Mr. Tito’s PHAT WWE Wrestlemania 41 Night #1 with Show Review and Match Ratings
Welcome to my Night #1 review of Wrestlemania 41. As I have done for previous Wrestlemanias and other big events, I wrote this review LIVE as it was happening and should hopefully post this column instantly after the event concludes.
Before I start, a few comments… I don’t understand the hatred for Triple H speaking for 1 full hour at last night’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Firstly, many other top stars have spoke excessively and even up and slightly over an hour. In my opinion, Triple H is worthy of that same honor of speaking for that long. If the Hall of Fame was on to late for you, just watch the replay when you wake up. It’s easy to suggest that the Hall of Fame ceremony should be on another night, but you’re obviously not on the planning committee of the WWE nor do you understand the schedules of all of the talent involved.
Seriously, online marks, is there anything you won’t complain about these days? According to you, the Wrestlemania 41 hype was terrible and the Hall of Fame was too long and too late. How in the HELL can you say that after watching 3 hours of RAW and Smackdown each week with a smile? Those shows are TERRIBLE yet you devote up to 6 hours of your life watching infomercials for PLEs on Netflix or USA Network.
As I’ve told you before, go back to the 2010s if you think that the 2020s aren’t delivering perfect wrestling. Go back to those miserable years, as misery loves company.
HHH’s Hall of Fame speech was GREAT. In 1 hour, he had the chance to thank everyone who helped him along the way and it was great. Being clean and sober gives you a tremendous memory, but the guy made it through hard work and is working hard to give us a great WWE today. I loved what HHH said about working with Randy Orton and Batista, as it made him understand and appreciate the feeling of “giving back”. He didn’t have that feeling before, as he was super competitive and pushing back on losing previously.
But Shawn’s speech before introducing HHH was amazing, too… HHH never gave up on Shawn, despite his late 1990s and early 2000s troubles. HHH held Shawn accountable when he needed it, and the Game’s hard love probably saved HBK’s life.
WWE says they have “over 60,000 in attendance”, which exceeds the 47,000 number that we had just before Elimination Chamber. Not bad considering the extremely high prices and the overpriced cost of getting to Las Vegas.
Who is the whiny rapper that the WWE keeps employing for their events? Good lord, that is such weak stuff. Who actually buys that crap?
Arena and its entrance set looks amazing… Big and bright. Looks like a better presentation than the Rumble event from Indianapolis, which was a lot darker (except for the bright lights clobbering the upper decks all night long).
Video packages look amazing… Lee Fitting is doing an amazing job with WWE’s production, and has to be having a blast doing it without having ESPN executives breathing down his neck.
Mr. Tito’s PHAT Wrestlemania 41 Night #1 Review
Triple H is there to start Night #1, announcing for the first time that most countries around the globe are watching Wrestlemania live (on Netflix, that is, but not us here in the States with Peacock).
Salvatore Ganacci and a bunch of dancers came out for a quick sponsorship grab. OK
Jey Uso vs. Gunther(c) for the World Heavyweight Championship
Jey Uso arrives through the crowd, with guys holding up “YEET” flags at the entrance way, and the crowd is going wild for Jey. Good for him… In hindsight, Jey probably should have won the Elimination Chamber, but for all we know, this could be the start of something. Slim Jim’s sneaks in a sponsorship here, as they gave away a front row ticket. Is this what we’re going to see all night, just a bombardment of ads? Speaking of that, a representative of Saudi Arabia is ringside… Gunther, the champion, comes out second as he should. Match started off with some back and forth, but then Gunther begins to dominate with his brutal chops and psychology. Jey gets back on the offense with a Spear (ugh, get new moves buddy) and his bodysplash. LOVED Gunther’s cheap move by hitting Jey Uso in the face with the title, which could have been a GREAT finish. Uso took a chokehold (or sleeper?) for a while, and now Gunther is playing with him with some BRUTAL chops. However, Jey keeps getting up with a smile on his face, as if he’s had enough of Gunther’s bullying. Jey reverses Gunther’s powerbomb and then it’s 2 Superkicks, a spear, and 3 bodysplashes… Jey, instead of going for the pin, applies the sleeper hold and Gunther actually taps out. We have a NEW World Heavyweight Champion, which I’m fine with because Gunther wasn’t bringing too much excitement to the title anyway. That said, Gunther was kind of carrying Jey Uso in this match, as Gunther led the match and Jey was extremely reliant on his trademark moves rather than chain wrestling or psychology. Happy for Jey winning, though, as a reward for his Bloodline contributions. Let him be champ for 2 months and then move on to a more serious champion with a better moveset and psychology to perform well as champion. There’s a reason why this match didn’t headline neither night, along with the Rumble winner not going for the better World Title. ***
Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Jey Uso
Love that Macho Man is STILL in Slim Jim commercials, and he should be.
