What Was WrestleMania 41?: The Edge of Seventeen

(Photo by YouTube)

WrestleMania 41 took place at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada....also known as Las Vegas. It has been 32 years since the biggest show in the company went to Sin City. Could this one be in the discussion of most spectacular of all-time? Acquiring minds want to know.

I was able to see the Stand And Deliver PLE before the big show and it's safe to say, WWE's future is bright.

To kick-off the festivities, there was a shocking announcement, WWE has purchased the Mexico-based Lucha Libre promotion AAA. This is a big development for the wrestling world as Mexico has been the hotbed for Lucha talent.

So, I took notes to recap the event, but during the days after WrestleMania, there has been discussion about if this WM was a dud or if it was underappreciated. This is when I decided that I will try to make something out of the event.

-First off, having John Cena break the record and take the belt off of Cody Rhodes was the right move. Cody retaining as Cena's heel turn is starting to gain traction would have been foolish.

-The match itself just didn't get out of first gear. The two participants did an adequate job, but it wasn't in the caliber of a WrestleMania main event. Travis Scott will be known as the person who is the reason why Cena broke the record.

-The night one main event was fantastic. This is what happens when you have competitors who have chemistry and the willingness to elevate each other to make the contest steal the show. Seth Rollins coming out as the victor is a reward for his work in the last few years. He sacrificed himself to help the company and push storylines along. Despite that, he is still one of the top superstars in the business. CM Punk got what he wanted, he competed in a main event of WrestleMania. Heyman betraying Punk and Roman wasn't surprising but still brought a shock value to it.

-Iyo Sky, Dominik Mysterio and Jacob Fatu became stars at this WrestleMania. The women's triple threat match was clearly, the best match of night two. Many "experts" didn't think Iyo deserved to be in that match, looking at you, Kevin Nash and Vince Russo. Dom's ascension continued by winning the Intercontinental championship at the event. When he started in 2020, he was green as hell and had to face Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. Now, seeing him, you realize that he is a cornerstone for the company in the future. Jacob Fatu has been a monster since emerged in the wrestling industry. WWE was fortunate to secure his services for a long time. If you can give me a Bron Brekker/Jacob Fatu WrestleMania match, I tell you to take my money.

-I still don't know about Jey Uso winning the Raw World Heavyweight Championship over Gunther. Gunther had two long reigns as a champion and is dominate as a champ. Having him tap out to Jey Uso in a sleeper hold seems to scale back his prestige since he was dominating.

-Joe Hendry being the surprise opponent to Randy Orton was indeed a surprise. Hendry has been a breakout star for TNA for a while, and this was a showcase to hone his skills. Yes, the match lasted about four minutes, but Randy Orton wasn't going to lose his 20th WrestleMania match. Remember, Triple H faced the Ultimate Warrior in his debut WM match and that lasted about a minute, so that is something to shoot for.

Speaking of Triple H......

-He was the headliner for the class of the WWE Hall of Fame class. It was alright, the Michelle McCool and Natural Disasters are going to be scrutinized. Lex Luger's induction was a long time coming as this selection was probably more from his time at WCW.

-Fein! Fein! Fein! Thanks a lot, WWE. Now, every time I hear this song, I will think of this WrestleMania. It's not like when you hear "My Way" by Limp Bizkit and you immediately think WrestleMania 17, this is something you want to forget.

-So, there were two instances where vehicles wreaked havoc during the event. Steve Austin ran into a barricade with his ATV which caused a woman to fall like that scene in the movie Friday.

YES! That one.

-Also, the Weeknd has had the WrestleMania for six years straight now. TKO is making that green and can use that to bring him in any capacity.

-Michael Cole and Pat McAfee were on their game for this two-night event. Also, I don't see why they were upset at Heyman turning on Roman. Didn't Roman treat him like 🗑️? Wade Barrett was exceptional in his first WrestleMania.

All in all, WrestleMania 41 was a money-making machine that wasn't going to eclipse the previous year's when it comes to substance. The company has decided to run it back to Vegas next year to make even more money and hopefully, be better in terms of quality in the event.

Could the third time be a charm?

(For more content, check out our Facebook page, our website www.realsportsmarksaz.com, the Wix mobile app and our Instagram account.)