impact when he helped Cena by pulling the ref out of the ring.

Scott, a rapper, was impactful enough at first, but eventually, Cody delivered the receipt that he owed Scott from Chamber. Cody put Scott down with the ‘cross Rhodes,’ but it only worked as a distraction for Cena to use the title as a weapon. Despite Rhodes being able to take the foreign object from Cena, he still managed to use the title to pick up the victory. After each man hit their finishers, it would end up being the title belt itself that was used to decide the contest despite an AA from the top turnbuckle earlier in the night.

It was not as convoluted as last year’s main event booking, but it just was not the finish that was expected, and the crowd seemed more confused than satisfied. The now 17-time champ and new record holder for most world title wins, passing Ric Flair’s long-held record.

Cena is scheduled for RAW After WrestleMania tomorrow night, also in Vegas, but before that he will appear live on Pat McAfee’s show tomorrow morning— an announcement that was made earlier in the night. It was not the angle most expected to finish the show, but with a new season beginning tomorrow, it will be interesting to see where this goes and whether Cena will indeed retire the WWE belt with the record. If Cena puts the belt on ice, the WWE could be heading towards a Marvel/DC level reset— breaking the lineage and continuity altogether in favor of a brand-new world title.

Bron Breakker (c) vs. Penta vs. Dom Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

The ‘futures’ game’ took the third spot on the card featuring two of ESPN’s ‘30 Under 30’ list, which included Breakker and number one ‘Dirty Dom’ in a match with the upstart Penta. Balor was included in this feud, but it was only to add the dramatic narrative to the match. After weeks of turmoil and not seeing eye to eye with each other, Dom and Finn were able to get on the same page just before WrestleMania.

In fact, the Judgement Day reps were able to keep much of the momentum in the first half of the match as a team. It felt inevitable that the quest for IC gold would drive a wedge between them. They eventually exchanged offense, and the alliance was officially broken, especially after Dom was set to deliver his frog splash finisher when Finn tripped him up on the turnbuckle.

Penta had a terrific showing in the match— he truly showed out with a star performance on the biggest stage in the biz. But the chap would not be outdone, and he landed several devastating spears on the competitors. However, his most devastating was on Carlito from one commentator’s desk to the other. In the end, Dom took advantage of Finn’s work by hitting his frog splash on Balor while he was attempting to pin Breakker. Dom would pick up the win in a spot similar to what we saw from the women’s triple threat earlier in the night.

Dom picking up the win and the belt could be too much for him and Finn to coexist within The Judgment Day. Look for tomorrow’s RAW to further that story—if not end it. Dom got over huge with the crowd, and the love continued in the post-press conference as the crowd started chanting, “You deserve it.” There was a moment when Dom ran back to the ring, an action that many are interpreting as a face change.

Randy Orton vs. Mystery Opponent (Joe Hendry)

After Kevin Owens was forced to take time off because of injury, we learned that Orton would be without a Mania opponent. The current face run for Orton has been memorable, so the crowd was not happy with a Randy-less Mania. SmackDown GM Nic Aldis took an RKO for his trouble when he was ‘warned’ to find ‘The Viper’ an opponent.

The stage was set with Orton out ringside, and that is when the music hit: “SAY HIS NAME AND HE APPEARS: I BELIEVE IN JOE HENDRY.” With rumors swirling around who it would be, Hendry remained the fan-favorite choice. Hendry received the exact pop you’d expect, and WWE was wise to use this crowd instead of a lesser event.

The match didn’t last long, but Hendry did get some offense in. The finale was seeing Hendry pose for the camera— a schtick of his that is way over with the TNA fandom— and that is when Orton hit him with an RKO ‘out of nowhere.’ Some might think it is a waste to bring in Hendry in that spot only to ‘squash him,’ but that loss did more for Hendry’s career than any win has to this point.

WWE likely wanted to see what ‘the kid’ had on the big stage, and he showed potential superstardom— a potential that benefited from Randy’s post-match rub. Orton gave Hendry another RKO post-match for good measure, but based on the fan reaction and social media response, we are likely to see many more Hendry-Mania moments in the future.

Iyo Sky(c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley— Women’s World Title

The potential show stealer of the night kicked Mania off with the triple threat match for the women’s world title. Champion Iyo Sky would not have the champion’s advantage in this match, but the style matchup between the three made for terrific chemistry.

Each participant revived a grand entrance, but Belair stole the show with a handful of young ladies performing double dutch routines and her own stepdaughter on stage with her. Unlike last night, this match set a ‘Mania tone’ that had the crowd from start to finish.

There were several huge spots that involved all three superstars, like when Sky went to the top turnbuckle only to have Rhea grab her followed quickly by Bianca. They did the spot, but Sky was able to get over in those moments. The story of the match, at least for Sky, was attempting to hit her moonsault on either opponent, but she just couldn’t hit it. In one of the stiffer spots, Sky attempted the moonsault only to have Rhea put the boot to her on the way down, and the force from it sent Sky flying into the arms of Bianca.

In the match’s climax, Bianca hit Rhea with the KOD and nearly had the win until Sky came flying in— landing her moonsault on both women to break the count. Sky would go on to take full advantage of the moment by hooking the leg and getting the win over Belair. Sky ended up retaining her title, another different tone from a night one filled with title changes.

Logan Paul vs. AJ Styles

Logan hit the ‘overbomb’ on AJ Styles moments after landing a frog splash with all of the hang time.

Logan’s minion, Jeff of ‘Impaulsive fame,’ tried to interfere in the match with brass knuckles, but Karion Kross was out to keep the match on an even keel. That is when Kross tried to tempt AJ into using the brass knucks. Since returning to WWE TV, Kross has tried to poison the faces on the roster. Kross’s most significant success was sending New Day down their current heelish path.

Logan was able to pick up the victory after the dust settled, and the crowd booed adamantly. The fans just could not wrap their heads around Logan picking up a win over Paul at Mania. It was compared to the Jey Uso-Gunther finish from night one, and the believability for fans was tough to grasp. There is a strong possibility that AJ and Logan are not done, but a win of this magnitude points to a potentially HUGE 2025 for Paul.

The question now is who wins a major title first: Logan in WWE or his brother Jake in boxing? Logan feels like the safe bet after tonight.

Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre—Street Fight

The Street Fight started off with a proper promotional spot for “Doom: Dark Ages,” the video game that sponsored Mania and Drew’s entrance. This blood rivalry wasted little time filling each other out, and after they made their rounds around the ring, it quickly filled up with weapons as strategically placed tables surrounded it. There were viciously violent spots, like when Priest attempted to ‘walk the ropes’ in reference to The Undertaker, but it backfired when McIntyre sent Priest to the outside of the ring on to side-by-side tables.

Along with steel steps and more tables, this match was every bit as physical as expected. In the match’s climax, Drew sent Priest’s head into the steel chair placed between turnbuckles, and it was one too many headshots for Priest as Drew covered for the pinfall victory.

Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Lyra Valkyria & Mystery Partner (Becky Lynch)—Women’s Tag Team Titles

With rumors surrounding an ‘unhappy with creative’ Bayley being pulled from the match, intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria was in need of a partner to challenge Liv and Raquel for the titles. The crowd popped when Becky Lynch came out through Gorilla. She was a bit rusty, but the returning Lynch was able to help (now two-belts) Valkyria claim the tag titles from the heel team.