With WWE 2K25 coming out, I’m still partial to WWE 2K 22 as it has the New World Order in it and coming out to their sweet entrance music.
New Day vs. War Raiders(c) for the Tag Titles
I like that the New Day is still around… All they needed was a reinvention of their characters and they are back. And boy does the WWE need them, because the Tag Team division just hasn’t worked yet under Triple H’s regime. Love them having new music as heels, too. Not be outdone with the sponsorships, the War Raiders are dressed up as Clash of Clans mobile game characters which is sponsoring Wrestlemania tonight. We have 9 ads inside the ring, and the ring apron carries the sponsor of each match (Clash of Clans for this match). Crowd is SILENT for this match, despite several high impact moves hit. I just think it’s a matter of trying and trying to push the War Raiders as a tag team, but nobody is impressed. The Duck Dynasty look has never worked, as having good charisma and personality works better. Just being big badasses isn’t going to get you over unless you look like Hawk and Animal. Crowd woke up with the moonsault, though. New Day wins with some clever tagging in and out, and then holding the leg for good measure on the outside to cheat to win. Great finish for a relatively good tag match that didn’t excite the crowd at first. ***1/2
Winners and NEW Tag Champions: New Day
Won’t admit to playing Clash of Clans, but I am enjoying the WWE skins for Fortnite.
More commercials, as we’re yeeting with Snickers.
Jackpocket is the next sponsor… Sure, let’s get our WWE fans addicted to lottery tickets.
Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
Still don’t understand why Naomi attacked Jade in the storyline… Wanting Bianca all to herself just seems like a weak reason to throw someone into a windshield of a vehicle. Great showing by Naomi to make Jade look like a million bucks, even taking major bumps that could have hurt her. Naomi did her job and made Jade look like the best she’s ever looked and thus should be rewarded. Move Naomi to the opposite brand and give her a push. It will be up to Jade to continue this momentum or not. ***
Winner: Jade Cargill
Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight(c) for the United States Title
Still baffled at how literally ever big wrestling promotion could have signed Jacob Fatu before 2024, but didn’t. WWE is LOVING his services… Cool entrance for LA Knight with the car. Crowd is into this match, as they seem legitimately divided between the two wrestlers but that’s a good thing… They care about BOTH wrestlers and both guys are feeding off the crowd. But just as the crowd was warmed up, they oddly went right for the finish and LA Knight was finished off cleanly with a Samoan Drop from the top rope and then 2 moonsaults. Jacob Fatu is the new US Champ and Haku came to honor him at ringside. This match could have gone longer, as they had a hot crowd and just didn’t get to capitalize on it. ***1/2
Winner and NEW United States Champion: Jacob Fatu
Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano
Mask or not mask, Chad Gable deserves a big spot on Wrestlemania… Sad to see Rey Mysterio out, though. Chad Gable El Grande Americano’s entrance was fantastic and honestly, I’d be perfectly OK if Gable kept that gimmick. Many are pissed about the “Gulf of America” mention, but it just adds to the trolling gimmick. Vikingo at ringside and he hit Americano with a big kick, just after WWE announced the purchase of the AAA promotion in Mexico. That is bonkers that the WWE purchased that and could make things very interesting as WWE tries to really expand its map. Both guys are wearing RED tights, making it visually hard to follow! Don’t coordinate, guys! Gable is so smooth handling Fenix’s stuff and he didn’t get anyone to polish up his moves like that in AEW. Michael Cole with the “what a Chad Gable like throw” call, LOL. Americano hit a SICK flip from the top rope, well over 360 degrees, but 2 count only. THAT should have been the finish… Americano puts in his metal plate and Pat declares “goes from a four to a five head quick”. Fenix fended him off and went of the offense, including an amazing kick on Americano off the apron. But, that damn metal plate hurt Fenix’s foot and then the ankle lock was applied. Americano with the headbutt and then a flying headbutt for the win. Loved that match and Gable did tremendous with the work with Fenix and the sports entertainment. El Grande should really play up that “cheat to win” stuff for some real heat, including driving in a convertible vehicle with hydraulics… ****
Winner: Chad Gable El Grande Americano
Shawn Michaels comes out and announces 61,467 in attendance.
