WrestleMania 41 Night One is in the books. As expected, WWE pulled off all the stops inside Allegiant Stadium and the event felt massive. Fans on the stage was a fun upgrade to see, but then there were the sponsorships.
I think WWE is open for business in that regard? Now, I watched the show from inside the building and haven’t watched the show back yet. That said, with the various flashing advertising in the ring, on the ring, on the stage, and nearly any direction you could look, I can only assume Michael Cole and Pat McAfee were busy getting their plugs in. Hopefully they got a nice commission check for that … but I doubt it.
The matches on the show that needed to deliver, delivered. That responsibility fell on the shoulders of Jey Uso, Gunther, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Paul Heyman. It’s the middle of the card that slowed down to a snails pace.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. Period.
Gunther vs. Jey Uso - WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
I enjoyed this match. A lot of it was about the pomp and circumstance around Jey’s entrance, but it’s WrestleMania. Pomp and circumstance is what it’s all about. To that end, Jey’s entrance was tremendous. Just a spectacle that will be remembered for a long time. As for the match, it was what it needed to be. A lot of Gunther dominance, but then a fighting Jey Uso pulling it out at the end. Given all that happened with Seth Rollins in the main event, I’m not sure how long Jey has as champion, but this match was about making a moment, not a long term face of the company.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
The War Raiders vs. The New Day - WWE World Tag Team Championship Match
A pretty straightforward match that got the championships around the waists of heel New Day. They needed it. Now, they alone won’t be able to flip the narrative on a bland tag team division, but having the championships with a heel team that others can chase is a start. They need the booking to follow with some focus.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
A showcase match for Jade Cargill. She looked like a star out there and got a strong star treatment with a huge entrance. The match was what it was, but because it was a feature for Jade, it worked having her simply showcase her strengths in terms of power moves and strength. The first of many Mania matches for her.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu - WWE United States Championship Match
A really good match and a near-perfect WrestleMania debut for Fatu. He needed to look dominant and did, but it wasn’t a total squash. That’s important. If Fatu is going to have a run at the top, he needs to show that he can have longer matches that deliver. If you’ve watched him prior to WWE, you already know that he can, but establishing that in the WWE ecosystem was important.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
Rey Fenix vs. El Grande Americano
This faced some tough circumstances with the entire build being around El Grande Americano against Rey Mysterio, only for the Mysterio to be removed due to injury hours before the match. Rough. This was fine for what it was, but a slow match that didn’t showcase Fenix as prominently as you might have thought. Grande Americano winning was the smart move as it keeps his lucha feud going with a match with Rey still out there down the road.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair - WWE Women’s Championship Match
Hard hitting. Multiple times during this match it seemed like both Stratton and Flair were loading up some shots with a little extra sizzle on them. The drama of the build helped those shots resonate. Some of this was sloppy at times, but they were able to construct near fall moments that popped the audience. Stratton winning is telling. If you didn’t think so before, you know it now. WWE is in on her. Big time.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
The main event and the best match of the night. The CM Punk entrance was epic and really set a tone for him. It felt like WWE was paying homage to Punk’s journey with that one. Huge stuff. As for the match, it was filled with drama and tremendous facial expressions from Paul Heyman to sell that drama. Heyman slowly turning on both his former friends was the angle that gave the match a reason for being in the main event. Heyman and Rollins together is a compelling pivot that should drive interest in the product. Real quick on Rollins. He was the star of the match. Not only did he generate a lot of the movement inside the match itself, but his body language as the turn went down was important to get right and he nailed it. Rollins slowly asking Heyman for the chair needed to be perfect and the slow, deliberate nature in which he did got everything over. Not a five-star classic, but a WWE style, storyline driven main event finish.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4
What did you think of WrestleMania 41 Night One? Let us know in the comments!
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