Charlotte vs. Tiffany Stratton(c) for the Women’s Title
Champion comes out first, which is BS… Anytime Charlotte was champion, she probably always came out second. Disrespect… Both ladies are wearing pink, which again, makes it hard to contrast which wrestler is which. Different colors, guys! Fans are firmly against Charlotte when the announcements are made, but dead silent as Charlotte dominates the early match. While the wrestlers are working together well on pure athleticism, there just lacks emotion between both ladies working together. There seems to be no “joy” between the competitors of getting to work together. I also think that both ladies are struggling to see inside the ring with their hairstyles and it has caused lots of hesitation in performing moves together. But I also think that the match has been driven and controlled by Charlotte, as Tiffany appears to be waiting for marching orders throughout the match. In addition, Charlotte seems to be stiff on her kicks and punches/forearms on Tiffany, while Tiffany is being very careful. Thought we had it with the off-the-top rope Natural Selection, but hey, let’s kick out of EVERYTHING tonight. Additional confusion between the two to set up the ending, as Tiffany looked confused as possibly Charlotte missed a cue or miscommunication happened. Eventually, Tiffany hits her Moonsault for the win. ** Both ladies should have found a way to work together in a positive light, as their negative crap and competitiveness just produced a BAD Wrestlemania match. Charlotte was too controlling in this match, while Tiffany was too scared to take charge. Body language is everything, folks… Bad match.
Winner: Tiffany Stratton
Movie trailer now? Geesh, WWE is really selling out for the commercial dollar tonight.
Hall of Fame recap was shown… Where was Lex Luger? With Tugboat out there, I showed my wife the infamous Shockmaster segment from WCW 1993 and she laughed hard at the helmet coming off.
MAIN EVENT: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk
Seth Rollins first came out with a ridiculously large black robe on but then removed it to reveal an all-white outfit. Alrighty then. Roman Reigns comes out next, just a normal entrance for him. CM Punk got a pretty sweet video package and he comes out to a LIVE playing of Cult of Personality performed by Living Colour. Paul Heyman is by Punk’s side… Crowd is coming alive for this one, with heavy chants for CM Punk and Roman Reigns. Match brought to you by Xfinity, who will transfer their advertisement costs onto you, their consumers, through higher billings… CM Punk taunts Roman with his “favor” Paul Heyman and that prompts Roman to start the match by attacking Seth. The usual 2 guys working while 1 rests formula working here, while basically becoming a hardcore match because for some reason, all Triple Threats are no-disqualification. Sorry, but a version where one guy has to tag in and the rules are cleaner makes a better Triple Threat match instead of typical hardcore matches. Punk and Roman appear to have great chemistry together, which is baffling why we don’t just have them instead of having Seth Rollins in there. Like Seth, but three is a crowd. I cringe with fear anytime a Buckle Bomb move is performed… After I bash Rollins, he suddenly impressed me by hitting a Pedigree from a Spear attempt by Roman. Damn!!! That was impressive! That should have been a finish! Many more near finishes to follow with wrestlers hitting their finishers but 2 count only… Seth offers teaming with Roman, but Roman rejects it by smacking Rollins and then Powerbombing CM Punk through the table without assistance. Then, Roman destroys Rollins through the announcer’s table as well. Spear to Seth, but yet another 2 count only. WTF? What actually defeats anyone now? Do you have to stab or shoot someone to win a wrestling match? Now, Punk was pulled into the ring and Roman has his guillotine submission but Punk reverses that into a pin. Seth Rollins back in and goes on the attack, locking in Punk for a Sharpshooter. But then Roman gets back up and locks in the guillotine on Rollins. Many more finishers hit, including wrestlers doing each other’s finishers on each other… I just now noticed that the referee has a mohawk… GTS on Seth, Spear on Punk, and then Stomp on Roman by each owners of the finishers. Cool spot… Paul Heyman then goes to the announcer’s area and picks up a steel chair. Uh oh… However, both Punk and Roman want the chair, but Heyman passes the chair to Punk (who is in Punk’s corner). BUT, Paul Heyman nutted CM Punk as Punk was about to swing the chair on Roman and then Paul offers up the chair to Roman Reigns. Now, Roman is bashing Punk’s body with the Heyman-provided chair and then Heyman points to Seth Rollins next for chair punishment. OH BUT WAIT, Paul Heyman nutshotted Roman Reigns! Looks like the NoDQ Review boys were right, Heyman sided with Seth Rollins! Chairshot to Roman and then a Stomp, Seth Rollins wins the match! Funny how simple storytelling at the end of the match was 1000 times better than the many finishers hit before the Heyman antics began. ****1/2
Winner: Seth Rollins
LAST WORD: OK first night… I think history will show that Gunther was a weak world champ, Jey Uso is a flash in the pan, overpushing Charlotte is a mistake, and Punk/Roman deserve to be in title matches based on their popularity. Nothing to watch repeatedly, but enjoyable mostly to see it live when it happened. Effort was there, but superstar positioning in the correct matches wasn’t. Also, who is scripted finishes to WWE matches? I just watched Triple H praise Pat Patterson for his creative finishes last night at the Hall of Fame. Well, you had many great finish possibilities and they were all blown by 2 counts. Maybe Night #2 is better and makes Night #1 feel like a good complement to that night’s show? Many are predicting that Heyman/Rollins will team with Rock/Cena, so thus maybe this show will be perceived better if that actually happens? [ B ] is my grade.